Mark of Sin: Bound to the Cruel Alpha

The threat stole the breath straight from my lungs. I gasped, stumbling backward and shaking my head so violently my hair whipped across my face.

"That will never happen!" My voice trembled so badly the words almost dissolved. "Never. Do you hear me? Never!"

"We’ll see," he murmured with a lazy, arrogant smirk that sent a bone-deep chill straight up my spine.

"I’m leaving." I turned toward the sidewalk, though my legs still felt weak and unsteady in the aftermath of the heat wave. "I’m going to the dorms to stay with Annie."

I hadn’t even taken three steps before I heard the swift crunch of his boots behind me. In a heartbeat, his massive arms clamped around my waist. Before I could process the movement, he hoisted me effortlessly over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"My breeder stays in my bed," he growled, turning toward the entrance with wide, uncompromising strides. "Not in some run-down dump where I can’t keep eyes on you."

"Put me down!" I shrieked, slamming my fists against the broad expanse of his back and kicking my legs wildly in the air. "Magnus, I mean it! Put me down right now! You don’t own me!"

"No."

"I need to stay with my friend! Something happened to her today, I have to talk to her!"

"You’ll talk to her tomorrow," he grunted, stepping into the dimly lit lobby without breaking stride.

All the way up the elevator ride, I thrashed and twisted against his grip, trying desperately to slip free. But his hold was absolute; my struggles didn’t shift him an inch. The bitter weight of my own uselessness settled heavy in my gut.

When we stepped into his apartment, he finally let my feet touch the floor. The sudden change made my head spin, and I stumbled slightly before recovering my balance.

"I’m sleeping here," I spat, marching toward the living room sofa without meeting his eyes. "On the couch. Don’t you dare lay a finger on me. Don’t even come near me."

I collapsed onto the cushions, pressing my burning cheek against the cool leather surface in a desperate effort to chill my flushed skin.

A moment later, the cushion sank beneath a heavy weight. Magnus had followed me in, sitting down right beside me. He was too close—so close that waves of intense heat rolled off his skin, his signature scent flooding my lungs with every ragged breath I took, raising goosebumps along my arms.

I edged further away, pressing myself against the far armrest of the sofa while my fingers dug into the fabric of a cushion.

He shifted closer, the dark material of his clothes rustling in the quiet room.

I slid away again until I was virtually hovering over the edge.

He followed my movement, a dark, playful amusement pulsing in his rhythm as if he derived satisfaction from my discomfort.

My balance slipped, and I began to fall toward the floor, my arms flailing to catch myself. Before I could hit the rug, his heavy arm shot out and clamped around my waist. His thick fingers dug into my side even through my clothes, hauling me back up and pinning me beneath him against the cushions. He covered me with his entire weight, effectively trapping me in place.

"Magnus, let me go..." I planted my palms firmly against his hard chest, trying to push a sliver of space between us. But his mouth descended on mine again, muffling my protests beneath another forceful kiss.

I fought back, jamming my hands against his shoulders and pushing with every ounce of strength I had left. I turned my head frantically from side to side, twisting and thrashing beneath his frame, trying to break free. It was useless. He was far too strong, far too heavy, and far too relentless.

Yet under his searing kisses, under the touch of his hands—one sliding up my thigh while the other tangled deep in my hair—everything inside me began to dissolve into a pool of liquid warmth. Resisting him grew harder by the second as my traitorous body responded to his every move, betraying my willpower.

Then, Magnus suddenly stopped... and froze.

Pulling back from my lips, his heavy, ragged breath washed over my collarbone. His brow furrowed as he stared down at me with an unreadable expression.

And then the silence of the room was shattered.

A loud, prolonged rumble echoed from my stomach. The humiliation was so instant and absolute I wished the floor would swallow me whole right then and there.

"Have you eaten today?" He pushed himself up onto his elbows, scanning my flushed face. An edge of genuine concern cut through his low voice.

I shook my head weakly, averting my eyes as my cheeks burned.

"Why?" The tone hardened, his grip tightening imperceptibly on my hip.

"I didn’t have time," I murmured, the words forced out. "Work was too busy... so many customers. And then everything happened with Peachfuzz, and the boy’s furious parents, and Rolan was so stressed out... I couldn’t just sit down and eat when the rabbit was about to be put down, and..."

Magnus swore violently under his breath, the raw harshness of the words making me flinch. He pushed himself off me, swinging his legs over the edge of the couch and standing up. He ran a hand through his dark hair, tussling it into a chaotic mess.

"You’re done with that fucking joke of a job," he growled, turning toward the kitchen with long, decisive strides.

"It’s not a joke!" I snapped back, sitting up quickly to smooth down my clothes and push my tangled hair from my face. "It’s my life, and I love working at that café!"

"Fine." He halted in the kitchen doorway, leaning his shoulder against the frame and crossing his arms over his chest as he looked back at me. "I’ll buy the damn place. Then you can spend all day there without working. You can just sit around with the rabbits if that’s what you want."

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