Falling For The Demon Wolf-Chapter 45: Staking My Claim

ZAIN

I crashed my lips onto hers—not just because I wanted to, but because some primal part of me needed to.

Needed to taste her.

To claim her.

To show that pathetic human behind the bars that she was mine.

Mine.

She stiffened for only a second before she melted into me like butter meeting flame, her body arching against mine with a hunger that burned just as hot as mine. She could fight it all she wanted, deny it with every breath—but her body told the truth. Every gasp, every shiver, every way she gripped the front of my shirt like she needed something to anchor her.

She wanted me.

Not him.

Not the man she thought she loved.

Me.

I backed her into the cold stone wall of the dungeon, deepening the kiss until our breaths tangled and her moan slipped right between my teeth. My hand cupped her jaw, tilting her head back to taste her deeper. She was sweet, like sin soaked in honey, and I was already drunk on her.

The bastard in the cell called her name—once—but I didn’t stop.

Let him see. Let him know.

This wasn’t a game.

She belonged to me in ways he could never understand.

And she kissed me back like she’d finally stopped running from it.

My fingers slid into her hair, tugging slightly as I pressed closer, her softness crushed against the hard lines of my chest. Her scent was already coating my senses, intoxicating and impossible to resist. It was her fault—I could never get enough of her. Never would.

Her nails dug into my shoulders when I pressed my hips to hers, and she whimpered against my lips, hips bucking once.

Fuck.

I pulled back just enough to look at her—lips swollen, eyes glassy, chest rising fast. Her pupils were blown, wild and black. My name was right there, about to fall from her lips. I could feel it.

But I couldn’t stop the growl that rumbled from my chest as I turned to look over my shoulder—at the man who still dared to stand behind those bars like he had a claim to her.

"I should rip your damn throat out," I hissed.

His face went pale.

"Zain..." Violet’s voice was barely a breath behind me, but the way she said it—hoarse, needy, wrecked—it pushed me right to the edge.

I looked back at her and slammed my mouth against hers one more time, this time rougher, deeper, until she was gasping into me again. I wanted her right there against the stone. Wanted to hear her scream my name and watch her fall apart in my arms.

But not here.

Not in front of him.

I finally pulled back, chest heaving, and my voice came out low, guttural. "This isn’t over."

And with one last warning glare at the bastard in the cell, I grabbed her wrist and yanked her out of the dungeon with me—because if I didn’t, I’d tear the whole place apart.

ZAIN – POV

She stumbled after me, lips kiss-swollen and eyes wide as I dragged her through the narrow, torch-lit hallway of the dungeon. My grip on her wrist was firm, unrelenting, and she didn’t fight me—not really.

Not when her body was still humming from my touch.

Not when her scent was still soaked in arousal.

Not when her heart thundered like war drums, loud enough I could feel it pulse in her fingertips.

I needed to get her out of there—away from him. I could still smell him on her, and it made my wolf want to destroy everything in sight. The idea that she’d once loved him, touched him, promised herself to him—it burned like poison in my blood.

She was mine now.

Even if she hadn’t accepted it yet.

Even if the bond hadn’t been sealed.

Not yet.

I pushed open the door to her room and pulled her inside, slamming it shut behind us. The sound echoed through the space, loud and final.

She jerked her arm free, eyes blazing. "You can’t just do that—"

"I can do whatever the fuck I want," I growled, crowding her, my hands slamming on either side of her head against the door. "Especially when it comes to you."

"You don’t own me, Zain." Her voice wavered, but her chin lifted.

That defiance. That fire. Fuck.

"You think I kissed you back because I forgot Roman exists?" she snapped, panting. "You think I’m some stupid girl caught between two men?"

"No," I bit out. "I think you’re trying so damn hard to pretend you don’t feel what I feel. I think you’d rather lie to yourself than admit it." I leaned in close, my voice dropping to a whisper. "But your body doesn’t lie, Violet. You moaned for me. You arched for me. You would’ve let me take you right there if I didn’t stop."

Her breath hitched. I felt the way her thighs clenched, the way her chest heaved.

"And I did stop," I growled. "Because I’m not going to fuck you just to prove a point—not while you’re still lying to yourself about him."

She blinked. Her anger faltered. Her confusion cracked through.

But I was already stepping back.

"If you want him," I said, voice low, "go ahead. But don’t come crawling back to me the next time he lets you down."

"Zain..."

"No," I cut her off, turning to the door. "I’m not your second choice, Violet. I never fucking will be."

And with that, I walked out—slamming the door behind me.

Because if I stayed...

If I so much as looked at her for another second...

I would’ve broken my word.

And taken her right there against the door, Roman be damned.

I stormed down the hall and found Cian standing outside the war room, going over patrol reports with the Beta of the southern border.

I didn’t wait for them to finish.

"He’s the one," I said through clenched teeth. "Roman. The human in the cell. He’s the one Violet was promised to."

Cian blinked, lifting an eyebrow. "The one she was supposed to marry?"

I nodded once.

"I thought you knew that already?" I crocked his brow at me.

"She’s asking for his release."

His lips parted. "Shit."

"Yeah," I growled, barely able to contain myself. "That spawn of a devil."

Cian stared at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "So what now? You gonna rip his throat out and dump his body in the river?"

I didn’t even blink. "If he looks at her the wrong way, I won’t just rip his throat out. I’ll savor it."

Cian exhaled, slow. "Zain. She’s not marked yet. You know how this works. As long as she hasn’t accepted the bond, the human still has a thread on her."

"I don’t give a shit about fucking threads," I snapped. "I felt her soul reach for mine, Cian. That bond is real. She just doesn’t know what it is yet."

"And yet she’s asking for his release," he said calmly, as if he wasn’t tossing gasoline onto my already roaring fury.

My jaw tightened. "Because she doesn’t know who she is. What she is. The wolf in her is waking up. When she understands that, she won’t even remember his name."

"Wolf?"" What do you mean?"

I looked at him, nodding my head, "she’s a half breed."

"Shit. How did you know that?"

"Went down memory lane. Did a little digging on her grandfather author, turns out the old piece of shit had falling for one of us."

"And?"

"Violet’s father was born but the blood skipped him and was passed down to her. Apparently he too much of a shitshow to even be a wolf"

"How the hell is that even possible?!" Cian was whispering now, like she could hear us.

"I don’t fucking know, so quit asking me questions."

"Does she know that? Are you gonna tell her what she is?"

"No." I paced, the floor reeling frustrated. "She’ll find out one way or another it’s not my place to tell her."

Cian watched me, something knowing in his gaze. "Same way it’s not your place to tell her that you locked her sister up in a cell?"

"Shut the fuck up Cian." I ran a hand down my face and turning away.

I couldn’t do this.

Not now.

Not when I was still burning with the taste of her on my tongue and the memory of her pressed against me like sin wrapped in silk.

"Keep him locked up," I said over my shoulder. "If she asks again, tell her I said no."

Cian sighed. "That’s not gonna go down well."

"I don’t care." My voice dropped to a snarl. "She’s mine. And I’m done playing nice."

"Zain, you need to chill." Cian called after me.

I stalked down the hall again, away from the war room, the guards, the questions, the fucking rage clawing at my insides.

If she really wants him, she’ll have to reject our mating bond first and that will be after I’ve claimed her, wholly and fully.

Body, mind and soul.

I needed air.

I needed the sweet rush of adrenaline that comes with running.

But more than anything—

I needed her.

And I’m going to claim her, maybe then the wolf in her will awaken and she know herself for who she really is.

Either way, she is mine!