Page 30 of The Alpha's Forbidden Heir

“And I said I’m not going anywhere.” My other hand comes up, bracing against the wall beside her head, caging her in completely. “Do you know what’s funny, princess? You keep telling me to leave, but your body says something entirely different.”

Her cheeks flush, and her eyes dart away, but I’m not letting her escape that easily.

“Look at me,” I command, my voice a growl.

She hesitates, her throat bobbing as she swallows hard, but she meets my gaze. Her eyes are stormy, conflicted, and it hits me all over again just how much I’ve missed her.

“You’re trembling,” I murmur, my thumb brushing lightly against her jaw. “Why is that?”

“I’m not trembling,” she snaps, but the crack in her voice betrays her.

“You are.” I press closer, and her breath hitches as my body brushes against hers. “Is it because of the bond? Or is it because, deep down, you still want me as much as I want you?”

Her eyes blaze, and for a moment, I think she’s going to fight back, to lash out like she always does. But instead, she stammers, her voice faltering. “You’re… you’re insane. I don’t want you.”

“Liar.” The word slips from my lips, a soft, accusing growl, and I see her flinch.

Her hands finally push harder against my chest, but I don’t budge. “I mean it, Bane. Get the hell out of my house.”

“Why?” I challenge my grip on her jaw tightening just slightly. “So you can keep pretending you don’t feel this?”

She shakes her head, her voice rising. “There’s nothing to feel! You made sure of that when you rejected me. Remember that, Bane? You’re the one who threw us away.”

The words sting more than I want to admit, but I don’t let it show. Instead, I lean in, my lips brushing against her ear as Iwhisper, “And yet here we are, princess. Five years later, and the bond still burns. Tell me that doesn’t mean anything.”

She shudders, and I can feel the tension radiating from her, a battle waging between her mind and her heart. “You don’t get to do this,” she says, her voice cracking. “You don’t get to waltz back into my life and act like you care.”

“I never stopped caring,” I growl, the words slipping out before I can stop them.

Her eyes widen, and for a moment, neither of us speaks. The air between us is thick, suffocating, charged with a heat that neither of us can ignore.

“You can't show up here, throw your weight around, and expect me to just forgive you.”

“I’m not asking for forgiveness,” I reply, my voice hardening. “I’m asking for answers. Why did you run, Aria? What are you hiding?”

Her breath catches, and for a split second, I see fear flicker across her face. But she recovers quickly, her walls slamming back into place.

“That’s none of your business,” she says, her voice cold.

“It is my business,” I counter, my voice rising. “Everything about you is my business. You’re mine, Aria. You always have been.”

Her lips part like she’s about to throw another sharp retort my way, but a small voice cuts through the tension.

“Mom?”

Both of us freeze.

The tiny sound, so soft yet so clear, shatters the heated moment like glass against stone. Slowly, I turn toward the source.

Standing in the doorway to what looks like a hallway is a boy. No older than four or five, with messy dark hair that’s a perfect mirror of mine. But it’s his eyes that hit me like a freight train—golden, just like my own.

I stumble back a step, my pulse roaring in my ears. “Who… who is this?”

Aria steps forward instinctively, her body angling protectively in front of him. Her expression is torn.

“Bane…” she starts, her voice shaky.

But I can’t tear my gaze away from the boy. My son.

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