MARIA.
"Mate."
The word tore out of him like a vow and a growl all at once, echoing in the room and vibrating through my bones.
The moment it left his lips, Damien yanked me closer, arms locking around me with a fierce, desperate strength.
Before I could protest, he spun me, drawing me flush against his chest. His breath ghosted across my ear, hot and ragged, and he lowered his head as if he needed to anchor himself to something real, something living. His lips brushed the shell of my ear, then lingered there, trembling.
He patted my head with a strange, almost reverent gentleness, the action clashing violently with the bruising hold he had on my wrists.
Then his nose pressed into my hairline, and he inhaled, slow and deep, ⁵as though my scent was the only thing keeping his wolf tethered to the earth.
I shivered uncontrollably.
His grip didn't loosen. His fingers dug into my skin, pinning my arms to my sides, trapping me like prey caught in a predator's jaws.
