<h4>Chapter 21: Sweet Temptation</h4>


    <strong>Kane POV:</strong>


    This little mate of mine was in desperate need of some conditioning; there was no way she’d be outrunning me anytime soon. Not that I wasining—it gave me the perfect excuse to catch her with ease. Just as she attempted a sharp turn, I leapt, pinning her down before she could swipe at me with her ws. She thrashed beneath me, fiery and furious, but I wasn’t about to let her tear me to shreds.


    Using my alpha tone, Imanded her to shift. She wasn’t part of my pack, but as my mate, that connection was enough topel her wolf to obey. In seconds, she was back in her human form, naked and absolutely breathtaking beneath me. My anger simmered, but damn if the sight of her didn’t stoke a whole different kind of fire. I wanted her—wanted to do things that would make her forget why she’d ever tried to run from me. But this wasn’t the ce, nor the time. Still, it was impossible to resist the temptation to look, my eyes lingering far longer than they should.


    "Fuck..." I muttered under my breath, struggling to keep my control in check. My wolf was prowling just below the surface, pushing to im her, and my body was more than willing to oblige. She was like a work of art, crafted to tempt me in every way, and the longer I stared, the harder it was to remember why I needed to stop.


    I tore off my shirt, tossing it to her. "Put this on," I said, my voice rougher than I intended. But even with the shirt on, she was a vision, the fabric hanging off her like a short, oversized dress. And when she dared to tell me to turn around, as if she hadn’t just pulled that ridiculous stunt, I couldn’t help but smirk.


    "No," I replied, crossing my arms and making it clear she’d forfeited any right to privacy. "Not after what you pulled minutes ago."


    Once she was done buttoning the shirt, I couldn’t resist onest appreciative look. She looked damn good in my shirt, all rumpled and defiant. But now it was time to put my foot down. Without another word, I scooped her up, tossing her over my shoulder like I had the day before. Her fists thudded against my back as she shouted every insult she could think of.


    I was pretty sure she just called me a <i>savage beast</i>. The irony. She had no idea.


    Keeping my grip firm on her, I leaned in close, letting my wordse out low and dangerous. "Don’t pull a stunt like yesterday again, I am contended with my pants on my waist, unless you want to find yourself on your knees..." I let the innuendo hang in the air, watching the effect it had on her. Her mouth snapped shut, and for the first time since this maddening chase started, there was a blessed moment of silence.


    Finally, some peace and quiet.


    Carrying her through the forest, I could feel the tension radiating off her, her frustration practically burning through my shirt as she huffed and crossed her arms. She wanted to fight, but I’d shut her down.


    <strong>Elena’s POV:</strong>


    This damn caveman had me slung over his shoulder <i>again</i>, and to make things worse, the jerk was shirtless. Just my luck. Every step he took sent a ripple through his muscles, and my traitorous eyes kept locking onto his broad, bare back. It was infuriating... and undeniably hot.


    I had to grit my teeth to keep from making a sound. My wolf, Zena, was not helping—she was practically purring in my head, urging me to dig my ws in and hold on for the ride. My body was already a mess from the moment he’d pinned me down while I was stark naked beneath him, and now here he was, carrying me like some damsel in distress.


    It took <i>all</i> my willpower not to give in to the wild urge to w at him or, worse, to just let my body give in to the ridiculous attraction and dry-hump him right here in the middle of the woods. I mean, was it <i>too</i> much to ask for a little self-control?


    And as if sensing my internal struggle, the arrogant bastard just kept walking, entirely unbothered. Smug as ever. I could practically feel his smirk radiating off him without even seeing his face. Oh, he thought he’d won, but he had another thinging.


    To make matters worse, I couldn’t pull my escape trick from yesterday—the one where I’d yanked his pants down and made a break for it. He must have known it, too, because before he threw me over his shoulder, he’d leaned close, his voice dark and dangerous, "Don’t pull a stunt like that again, unless you want to find yourself on your knees..." The way he said it left no room for doubt. He <i>meant</i> it.


    And damn it, my whole body <i>melted</i>. My heart raced, my pulse hammered, and I hated every second of it. This mate bond was ying tricks on me, making me weak in ways I’d never been before. <i>Why</i> did my body insist on reacting like this—this heat that red up just from being near him, his scent, the press of his arm holding me down, his rough voice in my ear?


    It was humiliating, infuriating, and... intoxicating. Stupid bond. Stupid body. If he knew just how close I was to giving in, he’d never let me live it down. But no way was I letting him win that easily.


    Having exhausted every escape idea I could think of, I had no choice but to ept my fate—dangling over his broad, muscr shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Humiliating didn’t even begin to cover it. My arms were crossed in defiance, and I red at his bare back, willing myself not to notice how annoyingly solid and warm he was, or how his muscles shifted with every step.


    But my stupid body had other ns, and I could feel that ridiculous mate-bond pull, making my pulse race even as my mind fumed. Here I was, the mighty Elena, reduced to nothing more than cargo on this overbearing caveman. And he knew it, too. I could practically feel his smugness radiating off him as he strode back to his car,pletely ignoring my seething.


    "Comfortable up there?"