Julius didn’t move. He stayed in that chair looking at Harrison, his hands still gripping the armrests. His pulse was loud in his ears, a steady thumping that matched the anger building in his chest.

Harrison moved away from him, looking out the large windows at the city skyline, his back turned to Julius. He looked perfectly calm, as if he hadn’t just used his pheromones to crush the room.

"You can go now, Julius," Harrison said. He didn’t turn around. "Anna will show you out if you’ve forgotten the way."

"I’m not going anywhere," Julius said. His voice was steady, despite the way his body was still humming from the Enigma’s pressure. "We’re going to talk. For real this time."

Harrison finally turned. He walked back to his desk and leaned against the edge of it, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I thought we said everything that needed to be said during the meeting."

"I don’t care about the meeting," Julius said, standing up. He walked around the chair and faced Harrison. "I care about the fact that you’re still hiding things. You sit there and act like you own me, but you won’t even tell me who you are. When are you going to stop the riddles, Harrison? When do I get the whole story?"

Harrison’s expression didn’t change.

"The story isn’t important right now. What matters is that you’re safe and that you’re here, under my protection."

"Safe from what?" Julius stepped closer. "Safe from the people who sent me that photo? Safe from the memories I don’t fully have? You talk about protection like I’m a child. I’m an Alpha, Harrison. I’m the one who should be protecting my own life."

"And yet, you can’t even stand straight when I’m in the room," Harrison said. It wasn’t an insult; it was a cold statement of fact. "Some secrets are meant to stay buried, Julius. Knowing them won’t make you feel better. It will only make things more dangerous for you."

"I don’t care about being safe," Julius snapped. "I care about the truth. All you ever did was give me the half truth."

Harrison looked at him for a long moment. There was a flicker of something in his eyes—maybe pain, maybe regret—but it was gone before Julius could be sure.

Harrison looked at his watch and stood up straight.

"We’re done for today," Harrison said. His voice was back to that cool, professional mask. "I have another engagement I can’t miss. I’ll have my driver take you home. We can discuss any other thing tomorrow."

He started to walk toward the door, moving past Julius as if he were just another piece of furniture in the room. He didn’t look back. He didn’t even slow down.

Julius felt something inside him snap. It was the rejection, the dismissal, and the silence all piling up until he couldn’t take it anymore.

"Nodding your head, running away again with your tail between your legs?" Julius said. The words were dry and bitter, cutting through the quiet room.

Harrison stopped mid-stride. He didn’t turn around immediately, but the air in the office suddenly felt like it was freezing over. The temperature didn’t drop, but the feeling of Harrison’s presence expanded until it filled every corner of the space.

Slowly, Harrison turned around. His eyes were different now. The gold was gone, replaced by a deep, bottomless black. He looked less like a businessman and more like the predator Julius had seen in the shadows of the party.

"I am not running, Julius," Harrison said. His voice was a low warning.

Julius didn’t flinch. He didn’t back down. He actually let out a short, sharp laugh. It was a dangerous sound, full of defiance.

"Atta boy," Julius said, his eyes locking onto Harrison’s. "At least you’ve still got a spine when I poke it. I was starting to think you were all talk and pheromones."

Harrison’s jaw tightened. He walked back toward Julius, his movements slow and deliberate. With every step he took, the pressure in the room increased. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Julius’s knees felt weak, his body telling him to submit, to stop, to apologize. But his mind was done listening to his body.

"You want me to stop being careful with you?" Harrison asked. He was standing right in front of Julius now. He was taller, broader, and the heat coming off him was intense. "You want the truth? You want to know what I’m capable of?"

"I want you to stop pretending," Julius whispered.

He didn’t wait for Harrison to answer. Julius reached out, his fingers curling into Harrison’s suit and pulled him down. He crashed their lips together with everything he had.

It wasn’t a soft kiss. It wasn’t a request. It was a claim.

Julius bit at Harrison’s lower lip, tasting the salt and the heat. He forced his tongue into Harrison’s mouth, desperate to bridge the gap that had been between them for weeks. He wanted to tear down the walls Harrison had built.

Harrison made a sound deep in his throat—a growl that was half-anger and half-hunger. His hands came up, grabbing Julius’s waist and pulling him so close their belt buckles clashed.

The kiss turned messy and desperate, a struggle for dominance that neither was winning.

Harrison pulled back just an inch, his breath coming in short, rough gasps. His grip on Julius was bruising.

"You don’t know what you’re doing," Harrison groaned against his lips. His voice was raw, stripped of all its usual control. "You don’t know what you’re inviting in, Julius. If I do this, there is no going back. I will never let you leave."

Julius looked up at him. His eyes were blown wide, his face flushed with heat. His Alpha pride was still there, but it was merging with something much stronger—a deep need for the man holding him. He didn’t care about the secrets. He didn’t care about the danger.

"I’ll face the consequences later," Julius whispered.

He leaned in, his lips brushing against Harrison’s ear. "But right now? I want you."

Harrison froze for a split second.

Then, his hand moved to the back of Julius’s neck, his fingers tangling in his hair, and he slammed Julius back against the desk. The sound of papers fluttering to the floor was the only thing heard before Harrison claimed his mouth again, and this time, there was no holding back.