He approaches slowly, like a predator stalking wounded prey. His nostrils flare as he scents the air, and a growl rumbles deep in his chest.
“Nothing’s wrong,” he says, voice rough with restraint. “It’s your heat.”
“But I can’t shift,” I protest weakly, even as my body betrays me by arching toward him.
“The claiming triggered it.” He stops at the edge of the bed, not touching me though I can see how much it costs him. “Your wolf may be trapped inside, but she’s still there. Still part of you.” His hands clench at his sides. “Still calling for her mate.”
A whimper escapes me. “Make it stop. Please.”
His expression darkens. “I can ease it.” His voice drops lower. “But only if you’re certain.”
Despite the haze of need clouding my thoughts, I recognize what he’s offering—and what he’s asking. Permission. Choice. Even now, with both our wolves howling for completion, he waits for my consent.
“I need you.” The words pour out before I can stop them. “I don’t understand what’s happening, but I know I need you.”
Something in him breaks at my admission. In one fluid movement, he’s on the bed, his powerful body caging mine.His scent—earth and stone and wild places—surrounds me, intensifying the ache to an almost unbearable degree.
“This will be different,” he warns, his voice strained as he fights for control. “The heat changes things. Makes it more... intense.”
I reach up, touching his face, feeling the tension in his jaw. “I’m not afraid of you.”
His eyes flash. “Maybe you should be.”
With that, his mouth claims mine in a kiss nothing like the ones we’ve shared before. This is possession, pure and raw. His tongue slides against mine, demanding surrender, and I give it willingly, melting beneath him as heat sizzles along every nerve.
His hands are everywhere—tangling in my hair, cupping my breast, sliding down my side to grip my hip with bruising intensity. I should feel trapped beneath his massive frame, but instead, I feel sheltered, safe despite the storm raging inside me.
“You’re burning up,” he murmurs against my throat, his lips finding the claiming mark and sending a jolt of pleasure so intense I cry out.
“Yes,” I gasp, my hands clawing at his shoulders as he sucks at the mark. “Ryker, please?—”
He pulls back, eyes wild as he studies my face. “Tell me what you need.”
“I don’t know,” I admit, frustrated tears pricking my eyes. “Everything hurts but feels good at the same time. I just need... more.”
Understanding flashes across his face. With deliberate slowness, he drags his hand down my body until his fingers brush the slick heat between my thighs.
“Here?” he asks, circling my entrance with maddening restraint.
“Yes,” I hiss, hips bucking against his hand.
He slips one thick finger inside me, and I nearly comeundone from that alone. A second finger joins the first, stretching me, preparing me, his thumb finding the bundle of nerves that makes me see stars.
“So wet,” he growls, his control visibly slipping as he works me with his hand. “So ready for me.”
I reach for him, desperate to touch, to taste, to have all of him. My fingers fumble with the fastening of his pants until he catches my wrist.
“Not yet,” he says, voice tight. “You first. Need to make sure you’re ready.”
Before I can protest, he moves down my body, replacing his fingers with his mouth. The first touch of his tongue against my core sends lightning through my veins. He devours me like a starving man, his powerful shoulders keeping my thighs spread wide as he tastes every inch of me.
The pleasure builds, a tidal wave I can’t escape and don’t want to. When it crashes over me, I scream his name, my body arching off the bed as the first orgasm of my heat washes through me.
But instead of satisfaction, it only feeds the flames. The relief is momentary, the need returning stronger than before.
“More,” I beg, reaching for him. “Please, I need more.”
Ryker rises above me, his eyes glowing with primal intensity. He sheds his clothing in quick, efficient movements, revealing his powerful body—all sculpted muscle and battle scars. My mouth goes dry at the sight of him, thick and hard and ready.
