Chapter 394: Now tell me...
Vincent.
Due to the sudden, explosive rage burning deeply inside me, I completely lost my patience.
I reached out blindly, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled Anabel flush against me so there was absolutely no space left between our bodies.
Before she could even process what was happening, I brought my face down and kissed her lips roughly. There was no sweetness or gentleness in the gesture; it was an act of pure dominance, driven by the intense anger and jealousy consuming my mind.
I needed her to know and see that I am better than Noah in every possible way. I wanted to prove to her right then and there that Noah could never match my strength or my passion.
And above all, the fact that she was my fated mate meant that she belonged to me, and she absolutely cannot have another man’s name on her lips while standing in my room.
It was an insult to my wolf, and I was going to force her to acknowledge the true bond between us.
"Call my name!" I commanded, my voice deep, rough, and dripping with authority as I pulled out of the rough kiss suddenly.
I gripped her arms tightly, staring directly into her eyes, waiting for the words to come out of her mouth.
Anabel stared at me, completely frightened by the sudden shift in my behavior. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she looked at me as if she were looking at a complete monster.
But I couldn’t care less about her fear or her tears right now. My pride had been pushed too far, and my wolf was completely enraged by her rejection.
"Now!" I yelled, the loud command echoing off the walls of the room, demanding immediate obedience.
But it seems she was fiercely determined to keep her lips shut. She glared back at me through her fear, tightly locking her jaw to show me that she would not give in to my demands.
Her stubborn silence only made me more determined to never reject her. If she wanted a fight, I was going to give her one, and I was going to make sure she never escaped this bond.
With that dark determination driving my actions, I leaned in close to her ear, shifted my grip, and sank my sharp fangs deep into her neck.
"You—" she yelled out in pure shock and pain, her voice cutting through the air as the sharp sting of the bite registered in her mind.
But it doesn’t matter what she thinks or how much she complains right now, because I had just marked her completely.
The bond was sealed by blood, and she would remain mine forever unless I say otherwise. I was the one in control now.
With a victorious smile on my lips, enjoying the feeling of absolute triumph, I lifted both of her hands high above her head, pinning them firmly against the wall. Then, I gently and slowly claimed her lips once again, changing my approach completely.
She resisted at first, trying to turn her head away and pushing against my weight, but slowly, the power of the fresh mark took over, and she succumbed to the overwhelming pull.
She stopped fighting, allowing me to fully access her mouth with my tongue as the passion of the mate bond finally washed over her defenses.
"You are mine now, Anabel!" I said in a dark whisper in between the deep kisses, my breath hot against her skin. "Don’t you dare think of another man anymore," I commanded firmly, making sure she understood that Noah was now a part of her past, and I was her only future.
And then I deepened the kiss further, pushing past her lingering defenses, and I really can’t tell why I did.
My mind was completely clouded, spinning out of control as I pulled her even tighter against my chest.
Was all this really just to prove a point to her?
Was I truly doing this just to show that I was better than Noah, or had something much deeper and more terrifying completely taken over my senses?
I couldn’t find the answer, and honestly, in that moment, I didn’t care to look for one.
I continued, pressing my lips hard against hers, as I found it incredibly hard to stop. Every time I thought about pulling away to regain my sanity, a wild wave of hunger washed over me, forcing me to stay.
I just wanted all of her for myself, completely and entirely. I wanted to possess her mind, her body, and her soul, leaving absolutely no room for anyone else to ever touch her again.
Was this really how the mate bond works?
Was it always this fierce, this consuming, and this impossibly overwhelming?
I had always heard stories about the power of the bond, but experiencing it firsthand was entirely different.
I guess I shouldn’t have marked her, because right now, she is driving me insane.
Sinking my fangs into her neck had unleashed a monster I wasn’t prepared to handle. The fresh mark had opened up a floodgate of raw, untamed emotions between us, turning my previous anger into a dangerous, uncontrolled desire that was rapidly destroying all my logic.
Her scent was completely intoxicating, filling my lungs and making my head spin like a heavy drug. Her lips were so incredibly soft against mine, moving with a sweet intensity that made me lose my grip on reality.
And worse of all, she had started kissing me back. She wasn’t just submitting to my power anymore; she was actively participating, her initial anger completely melting away under the heavy heat of the bond.
I immediately released both of her hands from their tight grip above her head, giving her back her freedom. Instead of pushing me away or hitting me like before, she quickly wrapped them around my neck possessively, holding onto me tightly as I continued to kiss her without a single trace of hesitation.
My hands immediately moved down her body to her thigh, my touch burning hot against her skin. I gripped her firmly and raised one of her legs up, hooking it over my waist to pull her even closer to my center. She arched her back deeply, completely yielding to my touch, and threw her head backwards with a soft gasp.
And my lips instantly moved away from her mouth, traveling down the smooth line of her neck, lingering over the fresh mark I had just made, and trailing down to her chest. I mapped every inch of her skin with my lips before pulling her straight up against me once more and capturing her lips again in another deep, breathless embrace.
I finally pulled out, panting heavily like a madman who had just run a miles-long race. My chest was heaving up and down, and my breath was hot as I stared down at her with nothing but absolute satisfaction and a clear moment of victory. I had broken her resistance, and we both knew it.
"Now tell me, Anabel!" I paused, letting the heavy silence fill the space as I stared deep into her glazed, breathless eyes, making sure she couldn’t look away from me. "Who do you love and want now?" I smiled a dark, triumphant grin. "Noah or me?"