NALEDI’S POV
“W-what?” I stuttered, unable to believe my ears.
“You heard me,” Caellum growled, stripping me with his eyes.
I felt wetness pool in my core as he spoke, and I was sure he could taste my arousal in the air. “No,” I stated – or moaned.
I fought against the ministrations of my body that wanted to strip and throw myself at him. It’s the mate bond. It’s the mate bond. I told myself biting back my desire.
I’d be damned before I let him win.
“I hate to repeat myself.”
Danger filled the air and a part of me felt rebellious. The other side of me wanted to submit, taste him and let him do the same, preferably at my raging core.
“That’s not part of the deal.” I find myself saying.
Caellum must have lost it because he immediately got up from the bath, his raging hard-on visible as he growled. “I make the deal, Naledi. And I say strip.”
I didn’t know if it was his tone, his boner, or the fact that I was on a rebellious streak but the words popped out of my mouth.
“No.”
I stared him dead in the eye. Challenging him to do something. Anything. Something I knew he wanted to do. And if I was being honest, something a part of me wanted too.
“You want me to do it.” He said and I felt caught. “You want me to do it myself don’t you?”
“Have you gone mad?”
“Yes, Naled i.” He wore a deranged expression. “Yes, I have gone mad. I am mad about you and something tells me you know that too.” He got out of the bath and held my wrist, dragging me to his wet and naked body. “Tell me you don’t feel the same. Look me in the eye and lie that you don’t feel this thing between us. Lie that you don’t want me to screw you senseless and consummate this fucking mate bond that is driving us insane.”
I was dripping. Who knew I was a sucker for this sort of thing. I’d die before I admitted it. Even though my arousal was giving him all the green light he needed to make do with his words.
“My job here is done,” I spoke with clenched teeth and turned around to leave.
I needed to move before I did something I’d regret. Or not.
“I determine when your job is done!” He roared and I stood still.
Now he was getting me angry.
“What? Now you want to force yourself on me? Force me to strip and satisfy you? Is that what this is?” I asked in an incredulous tone. “Either I get to doing your dirty little job or let you strip me of all my human rights?”
That got a chuckle out of him. Did he think this was funny?
“You are barely human. That word is clearly not coined after our kind.”
“And that makes it okay for you to force me into doing what I don’t want to do?”
“I wouldn’t call it forcing.” He stepped closer to me and traced a finger on my face. “We both know that’s a lie.” He sniffed the air, and blood rushed up my face. “A delicious lie.”
I wanted the ground to swallow me up. He perceived my arousal. Hearing him imply it made me feel ashamed of myself. He was right, and he knew it. I desperately wanted to wipe that smug look off his face.
“Thankfully, there are better ways to go about sorting myself,” I said and dragged my hand from his hold. “We are done here.”
I turned to leave, only to be dragged back by Caellum, who tore my button-up shirt, leaving me half-naked with a flashing bra. Buttons spluttered to the ground, making a loud clank in the silence.
My eyes went down my body and then to the floor, before resting on Caellum – who looked far from sorry. In fact, he was so busy, he didn’t even meet my eyes.
I swallowed under his intense gaze. I needed to get out of here before I did something stupid. It was funny how I felt anger simmering within me as well as arousal.
One thing was certain. If I didn’t leave here soon, one of the two would win over my emotions, and I knew it wouldn’t be the latter. Holding my chest close, I turned around under the watchful eyes of Caellum and without a word, made my way to the door when he followed and grabbed my wrist the third time.
I didn’t wait for him to turn me around. I made the first move and instinctively landed a thunderous slap across his wet face. My breath pattern changed and I let the anger that simmered within me burst out in leaps and bounds.
“I’ll say this once so listen carefully. If you think I will be some pet that you can do whatever you like and go scott-free then think again. A no is a no. Even if I have an itch to scratch, even if everything else screams yes. Even if I am this close to giving up everything and letting you fuck me senseless, a no is a fucking NO.”
I yelled in his face. “My body belongs to me, and I will do whatever the hell I please with it. Never you violate me in this manner again. I am done here.”
I walked out of the bathroom, leaving him with a gobsmacked jaw.
Caellum walked right out with a robe around him. “You are wrong. For the three months you are here, you are my mate, my property. MINE. I own you in more ways than one, Naledi. Your body, your mind, your heart, everything.” He was in my face again. “Everything is mine to do whatever I please. You have no right over your body. Because the moment you were mated to me, I took ownership of you.”
Matteo walked into the Alpha’s room. I perceived him before I saw him. A smirk stretched across my face.
“Oh yeah? Watch me take ownership of my body.” I turned around and immediately found Matteo who seemed stuck between leaving or remaining in the room.
I stalked towards him, dragged him down to my face and planted a pretty long kiss on his lips.