Chapter 2: Forced Proximity

The lecture hall still hummed with the aftershocks of her power. Diane's branded wrist throbbed against her warm brown skin. She couldn't look away from Desmond's storm-grey eyes.

Her beast pressed hard against her ribs. It wanted to claw straight into him. Her human mind screamed to run and hide.

"Let me go," she whispered. The words fractured. Her careful academic tone dissolved into something raw.

Desmond's fingers tightened on her wrist. Not enough to bruise but enough to hold her there. His jaw worked under pale skin.

"Can't. Council orders just came through my comm." His voice scraped low. Those fingers flexed as if his wolf fought to break free.

She yanked harder. The contact sent sparks racing up her arm. Her muscles clenched low in her body and her skin flushed hot.

Students and council reps picked themselves up from the floor. Elena pushed through the crowd. Her red bob swung as her fox eyes widened.

"Di, you okay? That blast felt like getting hit by a truck." Elena's hand hovered near Diane's shoulder but didn't touch.

Diane managed a nod. Her throat closed tight. She pressed her free hand to her sternum as her bun came half-undone.

Desmond released her wrist only to grip her elbow. He steered her toward the side door. His touch burned through the thin fabric of her cardigan.

"My office. Now." He didn't ask.

The hallway stretched long and shadowed. Gothic stone walls pressed close. Rain lashed the tall windows.

Desmond walked half a step behind her. His heat pressed against her back. Her mind raced through every historical text she knew.

Vessels. Ancient bloodlines. Bonds that could destroy everyone nearby. And she was the weak one who could barely hold a shift.

"This is ridiculous," she said. Her voice stayed steadier without his skin on hers. "I'm an assistant professor of shifter history. Not some mythic battery."

"No mistake." His words cut across hers. His fingers dug into her elbow when she tried to slow down.

They reached his office. The sparse room held only the antique silver blade on the desk. He shut the door with a soft click.

Diane hugged her elbows. Strands of hair tickled her jaw. Her fingers traced an invisible protective sigil on the edge of his desk.

Desmond paced instead of sitting. His broad shoulders tensed under tactical gear. Those storm-grey eyes kept flicking to her branded wrist.

"Council's issued the claiming order," he said finally. He stopped by the window. "Ritual training. Daily. With me. Skin contact mandatory."

Her knees nearly buckled. "What? No. I didn't consent to any of this. I'm not some prize to be trained like a broken wolf."

He turned. The look on his face made her beast sit up and whine. Possession mixed with dread and hunger so sharp it looked painful.

"You think I want this?" The words came out rough. "Ten years I've kept my distance. Watching. Keeping others away. And now this."

Her breath caught. "You've been... watching me? Why? Why not say s-something?"

The stutter broke through on the last word. Heat flooded her face. He took a step closer then stopped himself.

"Because touching you would wake exactly what happened in that hall." His voice dropped lower. "My beast doesn't play nice, Diane. It wants to claim. And your power could turn me into the monster they've always feared."

The air grew thick with the scent of rain-soaked pine. Her branded wrist itched. Power flickered under her skin like it knew his words were true.

She wanted to hate him for the watching. Instead her body leaned toward his darker scent. Her beast pushed images at her. His hands. His teeth. That controlled violence just for her.

"I need to th-think." She turned toward the door. "This can't be the only way. There are texts. Counter-rituals."

The door burst open. Kai Langford filled the frame. His golden blond hair stayed perfectly styled. Amber eyes gleamed with that too-wide smile.

"Professor Stavros. Or should I say, Vessel?" His voice stayed smooth but menace threaded underneath. "Heard the news. Quite the show."

Desmond moved faster than she could track. One moment he stood by the window. The next he pressed shoulder to shoulder with her. A low growl vibrated from his chest.

"Get out, Langford. This doesn't concern you."

Kai's smile didn't falter. He leaned against the doorframe. His gaze slid over her messy bun and flushed face.

"Actually it does. Council law allows challenge to a claiming order if a stronger mate presents himself." Those golden eyes met hers. "Why settle for the broken enforcer when a real alpha could make you a queen?"

Diane's throat tightened. The stutter threatened again but she swallowed hard. "This isn't. I'm not property to be claimed by whoever shouts loudest."

