Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers

Evaline:

My brain was still struggling to process his sudden and outrageous offer of a bonus when his deep voice cut through the haze again.

"I'll double it."

My head jerked up. My mouth fell open. He couldn't be serious. "Wh-what?"

His eyes gleamed with an intensity that made my stomach flutter in knots. "Double. Your bonus."

Shock burned through me, snapping me out of my trance. "If you think," I blurted, my voice pitching higher than I intended, "that I would give in because of money, then you are-"

"Triple."

The word landed on me like a hammer, cutting my protest in half.

I froze, staring at him like he had completely lost his mind. Three times my entire monthly salary… as a bonus? Just for allowing him to mark me with his scent?

The air in the office suddenly started feeling thinner. I couldn't breathe. My chest was rising and falling rapidly as the temptation slithered inside me, warm and undeniable.

I wanted to scoff, to laugh, to toss the offer right back at him, but the truth was clear in the flutter of my chest. That was too much money to pretend I wasn't tempted.

And River knew it.

He didn't speak again, didn't push further. He just stood there, those green eyes of his fixed on me, sharp and merciless, studying me in silence. Waiting. Waiting for me to finally give in.

I pressed my lips together, biting back a groan of frustration. My heart hammered as I looked up at him, thinking that maybe, just maybe, I would try one last time to refuse. To salvage what little dignity I had left. But when I opened my mouth, the words that slipped past my lips weren't refusal at all.

They shocked me as much as him.

"Are you going to continue?" I whispered breathlessly. "And offer me… four times?"

The instant the audacious question left me, I slapped a hand over my mouth, my eyes going wide. Oh Goddess. Did I really just say that?

But River…

He didn't laugh. He didn't mock me. He didn't hesitate. Instead... he sealed the deal.

"Done. Four times," he said with brutal finality. "Plus your usual salary."

My hand slid down from my lips. I sat frozen, staring at him, my heart pounding so hard it drowned out every other sound.

Four times my salary. Plus the regular paycheck.

If I refused that, I would be the biggest idiot to walk the earth. I was sure even my unborn little one would be disappointed in me for letting such an opportunity slip through my fingers.

And anyway, the main point wasn't even the money. River was my mate too. My stubborn, ruthless, cold-as-stone mate. Letting him mark me with his scent wasn't something I should feel guilty about. If anything, it was only fair.

Besides… I also wanted to see the look on Oscar and Draven's faces when they would smell their eldest brother on me.

A tiny, wicked spark of satisfaction flared in my chest.

I was pulled out of my self-explanatory, self-justifying spiral when River's voice broke through again.

"Stop overthinking," he said quietly, almost amused.

My head snapped up, only to see the faintest smile tugging at his lips. He knew. He knew I was done resisting. He knew I was already caught.

"Now that we have reached a conclusion," he murmured, turning toward the office door.

I blinked in confusion... until he twisted the lock with a sharp click.

My pulse spiked.

Then he turned back toward me and reached for my hand. His fingers curled around mine, firm and commanding, and I didn't even think to resist. I just followed him like an obedient child, my legs shaky as he guided me toward his massive desk.

Without another word, he cleared the files stacked neatly on its surface, pushing them to the side. Then, with terrifying ease, he caught me by the waist.

I gasped in pure shock when he lifted me as if I weighed nothing and set me down atop the desk.

"River-" I tried to find my voice, but it was lost the moment he stepped between my thighs like... like he belonged there.

Heat surged through my veins. My racing heart was back, louder than ever, almost deafening.

One of his hands was still resting on my waist, but now… now his fingers had slipped beneath my coat. The only barrier left between his palm and my bare skin was the thick fabric of my woolen top. And yet, I was burning. I was vividly aware of every inch of his hand there, searing me even through the cloth.

My breath caught when his other hand moved, brushing gently against my hair. He tucked the strands that had fallen over my shoulder to the front back behind me before his fingers grazed my skin right above the collar of the turtleneck.

Shivers raced down my spine.

"What are you-" My voice cracked. "What are you doing?"

He gave me a look then, one so sharp, so piercing, that it rendered me speechless all over again. It was a look that asked if I really didn't know.

And then…

His lips were there.

Not on mine, not claiming my mouth, but lower - at the curve of my neck. The place where my pulse pounded, frantic and helpless. He had pulled down my turtleneck and coat almost down my shoulder.

I shuddered, my entire body jolting as his mouth brushed against my sensitive skin. His lips lingered, soft but firm, his breath hot against my skin.

"River…" My voice was barely more than a whimper.

His response was a low sound, more exhale than word, as his lips trailed along the column of my throat. Slowly, deliberately, he kissed my skin, over and over, each press deeper, more consuming. His teeth grazed lightly at one point, sending sparks of electricity through me, and I nearly doubled over.

I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe.

Every brush of his lips, every graze of his teeth, was marking me... claiming me in a way words could never manage. His scent enveloped me, seeping into my skin, into my bones, until it was a part of me.

My hands clenched uselessly at the edge of the desk. My thighs trembled around his hips.

The tension between us was unbearable. I was unraveling, burning alive, every nerve alight beneath his mouth.

And then, at last, he stilled.

He drew back, just enough to press his forehead against mine. Our breaths mingled, shallow and ragged, fire still crackling in every inch of me.

I stared into those deep green orbs, dazed and trembling. His gaze dropped lower, lower, until it landed on my parted lips.

His voice was gravel when he spoke, low and devastating.

"If I requested… would you allow me to kiss you?"

I froze, unable to form a word. I didn't answer. But deep down, I knew the truth. If he asked, if he leaned in, if his mouth claimed mine... there was no way I would be able to refuse.

But he didn't.

Instead, he abruptly pulled away, the loss of his warmth hitting me like ice.

I blinked, startled, my body screaming in protest.

And without another word, without even a glance back, he turned and walked out of the office.

Leaving me burning. Breathless. And utterly undone.