Chapter 121: Canines
Riven felt it first—not just the heat of Ronan’s kiss or the strength of his arms around him, but the undercurrent of something deeper. A quiet, aching sorrow that wove its way into every brush of lips, every shared breath. His lips moved softly against Ronan’s, and even in the quiet intimacy, he could feel it. The weight. The guilt. The hope.
The kiss wasn’t desperate or rushed. Riven felt like he could feel Ronan’s sorrow in the kiss. No matter how much Riven provoked him, he was able to keep calm. And at this point, he felt guilty for torturing him.
Riven’s lashes fluttered open just a little, curiosity and guilt swirling in his gaze. Through the small sliver between his eyelids, he saw Ronan’s face—tense, brows slightly furrowed, like he was holding back everything that he couldn’t put into words.
Even now, kissing him, he looked like a man caught in a storm of emotions, one hand anchored on the edge of something fragile.
Riven’s lashes brushed lightly against Ronan’s as he blinked slowly. That faint, almost imperceptible touch made Ronan pause, his eyes opening slightly in surprise.
Their gazes met, just for a fleeting second.
Ronan’s expression softened at once. The glacier-blue of his irises, once distant and unreadable, glowed with something warmer—something only Riven ever got to see. His hand slid further up Riven’s spine as he leaned in, deepening the kiss with a hunger that wasn’t carnal, but emotional.
He wanted to be closer. To feel him more completely. To drown in the warmth of the one person who made him feel like he was more than just an alpha, more than a leader bound by duty and control.
When Ronan gently bit Riven’s tongue, it wasn’t to tease. It was to taste. A playful edge with a hidden layer of reverence. Riven gasped into his mouth, a soft tremble running down his spine. That reaction, raw and unfiltered, made Ronan’s breath hitch. The way Riven responded to him—always so sensitive, so reactive—it was intoxicating.