After a long moment, she shifted her hips experimentally, a small, tentative movement that sent a jolt of pure electricity through him. A slow smile spread across her face, her confidence returning in a rush.
“Okay,” she breathed. “I’m good.”
“Look at me,” he ordered, his voice low and rough. “Don’t look away.”
Her eyes remained locked on his as he pushed deeper, a slow, deliberate invasion that stretched her to her limit. He watched her face, every flicker of sensation reflected in her expression. He saw it when the pain began to fade, felt her body soften to welcome him, felt the new kind of tension coiled in her limbs.
He seated himself fully inside her, his hips pressed against hers, and held there for a long moment.
He started to move then, a slow, deliberate retreat and advance that let her adjust to him, let her body learn the shape of him. Each glide brought a new wave of sensation, a deeper pleasure that threatened to drown them both. Her hands roamed over his back, her nails scoring lightly against his skin, her legs wrapping tighter around his waist as she met him thrust for thrust.
The sounds she made drove him insane—soft whimpers that turned into gasps, then sharp cries as he found a rhythm that pushed her higher. He angled his hips, changing the angle of his penetration, and she cried out, her head falling back against the pillows, her entire body arching into him.
The sight of her—this brilliant, defiant woman completely undone by pleasure—was more intoxicating than anything he had ever experienced. He watched her face as he moved inside her, watched the pleasure build, watched the moment it crested and broke.
Her climax hit her with the force of a tidal wave. She screamed his name, her body convulsing around him, her muscles clenching him in a frantic, desperate rhythm that sent him over the edge with her. He plunged into her one last time, burying himself as deep as he could go, and his own release tore through him, a blinding, shuddering force that left him breathless and shaking even as he yanked his cock free before his knot could expand and lock them together.
He collapsed onto her, careful to keep most of his weight on his elbows, their bodies still joined, their hearts pounding in a frantic, unsteady rhythm. He buried his face in the curve of her neck, inhaling her scent, trying to ground himself in the aftermath of the most intense experience of his life. His fangs had dropped, aching with the need to mark her, but that was something he wouldn’t do without her permission.
‘Wow,” she whispered eventually, her voice hoarse. “I think my brain just short-circuited.”
He couldn’t help the low rumble of satisfaction that vibrated through his chest. He rolled onto his side, pulling her with him, keeping her close. She was so small against him, her head tucked into the hollow of his shoulder, her pink hair spread across his chest in a wild, glorious tangle.
He traced the curve of her hip, the skin still warm and flushed from their lovemaking. He should feel regret, or at the very least, concern. He had just slept with a human female on the night ofthe full moon, a night when he was barely in control of himself. He had just risked everything—his authority, the stability of his pack, the carefully constructed walls he had built around his heart—for her.
But he didn’t regret it. Not one single second.
And that was terrifying.
The full moon was still high in the sky, its silver light pouring into the room and washing them in its glow. He could feel its pull still, a thrumming, restless energy beneath his skin. The urge to mark, to claim, to make her his in every possible way, was still a potent force.
But the desperate, driving edge was gone. Eventually he slipped out of bed to fetch a warm wet washcloth, but as he gently stroked her swollen folds, he saw the traces of blood on the cloth and froze.
“Fuck, kitten,” he whispered. “Did I hurt you?”
Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t flinch away. “Just a little. At the very beginning. I’ve never done it before.”
The possessive satisfaction that surged through him was so intense it almost brought him to his knees. She was his. No one else had touched her like this. No one else ever would.
Only if I claim her as my mate.
He’d never wanted anything more, or been less sure if it was the right thing to do—for either of them. But tonight the moon was still shining and she was naked and happy in his arms and he had one more thing he could do for her. He discarded the washcloth and slid down between her legs. Her head popped up.
“What are you… Oh my God!”
She gave a startled cry as he licked from her sensitive entrance to her still swollen clit.
“My saliva has healing properties,” he murmured against her and she jerked again. He smiled and lowered his head, his tongue stroking a slow, deliberate path through her delicate folds. She tasted of honey and salt and his seed, a combination that was more intoxicating than any wine. He took his time, exploring every inch of her, lapping at her clit, stroking her entrance with the tip of his tongue, learning her tastes and textures. Her breathy little cries of pleasure were a balm to the savage part of him that had worried he’d hurt her. He could make her feel good. He could bring her pleasure. And that knowledge was as powerful as any claiming.
He slid a finger into her, and she bucked against him, her body arching off the bed. He crooked his finger, stroking that sensitive spot inside her as he circled her clit with his tongue. She came with a sharp, shocked cry, her body shaking, her inner muscles clenching around his finger.
She lay panting against the sheets, her body flushed and limp, a dazed, satisfied smile on her lips. He stretched out beside her, pulling her into his arms and holding her close.
“Adrian,” she whispered, her head heavy against his shoulder. “That was… wow.”
He rumbled a laugh, a deep, satisfied sound that vibrated through both of them. “I’m glad you approve.”
“Approve? I think I just saw the face of God.” She propped herself up on an elbow, her grey eyes soft in the moonlight. “Are all werewolves that… thorough?”
