Wrenching his mouth from hers, Darius rests his forehead against hers, eyes locked on hers like the world could crumble around them and he still wouldn't blink.
His voice is rough silk. "Will you accept me...as your chosen mate?"
He says it like it costs him something. Like he's handing her his heart and bracing for rejection.
Cassandra exhales, heart thudding so hard it practically echoes. She lifts a hand, gently cups his cheek, her thumb brushing along the stubble lining his jaw.
"Yes," she murmurs, voice husky with more than just need. "Yes."
That's all it takes.
His restraint snaps like a frayed thread in a lightning storm.
Darius surges forward, mouth finding hers again, but this time there's no hesitation. His hands skim down her body, reverent and eager, dragging up the hem of her t-shirt inch by inch. His lips don't stray far, kissing the newly exposed skin like it's holy, like it's something he's been starved for.
Cassandra gasps when his palms find her breasts, thumbs brushing over peaks that ache under his touch. Her back arches off the bed in instinct, lips parting in a needy moan as her hands tangle in his shirt, in his hair, in anything she can reach.
He lifts her t-shirt over her head and tosses it aside, eyes drinking her in like a man gone feral.
"Stars, Cass..." he whispers, voice thick and reverent. "You are so damn beautiful."
And then his mouth is on her. Kissing across her collarbone, down to one aching nipple, drawing it into his mouth with a deep groan that sends tremors through her core. He sucks, nips, lavishes it with attention as his hand toys with the other, every touch making her hips writhe beneath him.
She's breathless, already damp between her thighs, already panting like she's been running for miles. Her fingers claw into his shoulders, tug at his hair, anything to keep him close.
"Darius..." she moans, hips lifting toward his, desperate.
He breaks from her breast just long enough to trail kisses down her stomach, every press of his lips a spell. Then his hands find the button of her jeans, and he looks up at her through heavy lashes.
"Tell me to stop," he says, voice low. "And I will."
Her answer? She lifts her hips so he can tug the denim down.
He chuckles softly, the sound rough with desire. "Didn't think so."
He unzips her jeans slowly...teasingly...like he's unwrapping something precious. He slides them down her legs with worshipful patience, pausing only to remove her shoes, dragging the fabric free inch by agonizing inch.
When she's lying there in nothing but her panties, flushed and breathless, he sits back on his heels and just looks.
No words. Just that intense, devouring gaze as his eyes trace every inch of her.
"You undo me," he says softly. "You don't even know it."
She swallows hard, heart hammering. "Then let me finish the job."
His laugh is a low rumble in his chest, and stars above, the way it makes her toes curl...
He kisses the inside of her thigh, close...so close...to where she aches the most. And just as she gasps and reaches for him...
He stops.
Looks up.
"Say it again," he murmurs.
"What?" she pants.
"That you accept me."
Cassandra narrows her eyes, because of course this possessive Alpha would make a power play in the middle of foreplay.
"Seriously?"
He smirks. "Deadly."
She props herself up on her elbows. "Darius?"
"Hmm?"
"If you don't put that mouth to good use in the next five seconds, I will accept a mate bond, with your pillow."
He grins. "Sassy little thing."
"You love it."
"Oh, I do."
And then, blessedly, finally...he dips his head.
His mouth finds her through the lace, tongue flicking and teasing, lips dragging against heat-soaked fabric until she's trembling, gasping, begging. Her thighs tighten around his shoulders and her fingers bury themselves in his hair, holding him in place like her life depends on it.
And honestly? It kind of does.
The forest outside hums with magic.
The lake ripples like it can feel the bond igniting.
The air in the cabin thickens, shimmering faintly around them as their energy twines together, wolf, magic, heart and hunger.
He strips her panties with care that feels like reverence. She reaches for him then, pulling him up, her fingers already tugging at his shirt.
He peels it off, revealing the raw strength of him, tattoos, scars, muscles shaped by years of fighting and surviving. And yet, here with her, he's soft in the way only someone in love can be.
"You sure?" he murmurs one last time, voice raw with restraint.
Cassandra cups his jaw, eyes fierce and certain.
"I want you," she says. "All of you. Now."
And with that...
The bond surges.
But instead of diving into the storm, Darius stills.
His hands remain on her thighs. His body pressed tight against hers. His breath? Shaky and uneven, like he's holding back a tide.
Cassandra blinks up at him, chest rising and falling. "Okay...why are we pausing like we're in a melodramatic opera?"
His smile is crooked, breathless. "Because if we keep going, I won't stop. And I want you to remember every damn second."
She growls, low and exasperated. "I will happily remember every second as it's happening."
He kisses her again, slow and hungry. "Let me take my time, Cass. Let me worship you properly."
She opens her mouth to argue...but then he trails a hand down her inner thigh, and her thoughts scatter like leaves in a windstorm.
"Fine," she gasps. "But just so you know, you're dangerously close to earning a very aggressive love bite."
He grins. "Promise?"
Their laughter mingles with heavy breathing, tangled limbs, and whispered touches as magic pulses through the room like a rising tide. It doesn't crash...
Not yet.
But it builds. Slow and powerful.
The forest hums with tension.
The lake stills.
The Moon Goddess holds her breath.
And as their bond burns brighter, one undeniable truth takes shape between them:
This isn't the end of the fire.
It's only the beginning.
Moving down between her parted thighs, his head swooping down, his lips and tongue seeking her swollen nub, flicking his tongue mercilessly, repeatedly, across her sensitive nub.
Cassandra gasps and moans, her hips arch up in rhythm with his torturous flicking tongue, moaning when his hand moves down, his finger slipping inside her, gently thrusting, her pleasure rising as a second finger joins the first.
He continues his onslaught on her core, growling lowly against her nub, drawing out her pleasure to the fullest, her hips rising to meet each thrust of his fingers, her inner muscles gripping tightly, as she reaches her peak, screaming out her orgasm.
Darius sucks and laps at her gushing juices, moaning in pleasure at the taste of her, prolonging her climax, until finally with one last swipe, he finally steps back, gazing down at her flushed face, loving the fact he had brought her this much pleasure.
Cassandra is overwhelmed at feeling so much pleasure, her hooded gaze locking onto Darius's form, pleasure still rippling through her entire body, knowing that this was only the prelude to something much greater.
Her gaze remains fixed on him, her body already heating up, inch by inch, looking at his magnificent body, licking her lips in anticipation, her eyes finally taking in his engorged length, his aroused state a clear indication, that he was more than ready to claim what was his.
Darius moves forward, his eyes dark with desire and intent, moving over Cassandra's body, holding back a moan, as his body comes into contact with her lush silky skin, gazing into her eyes,.
"I'm sorry..." He whispers, at the same moment, moving his hips forward, his cock nudging her entrance, inch by slow inch, his engorged length penetrating her tight core, he can feel her resistance as he moves in deeper, waiting as she adjusts to his invasion, his muscles straining to remain still, sweat beading on his forehead.
Knowing that the next part was going to be painful, he lowers his head, crashing his lips against hers, a passioned filled kiss, trying to distract her temporarily, as he thrusts all the way in, swallowing her gasp, as he breaks through her innocence.
Their bodies crash together in a rhythm older than language. Slow and deep, urgent and reverent. Kisses that feel like confessions. Moans that sound like promises. His name on her lips like a litany. Hers on his tongue like a spell.
Time warps. Magic crackles through the room. The cabin walls pulse with energy as the bond fuses, sealing something far deeper than skin.