🔥Werewolf world👉

The Betrayal

Bella

Three days before the wedding, I went to try on my gown. It was a white dress with an elaborate design with lots of laces and tulle on the skirt. As the seamstress pinned the sides and adjusted the length, I looked in the mirror and felt excited. I wanted to show it to Craig, and see his face light up when he saw it. There was nothing I didn’t share with him.

Lucy, my stepmother, looked me over and smiled thinly. “You look good, Bella,” she said quietly.

“Thanks mom!” I replied. “Can I show this to Craig?”

She shook her head. “No, we follow the rules. It's a bad omen for the bride and groom to meet so close to the wedding.”

“Please mom,” I whined. “I won’t show it on me. Just the dress in the box. He’ll be so happy. It’s only bad to meet the day before,” I added. “Not three days before.”

“It’s bad,” she said firmly. “You will see him at the rehearsal dinner tomorrow with everyone. And that’s it!”

I didn’t want to argue because Lucy was pretty stubborn usually. I sighed and nodded. “Okay…”

But the excitement stayed with me. It felt like bubbles in my chest. After the fitting, I held the garment bag and thought about Craig’s smile. I told myself I would be quick. I would show him the dress, still in the bag, then come right back fast. Lucy wouldn’t even come to know.

I fell for Craig when I was a sophomore in college. He was a senior. He helped me carry books on a rainy day and walked me to the parking lot. We started texting, then going for coffee. He asked about my classes and remembered small things. I liked that, and over time I started to love him.

After college, he kept seeing me. We met each other’s families. My father, Jared Williams, ran a fashion house, so there were events and shows. Craig came with me, smiled for photos, and held my hand. He was the only heir of his parents with two hotels.

The night he proposed, we were on the terrace of his parents’ hotel. There were lights and music. He went down on one knee with a ring. I was so thrilled that I said yes right away. We fixed a wedding date with our families. We booked the hall, picked flowers, and chose the cake. I kept a list for everything, doing things personally even though my father had a fleet of personnel to work for me.

As soon as Lucy left our wedding boutique, I snuck out. I put the gown in my car and drove to Craig’s apartment. I had a key he gave me months ago. He had said, “Use it when you want to surprise me.” I smiled at the memory. The building had a private elevator. I rode up and stepped into his foyer.

The living room was quiet. I set the garment bag on the sofa and called out softly, “Craig?” There was no answer. His shoes were by the door, and his jacket was on a chair. He had to be home.

I walked down the hall toward the bedroom. As I got closer, I saw a trail of clothes on the floor. A red lace top, a silk skirt, bra and panties, and a pair of heels tipped on their sides. I stopped and blinked. It looked like someone undressed in a hurry. I smiled to myself. “Must be Evan,” I whispered. Craig’s younger cousin liked to drop by without warning with a date. I rolled my eyes and decided to leave. I picked up the garment bag and turned to go when I heard a soft sound. It was a low breathy moan from Craig’s bedroom. Feeling embarrassed, I increased my pace. But froze the next moment when a man’s voice came through the door, rough and loud. “Mayaaaa!”

Shock rippled through me and I stopped moving. Was that Craig’s voice? No, God, no. My first thought was that I misheard. My stepsister, Maya, hadn’t come back to the city in four years. She never showed her face to us even once ever since she left after that fight. I turned over my shoulder to look at the half-closed bedroom door. Despite myself, I turned back. I reached and saw that the door was slightly open. The room was dim, but I could see enough.

Craig was in bed with a woman. Her long brown hair fell across the pillow. He was holding her, naked, and moving inside her. He said her name again, “Oh, Maya!”

Everything in me went quiet as my mind numbed in shock. I stood there for a few seconds, my hands turning clammy, my heart thundering. Craig and Maya together? When did this happen? I had read about this happening in books. You know, just fiction. But this cliché happened in real life as well?

The world tilted so fast I felt dizzy. I slapped my hand on my mouth to stop the sound of my gasp. My mind clicked through little details when I turned around. I noticed a glass of water on the nightstand was half full. There was a smudge of lipstick on the rim. There was a small backpack in the corner with a labubu doll, which was Maya’s. I stepped back, the hallway suddenly too long, the air too thin. I couldn’t breathe.

