Aria's POV
"You don't understand, Aria," Ivan said, voice rough with strain. He took a step back, putting space between us I didn't want. "I'm crossing boundaries I shouldn't even dare to cross. Raine is my Alpha—my brother in everything but blood. I swore loyalty to him the day he dragged me out of the dirt and gave me a home. I've stood by him through every loss the curse threw at him. I can't betray that. I can't take what belongs to him. Not his wife. Not his Luna. Not you."
I rolled my eyes. "You keep saying the same thing: Raine is this, Raine is that.. Your brother, You can't betray him, you can't do this, bla bla bla. But I don't care about any of that, I only want you."
"Aria please," he continued with pleading eyes, as if he didn't just hear what I said. "For now… It's just best we stay away from each other. Before this goes too far."
I stared at him, chest tight.
"But I don't want to stay away from you," I said, the words spilling out before I could stop them. "You make me feel alive, Ivan. Raine doesn't—he can't. You know that. You know what you want."
His jaw flexed. "It doesn't matter what I want. It matters what's right."
"Right?" I stepped closer. "Is it right that I'm married to a man who flinches every time I'm near? Who looks at me like I'm a curse waiting to strike? You think staying away fixes anything?"
"Aria—"
"No." My voice cracked. "You don't get to decide this for both of us. You don't get to decide who I choose to love, who I should belong to. You have no right to do that, because—"
The air between us snapped taut.
I don't know who moved first.
One moment we were arguing—the next, his mouth crashed against mine, hard and desperate. I kissed him back just as fiercely, hands fisting in his shirt, pulling him closer. The argument dissolved into heat—teeth, tongue, breath stolen between us.
I yanked at the laces of my blouse, needing skin on skin.
Ivan broke the kiss, breathing ragged. "Stop. We can't—Aria, go. Please."
"I'm not going anywhere."
I stripped faster—blouse, skirt, undergarments—until I stood bare before him. His eyes darkened, raking over me, pupils blown wide.
I walked to his bed and lay back, legs falling open. My hand slid down my body, fingers circling my clit slowly. I was already soaked.
"Come here, Ivan," I whispered, voice husky. "Join me."
He groaned, hands fisting at his sides. "You don't know what you're doing."
"I do," I said, slipping two fingers inside myself, moaning softly. "I know exactly what I want."
His gaze locked on my hand moving between my thighs, on the slick sounds filling the room. The bulge in his trousers was unmistakable now—thick, straining against the fabric.
"Tell me how bad you want me," I breathed, arching as pleasure sparked through me. "Tell me you don't want to bury yourself inside me right now. Tell me you don't want to fuck me until I scream your name."
He took a shaky step forward, then stopped. "Leave, Aria. Please."
"Look at you—so hard for me. You're dying to taste this, aren't you? One last chance, Ivan. Come here and take what you want."
I spread my legs wider on his bed, fingers plunging deeper. My hips rocked into my own hand, chasing the edge while I watched him watch me. His chest rose and fell faster now, fists clenched at his sides, every muscle in his body taut like a bowstring.
The more I touched myself—circling my clit, curling inside, letting him see exactly how wet I was for him—the more his control frayed. I could see it in the way his jaw ticked. His cock strained painfully against his trousers, begging to be freed.
"I'm warning you for the last time, Aria," he growled. "Leave now before I do something we'll both regret."
"No," I breathed, slowing my strokes deliberately, drawing out a long, slick sound that filled the room. "We might both regret this later, but I promise you… it'll be worth every second."
His breath hitched.
I slid two fingers back inside, thumb rubbing tight circles over my clit. "You've been hard since the moment you walked in. I can see it—how much you want to bury yourself in me. Admit it, Ivan. Tell me how badly you need to feel me clench around your cock."
He groaned, one hand finally moving to palm himself through his pants. "Stop talking like that."
"Why?" I arched my back, breasts thrusting forward. "Because it's working? Because you're imagining how tight I'd be? How wet? How I'd scream your name when you hit that spot just right?"
His hand squeezed harder, a ragged sound escaping him.
"Fuck, Aria—"
I pinched my nipple between my fingers, rolling it hard, and moaned loudly. "Fuck, this feels so good… but it'd feel better with your mouth here. With your cock stretching me open. Come on, Ivan. Take it. Take me."
His control snapped.
"You asked for it," he snarled.
In a blur, he was on me—clothes gone, body covering mine, heavy and hot. His mouth claimed mine again as he pushed my thighs wider, settling between them. The thick head of his cock nudged my entrance, slick and ready.
One thrust and he was inside me—deep, stretching me perfectly.
I cried out, nails digging into his back.
He didn't hold back.
He fucked me hard—hips snapping, driving into me again and again, each stroke hitting that spot that made stars burst behind my eyes. The bed slammed against the wall, the sound raw and rhythmic.
"Gods, Aria," he rasped against my neck, teeth grazing my skin. "So tight—so fucking perfect."
I wrapped my legs around him, meeting every thrust, pleasure coiling tighter and tighter.
He reached between us, thumb finding my clit, rubbing in rough circles.
I shattered—back arching, walls clenching around him as I came with a broken cry.
He followed seconds later, burying himself deep, spilling inside me with a guttural groan.
His body shuddered against mine, hips jerking as he rode out the waves of his release, hot pulses filling me until I felt completely claimed. I clung to him, legs locked around his waist, nails digging into his shoulders as aftershocks rippled through us both.
I felt… fulfilled.
Finally.
After all the things we'd told ourselves we couldn't do, after every promise to stay away—here we were.
He was mine.
And I was his.