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15

15 - Storms of Fire

HADEN

I stormed through the corridors, my anger simmering beneath the surface. Every step I took felt like a simmering volcano on the brink of eruption and she was the cause of it. Zara had dared to defy my orders, to challenge my authority in my own territory, and it ignited a fire within me that I struggled to contain.

I pulled her into my office, shutting the door behind us before pinching my eyes. When they opened, I found her standing with hands on her hips, her expression unyielding, her defiance evident in her stance. It was clear that she was ready to lock horns, to confront me with the same unyielding spirit that had marked our previous encounters. With a deep breath, I took a step towards her, glaring when she took a step back.

"Zara," I began, my voice dangerously low, "you need to start behaving. Disobeying my orders won't end well for you."

Her gaze met mine, her eyes a blaze of defiance. We argued vehemently, our voices rising in a cacophony of conflicting wills. It was as if the very air around us crackled with tension, the unresolved conflict that had lingered between us since our first encounter now reaching a boiling point.

Frustration coursed through me as I closed the distance between us, pressing her against the wall. Our faces were mere inches apart, and I could feel the heat of her anger, her unwavering determination, mingling with my own desire - an unspoken truth that neither of us was willing to acknowledge.

"Stop defying me," I whispered in her ear, trailing my nose along her cheek down to her neck. She embodied everything that I shouldn't want but I couldn't control the want. The lust.

Her scent was intoxicating, pulling me in and making me want more.

"Stop being an ass and maybe I'll stop defying you," she mumbled with a hitch in her breath.

Speaking of asses.

My hands drifted down from her waist to her ass, an involuntary moan leaving my lips. She fit so perfectly in my arms, despite the chaos between us. Despite the fire between us. My wolf purred and I'm sure he was doing a little happy dance.

She managed to slap me upside the head.

"Quit acting like a horny teenager," she complained, putting an arm between us and looking in my eyes. The bond we'd been fighting strengthened whether we wanted it to or not. It was something that we couldn't stop anymore. I couldn't walk away from this anymore; from her.

Grabbing her wrist and keeping eye contact, I snaked her arm around my neck and closed the gap between us.

"You're in my territory now, princess," I whispered in her ear, my hand sliding around her waist to hold her in place. "And in my territory, you'll abide by my rules. Is that clear?"

Her throat moved as she swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling rapidly. For a moment, it seemed as if she might relent, as if the flames of our mutual desire might finally overcome her defiance. But her resolve remained unbroken.

"You need to stop talking to me like that," she hissed, her voice dripping with anger. "I will never blindly follow someone - ever. Get that through your thick skull. Especially if that person walks around on their high horse, and expects everyone to worship the ground they walk on, and likes to control everything and everyone."

She pushed me backwards and moved away as she continued, "Let's not forget that you had your perfect little life planned out and you still refuse to claim me. How's the perfect Natalia doing these days?"

I shook my head, my frustration and desire warring within me as I struggled to maintain control. "This has nothing to do with any of what you just said. This has to do with the fact that you're afraid. Do you think I can't see the fear in your eyes when we get close? You flip it to anger every chance you get!"

"I flip it to anger because I never wanted this union! I never wanted to get close to you but you know what, I can't fight my wolf off and neither can you. Do I run away from conversations? Do I shut people out when I get angry or when I don't get what I want? No, that's all you big boy,"

I clenched my jaw, unable to admit the truth that lingered between us, a truth I had been fighting to deny. But her next words cut to the very core of my being, a stark reminder of the tangled fate that bound us together.

"You're saving yourself for Miss Perfect to walk through that door and you're angry that I'm not her. Sure, I have my own reasons to be a stubborn, selfish bitch, but I never once compared you to anyone. You don't want me as your mate, just admit that. If you're not man enough to admit that," she said, her voice laced with scorn, "then I want nothing to do with you. You Alphas are all the same."

With those cutting words, she turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, torn between my duty and my desire. My heart pounded in my chest, a tempest of emotions swirling within me.

I watched her retreating figure until she disappeared from sight, her defiance echoing in the empty hallway. The anger that had simmered just beneath the surface threatened to consume me entirely, but I knew that our clash of wills was far from over.

Before I could dwell on it further, James' voice broke through my thoughts. He informed me of Bryon's arrival, a reminder of the pressing matters that required my attention. With a final, lingering glance in the direction Zara had gone, I turned and left my office, knowing that the challenges we faced were greater than our own desires.

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Two chapters once again ;)

These two just get on each others nerves don't they? Every second they get closer, the find something else to argue about.

Am I the only one waiting for them to just get together already?

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