Amelie's breath hitched at his reaction. Why did he seem so bothered by a mere mark on her skin?
His intense gaze unsettled her, but she refused to show any sign of vulnerability to him. Instead, she faced him with a calm demeanor.
"Are we playing a question-and-answer game now?" she asked with subtle defiance. She had no intention of revealing the truth about her past—especially not to him.
However, the Alpha hovering over her already knew more than he should. The secrets she wanted to bury were no longer hers alone.
Gabriel didn't respond immediately. His fingers moved in a slow, deliberate trail from her waist to her abdomen as if searching for something unseen.
He could feel it—something beyond the surface, something different about her. But he remained silent, unwilling to voice the thoughts stirring in his mind.
'This woman... there was something about her.' Something he had never encountered in any of his casual meaningless affairs in the past.
Gabriel pressed a kiss on her belly and trailed them slowly up to her chest, which she had covered with her arms. Holding both of her hands, he pinned them in the mattress.
Amelie bit down on her lip, trying to stifle the sounds threatening to escape. But it was useless.
The burning open-mouthed kisses sent shivers through her, making her body arch into his. The heat pooling within her was unlike anything she had ever known, consuming her in a way she hadn't thought was ever possible.
Amelie wanted to free her wrists from Gabriel's tight hold, her eyes rolling when his mouth attended her curves. The heat of his touch made her toes curl.
Her breath came in soft, uneven pants, her mind clouded with sensations she couldn't control. Just as she was about to protest to stop, his voice broke through the haze.
"Why don't you tell me who marked you," he murmured, his violet eyes locking onto hers, amusement flickering beneath the intensity of his gaze. He dragged his tongue across his lips as if savoring the taste of her skin. "Instead of moaning?"
A sharp gasp left Amelie as his thumb brushed against the most sensitive spot on her curves, sending a jolt of pleasure straight to her core. Her thighs instinctively pressed together, seeking some kind of relief, but Gabriel only smirked at her reaction.
"Still not talking?" He smirked and ducked his head in the crook of her neck. "You asked me to sleep with you, thinking you could keep secrets from me?" He punctuated his words by nipping the sensitive skin on her shoulder.
"Ahh!" Amelie cried out, the sharp sting making her shudder. But the pain quickly melted into something else as Gabriel's tongue traced over the same spot, soothing the bite with deliberate strokes.
Her mind spun. She didn't know where to focus—his hands, which were trailing along her thighs and curves, or his mouth, which was igniting a fire along her neck.
"Answer me, Amelie," he demanded again.
She sucked in a shaky breath. "Promise me... promise me you won't ask me to leave."
Gabriel stiffened. His hands, his lips—everything froze as he lifted his head to meet her gaze. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her flushed cheeks betraying the heat pooling within her, but her eyes... They held something else.
Pain.
A pain she was trying to conceal.
"Why would I do that?" Gabriel asked, tilting his head slightly. "You offered me your body."
Amelie swallowed hard. "I—I had a mate," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "He rejected me today."
The moment the words left her lips, Gabriel's expression darkened.
"The mark... it disappeared," she added, her trembling fingers brushing the spot on her neck where his sharp eyes had noticed the absence earlier.
She took a deep breath. "Can I leave with you in the morning? I swear, I'll repay you once I'm out of this place."
Gabriel's jaw tightened, but then his lips curled into a slow, knowing grin. "You are already mine, Amelie."
Her eyes widened in shock. "W-What?"
"I don't allow just anyone in my bed," he murmured. "And you... you made a pact with me earlier." His fingers brushed down her arm, his touch light yet possessive. "You promised to let me sleep with you every night." His golden eyes gleamed, and that wolfish grin returned.
Amelie bit her lip, torn. She wanted to tell him the truth—that she was carrying Alex's child, that she couldn't belong to him. But now wasn't the time. Right now, all she wanted was to forget—to drown in the comfort of this enigmatic man who, despite his dangerous aura, made her feel something other than heartbreak.
Without another thought, she reached for him, her fingers brushing the skin of his neck before pulling him closer. Her lips found his, claiming him in a way she hadn't dared before. She mimicked the way he kissed her earlier, her tongue teasing his lips, testing his response.
A low growl rumbled from deep within his chest, his wolf stirred by her boldness. His grip on her thighs tightened as he pulled her body flush against his, deepening the kiss with an intensity that sent shivers through her.
Gabriel had never felt this way before. This wasn't just desire—it was something far more dangerous, far more consuming for him.
'Amelie, you are now my captive.' His thoughts echoed in his mind, dark and possessive. 'I won't let you go... even if you beg me to.'