MasukHis restraint didn’t last.It cracked - not violently, not recklessly - but with a low, dangerous sound in his chest as his mouth found mine again. This kiss was different. Deeper. Hungrier. Less patience, more truth.His hands slid from my waist to my back, fingers splaying like he needed to feel all of me at once. I gasped softly into his mouth, and that was all it took.“Gods.” he murmured, voice rough, reverent. “I’ve wanted this.”He kissed me again, slower this time, as if savoring. His mouth traced from my lips to my jaw, down my throat, lingering where my pulse raced. Each kiss felt intentional. Claimed without force.I leaned into him, my hands gripping his shoulders, feeling the solid warmth of him beneath my palms. The bond pulsed brighter with every heartbeat, tightening like it knew exactly where this was going.His fingers found the edge of my nightgown. He didn’t rush.He slid the fabric from my shoulders inch by inch, watching my face the entire time, as if checking wh
A silk robe the color of moonlight brushed my calves, loose, unbelted. My hair fell down my back in natural waves, untouched by pins.No crown. No claws. Just a woman who had survived the day.The bond hummed low and steady, no longer restless - anticipating.He’d promised. I felt him before I heard the knock came again.Three taps. Controlled. Certain.My wolf lifted her head, every instinct aligning toward the door.I didn’t ask who it was. I crossed the room and opened it.Cameron stood in the doorway, jacket gone, shirt open at the throat, dark hair still damp from a shower. He looked… undone. Not weak - never that - but stripped of the edges he wore for the world.His eyes found mine and held. For a long moment, neither of us spoke.We’d nearly died. We’d drawn lines that couldn’t be erased. We’d promised restraint for survival.But this? This was living.“You came.” I said softly, though the bond had known he would.He stepped inside and closed the door behind him with deliberat
The Vale war room didn’t look like a war room.No maps. No blades laid out in ceremonial precision. No blood on the floor.Just glass, screens, coffee, and the quiet understanding that every decision made inside these walls would ripple outward - into markets, packs, and lives that would never know how close they’d come to collapse.I stood at the center of it, arms folded, watching my brothers argue.“We don’t need to show force.” Rowan said, tapping a stylus against the table. “We need credibility.”Damon scoffed. “Credibility won’t stop someone from putting another poison in her drink.”Kieran didn’t look up from the file he was reading. “Neither will brute strength in Zurich.”All three turned to me. I smiled sweetly.“Congratulations.” I said. “You’ve all just described why this has to be done my way.”Cameron leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, observing - not interfering. He’d been like that since morning. Present. Watchful. Letting me lead.It made something warm and da
Coffee cups multiplied. Screens appeared. Phones buzzed, silenced, buzzed again. The Vale mansion had that familiar hum - power recalibrating itself.Cameron stayed close, one hand resting at my back as if he could feel the exact moment my wolf wanted to sprint ahead of the plan. He probably could.“We can track money.” Rowan said, tapping the tablet. “Shell companies leave trails. Not clean ones, but trails.”“Not fast enough.” Damon replied. “Crestfall didn’t vanish to hide. He vanished to move.”“And he knows how we hunt him.” Kieran added calmly. “Which means we need to stop thinking like wolves.”All eyes slid to me. I raised a brow. “No pressure.”“You’re already doing it.” Cameron said quietly.I leaned back in my chair, fingers curling around my mug as my gaze drifted - not to the screens, but past them. Past strategy. Past muscle and dominance.Crestfall didn’t just pull funds. He pulled access.“Men like Nolan don’t disappear into the wild.” I said slowly. “They disappear in
I woke tangled in warmth.Cameron’s arm was heavy around my waist, possessive even in sleep, his breath steady against the back of my neck. The bond pulsed the second my eyes opened - stronger than last night. Louder. Insistent.My wolf stirred, pacing under my skin like she’d had enough of patience and promises."Finish it." she urged. "Now."I swallowed and shifted slightly, testing the pull.Bad idea.Heat coiled low in my belly, sharp and undeniable, the bond tightening like it was trying to close a circuit that had been left deliberately open. I pressed my thighs together, jaw tightening.This was going to be a long day.Cameron exhaled behind me, deeper now, his grip tightening just a fraction. Not asleep anymore. Of course he felt it too.“I know.” he murmured quietly, voice still rough with sleep. “I feel her.”I turned just enough to look at him over my shoulder. His eyes were open - dark, focused, already too aware.“She’s restless.” I said softly.“So are you.”The corner o
I woke to the sound of breathing that wasn’t quite asleep. Slow. Careful. Controlled.Cameron.The fire had burned low, casting the room in amber shadows. Somewhere beyond the walls the mansion was still awake - wolves pacing, plans forming - but here, the world had narrowed to the space between us.I shifted slightly. His arm tightened immediately, instinctive, possessive even in sleep.“You’re awake,” he murmured, voice rough, eyes still closed.“So are you,” I said softly.One eye opened. Then the other. Dark. Alert. All Alpha.“Couldn’t sleep,” he admitted. “Kept replaying tonight. You standing there. Poisoned. Smiling like you owned the room.”I smiled faintly. “I did own the room.”His gaze dragged slowly over my face, my throat, the edge of bare shoulder where the robe had slipped during sleep.“You’re trouble.” he said quietly.I tilted my head. “You noticed.”Silence stretched, but it wasn’t empty. It pulsed. The bond stirred, warm and intimate, tugging us closer without a si







