~Damn~.
Maya woke from her sleep as a throbbing sensation in her blood roused her. Her entire body was ~hot~, excessively hot.
She attempted to turn, to shift, to do anything to alleviate the discomfort of her sweaty, sticky skin sticking to the sheet beneath her, but she quickly realized she was immobilized.
~Was it due to her injury~?
She blinked in confusion, trying to survey the room. The lights were off and the room was shrouded in darkness, but her vision was sharp enough to see.
As she lowered her gaze to her chest, she couldnât help but notice the arm encircling her.
~Julianâs arm~.
She didnât need to turn around to know it was him, spooning her, holding her against his chest. His scent, his touch; it was overpowering.
His face was nestled in the crook of her neck, his lips resting on a spot he should have bitten.
Her body was ablaze, feeling like it was on fire, and she could vividly recall how it had felt in that field, touching him, tasting him.
A jolt coursed through her, and she tensed at the thought of his hands stroking her skin.
Her best guess? The moon was out, and her body was yearning for ~anything~.
Her alpha had decreed a no-shift rule, but the wolf within her was trying to break free in other ways.
~Through instincts~. The struggle to keep her distance from Julian had been a constant battle since their first encounter.
~It didnât make sense.~
Despite the bond that marked him as ~hers~, he was still a risk, a mystery. He was someone she couldnât commit to for life without truly knowing him.
She might never find out who he really was.
So, she should resist this. She should fight against her own body.
But she wasnât.
She lay there, his fingers gripping her shirt damp with sweat, secretly wishing he was touching her bare skin.
~Pull yourself together, Maya. Get it together, girl~. It was just a body. A warm, male body. It wasnât her first time experiencing this.
Sheâd been here before.
Many times.
The right thing to do would be to tell him to leave. He was supposed to be on the floor, not entwined with her.
She couldnât even remember him climbing into bed with her. His presence hadnât set off any alarms.
~Why not~?
~Because heâs your mate, you idiot!~
Maya was going to move. She really was. That was her plan when she started to wriggle against him.
But then, a part of him hardened. Really hardened. And she knew what that part looked like because she had seen it. ~Many times~.
So what if it was nudging her backside? Teasing her? Promising her a night filled with moans and sweat?
~We should do it. Itâll feel good~.
A downside of the moonlight.
~The wolf part was much stronger than the human part~. Why was she resisting this so much? It ~would~ feel good.
Wasnât that what she was all about? Doing what felt good, regardless of the consequences?
Living life without rules, to the fullest?
And sleeping with Julian ~would~ be living life.
He didnât know himself, but she had no doubt he would know her body like the back of his hand. She had scratched itches before. So had others.
But this would be different. Julian would also enjoy ~her~ pleasure. He would ~feel her~.
Maybe she ~should~ ignore Alexâs order. Maybe she ~should~ shift.
If she shifted, she could run and avoid this situation.
She was good at that. Avoiding. She didnât make decisions about her life. She didnât decide where she was headed.
~Nothing~. She didnât have to figure out her life, and she didnât have to figure out her destiny.
Until ~him~, Maya had the option of waiting for her mate and delaying her departure. Now she didnât even have a choice.
If she went through with this, she wouldnât be able to stay.
The decision was made for her.
It was better this way.
~So~ what if she didnât make a decision now?
She ran, or she stayed and let it happen?
One hand slipped under her shirt, and she pressed her back to his chest. She held her breath, waiting, as his fingertips traced her belly button.
~Oh fuck~. A wetness spread and soaked her underwear.
~Yes.~
She felt his mouth on her ear, licking and nibbling, and she moaned softly. ~Let him~. ~Feels good~. Yeah, it fucking did.
Reaching back, she could feel he was shirtless. ~Or maybe naked. She couldnât tell.~
And she didnât care.
While one hand was moving up, the other was heading down. She felt him slip past her underwear, his fingertips brushing her clit.
She arched into him as he drew circles, making the nub sensitive.
~She couldnât remember the last time someone touched her like this~.
Maya wanted to pull away, but all she could do was lean into his touch. She wanted ~more~. Every part of her wanted ~more~.
It wasnât enough.
She gripped the hem of her shirt and started to lift it. She stopped when her arms were halfway up as her wound sent a sharp pain through her.
~Not good~. Before she could give up, he grabbed it and finished the job for her, tossing her shirt aside.
Her bare breasts were exposed, her nipples hardening in the cool air of the room. She thought he would touch them, but he didnât yet.
His hands returned to her stomach, caressing the skin.
He left a trail of warmth wherever he touched.
Julian shifted his position, placing himself on top of her. He used one elbow to prop himself up, creating some space between their bodies.
Her hands quickly found their way to his chest, tracing the lines of his muscles with her fingers.
~Yes.~
His body radiated heat, a warmth that was intoxicating.
~Mate smells so good. Mate feels so good~.
She couldnât deny it, he did.
She bit her lip, suppressing the moans threatening to escape as he gripped her shorts and underwear in one go.
He pulled them down past her knees, then all the way off so she could kick them under the sheets.
~She was behaving like a wild animal in heat~. As if this was her first time and she couldnât wait another moment. No playful teasing, no sensual foreplay.
All she wanted was the hard erection she could feel pressed against her, deep inside her.
~But~ he wasnât as undressed as she was.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, her feet tugging at his boxers. Maya used her toes to pull them down, until his bare ass was exposed. ~Yes, yes. Let mate, let mate.~
She should.
She should let him take her until she couldnât think straight.
She didnât have to let him mark her. ~She didnât~. It could be fun. It could relieve the tension and frustration of not being able to shift. ~Nothing more, nothing else~.
âMaya,â he murmured against her collarbone, his erection barely concealed by his underwear.
