The bond roars, surging, demanding I give her what she’s already begging for, even in sleep.The scent of her arousal hangs heavy in the air.My cock hardens impossibly more, painfully, my body aching to roll her beneath me, to tear the distance away, to claim what’s already mine.
I grip the edge of the bed frame so hard the wood creaks, every muscle trembling with restraint.My wolf snarls, furious at my refusal, pushing, clawing at the inside of my skin.
But I don’t move.I can’t.
Because if I touch her now, like this, it won’t be enough.I won’t stop.And she deserves more than to wake up to me devouring her because I couldn’t control myself.
Her breath hitches, her body twisting closer, her thigh sliding across mine before she stills again.I shut my eyes, jaw locked, forcing air into my lungs in harsh, ragged pulls.This is torture.She’s torture.
And yet I don’t leave.I can’t.
I stay.I let her press against me, let her whisper my name like she already knows I belong to her.She rubs her pussy against my thigh, testing my control.And I sit there in the dark, burning alive, praying she doesn’t wake.Because if she does, I’m not sure I’ll survive the night without breaking every promise I’ve made myself.
Chapter Five
Dreams That Burn
Thorne
Heat.
That’s what I remember first.Not the warmth of blankets or fire, but something hotter.Wilder.A furnace under my skin, pulsing in time with my heartbeat.
And him.Altero.
The dream clings to me like smoke even as I wake.Altero’s hands—rough and strong—pinning me down, his mouth on mine, his growl vibrating against my throat.His weight pressing me into the mattress, his name ripped from my lips like a plea.
I jerk awake, breath catching in my throat.
The cabin swims into focus.Firelight flickers low in the stove.My body aches, my skin damp with sweat, my thighs pressed tight together beneath the quilt.My pulse is still racing, my core throbbing with a need that isn’t fading.
It felt so real.Too real.It takes me a moment to realize he’s here.
Altero sits on the edge of the bed, half-turned toward me, shadows cutting across his sharp jaw.His shoulders are hunched, his fists clenched tight on his thighs.His eyes are on the floor, but his body is wound so tight it looks like he might shatter.
The dream slams back into me.My stomach flips.Goddess, did I...?
