CHAPTER 93: CHAPTER 93: HEAT (2)

Elias’s breath hitched, his fingers curling into the back of the couch as Victor’s weight pressed him down into the cushions, pinning him in place with the kind of firm presence that left no room for doubts. It was crushing, yes, but it was also exactly what his body seemed to crave, that steady, immovable pressure pinning him even as the bond burned hotter, flooding his veins with an insistent pull that left his thoughts staggering and his self-control fraying in uneven strips.

"Victor..." His voice cracked around the name, the sound more a gasp than a word, his chest rising sharply with each uneven breath. "I can’t... I can’t think..."

"Good," Victor murmured, his lips brushing over the fresh mark with each word, the heat of his mouth and the faint scrape of his teeth sending a fresh wave of molten sensation licking down Elias’s spine. "You don’t need to think. Just feel."

The command wrapped around him like a second bond, and Elias’s body obeyed before his mind could protest. His hips lifted in a restless, seeking arc, friction becoming the only thing he could chase, the only point of clarity in the haze that had taken root in his core. Victor’s hand traced a slow, claiming path down his chest, fingertips skating over tense muscle until they caught at the waistband of his pants, tugging just enough to strip away another layer of defense. Elias’s cock sprang free, already beaded, from the tension and the alpha pheromones that filled the air.

Victor’s eyes sharpened, his smirk edged with something far more dangerous as his gaze dipped lower. "Look at you," he murmured, his voice saturated with satisfaction. "Already aching for me."

Elias’s throat worked around a half-formed protest, but the sound dissolved when Victor’s hand closed firmly around him, the stroke slow, designed to coax rather than rush. His hips betrayed him instantly, jerking up into the touch, a ragged moan spilling from his lips before he could bite it back.

Victor’s breath was warm at his ear, his voice a low thread of dark amusement. "Pretend all you want, omega. We both know who you belong to now."

The words landed like another shackle tightening, and the shiver that ran through Elias felt dangerously close to surrender. He wanted to push back, to reclaim a sliver of control, but the bond surged again and his hips rolled into Victor’s palm as if pulled on a string.

Victor’s free hand slid under the hem of his shirt, warm against the curve of his stomach before moving lower, fingers slipping past the last barrier of his briefs. Elias’s breath broke on a sharp gasp, his spine arching off the couch as those fingers found him, slick and wanting.

Victor’s mouth curved, his tone rich with approval. "Already so ready for me... your body doesn’t lie, Elias. It knows exactly who it’s bound to now."

The mark still burned constantly, a thrumming reminder that it was there, that he was there. The bond curled deeper with every passing heartbeat, winding through his chest and down into his stomach until it pooled hot and low, making every nerve seem overstrung and every breath feel too shallow.

"You feel it, don’t you?" His voice was quiet but heavy, as if it could sink straight into Elias’s bones. "You were holding back before. You can’t now."

A frustrated sound tore from Elias’s throat, something between a growl and a gasp, because he knew Victor was right. The bond wasn’t just sitting in his skin, it was feeding the fire until it roared, until every small shift of Victor’s weight, every faint brush of his scent, had him teetering between need and the urge to push back.

Victor leaned closer, mouth brushing his ear, voice a low command wrapped in warmth. "Breathe me in, Elias."

He didn’t mean to obey, but the next breath filled his lungs with that rich, intoxicating scent, and the rush of it hit like another pulse through the bond, sharp, dizzying, and utterly consuming. His fingers tightened on the couch cushions, knuckles white, as his body arched into Victor’s without him meaning to.

Victor’s thumb swept lazily over the head of his cock, gathering the heat already there before dragging it back down in a stroke that made Elias’s knees tighten around his hips. The sound he made was low and strained, his head tipping back into the cushions like he was trying to find air in a room that no longer had any.

"That’s it," Victor murmured, slow and deliberate, fingers still moving with that same infuriating control. His other hand pressed deeper between Elias’s thighs, parting him with the kind of patience that made it impossible to think past the next inch of touch.

Elias’s breath stuttered. His heat was no longer just simmering in his skin, it had sunk deep, curling tight in his belly, every pulse of the bond dragging it higher. Each time Victor’s scent swelled, it was like a tide breaking over him, drowning whatever protest he had left.

"You’re not even trying to fight it now." The words were quiet, almost conversational, but the smirk in Victor’s voice told him he was watching every twitch, every tremor.

Elias tried to swallow, to answer, but the only thing that left his mouth was a sound that was far too close to a whimper.

Victor’s weight shifted, pressing him deeper into the couch until there was nowhere to go but closer. "Good," he said again, and this time his voice was lower, rougher, and threaded through with something primal. "Let me take care of it."

The pressure of his fingers inside Elias deepened, finding that spot that made his back bow and his nails bite into the cushions. The alpha’s chest brushed his, heat to heat, his breath steady even as Elias’s came in ragged gasps.

"Victor..." His name broke on a moan as the next pulse of the bond hit, sharper this time, dragging a fresh wave of slick to meet Victor’s touch.

"That’s the bond," Victor told him, his tone both explanation and claim. "It’s syncing with your heat. You’re mine now, Elias, and your body knows it."