Page 12 of Primal Vow

The human in question was currently stumbling over the uneven ground, his worn boots struggling to keep up with the long strides of Taryn and his warriors. A rope was wound around his body, tying his arms to his sides, and Taryn held the other end.

Rhys. Taryn's lip curled. The name was an ugly hiss.

The human was panting with exhaustion, his face flushed with exertion and framed by dark, sweat-damp hair. Despite his filthy state, his green eyes were sharp.

And he never stopped watching Taryn.

Taryn tore his gaze away from the struggling human, focusing instead on the horizon. The mountains, the forests, the sky — it was all a distraction from the uninvited presence at his side. But even with his eyes fixed ahead, he couldn't escape the human's scent.

Rhys's scent was unmistakable: intense, earthy, and laced with a subtle sweetness that gnawed at Taryn's resolve more than he cared to admit. The distinct smell of human should have been repugnant.

Yet, against his will, it was appealing. Unnervingly so.

Taryn clenched his jaw, his senses rebelling despite his efforts to ignore them. He had commanded the young warriors to apply the pheromone-blocking salve, ensuring they were not distracted by the human’s scent. But he had refused to dull his senses. The hunt was still on. They were tracking runaway humans through the wilderness. Disabling his sense of smell would jeopardize their mission.

And now, he was paying the price.

Every breath carried Rhys’s scent deeper into his senses, a reminder of the human's presence. His muscles tensed with an instinctive pull, a contradiction of revulsion and raw attraction that he couldn’t shake.

Images leaped unbidden into his mind—memories of nights disturbed by the sounds of Rael and his human mate, Elian. Taryn had heard them through the thin walls of the alpha's quarters, their intimacy an affront to his sensibilities. The soft murmurs, the laughter, the raw cries of pleasure—they had grated on his nerves, stoking a fire of anger and disbelief. How could a Borraq, especially an alpha, allow himself to be so vulnerable, so entwined with a human?

Taryn clenched his teeth, the past merging with the present in unsettling clarity. He had sworn to himself that such weakness was not for him. He would not succumb as Rael had, bound to a human by some inexplicable force. Yet here he was, his own body betraying him at every turn.

Unable to resist, he glanced at Rhys, the human's green eyes meeting his for an instant. Rhys's expression was a mix of defiance and fatigue, his breath coming in harsh pants. And despite the grime and exhaustion, Taryn's senses flared with unwanted images—of closeness, of touch, of heat.

Taryn tried in vain to push the intrusive thoughts from his mind, but the image of Rhys beneath him burned bright. He imagined the human's lithe form pressed against his own, their bodies moving together.

He could almost feel the heat of Rhys's skin against his, the slide of sweat-slicked muscles as they writhed in carnal bliss. Rhys's scent would envelop him, that intoxicating blend of earth and sweetness that clouded Taryn's senses and stoked the flames of desire raging within.

A tremor ran through Taryn as he pictured capturing Rhys's mouth in a searing kiss, claiming that tempting mouth with his own. He imagined the way their tongues would glide together, the taste of Rhys's unique essence flooding his senses. Taryn's large hands would roam the expanses of Rhys's body, mapping every arc and plane, reveling in the contrasts of soft skin over lean muscle.

He envisioned pinning the smaller human beneath his bulkier frame, eliciting gasps and whimpers of pleasure from those sinful lips. His name would be a prayer on Rhys's tongue as he sheathed himself in that tight, velvet heat. Their cries would echo through the wilds as Taryn claimed his mate, taking him apart with each powerful thrust, until they both shattered in ecstasy.

The intensity of his forbidden fantasies made Taryn's blood burn. His heart thundered in his chest as instincts he had long suppressed roared to life. This wasn't just lust - it was the primal drive to possess, to mate, to bind himself eternally to this infuriatingly alluring human. Despite his staunch beliefs, Taryn's very core yearned for that union, that completion.

A growl rumbled low in his throat as he tightened his grip on the rope, using the coarse fibers to anchor himself. Rhys glanced back at the sound, green eyes glittering with intrigue and no small amount of defiance. Just that heated look sent another jolt of arousal searing through Taryn's body.

He could take the human right here, right now. Claim him as his own, consequences be damned. The thought of Rhys writhing beneath him, finally submitting to Taryn's dominance, made him burn with feral need. But somehow Taryn found the fortitude to tear his gaze away, jaw clenched against the maelstrom of want and self-loathing that warred within him.

He was a warrior, a protector of his clan, not a slave to base instincts. Taryn tore his gaze away, forcing his breathing to slow. Summoning all his control, he brought his focus back to the task at hand: his territory.

It was a disgrace that Taryn had to escort a human through the heart of his clan's lands. But there was no other choice. Taryn and his charges were far from his clan's village — there was no way to get assistance on this mission. If he did anything other than hunt them down, he'd just be giving the runaway humans time to spread further into his lands.

No, it was just him and his warriors on this mission. They had to hunt the rest of the humans who had dared to set foot on Vasz. Taryn couldn't rest until his clan's territory was free of the vermin.

But the chase was proving to be a difficult task. Humans were slippery creatures. When Taryn's forces had descended upon their pit, the miners had slipped away with surprising amounts of skill.

The humans hadn't panicked, leaving visible tracks — instead, they'd run together as one, moving lightly through the wilds, doubling back, and covering their tracks. Taryn had scouted, waiting for them to return to their ship… But the humans had left the mine site entirely, heading somewhere as if they had a goal.

Taryn frowned. That had been unexpected. He'd expected panic, not competence. He was confident that he and his warriors would be able to catch the remaining humans… But it was an extra headache that he didn't need.

He had enough on his plate already.

Taryn's grip tightened on the rope binding the human as they trudged through the rugged terrain. His jaw clenched, a muscle twitching with repressed fury. This Rhys was an affront to everything Taryn held sacred — the purity of Vasz, the honor of his people, the memory of his fallen brother.

A low growl rumbled in Taryn's throat. By rights, he should deliver the human straight to the central authorities to face judgment. It was the duty of every Borraq to turn over any humans found on their lands. Harsh punishment awaited those who dared violate their world.

But Rael... Rael had complicated matters with his own human pet. Taryn's eyes narrowed at the thought. His clan leader's inexplicable affection for his human mate was an embarrassment, a stain on their honor. How could Rael bring such a thing into their ancestral home, into the heart of their clan?

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