His Delicate Love

14

Killian was in a foul mood as he moved through the barracks, his thoughts consumed by the events of the previous day. He couldn't shake the guilt that clung to him, replaying his conversation with Annie over and over in his mind. Why do I keep screwing this up? He shook his head, the frustration gnawing at him. He scanned the area, instinctively looking toward the spot where Annie was usually working, but today she was nowhere to be seen.

Where is she? His heart quickened, his thoughts running wild as he searched for her. His emotions were on edge, and just when he began to panic, her familiar scent hit him, calming his storm for a brief moment.

He turned around swiftly and saw her approaching, her delicate figure making its way toward him. "Sorry I'm late," Annie said softly, her voice quiet but full of warmth, as if she knew he'd been worried. "The Alpha wanted to speak with me, see how I'm doing." She gave him a small smile, an attempt to ease the tension she could sense in him.

Killian's eyes softened at the sight of her, but as she turned to walk away, something inside him snapped. He couldn't keep letting her slip through his fingers, couldn't keep letting his words hurt her. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back toward him.

"You're not just an omega, Annie," Killian said, his voice low and intense. His grip on her hand was firm, but not rough. His dark eyes bore into hers, filled with a mixture of regret, possessiveness, and raw emotion. "You're my mate."

The words came out fiercely, but there was no doubt behind them. As he spoke, his eyes darkened further, filled with the intensity of the bond they shared, the bond he had been trying so hard to protect but had only been damaging.

Without waiting for a response, Killian pulled Annie closer, his lips crashing onto hers in a kiss that was both desperate and passionate. It wasn't just a kiss—it was a claim, a declaration that echoed through the barracks, letting everyone know that she was his. The tension that had been building between them for so long seemed to erupt in that moment, every emotion he had been holding back spilling into the kiss.

Annie gasped softly against his lips, her heart racing as she melted into him, the world around them fading. The force of the kiss, the possessiveness in it, made her feel both vulnerable and secure in a way she had never felt before. She could feel the truth in his words, the depth of his feelings pouring into her as they kissed.

When they finally pulled apart, breathless, Killian's eyes were still dark with emotion, his hand still holding hers tightly, as if afraid to let her go again. "You're mine, Annie," he growled softly, his voice barely above a whisper but full of promise. "And I don't care who knows it."

Annie looked up at him, her heart swelling with emotion. The pain of the past few days still lingered, but in that moment, she felt his sincerity. He wasn't just trying to protect her now—he was claiming her, fully and openly.

The barracks had fallen silent, the warriors all aware of what had just transpired, but neither of them cared. For the first time in a long while, Killian felt like he had made the right move, like he had finally given in to the bond they were meant to share.

----------

"How can that be possible?" the elder wolf barked, his voice laced with disdain as he addressed the Alpha and Killian. The elder, a powerful figure who had served as Alpha before, looked at Killian with disgust. "A Beta and an Omega?" he spat, the word Omega dripping with contempt. "It just can't be."

The room was tense, the atmosphere thick with the weight of the elder's anger. The younger Alpha, Alaric, stood by, clearly torn between the old traditions that the elder wolf represented and his loyalty to his Beta.