Page 79 of The Alpha Under My Bed

A strangled noise escaped my throat, hot frustration burning through me. Mal’s gaze flickered downward, locking onto the belt, his body going still. Then, he inhaled slowly, deeply, like he could taste the air.

“You need me, sweetheart.” His voice was soft, coaxing—but there was steel beneath it, something unyielding.

The words burned through me, and I gritted my teeth, shaking my head, even as my body betrayed me further, another wave of slickness dampening the ruined silk between my thighs. The ache, the heat, the demand of the bond—it wouldn’t stop. No matter how much I fought it, no matter how much I hated him for this, my body already knew the truth.

I needed him.

And Mal? He knew it too.

His eyes locked onto mine as he closed the last bit of space between us, crowding me against the wall, taking away every ounce of space I had left.

I sucked in a sharp breath, my vision flickering, my pulse hammering against my ribs, but there was no way out. No escape. No outrunning what was coming.

“Tell me what you want,” he murmured, his breath warm against my cheek.

I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms as I fought for air, fought for control, fought against the painful truth clawing at my throat.

The belt pulsed again.

My knees buckled.

A choked sob escaped my lips, humiliation burning through me as my body arched forward on instinct, desperate for more, desperate for anything, desperate for him.

Mal made a soft sound, something almost sympathetic, almost gentle—but there was no mistaking the triumph beneath it. He reached for the belt, his fingers ghosting over the unyielding metal, and I shuddered so violently I nearly collapsed.

His voice was impossibly soft, unbearably cruel.

“You want me to take it off, don’t you?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, my breath ragged, my entire body trembling so hard it felt like I was coming apart at the seams.

This wasn’t fair.

None of this was fucking fair.

But the bond didn’t care.

And neither did he.

I sucked in a desperate breath, my voice breaking as I finally, finally shattered.

“Take it off.”

I barely heard my own words past the rush of blood in my ears, past the ragged sound of my own breathing, past the devastating weight of the bond snapping into place with every second I let this go on.

But Mal? He heard me.

His entire body tensed, his pupils blown wide, his breath hitching just enough that I knew—I knew—he had been waiting for this. Waiting for me to finally cave. Waiting for me to break.

His fingers ghosted over the belt again, slow, deliberate, the heat of his touch burning even through the metal. My stomach clenched, my entire body coiled so tight I thought I might snap in half, but I didn’t pull away. I couldn’t. Not when my body was screaming for him, not when the ache between my legs had turned unbearable, not when I needed him.

I swallowed hard, my breath coming in short, uneven gasps.

“Mal.”

He tilted his head slightly, his lips curving into something too dark to be a smile—something dangerously close to satisfaction.

“Say it again.”

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