Chapter 123: Crying
Riven barely had the chance to pull away, his body pinned between the cold, unyielding wall and the relentless presence of the Alpha in front of him. The stone bit into his back, halting any attempt to escape, and he found himself trapped—emotionally, physically, wholly.
Ronan didn’t let up, his kiss persistent and raw, as if he were trying to etch his name into Riven’s soul with every press of his lips.
Riven’s hands moved on their own, nails curling and digging into Ronan’s back, drawing a hiss from the Alpha. He hadn’t intended to hurt him—maybe he had, a little—but even that sharp sting didn’t slow Ronan. If anything, it only seemed to drive him further.
Ronan’s body was a wall of heat, trembling with restraint. The desperation he tried to hide—unsuccessfully—was thick in the air between them.
He was clinging to this moment, to Riven, as though any wrong word, any faltering movement, would cause the entire fragile connection to collapse. He didn’t want to stop. He couldn’t. Not when the possibility of rejection hung so heavily in the air.
He had been holding on for so long. Enduring. Hoping. But now, he stood at the edge of his limit. Riven didn’t know how close Ronan was to breaking, how one word could either undo him or heal him.
So Ronan didn’t give Riven the chance to speak.
Not yet.
Instead, he devoured the silence between them. He pulled away from Riven’s swollen lips, only slightly, leaving a trail of kisses as he moved downward, planting lingering kisses along the flushed curve of Riven’s cheek. His breath was heavy, uneven, hot against cool skin.