Her beast recoiled from Kai's too-clean scent. It strained harder toward Desmond's darker presence. The contradiction made her head spin.

Desmond's hand brushed her lower back. Not quite touching skin. Sparks still raced up her spine.

"Touch her and I'll paint the fucking forest with your blood," Desmond said. His fingers flexed at his sides.

Kai laughed. The sound echoed off stone walls. "Big words from a man who's been too scared to claim his mate for a decade."

The words landed hard. Diane stepped away from both of them. She hugged her elbows tighter.

Her power flickered again. The lights overhead buzzed. She pressed her branded wrist to her stomach.

"Enough." She forced her voice steady. "Both of you. I decide what happens to this. Not the council. Not either of you."

But the brand pulsed hotter. Her beast knew the lie in her words. Refusal meant death.

Kai's eyes narrowed. His charming facade cracked. "Think about it, Professor. Meet me in the moonlit grove at dusk if you want a real choice."

He left before Desmond could lunge. The door clicked shut with finality.

Silence stretched between them. Desmond's shoulders bunched tight. His breathing stayed controlled but ragged.

"He's wrong," Desmond said finally. He moved to his desk and picked up the silver blade. "About the broken part anyway."

Diane watched his marble-pale fingers handle the weapon. Her own hands trembled as she traced another sigil on the desk.

"Show me." The words left her before she could stop them.

He looked up sharply. "What?"

"The training. The ritual." Her voice cracked. "If this power keeps leaking and hurting people I can't. I won't be responsible."

His eyes darkened. The blade clattered onto the desk. For a moment she thought he would refuse.

But he nodded once. Jaw tight. "Moonlit grove. Midnight. Wear something that allows skin contact. And Diane?"

She waited. Her heart hammered against her ribs.

"Don't run again. My beast won't let you get far this time."

The threat should have terrified her. Instead her skin prickled with dark anticipation. She hated how much her beast purred at the dominance in his tone.

---

The moonlit grove waited at the forest's edge. Ancient trees formed a natural circle. Mist clung to everything and dampened sound.

Desmond was already there when she arrived. His tall frame stood silhouetted against moonlight. He'd changed into a simple black shirt with sleeves rolled up.

His eyes tracked her approach. They noted the simple tank top under her open cardigan. Skin contact as ordered.

"You're late," he said. No real heat in it. Just that gravelly tension that made her pulse jump.

"Had to grade three papers first." The excuse came easily. In truth she'd paced her room for an hour trying to settle her beast.

He stepped into the circle and gestured for her to follow. The air here felt heavier with old magic.

"The first step is resonance touch. Wrist to ribs over the heart." His words stayed clinical but his voice had gone rougher.

Diane swallowed hard. She moved forward anyway. Close enough to feel his breath stir her escaped hair.

He lifted his shirt with one hand. There below his left pec sat a tattoo. An incomplete mate mark with jagged angry lines.

Her breath caught. "That's... for me?"

"Ten years," he confirmed. The admission seemed to pain him. "It started burning the first time I saw you lecture. Hasn't stopped since."

Her hand rose slowly. Warm brown fingers met cool pale skin as she pressed her branded wrist to the tattoo. The contact surged through her like electricity.

His heartbeat synced with hers. A shared rhythm that made her gasp. Heat flooded her body.

Then the vision slammed into them both. Not clean. Not neat. Just flashes.

Blood on skin. Crushed pine needles under their backs. Her dark hair spread across pale sheets. His teeth in her shoulder as she clawed down his back.

Her own voice whispering against his ear. "I will break you."

She yanked her hand away. Nausea rolled through her gut. His eyes stayed wide. Chest heaving.

The shared heartbeat lingered for three painful beats before it tore apart.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded. Her voice cracked completely.

Desmond looked sick. His usual control lay shattered. His fingers went to the tattoo as if it burned anew.

"A warning. Or a memory." His words came out hoarse. "Your bloodline... it's not just power. It's destruction."

A sound cracked through the trees. Movement in the shadows. Golden eyes gleamed briefly before vanishing.

Kai had watched the whole thing.

Diane's power flared hot and unstable as Desmond pulled her behind him. The grove suddenly felt far too small.