Then I hear the shower running.
I lie still, listening to the sound of water and letting relief wash through me. She’s here. She’s safe. She chose me.
She chose me.
I stretch, pleased to find that my shoulder has only the slightest twinge of protest.
My wolf stirs beneath my skin, restless with need.Claim her,he demands.Make her ours completely.
I’ve been patient. Gods know I’ve been patient. But patience has its limits, and mine shattered the moment she whispered I love you.
The shower cuts off, and a few minutes later she emerges from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, her short hair damp.
“You’re awake,” she says, noticing me watching her.
“Hard to sleep when my mate is wandering aroundnaked,” I reply, sitting up against the headboard. The sheet pools around my waist, and I don’t miss the way her eyes track the movement.
“How’s your shoulder?”
I lift it, rotating my arm. “Nearly good as new. Got to love our fast healing.”
She drops the towel.
Just like that. No hesitation, no self-consciousness, no careful negotiation of boundaries. She stands before me gloriously bare, her pale skin marked with fading bruises from our mission, and scars that tell stories of survival and strength.
She moves toward the bed with predatory grace. “I believe, mate, we have unfinished business.”
This is the Beta of Shadowmist Pack—confident, commanding, done with half-measures and hesitation. My wolf surges forward, recognizing the change in her.Yes. Finally.
I’m out of bed and crossing to her before conscious thought kicks in. When I reach her, I don’t gentle my touch or ask permission. My hands frame her face, thumb tracing her scar.
“You choose me,” I say, voice rough with barely contained hunger.
“I do.” Her silver eyes hold mine steadily. “Now what are you going to do about it?”
The challenge in her tone is deliberate. She’s not asking for tenderness or sweet words. She’s demanding I claim what’s mine.
Be careful what you wish for, mate.
I growl and slam my mouth to hers.
The kiss is fierce, consuming. She meets my hunger with her own, her nails digging into my shoulders as she presses against me. No hesitation, no fear—just pure filthy want.
I walk her backward until her spine hits the stone wall, pinning her there with my body. The contrast of cool stone and burning skin makes her gasp, and I swallow the sound, deepening the kiss until we’re both breathless.
“I’ve wanted this,” I bite out against her mouth, “wanted you, since the first moment I heard your voice in that cell.”
“Then take me,” she demands, wrapping her legs around my waist.
Fuck.The feel of her—wet and hot and ready—pressed against my cock nearly undoes me.
“You sure about that?” I ask, grinding against her. “Because once I start, I’m not stopping until you’re screaming my name.”
Her smile is wicked. “Promise?”
I don’t answer with words. Instead, I lift her higher against the wall, position myself at her entrance, and thrust home in one brutal stroke.
The sound she makes—part gasp, part moan, completely mine—sends fire racing through my veins. She’s tight, so fucking tight, her body gripping me like a velvet fist. For a moment, neither of us moves, adjusting to the overwhelming sensation of finally being joined.
