Chapter 5

Rebecca's POV

I nodded awkwardly, hurriedly pulling on the clothes I could find, wincing slightly at the soreness between my thighs. "Don't get too smug about it. I just never got around to it before."

Dominic approached me, gloriously naked and unashamed. His proximity made my freshly clothed body ache to be touched again. "You think this is a good thing?" His voice had dropped to a dangerous register.

I tensed, forcing myself not to stare at his perfect form. "What else would it be?"

He let out a cold laugh. "Naïve." He reached for his phone, muscles rippling with the casual movement. "Give me your account information."

I stared at him in confusion. "What?"

"Your account. For the transfer," he said impatiently, not meeting my eyes.

The confusion gave way to anger as understanding dawned, hot shame washing over me. "Are you joking? You think I need money?" My voice shook with humiliation.

Dominic explained calmly, pulling on his boxers, "It's part of the transaction. You provide a service, I pay a f*e. It's fair."

I felt sick, bile rising in my throat. "I'm not a prostitute! I don't want your money!" The memory of his tender touches during the night made this exchange all the more painful.

His brow furrowed, genuine confusion crossing his face. "Then what do you want? Status? Position? If you're trying to get close to the Silver Moon through me—"

"I don't want anything!" I cut him off, furious tears stinging my eyes. "Last night was just a mistake, a stupid decision I'll regret forever!" The words hurt coming out, especially when I knew they weren't entirely true.

Dominic's wolf nature surfaced, his eyes flashing gold as he stalked toward me. "You approached me, knowing who I am, and you're Moretti's woman. That doesn't seem like coincidence." His body radiated heat and anger inches from mine.

"Ex-girlfriend! And do you think the whole world revolves around you? Some people just want one night to forget their pain!" My chest heaved with emotion, bringing it dangerously close to his.

"Then why me?" he growled, crowding my space until my back hit the wall. "Of all people, why choose the Silver Moon heir?" His scent—musk and male and sex—surrounded me, making it hard to think clearly.

"I don't know," I whispered, my resistance crumbling. "When I saw your eyes, I just knew it had to be you." My free hand betrayed me, resting against his chest, feeling his heartbeat racing beneath my palm. "Now let me go."

He studied me intently, nostrils flaring as if scenting my confusion and desire. "What did you feel when we touched?"

I pulled away from him with effort, gathering the tattered remains of my pride. "Nothing but regret." The lie tasted bitter on my tongue. "The moment that door closes behind me, you and I never met."

I rushed out of the suite, leaving Dominic standing there, my body still humming with awareness of him even as I fled.

Dominic's POV

I sat on the edge of the bed after she left, my mind racing and my wolf clawing beneath my skin. "A fucking virgin... Goddamn it!" I slammed my fist into the mattress, feeling the frame crack beneath the force.

Last night at the Moonlight Lounge came rushing back. The moment our eyes had met across that crowded room—her scent had hit me like a physical blow. Honey, rain, and something uniquely female that had made my wolf stand at attention. For the first time, my control had nearly shattered in public. My gums had ached as fangs threatened to descend, my vision sharpening as the wolf pushed forward, demanding to claim what it recognized instantly.

"Mine."

The sudden, overwhelming connection had been unlike anything I'd experienced—primal and undeniable. When she'd approached me, those gray-green eyes pulling me in like a gravitational force, it had taken every ounce of my considerable willpower not to bend her over the nearest surface and claim her right there.

And now I knew why that pull had been so strong. She'd been untouched. Pure. Perfect for mating.

"Fuck!" I growled, pacing the room. My wolf was furious—we'd had our mate in our bed, beneath us, around us, and we'd let her walk away. Worse, I'd insulted her with money, treating what should have been sacred as transactional.

I picked up my phone and dialed, struggling to keep my voice steady. "Marcus, I need you to investigate a human female. Last night at Moonlight Lounge..." I heard the question in his voice and cut it off. "No, not my new bedmate." I hesitated, my jaw clenching painfully. "Someone who might be connected to Moretti."

But even as I said it, I knew the truth. The way her tight, virgin heat had gripped me, the way her scent had changed during our coupling—becoming sweeter, richer, marked by me even without a bite—told me everything my wolf already knew. She wasn't just Moretti's discarded toy. She was mine. My mate.

Hanging up, I headed to the shower, determined to wash away Rebecca's scent before I did something stupid like track her down and drag her back to my den. But as the water cascaded over me, her essence seemed embedded beneath my skin, impossible to remove.

I leaned my forehead against the cool tile, remembering how she'd felt beneath me. So tight I'd nearly lost control. The way she'd gasped when I'd entered her, the virginal resistance before her body yielded to mine. I should have known—should have been gentler.

"Should have made you scream my name louder, little doe," I growled to the empty shower. "Should have tasted every inch of that sweet pussy until you begged for my knot."

The memory of her innocent responsiveness made my cock harden again despite my anger. How her inexperienced body had learned quickly, matching my rhythm, those delicate fingers leaving marks on my back that still hadn't healed—a sign in itself that was impossible to ignore.

I'd made catastrophic mistakes before. Caitlin had seduced and photographed me in compromising positions, then blackmailed me for months. Samantha had lied about her age, threatening statutory rape charges after one night until I paid a million-dollar settlement. Both of them were virgins and wanted something that would be good for them—money, power, connection to the Silver Moon.

But this girl... she'd walked away. Refused payment. The look of hurt in her eyes when I'd offered money had been genuine—and it had cut deeper than any claw.

"Fuck," I muttered, clenching my fist under the spray, watching as the onyx family ring caught the light.

My vision flashed gold as rage surged through me. The shower tile cracked under my fist.

"I'll find you, little doe," I promised to the empty room, my voice dropping to the guttural tone of the wolf. "Whatever your purpose, you will be punished for provoking me."