“Korrak, I’m close?—“
“Come for me,” he commanded, his voice rough with strain.
His words were the final trigger. Her second climax shattered her, a blinding, mindless wave of pleasure that clenched around him like a fist. Her cry was muffled against his shoulder. The intense squeeze of her release pulled his own from him. He surged deep and stilled with a raw, shuddering groan, spilling his heat inside her.
They lay joined, breathing ragged in the quiet room. He was heavy on her, but the weight was welcome, anchoring. He lifted his head to look at her, and the stark, unguarded satisfaction on his face was a revelation. The controlled Alpha was gone, replaced by a man utterly relaxed and fulfilled. In his eyes, she saw the same irreversible shift she felt in her soul. He had accepted this. Accepted her. Acceptedthem.
He brushed a strand of damp hair from her forehead, his thumb tracing her face. No words were needed. The storm outside, the danger waiting in the shadows—none of it could touch the quiet foundation they’d built here, in this bed, with this growing bond that now felt as inevitable as the Arctic wind outside.
He moved to lay beside her and pulled her into his arms, and Winslet laid her head against his chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heartbeat. Wrapped in the cocoon of Korrak’sarms, Winslet felt her mind drift into uncharted territory—a place where thoughts moved like honey instead of racing like startled rabbits. The solid warmth of his chest beneath her cheek anchored her to the present moment, his heartbeat a rhythm that seemed to sync with hers.
This is insane,she thought, but without the panic that usually accompanied such realizations.I’ve known him less than a week.
Yet her body told a different story entirely. Every cell seemed to recognize this as exactly where she belonged, nestled against the powerful frame of a man who’d just claimed her with a thoroughness that left her boneless and satisfied. The logical part of her brain cataloged all the reasons this was reckless—too fast, too intense, too much trust placed in someone who was still largely a stranger.
But logic felt distant and unimportant compared to the way Korrak’s hand rested at the small of her back, his fingers splayed possessively across her skin.
“You’re not leaving my side from now on,” he said, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through her.
Instead of bristling at the commanding tone, relief crashed over her with such force that tears pricked at her eyes. The pretense, the careful lies about being Ellie’s assistant, the constant vigilance—all of it could finally stop.
“I don’t want to just hide behind you like some helpless damsel,” she murmured against his skin, tasting salt and something uniquely him. “I need to be useful, to contribute something.”
His hand stilled for a moment, then resumed its slow, soothing stroke along her spine. “Your safety comes first,” he said with quiet finality. “Everything else can wait.”
The simple statement hit her like a tidal wave. No conditions. No negotiations. No expectations of what she’d owe him inreturn for protection. Just unwavering priority given to her wellbeing in a way that felt foreign and precious.
No one has ever put me first like this,she realized, the thought both terrifying and wonderful.Not without strings attached.
As sleep tugged at the edges of her consciousness, one final revelation crystallized with startling clarity. She wanted to stay here, wrapped in his strength and scent, maybe permanently if he’d allow it. The thought should have sent her running—she’d spent two years learning that attachment meant vulnerability.
But instead, it felt like hope.
TEN
KORRAK
Korrak’s eyes opened before dawn painted the horizon, his internal clock attuned to the subtle shift in air pressure that preceded the storm’s escalation. The wind outside had transformed from the steady howl of yesterday into something far more vicious—a full-scale blizzard that would lock down his territory for days. The kind of weather that hadn’t ravaged Northland Bay in months, though he’d sensed storm season approaching in the restless way the ice shifted under the wind.
Gerri’s timing was too perfect, as always.
The realization settled in his chest with grim certainty. The matchmaker hadn’t just known Winslet was his mate when she orchestrated this placement—she’d calculated the storm season into her equation. Not only would his polar bear instincts drive him to protect his fated mate, but the weather itself would become an ally, making it nearly impossible for Bracken to reach her even if Viktor had indeed confirmed her location.
Clever woman. Manipulative as hell, but clever.
He should be furious at the petite woman for being outplayed so expertly, but as Winslet’s warmth pressed against his side, her breathing deep and even in sleep, he found he couldn’t summongenuine anger. Not when the result was this—his mate safe in his bed, the mate bond thrumming between them like a live wire after last night’s claiming.
His polar bear was still restless though, and Korrak frowned at the sensation. The beast should be satisfied, sated from finally claiming what belonged to them. Instead, it paced with an urgency that made his muscles tense. The claiming had been only the first step, his instincts reminded him. Not the completion. She wasn’t marked yet, wasn’t fully bound to him in the way that would satisfy the primal demands of his nature.
Tell her the truth,his polar bear demanded.She needs to know what she is to us. Why Gerri really brought her here.
Korrak’s jaw clenched as he studied Winslet’s sleeping face, peaceful in a way he’d never seen before. The fear that had shadowed her features since her arrival was absent, replaced by something that looked dangerously close to trust. How could he explain that she wasn’t just under his protection—she was his fated mate, the one person in the world designed specifically for him? That Gerri hadn’t placed her here out of simple convenience, but because the universe itself had marked her as his?
She’ll think I’m insane. Or worse—she’ll think I’m just like him. Possessive. Controlling. Trying to trap her.
The comparison to Bracken sent a violent surge through the mate bond, and Korrak had to consciously steady his breathing to avoid waking her. His protection came from instinct and devotion, not ownership. But would Winslet see the difference?
He moved carefully, intending to slip from the bed and start coffee before she woke, but the moment he moved away from her, the mate bond yanked him back with such force his knees nearly buckled. His hands gripped the edge of the mattress as the sensation crashed through him—not just physical, but emotional. Her feelings threaded through his consciousness likea second heartbeat: safety, warmth, and a fragile hope that made his chest tighten.
