Snow still clung to Talia's lashes when Luka carried her inside his mansion.
Not gently.
Not roughly.
But like she was something fragile he had nearly lost
And something he was terrified to ever put down again.
Warmth swallowed her immediately. Firelight bathed the marble floors in gold. The scent of cedar, pine, and something deep and masculine filled her lungs.
Luka didn't loosen his hold.
He pressed her closer…
Closer…
As if he needed her heartbeat against his to calm his own.
"Luka…" she whispered, fingers curling into his shirtless shoulder.
His golden eyes met hers.
Hungry.
Worried.
Possessive.
And overwhelmingly relieved.
"You're shaking," he murmured, brushing cold snowflakes from her thigh with slow, reverent fingers. "Let me warm you, little bunny."
The way he said warm…
It wasn't innocent.
Not at all.
Her breath hitched.
He walked toward his bedroom, steps steady, controlled…but she could feel the restraint in every tense muscle. He laid her gently on the massive bed, the duvet swallowing her in plush warmth.
She was still in the pink lingerie.
The damp bunny ears.
The fluffy tail.
Still dressed like prey.
He looked at her like a man seeing sin wrapped in lace.
"Sit up for me," he murmured.
She did.
Slowly.
He knelt in front of her… massive, broad-shouldered, Alpha, and let his hands trail from her knees to her waist. Not touching the lace. Just… close enough to make her heart throb.
"Do you know what happens on Christmas Eve for wolves?" he asked, voice low and velvety.
She shook her head.
He smiled… devastatingly, knowingly dangerous.
"We choose."
Her breath caught.
"Choose…?"
"Who belongs to us."
His fingers brushed her hip, feather-light.
"Who we protect."
His thumb traced a slow path up her stomach.
"And who we mark."
Her pulse raced.
She knew he didn't mean bite-sex.
Wolves had deeper rituals.
Older ones.
"Luka…" she whispered, heat licking under her skin.
He leaned closer, lips brushing her cheek… barely touching.
"Don't be afraid," he murmured. "I won't hurt you."
His mouth grazed her jaw.
"I just need… to show you."
Her thighs squeezed together involuntarily.
He noticed.
Oh, he definitely noticed.
A dark, soft growl rolled from his chest. "Little bunny…"
His hand cupped her waist, thumbs brushing that pink lace in a way that wasn't explicit
But was scorching.
"You look like temptation wrapped in ribbon," he breathed against her ear. "And I haven't even unwrapped a single piece."
She whimpered.
Actually whimpered.
Luka stilled, breath shaking. "Say the word, and I stop."
She lifted trembling fingers to his jaw.
"Don't stop."
His control snapped like a live
****
Luka eased her onto her back, crawling over her with slow, powerful grace. He didn't trap her. Didn't cage her.
He surrounded her.
The bed dipped beneath his weight as he lowered himself, chest brushing hers. He kissed her, light at first. Testing. Waiting.
Her hands slid into his hair.
He deepened it.
Still clean.
Still safe.
But full of the kind of hunger that made her toes curl.
His lips traveled down her neck, slow, deliberate, lingering on every shiver. She felt the faint scrape of wolf-heated breath against her collarbone.
"Here," he whispered. "This is where I mark."
He kissed just under her ear…
Then her shoulder…
Then the soft curve where her neck met her collarbone.
Each kiss warmer.
Softer.
More claiming.
"No teeth," he promised. "Just my magic. Just my vow."
A glow pulsed beneath his lips
Warm…
Surrounding her like soft firelight.
She gasped…a little cry, helpless and sweet.
"L-Luka…"
His growl rumbled through her skin. "You feel it."
Yes.
She did.
A deep, instinctive warmth blooming under her skin, like a halo spreading from his mouth.
He kissed the glowing spot once more…slow, reverent, tender but fiercely intimate.
"That's my mark," he whispered.
"My bunny. My treasured one."
Her breath stuttered.
She wasn't ready for what happened when he lifted his head.
His eyes
Gold, molten, overflowing with emotion so raw it almost scared her.
"Talia," he said hoarsely. "You're mine."
Not a command.
Not a demand.
A confession.
She lifted her palm to his cheek.
"And you're my… my daddy Wolfy."
Oh. That did something to him.
His breath hissed out.
"Talia," he growled, forehead pressing to hers, "you're going to make me lose every shred of control I have left."
His hands skimmed her thighs-slow, worshipping… before stopping respectfully at the lace edge.
He didn't go farther.
But the heat in the air?
Explosive.
"Come here," he whispered, pulling her onto his lap. "Let me hold you. Let me feel you breathe."
She straddled him, bunny tail brushing his stomach.
He shuddered.
She whimpered.
Their breaths tangled, bodies pressed close, heat building until the room felt like fire.
No sex.
But they didn't need it.
The tension was enough to burn down Christmas.
He kissed her again deep, consuming and held her close through the glowing mark that bound them.
Snow fell softly outside.
Inside, it felt like the world melted.