CHAPTER 117: CHAPTER 117: WORTHY OF LOVE

Victor’s mouth claimed his again, hard enough to bruise, and Elias let him, fingers curling tighter into the alpha’s shoulders until the fabric wrinkled under his grip. His glasses slid further down his nose, but he didn’t care, didn’t care about anything except the burn of Victor’s lips and the way the bond pulsed with every sharp drag of breath between them.

Victor didn’t break the kiss as he lifted Elias, setting him fully onto the desk. The wood was cool under his thighs, a sharp contrast to the heat pressing into him. Elias gasped when Victor’s hands slid down his ribs, grabbing at his hips before pulling him forward against the hard line of his body.

"You’re still dressed," Elias muttered against his mouth, biting Victor’s lower lip hard enough to draw a growl.

Victor answered by dragging his hands down, slipping beneath the hem of Elias’s shirt, palms spreading over bare skin. "Not for long."

The shirt came off in one smooth pull, tossed aside like it didn’t matter. Victor’s mouth was on his throat next, teeth grazing, tongue soothing, lips sucking hard enough to leave marks he knew Elias would glare at later. Elias’s back arched despite himself, a hiss slipping free as Victor’s mouth found the edge of his collarbone.

"You..." Elias started, only to cut himself off with a sharp inhale when Victor’s hand slid lower, pressing firmly against the growing heat between his thighs through the fabric. "You think... this means you’ve won?"

Victor lifted his head, crimson eyes glowing in the dim light, mouth glistening from where it had been on Elias’s skin. "No," he said, voice dark and rough. "This means you’re letting me earn it."

Elias had half a mind to retort, but his body betrayed him first. His hips pushed into Victor’s hand, needing more friction, more pressure, even as his words stayed sharp. "Arrogant bastard."

Victor smirked and undid Elias’s trousers, slow enough to be infuriating, thorough enough to remind him that nothing in this room was out of Victor’s control. The zipper lowered with a hiss, and then his hand was inside, wrapping around him through the thin barrier of his underwear. Elias’s breath broke, rough and startled, the sound caught between defiance and need.

Victor swallowed it with another kiss, deeper this time, tongue sliding against his, coaxing, demanding. Elias kissed back with equal fire, teeth clashing once in the middle before softening, his hands threading into Victor’s hair as if he hated how good it felt to hold on.

Victor pushed the fabric lower, freeing Elias’s cock into the open air, and stroked once, slow, steady, thumb circling the head. Elias cursed, low and harsh, breaking the kiss with his head tipping back against the desk.

"You like this," Victor murmured, kissing along his jaw, down to his throat again, hand never still. "You fight me, but your body, your bond, knows the truth."

Elias’s laugh was shaky, strained. "Shut up."

Victor did. His mouth traveled lower, down Elias’s chest, pausing to bite gently at his nipple until Elias hissed again, then soothing the sting with his tongue. His hand kept a steady rhythm below, each stroke dragging another sound from Elias, unwilling but helpless against the pull of it.

By the time Victor knelt between his thighs, Elias’s hands were fisted in his hair, his breath was ragged, and the edges of his composure were cracking. Victor looked up at him, crimson eyes glowing like fire against the darkness. "I’ll ruin you," he promised softly, and then lowered his mouth.

Elias’s head fell back with a curse, his hips jerking despite his best effort to hold steady. Victor’s mouth was hot, wet, merciless, taking him deep, tongue pressing along every sensitive inch. His hand gripped Elias’s thigh, keeping him wide open, while the other stroked the length Victor couldn’t take at once.

The bond pulsed harder, Elias’s pulse racing to match. His glasses slipped fully now, half-falling, and he shoved them up with a shaking hand, trying not to lose himself completely. "Victor..." His voice broke on the name, sharp with warning and need all at once.

Victor hummed around him, the vibration shooting straight through Elias’s spine, and then pulled back just enough to breathe against him. "Say it. Tell me what you want."

Elias’s eyes burned behind the lenses, his pride warring with the heat curling low and tight in his belly. His grip tightened in Victor’s hair, dragging his head up until their eyes locked. His voice was rough, defiant even in desperation. "Finish what you started."

Victor’s answering smile was sinful, reverent, and he obeyed, slow at first, then faster, merciless, until Elias’s breath turned ragged, his body trembling under the wave building sharp and unbearable. The bond thrummed like it was singing, binding every gasp, every ragged moan, and every broken curse into something neither of them could deny.

When Elias came, it was with a sharp cry muffled into his own hand, the world dissolving into heat and light as Victor swallowed every drop like it belonged to him.

Victor rose slowly, crimson eyes molten, wiping the corner of his mouth with his thumb, the black ring glinting in the low light. He leaned down, kissed Elias again, slow and claiming, letting him taste himself on Victor’s tongue.

"Mine," Victor murmured against his lips.

Victor laughed, low and satisfied, and kissed him again, softer this time, as though the bite of victory no longer needed to be proven.

Elias groaned against his mouth, leaning back on his palms, muscles trembling in ways he refused to acknowledge. His pride tried to summon a sharp retort, but the only sound that came was a slow exhale when Victor’s hands settled at his hips again.

"Don’t look so smug," Elias muttered, though his voice lacked the steel it should’ve carried. He pushed weakly at Victor’s shoulder, more token than effort. "You didn’t win."

Victor kissed the corner of his mouth, then his temple, and finally rested his forehead against Elias’s damp hair. "I don’t need to win," he said quietly, almost tenderly. "I just need you here."

The words landed harder than they should have, slipping past Elias’s defenses with the same ease Victor had slipped past his clothes. He shifted, letting himself slide off the desk, and half-expected Victor to grip him like a possession again. Instead, Victor’s arm simply wrapped around his waist, steadying him.

They ended up on the couch near the study window, Victor tugging him down until Elias was sprawled against his chest, head tucked under his chin. Elias made a faint sound of protest because he had to, but the bond hummed in satisfaction, thrumming low and warm through his skin.

Victor’s fingers traced idle circles along his back, the kind of touch that carried no urgency, only presence. It was maddening how much comfort it gave, how quickly his muscles loosened under the weight of it.

"Stop that," Elias said eventually, words muffled against Victor’s shirt. "You’re making me like you."

Victor chuckled, the vibration running through his chest and into Elias’s cheek. "Good. Because I already like you."

Elias closed his eyes, letting the warmth sink in despite himself. He could feel Victor’s heartbeat under his ear, steady, unyielding, the same rhythm that had pressed against his back that morning. For all the arrogance, for all the endless smugness, Victor was the only one who had made him feel like this wasn’t survival anymore. Like he wasn’t just something unworthy of love.

His fingers curled in the fabric of Victor’s shirt, subtle but certain. He wouldn’t admit it aloud, never, but he was enjoying this. More than he should.

Victor, of course, felt it through the bond. He kissed Elias’s hair once, reverent and unhurried, and whispered, "Rest. I’ll keep watch."

And for once, Elias didn’t argue. He just let himself breathe.