No.
A low, guttural moan rumbled from his chest as his jaw locked down, breath hot against her skin, tongue moving. Swiping. Savouring. Indulging.
She shoved at his chest, twisting, clawing for leverage. Panic surged with every frantic beat of her heart, but her body betrayed her—heat curling, unbidden and . . .wrong.
Jodhar’s hold tightened, teeth locking deeper; his fingers like iron around her wrist as his scent flooded her senses—thick, overpowering, stirring parts of her she wanted buried.
Fury broke through the haze.
Reiya wrenched her arm free and drove her palm hard into his ribs. Jodhar grunted, his jaw slackening just enough. She tore herself away, stumbling back as his saliva trailed down her neck.
Her hand flew to the bite, pressing against the raw imprint of his teeth, but the damage was done. Beneath her palm, her flesh throbbed, each pulse igniting a heat she couldn’t shake. It simmered at the edge of her awareness, her body betraying her even as her mind recoiled.
Jodhar straightened slowly, tongue dragging across his lips as if tasting the remnants of her skin. An Alpha drunk on victory. His gaze lingered, drinking in every tremble, her heaving chest, the set of her jaw—as though savouring something rare, something he already considered his.
The sick gleam in his eyes said it all.
Her fight only fuelled his lust.
“There it is,” he murmured, his voice thick. “You can pretend all you like, but your scent gives you away. Your body knows precisely what you are.”
Her stomach roiled, bitterness rising in her throat. She fought to control her breathing, to force herself into stillness, but the shameful, unwelcome response lingered like a poison she couldn’t purge.
She met his eyes.
She had to stand her ground, had to prove his actions hadn’taffected her the way they really had. But her skin was hot, her pulse unsteady, her body still humming with the violation.
Jodhar saw it, and his smirk widened.
Reiya’s fingers closed around the blade’s hilt, hidden in her pocket. In one swift, fluid motion, she drew it—limyerite flashing between them, trembling faintly in her grip, sharp enough to kill all the same.
“No matter what I am,” she said, voice tight, “I’m not yours—and never will be. Touch me again, and I’ll gut you like the pig you are.”
Jodhar’s gaze raked over her, pausing on the spot where he’d bitten her, a flicker of anger flashing in his eyes as they dropped to the blade. She could almost feel his rage radiating in waves, questioning: how dare an Omega—one destined to be subservient—draw a weapon against an Alpha?
Yet his smirk only deepened, as though her resistance only fed his twisted satisfaction.
Reiya’s grip tightened, but dread crept cold into her veins.
This was futile.
Jodhar was a killer—trained, ruthless. Men stronger than her had fallen without him breaking a sweat.
The blade in her hand was little more than an ornament. She barely knew its weight, let alone how to wield it. She could bluff all she wanted, but if Jodhar called it, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
Her hands trembled. She hated every quiver, hated the weakness curling through her limbs, the knife slipping in her sweaty grip. Shame hollowed her out, carving deeper with every shake.
This wasn’t strength. It wasdesperation, held together by trembling fingers and courage already slipping away.
Jodhar’s smirk curled sharper. “I’ll let you squirm a little longer—wait until your Heat hits full bloom. It’s close, I can smell it.” His gaze dragged over her. “Nothing sweeter than watching an Omega break. You’ll be on your knees soon enough, begging for any Alpha to fuck you.”
With one last lingering smirk, he turned and strode away, leaving her alone in the narrow alley.
Reiya leaned back against the closest wall, sweat beading her nape and hairline. Relief rushed through her, loosening the tight coil of fearin her chest, though her skin still crawled with his lingering scent. She closed her eyes and counted, waiting until Jodhar’s footsteps vanished before she fled through the market streets, caring only that each step took her farther from the alley, fromhim.
Every glance felt like a burn, as if the crowd could see through her, as if she were running naked among them. She pushed deeper into the throng, letting the colours, voices, and movements close around her, hoping the chaos would blur the memory of his bite.
But nothing eased the turmoil within. Her hand pressed to her neck, where the memory of his teeth still throbbed. Disgust twisted her stomach, yet beneath it flickered the truth she couldn’t stand: it hadn’t all been pain, it hadn’t all been shame.