The Stolen First Kiss

Cleo's POV.

The shock of the moment is absolute. My body freezes still. Ryker’s electrifying, demanding lips crash against mine in the pitch-black corridor. The sudden impact sends a jolt of electricity straight down my spine. I squeeze my eyes shut, paralyzed by the sudden contact. His large, rough hand slides into my damp hair, his fingers tangling in the wet strands. He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear before he tilts his head and deepens the kiss. His tongue pushes past my lips, claiming my mouth with a raw intensity that short-circuits my brain.

When my senses finally kick in, panic surges through my veins. I wedge my shaking hands against his solid, muscular chest. I push hard against his heavy frame to get him away from me. He overpowers my desperate struggle with ease. With just one hand, he grabs both of my wrists and yanks them behind my back. He locks them in his iron grip. He uses his weight to press his hard chest closer, crushing the breath out of my lungs until I am pinned against the cold plaster wall. There is no escape from his heat. He briefly breaks the kiss. His thumb comes up to trace my wet, swollen lips in the heavy darkness.

"Why do these lips feel like they are virgin lips?" he murmurs, his voice a dark, demanding rumble. "Why are you playing hard to get with me? Didn't they tell you that I like rough?"

I am lost in a haze of fear and undeniable arousal. It is my very first kiss, stolen in the shadows by the exact boy I secretly harbor feelings for. I try to force my mouth open. "I—"

Before I can summon my voice to speak, he drops his head and buries his face deep into the crook of my neck. His nose drags along my collarbone as he inhales against my skin. "What's with this smell?" he mutters, his grip on my wrists tightening. "I'm warning you. Don't play any tricks with me. It will be just one night."

Hot tears well up in my eyes. The degrading assumption hits me like a physical blow. He thinks I am just another easy hookup to use for his carnal satisfaction and toss aside. I open my mouth to protest, to scream at him to stop touching me. "Leave me—ahh!"

My words are cut off. His hot lips latch onto my bare neck. He bites down and sucks hard against my sensitive skin, bruising the flesh to leave a dark, visible mark. An embarrassing, breathy moan slips uncontrollably from my throat, echoing in the quiet hallway.

He pauses. His hot breath fans over the wet, fresh hickey. "If you moan again, I will take you right here, right now," he warns in a dark, gravelly voice. My frantically beating heart races faster, slamming against my ribcage. He releases my wrists and begins running his large hands over my long coat, his fingers searching, gripping the fabric with blunt force.

"Where's the rope?" he whispers, his tone filled with unfiltered sexual intent.

"W-Wha—"

"RYKER, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Gideon's loud voice echoes from the nearby rooms, shattering the heavy tension in the corridor. Frustrated, Ryker pulls his head back and curses. "Such bad timing," he mutters in the dark. "We will continue later."

He turns his back on me. His heavy footsteps retreat, and he disappears into the noise of the party, leaving me standing alone.

I stay pressed against the wall, trembling. I lift my shaking fingers and touch my bruised, swollen lips in utter bewilderment. My chest heaves with uneven breaths. What just happened? My phone vibrates inside my pocket. Yanking it out, the bright screen illuminates the dark corner. It is a call from Delaney.

I clear my throat, forcing my voice to steady. "H-Hello?"

"Hey! Where are you? We have been searching for you," Delaney says, her voice loud over the background music.

"I am close to the washroom. Downstairs," I lie.

"Wait, what are you doing there? Didn't Declan tell you to use the washroom upstairs?"

"I got lost," I say quickly.

"Okay, wait there. I am coming."

I hang up, feeling stupid. I could have used my phone's flashlight the second I walked out of the restroom. I shove my glasses onto my face. Stepping out from the pitch-black corner, I spot Delaney and Declan walking down the hallway toward me.

"We were so worried about you," Declan says as he reaches me.

"I'm sorry, guys," I apologize. The memory of Ryker's hot mouth sucking on my neck flashes in my mind. I gulp, quickly lowering my head. I pull my thick hair forward, hiding my flushed face and the dark hickey on my neck.

Delaney steps closer, trying to get a good look at my face. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. I want to go back home," I insist. My voice shakes. "Immediately."

Declan sighs. "You came today. That's enough for me. Let me drive you home."

"No." I shake my head. "It's your party. How can you leave?"

"Then I will drop you off at home, as I promised," Delaney chimes in.

"No, I can go back alone," I plead. "I don't want any of you to leave this party for me. I'll be upset."

Declan studies my posture, his brow furrowed in worry. "Then I will tell my personal driver to take you home. Is that okay with you?"

I pause for a second, then nod. I just need to get out of here. I clutch the edges of my coat together, shielding my neck, and start walking.

As I walk toward the main door of the guest house, my eyes betray me. I cannot stop searching the crowded room for him. I hate myself for it, but my gaze scans the shifting bodies, looking for Ryker. I run into Valerie near the exit. She is still wrapped around the new guy. She gives me a quick hug and tells me to get home safely.

I step out into the cool night air. Declan's driver is already waiting by a sleek black car, holding the back door open for me. I walk down the driveway. Then, something to my left catches my eye, and my feet stop moving.

A sharp, suffocating pain pierces straight through my chest.

Leaning casually against his own car is Ryker. He is aggressively kissing the exact same girl who had worn the white bikini earlier. She has changed into a tight, revealing dress. His hands grip her hips, pressing her against the metal door.

I stand there, paralyzed. He hadn't wasted a single second replacing me the moment he walked away. He was demanding a rope for me minutes ago, and now his mouth is all over someone else.

Suddenly, Ryker's dark eyes flutter open. Across the shadowed driveway, his gaze locks onto mine.

I freeze like a deer in headlights. My breath catches in my throat.

But he doesn't pull away. He doesn't look shocked or guilty. He simply ignores my presence. He closes his eyes again and continues to kiss the other girl, pushing his body against hers as if I am invisible and meaningless.

My heart shatters. I tear my eyes away, scrambling into the back seat of Declan's car. The driver shuts the heavy door behind me, sealing me inside the quiet cabin.

The engine starts. As the car pulls out of the driveway, hot tears stream down my face. I press my head back against the leather seat and peer through the tinted window, catching one last blurry glimpse of Ryker.

I am consumed by shame. I feel broken and hollow.

Why did I let him kiss me? Why did I feel that way? Why did my stupid heart betray me by racing for a boy when we didn't even know each other? My body undeniably desired him in that dark corridor. My flesh burned for his touch. But the brutal truth stares me right in the face: he is a dangerous bad boy. He is the most lethal Alpha in our pack, the one destined to be the head Alpha. He has no interest in love, romance, or genuine affection. He merely uses endless strings of girls to satisfy his carnal sexual desires until fate hands him his destined matebond.

Sitting in the quiet, dark car, the tears flow freely down my cheeks. I wonder who his fated mate will ultimately be. Will he ever treat that girl gently? Or will he just use her body too? Will he actually love her?

And what about my own fate? I am turning eighteen tomorrow. Did letting another boy forcefully steal my first kiss mean I was cheating on my own destiny? I let his hands roam over my body. I let him suck a dark mark into my skin. Wasn't it wrong to feel such overwhelming desire for someone who isn't my true mate?

The guilt eats at me, clawing at my throat. I open my tear-filled eyes and gaze up through the car window at the passing night sky. My soul aches with a desperate longing.

'Where are you, Mate?' I cry out in my mind.