Noah should have left.
He should have pulled away the moment Theron's lips left his.
He should have ignored the heat that coiled in his gut, the way his breath shuddered, the way his fingers ached to grab onto the Alpha and never let go.
But he didn't.
He couldn't.
Because even now, his body betrayed him.
Even now, his legs were weak, his heart a frantic drum in his chest, his scent thick in the air—ripe with need, with longing, with surrender.
And Theron?
He knew it.
The bastard knew.
Noah could see it in his darkened gaze, in the way his nostrils flared, in the way his body coiled tight with restraint.
Theron was holding back.
And Noah hated how much he wanted him to stop.
"You're shaking," Theron murmured, stepping closer.
Noah's breath hitched.
Theron's fingers brushed against his wrist—barely a touch, but it sent a shockwave through Noah's entire body.
He jerked away on instinct, glaring up at him. "Don't."
Theron smirked. Slow. Knowing.
"Don't what, baby?"
Noah gritted his teeth. "Don't touch me."
Theron hummed, stepping even closer. Too close. Close enough that Noah could feel the heat radiating off him, close enough that his scent wrapped around him, thick and inescapable.
"Don't touch you?" Theron repeated, tilting his head. "Or don't make you want it?"
Noah's stomach twisted.
Because the answer?
It wasn't what he wanted it to be.
Theron saw it.
Of course he did.
The Alpha reached out again, this time gripping Noah's jaw, tilting his face up, forcing him to look at him.
"You're lying to yourself," Theron murmured, his thumb skimming over Noah's bottom lip.
Noah tensed.
"Let me go."
Theron's eyes darkened. "Say it like you mean it."
Noah clenched his fists. He tried to summon his anger, his resentment, his defiance. But his body?
It had already betrayed him.
Because Theron's grip was firm, commanding.
And the bond?
It was screaming at him.
Not to run.
Not to fight.
But to give in.
Noah swallowed hard. "You think this means anything?"
Theron chuckled. Low. Sinister. Certain.
"Oh, baby," he murmured. "It means everything."
His hand slid down Noah's throat, pressing lightly against his racing pulse.
Noah shivered.
Theron felt it.
And he smiled.
"You can fight me all you want," he said, voice silk and steel, dominance and promise.
His lips brushed Noah's ear.
"But in the end?"
His teeth scraped his skin.
Noah gasped.
"You'll kneel for me, omega."