THE TOUCH OF FIRE

Nora woke to the soft, rhythmic crackle of dying embers.

She blinked, her vision slowly clearing as she took in the vast room. High vaulted ceilings, dark oak beams, and deep velvet drapes bathed in the faint golden light of dawn. For a fraction of a second, confusion tangled her thoughts—until the lingering scent of cedar wood and winter rain washed over her.

The contract. The Blackwood Estate. The masked Alpha.

Nora sat up, pulling the thick silk sheets to her chest. She gasped softly when her feet swung out and hit the floor. The strange, liquid warmth that had rushed through her veins during the binding ritual hadn't faded. It lived beneath her skin now a low, humming vibration that made every nerve ending hyper sensitive.

She froze.

Sitting in a high-backed leather armchair in the shadowy corner of the bedroom was Dominic.

He was still wearing his charcoal suit, though his jacket was thrown over the armrest, leaving him in a crisp white shirt with the top buttons undone and his sleeves rolled up to his forearms. His broad chest rose and fell in slow, deliberate breaths. The obsidian mask still concealed the upper half of his face, its carved silver runes catching the orange glow of the hearth.

He hadn't slept. He had been watching over her all night.

You're awake, Dominic said. His baritone voice was raspy, thick with a deep, primal exhaustion that sent a thrill straight down Nora's spine.

How long have I been asleep? Nora asked, her voice quiet in the vast space.

Fourteen hours, he replied, rising slowly from the chair. His massive frame blocked out the faint sunlight streaming through the window. The binding takes a heavy toll on human physiology. Your body was adapting to the shift.

Nora pulled her knees to her chest as he approached the edge of the bed. The shift?

The bridge between your blood and mine, Dominic explained, stopping a foot away. "Your body no longer views my presence as a threat. In fact... He paused, his golden eyes burning behind the dark cutouts of his mask...your body will begin to crave it.

Nora’s heart thumped against her ribs. She wanted to deny it, to tell him he was arrogant and wrong, but as he stood near her, the humming beneath her skin amplified into a roaring pulse. Her fingers twitched with a desperate, crazy urge to reach out and touch his bare arm.

That's... that's just the magic," she whispered, looking down at her hands. "It's not real.

Isn't it?

Dominic leaned down, placing one massive hand on the mattress beside her knee. The leather strap of his glove creaked under his weight. He was so close now that she could feel the radiating heat of his body.

Look at me, Nora.

The command was soft, but it held the unmistakable weight of an Alpha. Nora raised her head, her hazel eyes locking onto his golden ones.

Dominic reached up with his free hand and slowly pulled off his right glove, tossing it to the floor. He lifted his bare hand. His skin was warm, tanned, and marked by faint, silvery battle scars across his knuckles.

He hesitated for a fraction of a second, his chest heaving, before resting his bare palm against the side of her neck.

The contact was instantaneous explosion.

Nora gasped aloud as a jolt of liquid lightning shot from his hand, down her neck, and straight into her chest. It wasn't pain it was an intense, intoxicating wave of pure warmth, belonging, and electric safety. A soft, involuntary sigh escaped her lips, and without thinking, she leaned her cheek deeper into his warm palm.

Dominic stiffened, a low, primal growl rumbling deep in his throat. His thumb gently brushed across her cheekbone, his touch surprisingly soft for a man built for destruction.

Mate, the whisper echoed through her mind again, clearer this time, ringing like a silver bell.

You feel it too, Nora breathed, her eyes wide with shock. This isn't in the contract...

Dominic snapped back to reality. His eyes darkened, and he abruptly pulled his hand away as if her skin had branded him. He took two sharp steps backward, breathing heavily as he picked up his glove from the floor. It is nothing more than a biological reaction to the binding blood," Dominic said, his voice hardening back into ice, walling himself off. "Do not confuse physical magic with affection, human.

Nora felt a sharp, unexpected sting in her chest at his cold tone. I didn't ask for this binding.

You signed the paper, Dominic replied coldly, pulling his glove back on. A breakfast tray will be brought to your room shortly. Dr. Silas, the pack physician, will arrive at noon to begin the second phase. Stay in these quarters. Lady Evelyn and the pack elders are already looking for an excuse to challenge your presence."

He turned on his heel and walked toward the double doors.

Dominic, Nora called out before he could open them.

He paused, his hand resting on the brass handle. He didn't turn around.

My brother... she whispered. Did the hospital...?

Dominic's shoulders relaxed just a fraction. Leo was transferred to the St. Jude Private Pavilion three hours ago. The finest pediatric surgeons in the country are with him now. He is safe.

Nora let out a long breath she felt like she had been holding for days. Thank you.

Dominic didn't answer. He opened the door and stepped out, shutting it firmly behind him, leaving Nora alone with the fading warmth of his touch still lingering on her skin.