They’ll come around,she told herself.Or they won’t. Either way, I’m not going anywhere.
He carried her through the main house and up the stairs like she weighed nothing. Which, to him, she probably didn’t. The unfairness of werewolf strength was something she was still getting used to.
He carried her into her room and set her down on the enormous bed, the same bed where they’d made love under the full moon and everything had changed, then knelt before her on the floor.
She blinked.
“What are you doing?”
“Asking.” He took her hands in his. “Harper Bailey. I know this life isn’t what you imagined. I know my world is strange and complicated and full of wolves who don’t know how lucky they are to have you. But I’m asking—begging, if that’s what it takes—for you to stay. Not because you feel obligated, or because thebond pulls at you, or because there’s nowhere else to go. But because this is where you want to be.”
His golden eyes searched hers.
“Is this where you want to be?”
Her heart clenched.
She thought about everything that had brought her here. The move to Monster Island, hoping for a fresh start. The collision in the hallway with a huge werewolf who made her pulse race and her mind go blank. The late nights and early mornings and heated arguments. The terror of the challenge. The relief of victory.
She thought about what she was leaving behind. The empty apartment in the city. The coworkers who respected her skills but didn’t know her name. The endless nights at her computer, too afraid of rejection to seek real connection.
And she thought about what she’d found.
Elise’s friendship. Irene’s quiet approval. Maisie’s enthusiastic welcome. The young wolves who looked at her with curiosity instead of contempt. Adrian’s family—Derek and Julie, ready to accept her as one of their own.
Adrian himself.
Her mate. Her home.
“Yes,” she said softly. “This is where I want to be.”
The tension drained out of his shoulders.
“Thank fuck.”
She laughed. “Did you actually think I was going to say no?”
“No, but I never want to take you for granted.” He rose and sat down on the bed next to her before pulling her onto his lap. “Have I ever mentioned how much I like these little skirts of yours?”
His hand dipped under the hem to stroke the bare skin above her tights, and she shivered happily.
“It’s a good thing I have a lot of them.”
His hand slid higher and she saw the exact moment he realized she wasn’t wearing any underwear. Heat flared in his eyes.
“Why are you bare, kitten?”
She managed a casual shrug, even though her heart was already pounding in anticipation. “You told me they got in your way.”
“They do,” he growled, and a startled gasp escaped her lips as he flipped her around so she was straddling him, bare flesh pressed against the massive erection straining at his jeans.
“Do you remember that I said the Alpha traditionally claimed his Luna in front of the pack?” His voice was low and dangerous as he slowly unbuttoned her shirt to reveal her breasts, her nipples already taut and swollen. “I didn’t mean that I would have carried you off. I mean I would have flipped up your skirt and buried myself directly in your sweet little cunt.” His thumb brushed over one nipple and she jerked against him, a moan escaping her lips. “I would have made them watch me claim you over and over again, kitten, until your screams were the only sound anyone could hear.”
Every nerve in her body lit up like a Christmas tree. Even though she knew he’d never do it, the idea of him claiming her in front of everyone was terrifying and completely intoxicating.
His fingers tightened on her hips and he raised her up just enough to free himself from the confines of his jeans. His cock, hot and hard, slid against her slick folds. She reached down, wrapping her hand around him. He was so big that she couldn’t close her fingers all the way around him.
“I want you inside me.”
