I should’ve left the rooftop. I should’ve turned around and slammed the door the moment Elias opened his mouth.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I let him get close—too close. And now, I couldn’t unsee the way his eyes darkened when I didn’t move away.

“I know what you are,” he whispered, standing just a breath away. “And I know what Kael is too scared to admit.”

I crossed my arms tightly, keeping my back straight even though the wind had turned sharp. “You don’t know anything about me.”

Elias smiled, but it wasn’t kind. “Don’t I?”

He took one slow step closer. His voice lowered. “You think he’s protecting you, Lena? He’s not. He’s hiding you. From everyone. From me. From what’s coming.”

I didn’t respond. I hated how close he was. I hated how curious I was.

His eyes flicked down to my lips. “But me? I’m not afraid to want something I shouldn’t.”

Before I could move, he leaned in—fast, confident, calculated—and his mouth caught mine in a kiss that was nothing like Kael’s warmth or control.

It was heat and hunger. A surge of dominance. A challenge.

His hands gripped my waist and pulled me against him, his mouth parting mine with a force that wasn’t asking—it was claiming.

His tongue slid in without hesitation, hot and bold, tasting me like he wanted to own every part of me Kael hadn’t touched yet.

And the worst part? My body responded.

For one burning second, I kissed him back.

My fingers curled into his shirt. My knees almost gave out. My thoughts blurred.

Because I hadn’t been kissed like that before. Not by anyone. Not with that much intention.

Then a voice cracked through the wind—low, dangerous, familiar.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Elias didn’t pull away. He grinned against my mouth before finally breaking the kiss and turning his head.

Kael stood a few feet away, chest heaving, fists clenched at his sides.

His eyes weren’t storm gray anymore. They glowed, a faint silver that sent a chill straight through me.

“Kael,” I said, breathless, wiping my lips without meaning to.

He didn’t look at me. His entire focus was on his brother.

“You kissed her,” Kael said quietly. Too quietly.

Elias raised an eyebrow. “Looks like she didn’t mind.”

Kael moved fast. One step, then two, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me behind him.

“Don’t touch her again,” he snapped. “Ever.”

I stumbled as he shifted me to stand behind his back. My heart pounded for a different reason now.

Elias brushed invisible lint off his jacket. “Relax, little brother. I was just saying hello. You’re the one who left her alone on a rooftop with someone you hate.”

Kael didn’t speak. He just stood there, shoulders squared, body tense, like he was fighting not to shift.

“I warned you not to come up here,” he said to me, without turning around.

“You said someone would come,” I said. “You didn’t say it would be him.”

“That was the point.”

Elias chuckled. “Wow. The jealousy’s cute, Kael. Almost makes you look human.”

Kael stepped forward, but I reached for his arm. “It’s not worth it.”

His arm was trembling beneath my fingers. Not from fear, but restraint.

“I’m fine,” I added, even though I wasn’t. I felt raw. Flushed. Exposed.

Elias gave me one last lingering glance. “See you around, little omega.”

He disappeared into the shadows of the rooftop exit, his footsteps unhurried.

Kael waited until the door slammed shut behind him before turning around.

His gaze landed on my lips again, and something flickered in his expression, hurt, maybe.

“You kissed him.”

“No,” I said quickly. “He kissed me.”

Kael’s jaw tightened. “You didn’t stop him.”

“I…” I swallowed hard. “It happened fast. I didn’t expect…”

He closed the distance between us, his voice low. “You didn’t push him away.”

My breath caught. “Why do you care?”

That stopped him.

He looked away, then back. “I don’t know.”

For once, the great Kael Draven didn’t have an answer.

We stood in silence for a moment. The wind bit at our clothes. My heartbeat refused to slow down.

“You keep showing up,” I said. “Saying I belong to you. But you won’t explain what that means.”

His expression shifted, tension giving way to something softer.

“I don’t want to explain it,” he said. “Because if I do… it becomes real.”

“It already is.”

Kael didn’t deny it.

Instead, he looked like he was about to reach for me, when the rooftop door slammed open again.

This time, Selene walked in.

She looked like she belonged on a magazine cover. White coat. Black heels. Eyes sharp as blades.

She took one look at us, at the closeness, and smiled like she’d caught a thief.

“Well,” she said, voice icy. “That didn’t take long.”

Kael stepped back immediately. His face hardened.

“Selene…”

“Don’t,” she snapped. “You’ve already made it clear where your attention is.”

She turned her eyes on me. “And you. The charity case. The little girl who got lost in the wrong hall.”

I said nothing.

“First you humiliate me in public,” she continued, “now you’re sneaking around with my fiancé behind school buildings like a back-alley whore.”

That stung.

I opened my mouth, but Kael beat me to it.

“Enough.”

Selene blinked. “Excuse me?”

He stepped forward, blocking me from her completely. “If I ever hear you speak to her like that again, Selene, I swear—”

“What?” she spat. “You’ll ruin my father’s company? You’ll break the alliance?”

“If that’s what it takes.”

The air snapped between them.

I’d never seen Selene look speechless. Until now.

She backed up half a step, her voice suddenly quieter. “You wouldn’t.”

Kael looked her dead in the eye. “Try me.”

For once, Selene didn’t have a comeback. She turned, her heels clicking hard against the floor, and stormed out.

When she was gone, Kael didn’t move.

I stood behind him, stunned.

“You really would’ve done it,” I whispered. “You would’ve risked everything.”

He finally turned to me. “I’m already risking it.”

Our eyes locked.

Then a spark of hot, sharp, real fire burned across my collarbone.

I gasped.

Kael’s eyes dropped to the place where my hoodie had slipped.

There, just beneath the neckline of my shirt, was a mark. Faint. Glowing.

The first sign of a mate bond.

His voice dropped to a whisper. “No… not here. Not now.”

But it was too late.

The bond had started.

And there were too many people who would kill to stop it.