<h4>Chapter 63: Marking?</h4>


    <strong>Elena POV:</strong>


    As Kane stepped back to yank off his t-shirt, exposing those perfectly chiseled abs that looked like they were sculpted by the gods themselves, my breath hitched. For a moment, I waspletely mesmerized—his muscles flexed with every subtle movement, his skin glistening faintly under the soft light. The sheer masculinity radiating off him was utterly intoxicating.


    But then, that small step back, that tiny sliver of distance between us, gave me just enough room to breathe. The cool air hit my face, cutting through the oppressive heat that had consumed me. The thick, heady mixture of his scent and dominant aura that had been clouding my mind thinned ever so slightly.


    And that was all it took.


    Reality came crashing down like a bucket of ice water. <i>What the hell am I doing?</i> The heat of the moment had nearly swallowed me whole, but with the temporary rity, mymon sense finally pped me across the face. This wasn’t me. I wasn’t some girl who got swept away by lust, drugged mate or not.


    "Kane..." I stammered, trying to step back further, my pulse racing for apletely different reason now.


    But the look in his eyes—those swirling pools of ck, zing with desire and raw need—made it clear that hesitation wasn’t something he was going to entertain. His wolf was still in control, and it wasser-focused on one thing: me.


    I barely managed to m the bedroom door halfway shut before Kane’s booted foot wedged itself in the frame, halting it with terrifying ease. My heart hammered in my chest as I threw my weight against the door, but it was no use. His strength was unparalleled, and the slow, ominous growl that rumbled from his chest sent a shiver down my spine.


    "Elena," he said, his voice low and dangerous, dripping with unrestrained lust and frustration. "Open the door before I break it down."


    Panic surged through me, drowning out the lingering warmth from his touch. Zena, however, was furious, pacing in my mind and howling insults. <i>"Coward! You tease him and then run? He’s our mate—our alpha! Let him im us!"</i>


    "Not helping, Zena!" I snapped internally as I bolted away from the door, my feet carrying me straight to the bathroom. I heard the door creak and groan under his pressure as I dashed inside and mmed it shut, locking it with trembling fingers.


    "Elena," Kane’s voice called from the other side of the bathroom door, sharper now, tinged with the edge of his wolf’s dominance. "You’re making this harder than it needs to be."


    I pressed my back against the cool tiles, my chest heaving as I tried to steady my breathing. My body was still alight with the remnants of his touch, but my mind was racing with the absurdity of what had just happened. What the hell was I doing?


    A loud thud against the door startled me, followed by an even darker growl. "You think you can run from me, little mate? You think I don’t know exactly how much you want me?" His tone was a mixture of seductive promise and primal warning.


    I swallowed hard, my cheeks flushed with a mix of shame and desire. He wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean I was going to admit it. "Kane," I called back, trying to inject some steel into my voice. "You’re not in your right mind. That drug is messing with you!"


    Hisugh was low and predatory. "The drug only amplifies what’s already there, Elena. Don’t use it as an excuse. You feel it too. You’re mine, and you know it."


    I groaned, sliding down to the floor, trying to ignore Zena, who was screaming at me to stop resisting. "You’re impossible," I muttered under my breath.


    "Impossible?" Kane repeated with a smirk in his voice. "We’ll see how long you keep saying that, little mate."


    The door rattled again, and I knew it was only a matter of time before his strength—or his patience—would win out. I was trapped in more ways than one, and Kane was hellbent on proving there was no escape.


    I knew the door wasn’t going to stop him. Who was I kidding? This was Kane—the deranged, out-of-control Alpha with his wolf practically foaming at the mouth.


    And true to form, he didn’t even try to pretend patience. The pounding on the door started almost immediately, each m rattling the hinges, making my heart leap with every deafening thud. It was like he was trying to rip the damn thing off its frame.


    "Elena!" His voice was a guttural snarl,ced with both anger and unrelenting hunger. The sound sent a shiver down my spine.


    The banging didn’t stop, but now there were sharp, grating noises. <i>Scratches?</i> My stomach dropped. Yep, definitely scratches—deep, wed lines ripping through the wood as if the door was made of paper.


    My breath hitched. He had shifted. His wolf was fully in control now, and it was pissed. Really pissed.


    Low, menacing growls rumbled from the other side, vibrating through the door. The sound alone sent waves of tension through my body, my wolf, Zena, whining in submission.


    <i>Great.</i> Not only was I trapped in here with no escape route, but now I was cornered by an enraged, drugged Alpha wolf. And judging by the noise outside, that door wasn’t going to hold much longer.


    "Zena, you better have a n!" I hissed internally, panic creeping in.


    Her reply was a traitorous purr. <i>"Let him in. Let him im us."</i>


    "Are you insane?!"


    My wolf will be my Doom.


    The scratching stopped, and for a moment, I dared to hope. Maybe, just maybe, he had tired himself out. Maybe he’d gone away to cool off, giving me some damn space to breathe and think.


    But why the hell did I have to intervene? <i>Why couldn’t I just let Ashley deal with the mess she’d created?</i> I should’ve left her to her own demise and run as far away as possible. Instead, I’d given in to whatever this <i>connection</i> was between us, and now I was stuck in this nightmare.


    Just as my heart started to settle, and I foolishly thought that maybe this was over, a deafening crash rang through the room.


    The door—myst line of defense—was ripped off its hinges like it was nothing.


    And there he stood.


    Kane.


    In all his naked glory. His massive frame blocking the doorway, dark eyes shing with raw intensity. His muscles were rippling with every movement as he prowled into the room, his body covered in sweat and still glistening from the earlier heat. His cock—hard and hungry—swung freely between his legs. He looked like a damn beast in human form, a predator who’d caught the scent of his prey and was ready to im it.


    My breath caught in my throat as the air between us thickened, his scent overwhelming every other thought in my mind. The same intoxicating mix of desire, dominance, and power swirled around me, forcing my wolf to stir, to <i>want</i> him even more.


    But I couldn’t let myself give in to this madness. Not like this. Not while he was so... <i>lost</i>.


    .....


    He shifted back to his human form after weakening the door with his wolf ws, tearing it down easily. The look in his eyes was clear: this time, he was going to finish what he had started. My wolf was a hopeless case. There was no point in relying on her. Just the sight of his cock made her pant like the animal she was. And that was the problem with creatures like her—wolves thought with their emotions, not their reason.


    She was fighting me for control, wanting to im him, to show our mate that he was ours too. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at it—my face flushed just from ncing in his direction. And I couldn’t help wondering if it would fit. No, Elena. Don’t go there.


    He started to close in on me, and I had nowhere to go. I had backed up against the bathroom wall. He smirked, his voice low and hoarse. "You’ve been a bad little mate."


    God, it was so fucking hot. Especially now that his Greek-shaped body was fully exposed, every muscle trembling as he moved closer.


    Fuck, I was turning into a slut. I looked into his eyes—big mistake. I quickly closed mine, hoping that if I couldn’t see him, maybe he’d go away. But the opposite happened. My senses heightened, and I felt every inch of him as he closed in. His hands pressed against the wall on either side of me, trapping me in ce. I could feel his breath on my skin, hot and heavy.


    "That wasn’t nice of you, little mate. Makes me want to mark you right now."


    I opened my eyes and found myself staring into his dark, dangerous, lust-filled gaze. He was really going to mark me.


    I heard pissed off a horny drugged Alpha wolf-my mate- now i was going to face the consequence.