Noah woke up sore and tired, not the kind of soreness that faded in a few hours.
No, this was the kind of ache that lived in the bones, in the skin, in the places that had been touched, claimed, ruined.
And worst of all?
He could still feel Theron.
The weight of his hands, the heat of his body, the way he had buried himself so deep that Noah had forgotten how to breathe.
Noah let out a shaky breath, rolling onto his side, only to freeze.
Because Theron was watching him.
Golden eyes glowing in the dim light, sharp and unreadable, locked onto him like he was something fragile and dangerous all at once.
Noah swallowed.
"You're staring," he said, voice rough from the night before.
Theron's lips curled slightly, but there was no amusement in it. Only something dark. Unsettled.
"You're mine now."
The words punched through him.
Not soft. Not hesitant. Final. Absolute.
Noah's fingers flew to his neck, tracing the bite, the mark that burned even now.
Reality slammed into him.
He was claimed.
Bonded.
And there was no undoing it.
The room felt smaller. Tighter.
Noah sat up fast, ignoring the way his body protested, ignoring the heat that still lingered between his thighs, ignoring the way Theron's eyes followed his every move.
"This…" Noah licked his lips. "This doesn't change anything."
Theron just… stared.
Like he was waiting.
Like he knew Noah was lying to himself.
Noah's chest tightened.
Because this, this changed everything.
His body belonged to Theron now. His soul was tied to him. The bond was sealed.
And Theron?
He had no intention of letting go.
A heavy silence stretched between them, it was thick with unspoken words, unfinished hunger, and the terrifying weight of what they had done.
Then Theron moved.
Slow. Deliberate. Dangerous.
Until he was in front of Noah, close enough that Noah could feel the warmth of his breath.
"You can tell yourself that all you want," Theron murmured, voice like smoke and heat and ruin but your body?, Theron reached out, fingers brushing over the mark on Noah's throat, making him shiver, burn, ache.
"Your body knows the truth."
Noah's breath hitched.
Because Theron was right.
His body knew exactly who it belonged to.
And no matter how much he fought it he knew that It was far too late to run.