She ignored him. She tugged until he was free. She was already wet, desperate for him. ~She should have taken him that time in the field~.
Staked her claim. Made that ~damn woman~ understand who he belonged to.
~Stake claim~.
~Mark him with her scent~.
Just like she would be marked with his.
~The stranger. The enigmatic alpha she couldnât figure out~.
His erection sprang free. He felt large against her stomach and ~so damn hard~.
His rough, calloused fingers traced her breasts, hardening her nipples and stealing her breath. ~Damn~.
Yes. She hadnât realized how much she craved his touch, but her wolf did; it was howling within her. ~Yes, yes, yes.~
He gripped her breast, roughly pulling at it, squeezing it between his fingers, the excess spilling between them.
~More, more, more.~ It was a mantra in her head. His large body was covering hers, trapping her between him and the bed.
~No, no.~ Not like this, not like this.
She licked her lips, her body humming with desire. ~She couldnât give him all the power. She couldnât do that~.
She gripped his shoulders, using this hold to slide herself beneath his arm and slip free.
Julian lifted an arm, turning to his side to look at her with a puzzled expression, one eyebrow raised. She pushed on his shoulders, and he fell to his back without resistance.
He watched her, desire gleaming in his eyes, and she could see him growing harder and larger.
She bit her lower lip, and a shiver of anticipation ran through her. She climbed on top of him, straddling him and then sitting down.
She ignored the sharp pain that shot through her as her body begged her to slow down. But she didnât. She sat on his hard erection, forcing it down, rubbing her wetness across his length.
Julian threw his head back into the pillow, cursing her as he hissed. His hands flew to her hips, squeezing hard enough to leave marks behind, but she didnât care.
~She wanted the marks~.
She wanted her pale skin to bear the evidence of ~this~.
âIf weâre doing this, Iâm the one in charge,â she declared, laying her hands flat on his chest.
âAre you now?â
âYeah.â
There should be a build-up, anticipation, but she didnât care. Plus she didnât know how long she had until he tried to fight her for control.
It would be easy for him to overpower her when she was in a weakened, vulnerable state.
She swallowed the pain as she lifted her hips, pressing down on his chest to raise her rear off him.
Maya angled herself until she felt the tip of him touching her wet folds, and she suppressed a shudder of anticipation.
He stretched her as she lowered herself, slamming her hips down to take him to the hilt. ~One motion~. She groaned at his size, clenching around him at the stretch.
~Damn~. She inhaled sharply, throwing her head back.
~Son of a bitch.~
Neither of them was moving, yet it felt ~damn~ good. ~Hell~.
âAre you all right there?â
Though her eyes were closed, she heard the teasing in his voice.
âIâm fine.â
âYou donât look fine,â he challenged, his eyes on her face.
~She didnât care about his opinion. She would see this through to the end~. She was the one in charge, the one deciding, the one running this show.
Alex had always been a challenge for her. It was simply her nature, and he would have to accept it.
âCare to hear my thoughts?â he queried, his eyes flickering a golden hue, as if he was on the brink of transformationâyet he wasnât.
âNot particularly,â she retorted, suppressing a grimace of pain as she hoisted herself off him. ~Damn~, it stung.
She moved rhythmically on his arousal, her cries echoing in the room as she took him in fully, crashing down with each thrust. ~The pain was worth it~. The pleasure was far superior to the discomfort.
Julian's hand stealthily traced her spine until he was clutching her fiery tresses.
He entwined her hair around his fingers, then yanked her down, her chest colliding with his as he drew her closer.
âI believe,â he murmured in her ear amidst grunts, âno one has ever put you in your place, and I think you crave that.â
âYouâre mistaken,â she gasped, gyrating her hips despite the limited movement.
âAm I?â
His hand glided to her hip and then ~everything happened so quickly~. The wind was knocked out of her as he flipped her onto her stomach, her face buried in the pillow.
She took several deep breaths as he hoisted her backside into the air, one hand pinning her down.
âShall we put that theory to the test?â
She wanted to argue, she wanted to resist, but she found herself unable to. He held her firmly, penetrating her with a fervor she hadnât been able to muster.
Each time he entered her, he filled her completely. She was left speechless, her mouth agape but no sound escaping.
He adjusted his angle, hitting a spot that made her legs weak.
She clutched the sheet, torn between wanting to flee from the overwhelming sensation or surrender to it.
~Damn, damn, damn~.
She was half-moaning, half-sobbing, pleading for her release. More, more, more. A bit more, a bit less. Her thoughts were a whirlpool in her mind.
~Good alpha, good mate. ~Yes. Yes. Yes.
Her eyes rolled back, and she could hear herself chanting his name repeatedly. ~Damn~. Her vision was fading, spots dancing before her eyes.
She arched her back, oblivious to the world around them as she cried out from the intense sensation building within her.
He maintained his rhythm, never slowing down. She felt a trickle down her abdomen, presumably from her wound. But she didnât care. ~So damn close~.
Then he hit the right spot, and she unraveled.
Had it not been for his hands supporting her, she would have collapsed entirely.
Her toes curled into the sheets, pulling the fitted sheet off the mattress, and she muffled her climax into the pillow, dampening the fabric.
Her hands clenched into fists and she pounded the bed, unable to control the tremors of desire that brought her to completion.
Sweat coated her skin as she felt him freeze, a burning sensation filling her and forcing her to tighten despite the overwhelming pleasure consuming her.
His large body draped over hers, his hands releasing her hips as they rested on either side of her, barely supporting his weight above her.
He nestled his head in the crook of her neck and a howl echoed in her chest.
But he didnât bite.
He panted. He licked.
But he never bit.
Was thatâ¦disappointing? No, no, it was good. A good thing.
~Yes. It was~.
She closed her eyes, tilting her head to the side, baring more of her neck to him.
~Just in case.~