Chapter Seven: The Price Of Desire

Sage’s mind raced as Ronan stepped further into her room. His eyes were still dark with suspicion, but they narrowed further when he spotted the faint scent of Kieran’s presence lingering in the air.

He sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring.

“You’ve been with him,” he muttered, his voice a low growl.

Sage’s pulse spiked. She swallowed, steadying herself. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ronan’s eyes locked onto hers with cold fury. “I know exactly what I’m talking about. You were protecting him. Hiding him. And now you smell like him.”

Sage couldn’t breathe. He was too close. His presence, his power—it made everything feel suffocating. But she wasn’t about to back down.

“You don’t understand,” she said, her voice coming out quieter than she intended. “Kieran isn’t the enemy. The rogues—there’s something wrong with them. We need to figure out what’s going on.”

Ronan’s lips twisted into a cruel smile. “So now you’re siding with him? After everything?”

Sage didn’t know how to answer. She was already siding with him, but it was more than that. There was something she couldn’t deny—a pull, a desire for Kieran that was stronger than the loyalty to her pack.

The room felt smaller.

Ronan stepped closer, his eyes scanning her face as though searching for the truth he knew she was hiding. “You’ve crossed a line, Sage. And now you’re going to have to pay for it.”

Her breath caught. “Pay for what?”

“For breaking the rules.” He grabbed her arm, pulling her toward him, the heat of his body pressing against hers. “You’re mine, Sage. You’ve always been mine. And I won’t let you throw everything away for him.”

Her heart pounded in her chest. “You can’t control me.”

His eyes flared, and he yanked her closer, his mouth just a breath away from hers. “I don’t need to control you. I need you to remember who you are. Who we are.”

She could feel his breath against her lips, could taste the bitterness of his anger. He was so close. His body was hard, commanding, and every part of her screamed to pull away—but something kept her rooted.

Sage stared into his eyes, searching for the brother she once knew. “This isn’t us, Ronan. This… all of this is wrong.”

The words barely left her mouth when his lips crashed against hers, hard and demanding. She froze, her body reacting to the heat, the intensity of it. His kiss was familiar, desperate—demanding.

Her hands trembled at her sides, unsure whether to push him away or pull him closer. But when his hands slid down her sides, moving dangerously close to places she couldn’t afford to let him touch, her breath hitched.

She tore her lips from his, her heart racing. “No.”

Ronan froze, his eyes flickering with confusion.

“Stop,” she said again, this time more firmly.

Ronan stared at her, his breathing shallow. For a long moment, neither of them moved. The silence stretched between them, thick and tense.

Then, just as quickly as he had pulled her toward him, Ronan let go.

“Don’t think this is over, Sage,” he said quietly, his tone edged with danger. “You’ll come back to me. You always do.”

Sage’s throat tightened. “I’m not a toy to be passed around.”

Ronan gave her a look—one that sent a chill through her. “We’ll see, won’t we?”

With that, he left, his footsteps echoing in the silence of her room.

Sage stood there, her body still humming with the residual heat of Ronan’s touch. Her heart was pounding, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.

But one thing was certain—things were about to get far more complicated.

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Later That Night

The moon hung high in the sky, its pale light casting a soft glow over the forest. Sage stood near the edge of Silverfang territory, her fingers pressed against the cool bark of a tree, her mind consumed with the events that had unfolded in the past few hours.

Ronan’s words echoed in her mind, his harsh claim on her like a branding iron.

You’re mine.

Her chest ached.

But as her thoughts swirled, one face rose above the rest—Kieran’s. His golden eyes, filled with both darkness and light, pulled at something deep inside her.

No.

She shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts. This wasn’t about desire. It wasn’t about attraction.

This was about survival.

And Kieran was the key.

She turned back toward Silverfang’s borders, her heart heavy. She had no idea what the future held, but she knew one thing: this was far from over.

A rustling sound behind her made her spin around.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw Kieran emerging from the shadows, his figure dark and imposing in the moonlight.

His eyes locked onto hers, and for a moment, the world around them seemed to disappear.

Sage swallowed hard. “Kieran…”

Before she could finish her sentence, he was there, his lips crashing into hers. His kiss was rough, desperate—a mirror of the wild storm raging inside both of them.

She pulled him closer, her hands tangling in his hair, urging him to deepen the kiss. Their bodies pressed together, heat radiating between them, and for a moment, she forgot everything—Ronan, the packs, the war—it was just them.

But then, the familiar voice of Ronan cut through the fog of passion.

“Sage.”

Her heart froze.