Chapter 4 - Burn Me Beautiful

Kael carried her through the trees like she weighed nothing—his arms wrapped under her thighs, his mouth never breaking from hers. Luna’s heartbeat was wild, matching the frantic rhythm of her need. Each brush of his lips deepened her craving. Each graze of his hand sent fire ripping through her spine.

She should’ve fought him off.

She should’ve reminded herself he was the Alpha—a symbol of everything she swore to reject.

But gods help her… she didn’t want him to stop.

He laid her down on a bed of moss beneath a canopy of stars. The forest watched in silence, the moonlight spilling over their tangled limbs. Kael hovered above her, his breath ragged, his golden eyes locked on her face.

“Say it,” he rasped.

Luna blinked. “Say what?”

“That you want this. That I’m not imagining the bond tearing me apart.”

She swallowed. Her fingers slid under his shirt, feeling the rippling muscle beneath. “I want this,” she whispered. “I want you.”

It was all he needed.

His mouth claimed hers again, rough and desperate. He tore open her top with a savage rip, exposing her breasts to the night air. Luna arched under him, moaning as his tongue flicked over her nipple, then suckled it deep, leaving her gasping.

She yanked his pants down with shaking hands, feeling the hardness of his desire pressed between her thighs. His body was perfect—built for dominance and destruction. And yet, here he was, worshipping her like she was made of stars.

He slid a hand between her legs, groaning at the wet heat he found there.

“So wet for me already,” he growled. “I haven’t even started.”

Luna’s breath hitched as his fingers teased her folds, circling her clit before plunging two inside. Her back bowed, hips grinding against his hand.

“I’ve never—” she gasped.

Kael paused, eyes darkening. “What?”

“I’ve never let anyone… like this. Not when it mattered.”

He leaned down, brushing her lips. “It matters now?”

“Yes,” she whispered, “and that’s what scares me.”

Kael kissed her with all the gentleness he could muster, even as his wolf howled to take, to mark, to claim.

“Then let me show you what it means to be wanted. Fully.”

He moved between her legs, positioning himself at her entrance, his tip brushing against her soaked slit. Luna wrapped her legs around his waist, eyes locked on his.

“Don’t hold back,” she said. “Burn me.”

And he did.

Kael thrust into her with one long, deep stroke, filling her completely. Luna cried out, the stretch exquisite, the pleasure unbearable. He gave her no time to adjust, pulling back and slamming into her again, over and over until her cries turned to screams and her nails carved his back like marks of possession.

She’d never felt anything like it.

The way he filled her.

The way he moved inside her like he owned her body.

Like it was fated.

His mouth never left her skin. He kissed her collarbone, her breasts, her throat—biting just hard enough to make her gasp, but never break the skin. Not yet.

“Mine,” he growled into her neck.

Luna’s wolf howled in response, but she bared her throat anyway, surrendering to the moment.

“Yours,” she moaned.

Their climax built like a storm—moaning, grinding, clawing. The world faded until all that existed was the slap of skin on skin, the growls in their throats, and the blistering need exploding between them.

When they came, it was blinding. Their bodies trembled. Luna clutched him like her world would shatter if she let go. Kael’s roar echoed into the forest, primal and raw.

And still… he didn’t let go.

---

Moments later, they lay tangled together on the mossy ground, chests rising and falling in sync.

“You should hate me,” she whispered.

Kael turned to her, brushing a leaf from her cheek. “Why?”

“Because I’m the opposite of everything you’re supposed to want. I’m wild. I’m reckless. I don’t belong to a pack.”

He traced a finger down her bare stomach. “Maybe that’s exactly why I want you.”

Luna exhaled, emotions she didn’t want to feel crawling up her throat. “This doesn’t change anything.”

“Liar.”

She looked away.

Kael’s voice softened. “There’s a reason our wolves aren’t fighting this.”

“What if fate is wrong?”

He leaned in and kissed her again—slow, deep, and full of something she was too afraid to name.

“Then let’s break fate together.”

---

But deep in the forest, something watched them.

Yellow eyes gleamed in the dark.

A growl rumbled through the trees.

And far beyond their little world of lust and lies, Dren licked the blood from his claws… and smiled.