His other hand comes to my hip and grips hard enough to leave marks. "Nova." My name sounds raw.
I push back against him and feel him hard through his training pants. The sound that rumbles out of his chest is pure wolf, barely restrained dominance trying to claw its way free.
"You're playing with fire," he growls.
"Maybe I want to burn."
That breaks something in him. He spins me to face him fast enough to make me dizzy and cages me against the wall, hands on either side of my head. His canines have dropped, just slightly, just enough. "You don't know what you're asking for."
"Then show me."
His mouth crashes against mine and there's nothing gentle about it. This is pure claiming, possession barely restrained. His tongue demands entry and I give it, opening for him while my hands grip his t-shirt. He tastes like mint and Alpha and something darker that makes my wolf surge to the surface.
One hand slides into my hair and grips, tilting my head back so he can deepen the kiss. The other finds my waist and hauls me closer until there's no space between us. I can feel every hard plane of his body pressed against mine. It's not enough.
I wrap my leg around his hip and he groans into my mouth, grinding against me. Stars explode behind my eyes from the friction. It's maddening, not nearly enough through our clothes. I want skin, his hands on me without barriers, him inside me making good on every promise in his eyes.
He breaks the kiss to drag his mouth down my throat and I tilt my head back, giving him access. His teeth scrape over my pulse point and my entire body goes liquid with want.
"Caspian," I gasp.
He bites down, not hard enough to break skin but hard enough to mark. To claim. I cry out and my hips buck against him seeking more friction, more pressure, more everything.
His hand slides under my t-shirt and finds my breast, thumb brushing over my nipple through my sports bra. The touch sends lightning straight to my core and I'm so wet I can feel it soaking through my underwear. He'll be able to scent it and know exactly how much I want this.
Good. Let him know.
I reach for the waistband of his pants and he catches my wrist, pinning it against the wall above my head. "Don't."
"Why not?"
He's breathing hard, pupils blown so wide there's barely any amber left. "Because if you touch me right now, I won't stop. And we're doing this my way or not at all."
"Your way?"
He releases me and steps back, putting space between us and running his hands through his hair. I can see them shaking slightly. "Not like this. Not rushed against a wall in a training room where anyone with a key could walk in."
I'm still pressed against the wall, body aching, mind spinning. "Caspian..."
"When I claim you," he says, and his voice is absolute, "it won't be quick. It won't be quiet. It'll be in my bed where I can take my time with you. All night. Multiple times. And when I'm done, you'll wear my marks for everyone to see." His eyes burn into mine. "Are you ready for that?"
The question lands like a physical blow. Am I ready? Ready for everyone to know? Ready for the permanence of a claiming bite? Ready for the bond to complete and tie me to him forever?
I want him. That's not the question. I want his hands on me, his body claiming mine, his teeth in my throat marking me as his. But wanting and being ready aren't the same thing.
He sees my hesitation and nods slowly. "That's what I thought." He's not angry, just patient. Waiting. "When you're ready, you come to me. Not before."
"And if I'm not ready?"
"Then I'll wait." He moves toward the door. "However long it takes. But make no mistake, Nova. You're mine. Everyone already knows it. This is just making it official."
He leaves and I slide down the wall until I'm sitting on the mat, legs shaking, body on fire. The ache between my thighs is almost painful and I press my hand there, trying to ease the pressure. It doesn't help.
I want him. I'm terrified of what that means. And I don't know how much longer I can keep saying no when my body is screaming yes.
I make it back to my dorm somehow, legs still unsteady, skin still flushed. Lily takes one look at me and raises her eyebrows.
"Training go well?"
