Chapter 36

The feast dragged on for hours, the mead flowing freely and the laughter growing louder as the night deepened. Liam and Elena remained locked in their own world across the hall, their eyes never leaving each other, a silent pull between them that everyone could feel.

Eventually, the candles burned low and the guests began to stagger toward their quarters. Asher stood, his hand firm on the small of Lydia’s back. “I think it’s time we retire, my Luna,” he murmured, his voice laced with a hunger that had nothing to do with the food they’d eaten.

Lydia nodded, her cheeks flushed from the wine and the heat of his body beside her. As they climbed the stairs to the Alpha Residence, the quiet of the corridor felt heavy and charged. The moment the bedroom door clicked shut behind them, Asher didn’t even wait to light the fire.

He spun her around, his hands finding her waist and pulling her flush against his chest. The heat radiating from him was intense, a contrast to the cool air of the room. “You were so beautiful tonight,” he growled against her ear, his voice thick with want. “Watching you smile at everyone... it drove me crazy.”

Lydia’s breath hitched as his lips travelled down her neck, his stubble grazing her skin. “I only wanted to be near you,” she whispered, her own hands sliding up his chest to grip his shoulders.

Asher didn’t need more encouragement. His mouth found hers in a kiss that was anything but gentle—it was hungry, possessive, and deep. His hands moved to the ties of her gown, tugging them loose with a single, impatient motion. The fabric pooled at her feet, leaving her in nothing but the golden firelight.

“God, Lydia,”

Asher’s eyes darkened as they swept over her bare skin, his breath hitching. He didn’t waste another second. He lifted her, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist, and carried her the short distance to the bed. When he laid her down, he followed immediately, his large frame pressing her into the soft furs.

His mouth was everywhere—her neck, her collarbone, the swell of her breasts—each kiss leaving a trail of heat that made Lydia moan against his skin. “You taste so good,” he rasped, his hands sliding down to cup her hips, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.

He stripped away the last of his clothing with impatient hands, his body hard and ready. When he moved back between her thighs, the heat radiating from him was staggering. Lydia reached for him, her fingers tracing the muscles of his back, pulling him down.

“Asher, please,”

“I’m right here,” he groaned, his voice a low vibration against her skin. He positioned himself, his hands sliding under her thighs to lift her higher, angling her body to meet him. The anticipation was a physical weight between them, thick and suffocating in the best way.

When he pushed into her, it was slow at first—deliberate, letting her feel every inch of the stretch. Lydia’s eyes snapped shut, her head tossing back against the furs as a sharp gasp escaped her. “Oh gods, Asher,” she choked out, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

“You’re so warm,” he murmured, his jaw tight as he fought for control. He began to move, a steady rhythm that built speed with every passing second. The sound of their skin meeting, the soft rustle of the furs, and Lydia’s broken moans filled the room.

“Don’t hold back,” Lydia urged, her voice cracking as she arched her back against him. Her hips moved in a frantic search for more, meeting his thrusts with a desperate need that matched his own.

Asher’s control snapped. His movements turned harder, more primal, his large hands gripping her hips so tightly his knuckles went white. He was driving into her with a relentless force, each strike deeper than the last. The heat between them was staggering, a blazing fire that seemed to consume the very air in the room.

“You’re mine, Lydia,” he growled, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin of her earlobe. “Every part of you.”

Lydia couldn’t even form words anymore. Her breath came in ragged sobs, her entire body trembling under the onslaught of pleasure.

“Asher—!” she cried out, her voice breaking as a wave of sensation crashed over her. Her back arched sharply, her fingers clawing at his shoulders as the tension in her lower belly coiled tighter and tighter until it finally snapped.

The climax hit her with a violence that left her gasping, her internal muscles clamping around him in tight, rhythmic pulses. Asher let out a low, guttural sound at the feeling, his own body straining against the limit of his control. He gripped her hips harder, his thrusts becoming shallower and faster as he chased that same release.

“Stay with me, Lydia,” he commanded, his voice ragged. “Look at me.”

She opened her eyes, her vision blurred and her chest heaving. His face was inches from hers, his blue eyes dark with an intensity that made her heart hammer against her ribs.

“There you are,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of their mingled breathing. He didn’t slow down. If anything, seeing her eyes locked on his made him more feral, more determined to push her further.

His hips slammed against hers, a steady rhythm that was becoming increasingly desperate. Lydia’s hands slid from his shoulders to his face, her palms cupping his cheeks as she tried to ground herself. “Asher, I can’t—it’s too much,” she whimpered, even as her legs tightened around his waist, pulling him deeper.

“It’s not enough,” he countered, his voice a low growl. He shifted his weight, propping himself up on his forearms so he could look down at her, watching every flicker of pleasure cross her features. “I want more from you. I want everything.”