My walls started crumbling.
“Dimitri, you can’t do that again.” And I wasn’t referring to him taking a bullet for me—I was referring to him getting hurt and leaving Adele and me alone.
“There’s so many things I’ve yet to tell you.” His voice was almost a whisper. “And I want to now, because I would hate for—because I have the chance to now.” He moved closer, so that we were only a hair’s breadth apart. “I made the wrong choice five years ago, Isabella. And I’ve spent every day since then wondering if you hated me as much as I hated myself. Six years of regret so deep it felt like drowning.”
He stroked my cheek as he spoke.
“I chose my duty over you. I chose the pack, my family, everything I thought mattered. And I lost the only thing that actually did matter. I forgot I had a duty to protect you, too.”
I didn’t think he cared. I’d been miserable for weeks.I hadn’t realized I was crying until his thumbs gently brushed away a tear on my cheek.
“I love you, Isabella. I’ve loved you since the day you walked into Ravencrest mansion, and I spent so long lying to myself, pretending I didn’t care, telling myself you were off-limits because you were supposed to be my stepsister. And when we got together…” His voice cracked, emotions swirling in his eyes. “That will forever be the best moment of my entire life. I fucked up, I know. But I never—ever—stopped loving you. And I don’t think I can.”
I felt something inside of me, so akin to that night in his study five years ago. My wolf. The Mate bond. It surged through me like wildfire, burning away the anger and hurt and leaving behind something raw and honest and terrifying. Because I’d felt like this before, and I’d been absolutely broken. I didn’t want history to repeat itself.
“Dimitri, you can’t say that. It’s too late. You have a wife.” I said it more to myself, to remind myself of why I shouldn’t feel like this—to remind myself why I shouldn’t cross this line a second time.
He shook his head. “Selene doesn’t mean anything to me, Isabella. She never has. There’s nothing between us—no love, no loyalty, nothing.” His jaw tightened. “That marriage only exists because it keeps certain enemies close, and because it keeps them predictable. That’s all.” He stepped toward me, slow and deliberate, his eyes locked on mine. “But you…” His voice dropped, low and raw. “It’s you, Isabella. It’s always been you. I’ve only ever wanted you. I know I hurt you in ways I can never make up for. But let me, Isabella. Let me show you that I choose you now. That I’ll always choose you.”
My wolf was screaming at me to move closer, to touch him, to give in to this pull between us that had never really gone away.
And my walls—those carefully constructed walls I’d built to protect myself—were crumbling to dust.
“You hurt me,” I whispered. “You destroyed me.”
“I know.” The pain in his eyes was genuine, devastating. “And I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for it, if you’ll let me.”
We stood there, inches apart, the air between us charged with five years of longing and loss and love we’d both tried to bury. And thenDimitri closed the distance between us. My breathing turned heavy, ragged, sharpened by the almost nonexistent space separating our bodies. His hot breath brushed my lips—I could practically taste the blend of coffee and whiskey on him.
“Isabella,” he breathed, my name breaking apart on his tongue.
And that was it. Something inside me snapped.
The walls I’d spent years stacking, brick by careful brick, didn’t just crumble; they shattered—collapsing under the weight of everything I still felt for him, everything I’d never truly stopped feeling.
My fingers lifted first, brushing the edge of his jaw—tentative, trembling with want. His eyes fluttered shut, and the quiet, wrecked sound he made sent heat spiraling through me.
When he opened them again, they’d shifted to gold, that familiar fleck of desire simmering in his gaze.
I closed my eyes, and before I could think better of it, I rose onto my tiptoes and kissed him.
Chapter Nineteen
Isabella’s POV
I wasn’t thinking, probably.
I let the tenderness of the moment consume me.
I let the adrenaline fuel me.
I finally gave in to my wolf, gave in to this undeniable pull between us, the tension that enveloped the room whenever we were both in it.
I kissed him because I wanted to. And Dimitri responded instantly.
He cupped my left cheek with his hand, pulling me against him gently. Our lips moved in sync, slowly, as though he was savoring the taste of me. Just like my daydreams.
Dimitri’s hands dropped to my waist, pulling me plush against him, closing every possible distance between us. The warmth of his mouth spread through me, every inch of my body aching for more. I thread my fingers along his back, standing on my tiptoes and deepening the kiss. Dimitri responded with a growl as he yanked my hair back—not hard enough that it hurt, but firm enough to keep me in place, to keep him in control, allowing him to explore my mouth. The kiss became wild. Feral, even. The sounds of our lips smacking together filled the room, fueling us, driving us.
