Chapter 18

Marius POV

I pushed open the heavy wooden doors of Sigma Phi’s main room, the scent of whiskey and leather greeting me like an old friend. I wasn’t surprised to find Damon sprawled on the velvet couch, twirling a tumbler of bourbon in his hand, but Tyrone leaning against the fireplace, arms crossed, meant I had walked into something.

Tyrone’s sharp gaze cut through the dim light. “Where were you?”

I didn’t bother hiding it. “Alpha Phi.”

Damon straightened slightly, his expression shifting from boredom to intrigue. “You went to see her.”

Tyrone let out a scoff. “And? What, did you whisper sweet nothings in her ear and hope she’d fall at your feet?”

I laughed low in my throat, shaking my head. “No. You were right, Tyrone. She wants this as much as we do—she just won’t admit it.”

That got their attention.

Damon leaned forward. “You’re sure?”

I met his gaze. “I saw it in her eyes. Felt it in the way she reacted. When I stepped into her space, she froze, but not in fear. Her breathing changed. Her pupils dilated. I told her she was ours, and she didn’t deny it—she couldn’t. Even when she pushed me away, she stayed there, frozen. Like she was waiting for more.”

Tyrone’s jaw tightened, his fingers flexing at his sides. “So, she’s fighting herself.”

“She’s fighting us,” I corrected. “And herself. But here’s the thing—this isn’t a game to her. She’s not going to play along with our usual bullshit. We were too subtle. Damon had the right idea to start, but we weren’t forceful enough.”

Damon’s lips curved in amusement. “And what, you think we should just take what we want?”

I smirked. “I think she needs to be given no choice.”

Tyrone chuckled darkly, pushing off the fireplace. “Now that’s more like it.”

Damon ran a hand through his dark hair, exhaling slowly. “If she really wants us, why fight it?”

“Because it means giving up control,” I said simply. “She’s been fighting for control, making us chase her, but she doesn’t realize she’s already ours.” My voice dropped, turning cold. “It’s time we remind her.”

Tyrone nodded, satisfied. “We stop giving her room to run.”

Damon raised his glass slightly. “To making Seri see the truth.”

I didn’t need to toast. I had already decided.

Without another word, I left my brothers downstairs, retreating to my room. My mind churned with all the ways I was going to insert myself into Seri’s life until she stopped lying to herself about the pull between us.

She thought she was in control. Thought she could keep us at a distance. But after tonight, I knew better.

She wanted this. She just didn’t know how to admit it yet.

I stepped into the bathroom, stripping off my shirt and undoing my belt with a slow, measured breath. The tension in my muscles was unbearable, coiling tighter with every thought of her—her sharp wit, the way she challenged us, the fire in her eyes when she defied me. The way her breath hitched when I got too close.

I turned the water on, the steam curling around me as I stepped under the scalding spray. It did nothing to cool the heat in my blood. I braced a hand against the tiled wall, head dropping forward as images of Seri filled my mind.

Her lips—soft, untouched, so fucking stubborn.

Her body—taut, resisting, but already yielding in ways she didn’t understand yet.

I let my hand drift down, wrapping around my length, stroking slow at first. My jaw clenched as I imagined her under me, that pretty mouth parting in surrender. I could almost feel the way she’d tremble, her pulse fluttering under my fingertips as I held her still, forcing her to accept what she already knew deep down. That she belonged to us.

It didn’t take long and I gritted my teeth as release slammed into me, a guttural groan tearing from my throat. Even now, it wasn’t enough. My need for her wouldn’t be satisfied until i could make her submit to my will, to completely own her.

I turned off the water, running a hand over my face. Tomorrow, she’d learn.

Tomorrow, I’d make damn sure she knew exactly what she was up against.

The next day, I found Seri in our shared class first, slipping into the seat behind her. She stiffened the second she realized I was there. I smirked, leaning in until my breath ghosted over her ear.

“You left last night before we could finish our conversation,” I murmured.

She didn’t turn, but I saw the way her fingers tightened around her pen. “I didn’t realize there was more to say.”

“There’s a lot more to say,” I corrected, dropping my voice to become more of a growl. “And you’re going to listen.”

The professor began speaking, forcing me to lean back, but not before I dragged my fingers down the curve of her spine—just light enough to make her shiver.

She didn’t move away.

I waited until the end of class, until she tried to slip out, but I was faster. I caught her wrist, spinning her back into the empty classroom. She gasped as her back hit the wall, my body crowding into hers before she had a chance to protest.

She glared up at me. “Really?”

I just smiled. “I could say the same to you.”

Her chest rose and fell with quickened breaths, but she didn’t push me away. I reached up, brushing my knuckles against her jaw before gripping it, tilting her chin up.

“I told you,” I murmured. “I’m not interested in being a prize for your games.”

I didn’t give her a chance to think, to argue, to resist. I took as i kissed her. My lips crashed against hers, demanding, relentless. She gasped against my mouth, and I swallowed the sound, deepening the kiss, tasting the fight in her.

She trembled. I pressed closer, one hand wrapping around her pretty little throat while the other flexed against the swell of her ass, hooking into the waistband of her jeans and pulling her flush to my body. Letting her feel exactly what she did to me, how hard she made me.

Then, just as quickly, I pulled away. Her lips were parted, her breath ragged, her hands curled into fists at her sides. She looked furious. She looked wrecked.

I smirked. “See you later, sweetheart.”

And then I walked away. Leaving her panting and shaking her head, probably trying to get her thoughts together again.

Later, Tyrone took his turn making a pass at Seri. I hang back a good distance with Damon as Tyrone took charge, his pace quickening as he spotted her. Seri was walking back to the Alpha Phi house when he caught up to her, his long stride effortlessly matching hers. She didn’t even have time to react before he hooked a finger into her waistband, pulling her into the shadows along the side of the house.

She gasped, spinning to shove him away, but he was faster. He pinned her wrists above her head, his body flush against hers.

“Tired of running yet?” he asked, voice dark, teasing.

Her glare was venomous. “You’re delusional if you think—”

He cut her off with a kiss.

Unlike mine, his was slower. Calculated. He didn’t rush—he took his time, teasing her, coaxing her to respond, pressing his lips over hers in a way that demanded surrender without ever taking it by force. And then, just when she started to soften—just when she started to sink into it—he pulled back with a smirk.

“You’ll give in soon,” he murmured. “You already want to.”

Then he was gone, leaving her standing there, breathless and shaken.

Damon found her last. It was late afternoon. The campus was mostly empty when he intercepted her on way to the library. We had been watching her all afternoon and knew exactly when she left Alpha Phi, she had a study group.

She tensed when she saw him. “Seriously?”

He grinned. “You should’ve known this was coming.”

“I’m not in the mood.”

He stepped into her space. “That’s funny. I think you are.”

She exhaled sharply, as if forcing herself to stay calm and went to step around him. “Move, Damon.”

Instead, he cupped her face in both hands, his thumb stroking over her cheek. Unlike Tyrone, he didn’t pin her. Unlike me, he didn’t force his way in. He just kissed her. Soft at first. Testing. Letting her feel the difference.

And then he deepened it. Not demanding but seducing. He kissed like he played the piano—fluid, sensual, like he was crafting a melody meant just for her. She whimpered before she could stop herself. And just like that, it was over. He pulled back, brushing his thumb over her lower lip, smirking when she shivered.

“Sweet dreams, Seri.”

Then he walked away, leaving her standing there, lips swollen, hands shaking, mind spinning. She had spent the last couple weeks thinking she was in control. Now, finally, she was starting to realize the truth. We were. We would own her and it was only a matter of time before she admitted it.