Chapter 3: Desire or Death

Artemis’ POV

Sky tries in vain to stop me as my knife aims for Beck’s heart.

“Do you really want things to be this way?” he asks in a sarcastic tone, as if he’s not taking me seriously, which only infuriates me.

Beck moves at an impossible speed, just fast enough to dodge my attack. He stays very close to me, but my knife doesn’t reach him.

“There’s no other way things can be,” I mutter as my eyes meet his.

But while my emotions erupt inside me, he remains calm, dodging my attacks effortlessly.

I turn and try to stab the knife into his forearm, but he makes a move that disarms me. I pull out another dagger that was hidden under my jacket and reach for him, but he takes a step back and dodges me with just a slight tilt of his body.

The worst thing is that I feel my whole body betraying me as it throbs with the longing to be closer to him.

The tension between us becomes impossible as we move through this deadly dance. With each new rhythm, I can feel my pulse quicken as everything inside me calls out to him.

I struggle to reject the feeling and rush toward him as I try to get one of my blows to hit its target. Still, he efficiently prevents it, as if my movements were those of an apprentice, not an expert.

“Are you trying to murder me, or do you just have a really strange way of flirting?” he asks, amused.

Then, Beck holds me in his arms, and I can smell the intensity of his scent of rain, of metal. His closeness makes my memories fit together, revealing to me that I have felt this way before.

Now, with his gaze on mine, the power of that memory becomes so real it overwhelms me. I want to repeat it all, the touch of his mouth against the skin of my neck added to the longing for the pleasure it provokes in me.

No! No!

I immediately erase that thought from my head and jump to pull away from him, turning as I free myself from his grip and then going straight for his chest.

But he stops me; his hands get my wrists, imprisoning them and, in time, bringing our bodies very close together.

He leans in and his face comes close to mine as his silver eyes stare at me, his warm breath crossing the distance to brush my lips.

"Don't you think I know everything about you?" he asks in a tone that takes my breath away. "I know everything there is to know about my Luna. I've known you since we met for the first time.”

"Get away from me!" I scream at him. "I am not your Luna!"

My knife then lunges at him, sharp and threatening as I feel it find his skin. A snarl then erupts from his lips, and before the wound can threaten his body, he pulls away from me.

But then, to my surprise, I feel a twinge of pain in my leg, and when I look, I notice that I’m bleeding. Has he hurt me? No, that seems impossible. I didn't see it coming.

He smiles as the skin on his body begins to heal rapidly. Likewise, my skin starts to recover as the pain disappears.

"Are you surprised to feel my pain?" he asks. "By now, you should know that the bond between Luna and Alpha is unbreakable and extremely sensitive. What I feel, you feel. What I long for, you long for."

He looks at me then, and I know what he means because I do long for him. And I know that he doesn't see a murderess when he looks at me.

But I don't care what he sees in me.

Without thinking, I then throw myself against him, determined. If I am to die for this, I intend to take him with me. He may be the Goddess's choice for me, but my choice is to finish him off.

"How long do you intend to keep this going?" Beck asks.

He turns, stays behind my back, and then pulls my jacket, trapping me so that I have to take it off to get free of him. My arms are bare then; I’m left with only the lacy lingerie over my chest as I stare at him with hatred.

Filled with rage, I let my scent flow out of my body for him to feel, hoping to make him afraid of me so that he’ll release me, but all he does is look at me with a raised eyebrow when he says, “Interesting. But sweetie, your power won’t work with me.” He smiles as if he knows what I can do.

His body guides me toward the nearest wall as his hands catch me. His fingers, thick and long, close around my wrists, and with his legs, he cuts off my movement.

I struggle, trying to defend myself, but he is impossibly strong and once he has me at his mercy, I find it impossible to break free.

His torso approaches mine. His breath brushes my cheek. When I lift my face, he is there, blond hair falling over silver eyes, his scent filling all my senses.

"This time, you're going to listen to me," he declares.

I feel the pressure of his body against mine. His touch gives me an unwanted pleasure that I try to avoid. I feel imprisoned by my desire for him, by my longing to shorten even further the distance between our bodies.

Yet, a part of me wants to plunge a knife into his heart, even when I know that the blade will also end my life.

"I have nothing to hear from you. You are a murderer!" I say.

"Is that what they told you? And you believed them, of course," Beck says. "You always believe your Alpha's lies. But inside you, you know that's not true. You know there is a more profound truth that guides you to me."

His face moves closer to mine, and as I sense his next move; I feel my whole body cry out for that touch. And I know that if he achieves his goal, there will be no turning back.

At this moment, it's all about giving in to desire or death.