⚠️ Warning: This chapter contains a depiction of a forced kiss.

Eight Years.

It had been eight years since I’d tasted a kiss.

Robbie and I had gotten together during the sophomore year of high school. He never acknowledged our relationship publicly, but to me, we were a couple. During one of my heat cycles, my suppressants wore off, and Robbie lost control. Even though I loved him, I didn’t want to do it then. But I relented. I wanted him more than anything. He bonded with me that night, and for a fleeting, stupid moment, I thought he was my soulmate.

But that was before everything shattered.

After the break-up, the betrayal, I never got close to anyone again. So, when Robbie suddenly forced that kiss on me, I went blank. His body heat, the heat of his mouth, his scent, all of it was too dangerously familiar.

I held my breath, trying not to inhale any of it. Maybe it was instinct or just the shock, but I clamped my lips shut like a trap. But Robbie didn’t care. His kiss became rougher, more urgent, as he slid the hand that was gripping my arm to the back of my head. His lips sucked, dragged against mine, but I wouldn’t give in.

With one arm freed, I shoved at him, but he didn’t even budge.

He licked at my lips, forcing his way in. I’d been holding my breath for too long, and as I gasped for air, he took his chance. His tongue slid into my mouth, violating me most intimately. I fought back with my own, pushing at him, trying to get him out—but all it did was turn it into a twisted, erotic clash of tongues.

My traitorous body began to burn. My arms were shaking. My resistance started slipping.

This feeling... it was maddening.

As my strength waned, his kiss deepened—less urgent now, but more passionate. As if he knew. As if he could feel me losing ground. He kissed me until both of us were breathless, until I was dizzy with confusion and heat.

When he finally pulled back, I stared at him, chest heaving like I’d just run ten miles. His eyes gleamed with a maddening intensity, lips still wet from mine. He smiled, slow and smug.

"You’re still weak to my kisses," he said, "They always leave you dumbstruck."

Humiliation flooded me. My face burned with rage and shame. How had I let him do that? How had my body betrayed me so easily? I was no longer that naive kid in high school. I had grown, and I am a parent now. And yet, here I was—tongue-tied and shaken from a damn kiss.

While I was busy hating myself, Robbie was already on a call. I barely registered what he was saying until the end.

“...take care of the kid in room 309,” he said, hanging up.

My body went rigid.

"What the fuck are you doing to Twen?! Don’t you dare—" I choked out.

"I’m not doing anything," he cut in quickly. "I just asked my chauffeur to stand by the door."

"I don’t want your damn guards. I don’t want anything to do with you!"

"And I’m not letting you resign."

The nerve of this man!

"You think you can control me like this? Dream the fuck on!" I shouted, every word edged in fire. “I won’t be bound to you—and I sure as hell won’t let you anywhere near Twen!”

Robbie winced like my words physically hurt him. His voice cracked.

"I’m truly sorry for what I said back then. I won’t ask for your forgiveness. But please... give me a chance. Tony, you’re my Omega. We’re bonded. Let me try to be your mate... and Twen’s father."

It felt like a slap.

His Omega? Twen’s father?

"You lost that chance," I said, voice shaking with memory. "You told me to kill Twen, your son. And now you think you get to come back and claim us? Go to hell, Robbie. You can’t make it up.”

Robbie looked gutted, but I felt nothing. My feelings for him had long since withered and died. Twen is my world now. And we’ve made a life without him.

I spotted his car key sticking out of his coat pocket and snatched it, unlocking the door. I stepped out into the cold night and tossed the key back at him without another word.

He didn’t stop me.

The warmth from his touch still lingered on my skin. I wrapped my arms around myself, shielding my body from the past. Some things belong to memory. When they try to claw their way back into your life, they only bring pain.