Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother Chapter 220

Erin's POV

Before I could respond, he crushed his lips against mine in a punishing kiss. I struggled, twisting my head to break contact, but Derek captured both my hands, pinning them above my head with one of his own. His other hand slid around to the back of my neck, holding me in place as he deepened the kiss.

Panic flooded through me, hot and overwhelming. Unable to escape his grip, I did the only thing I could—I bit down hard on his lower lip.

Derek jerked back, and I saw blood on his lip. For a moment, he looked genuinely shocked before a bitter laugh escaped him. "You let that man kiss you so easily. Now, when your soul mate kisses you, you bite my lip?"

"Stay away from me," I spat, my chest heaving. "I don't want to be with someone like you."

"Tonight," Derek said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper that made my blood run cold, "I'll give you a reason to hate me even more."

In one fluid motion, he lifted me into his arms. I gasped, pounding my fists against his shoulders as he carried me toward the rose-covered bed.

"What are you doing?" I cried out, true fear gripping my heart. "Let me go! Stop it!"

Derek tossed me onto the mattress, rose petals scattering from the impact. I scrambled backward, my heart hammering so hard I thought it might break through my ribs. He stalked toward me, his eyes glowing with an intensity that sent ice through my veins.

"You see me as the villain," he said, loosening his tie and shrugging off his suit jacket. "So I'll be the villain."

He climbed onto the bed, his weight making the mattress dip. I tried to roll away, but Derek moved with supernatural speed, catching my shoulders and pinning me beneath him. When he bent to kiss me again, I turned my face away, his lips grazing my cheek instead. Undeterred, his mouth traveled down my neck to the exposed skin above my collar.

"You're a demon, Derek," I whispered, tears gathering in my eyes as I realized how helpless I was beneath his strength. "You did do something to that woman, didn't you?"

"Despite my warnings, you let that man touch you," Derek growled, his fingers finding the fabric of my dress and tearing it with a sharp, violent motion that made me gasp. "Now you have a problem with my touch?"

"Derek, stop!" I screamed, my voice breaking as tears began to stream down my face. "Don't touch me!"

His hand slid down my body, fingers tracing a path that made me shudder with revulsion. He continued his assault of kisses along my neck, seemingly deaf to my pleas. But when a tear dropped onto his cheek, Derek froze.

For several heartbeats, we remained locked in that terrible tableau, his weight pressing me into the mattress, my tears flowing freely now. Then, slowly, Derek released his grip on my wrists. He pulled away, the golden glow fading from his eyes as he stared down at my tear-streaked face.

Without a word, he climbed off the bed. Reaching for a blanket folded at the foot, he draped it over my trembling form, his movements suddenly gentle in a way that confused me even more.

"Don't cry," he said, his voice unexpectedly hoarse. "I'm leaving now."

I watched through blurred vision as Derek retrieved his jacket from the floor, his back to me as he pulled it on. At the door, he paused, his hand on the knob.

"I wish I didn't care about you," he said, so quietly I almost didn't hear him. "I wish I had never loved you so deeply." His knuckles whitened against the doorknob. "Loving you makes me feel helpless for the first time."

The door closed behind him with a soft click, leaving me alone in the candlelit room.

---

I lay motionless as the sound of Derek's footsteps faded down the corridor. Only when silence reclaimed the suite did I allow myself to break down completely, sobs wracking my body as I curled into a tight ball beneath the blanket.

I wanted to hate him more. I should hate him more after what he'd almost done. Yet my heart raced with confusion, my body betraying me with its response to his touch, even as my mind recoiled. I felt weak in his presence, powerless in ways that had nothing to do with physical strength.

*He could have forced us if he wanted to, but he didn't, because he still loves us,* my wolf whispered in my mind.

"Shut up," I muttered aloud, pressing my palms against my temples. "He doesn't love anyone but himself."

But even as I said the words, I wasn't sure I believed them anymore. Nothing made sense—not the politics, not the power plays, and certainly not my own conflicted feelings for the man who had turned my life upside down.

Exhaustion eventually claimed me, my tear-stained face relaxing into the uneasy sleep of the emotionally drained.

I was wandering through a dark forest, moonlight filtering through the dense canopy of ancient trees. The air felt heavy with moisture, the scent of damp earth and pine filling my nostrils with each breath. I wasn't afraid, despite the darkness—something about this place felt familiar, almost welcoming.

A movement caught my attention, and I turned to see a massive black wolf watching me from between the trees. Its coat gleamed like polished obsidian in the moonlight, powerful muscles rippling beneath the dark fur. But what captured my attention most were its eyes—molten gold, fierce and penetrating, yet somehow sorrowful.

As the wolf stepped into a clearing, I gasped. A jagged wound marred its chest, blood matting the fur around it. Instinctively, my hand rose to my own chest, feeling a phantom pain that mirrored the wolf's injury. Though my skin remained unmarked, the ache felt real, pulsing in time with my heartbeat.

The wolf stood proud despite its wound, magnificent and terrifying in the silver light of the full moon. It raised its massive head and howled—a sound so mournful and beautiful it made my heart clench in my chest.

With each note of the wolf's cry, the pain in my chest intensified until I could barely breathe. I fell to my knees, clutching at my sternum.

"Stop," I pleaded, my voice barely audible even to my own ears. When the howling continued, I cried louder, "Please stop!"

The wolf fell silent, its golden gaze turning toward me. For a long moment, we stared at each other, and I was struck by how familiar those eyes seemed—as though I had looked into them a thousand times before.

Slowly, the wolf began padding toward me, its paws silent on the forest floor.

"No." I scrambled backward, terror seizing my heart. Not fear of the wolf itself, but fear of what might happen if it reached me. Fear that I might feel something I wasn't ready to feel. "Don't come any closer!"

But the wolf continued its approach, its golden eyes never leaving mine.

"No!" I screamed, squeezing my eyes shut as the beast closed the distance between us. "Stay away!"