Unable to process the shock, I turned and went back to the living room. I picked up the garment bag with both hands, opened the door, and walked out.

Inside the elevator, I looked at the reflection of my 23 year old self. Through my pale face, my green eyes stared at me, my blond hair sticking to my face, which was covered with sweat. It was then that I broke down. A sob tore from me making my body shudder. The betrayal was too much to bear. But anger also surged through me, and suddenly I wanted to confront them. How could they do this to me?

So without thinking twice, I went back to his apartment to confront them.

A Video

Bella

I stood in the hallway and tried to breathe, wondering what I was doing? Should I go in? My confidence wavered.

But I wanted to open the door and shout at them, make them face me. I wanted to ask why, since when, and how could they betray me. I wanted to look at Maya and say, “You stole my fiancé.”

My steps faltered because I also knew how Maya was. She would deny everything in front of our father. She would say I was jealous and that I was lying. Just like last time. She would cry like she had done before. Just before leaving home, she played a victim card, making me look like the villain of her life.

But I wanted to ask Craig if any of the last five years meant anything. Gathering courage and wiping my tears, I walked into the apartment.

Just as I reached outside the bedroom, I heard Maya’s soft and smug voice. She said, “You’ve kept it a secret for four years. I’m so proud of you, Craig. You’re awesome! I only wanted to finish college and then marry you. I couldn’t bear to see my stepsister have your kids.”

Craig laughed. “Bella’s a moron,” he said. “She’s so blind in love with me she never notices anything. It was easy to manipulate her.”

Manipulate me? I stood still and held my breath, my tears silently slipping from my eyes once again.

Maya chuckled and spoke again in a sultry voice, “I’m waiting for your divorce. Then we can start our own business. I’ve been dreaming about it for so long!”

Craig sounded pleased. “Of course, love. I’ll divorce Bella in a month. After the wedding, she gets her twenty-million inheritance. And if she divorces within six months, the money goes to her husband. That’s what her grandfather wrote in his will. So, it will all come to us, baby. I only have to tolerate her for a month more.”

I pressed my palm to the wall because I felt like I might fall. My heart pounded in my ears. I knew about my inheritance. Everyone in the family knew that I would get it after marriage and lose it if I divorced within six months.

Maya chuckled. “You're smart, Craig Jones. Gosh, I hate seeing her face. She walks around the house like she owns everything. The bitch doesn’t know how fast her world is going to crumble. Then I will exact my revenge. After she loses her inheritance, her father will remove her from his will also,” she snickered.

Craig laughed hard. “You’re wicked, Maya. Just be patient for a few more weeks, baby. Then we will have it all!”

They had planned my downfall carefully for so long. If I confronted them, it would be the most foolish thing to do.

“Come, ride me, baby!” Craig said. “Let’s celebrate!”

Anger inside me erupted like a volcano. Celebrate my downfall? I wanted to teach them a lesson now. So I took out my phone, and started recording them. If I sent this video to my father, I was sure he would call off the marriage.

“Oh baby, you’re so good!” Craig said as Maya moved on him.

My hand shook so hard in anger that a few seconds later, my phone slipped down. Craig snapped his head toward me. “Bella!” he gasped, his eyes going wide.

Maya also turned sharply to see me, and her mouth dropped open. “Shit!”

I picked up the phone and rushed out.

Craig removed Maya from him and came after me. “Bella, Bella!”

“I don’t want to hear a thing from you!” I shouted, as I scrambled to send the video to Daddy.

“Stop!” he shouted. “Don’t!”

I opened the door. “You both deserve to be exposed!”

“Stop this bullshit, Bella!” he roared. “No one will marry you except me! Your marriage with me is written in stone!”

“I’d rather die than marry you, cheater!” I shouted back through my tears. I pressed the button to send the video to my father.

Craig came after me. But I was out of the door by then. He stood naked on the door of his apartment, watching me leave. “Bellaaaa!” he roared. A few people came out of their apartments hearing the commotion. Good. They would see him naked, dripping in her juices.

I left the apartment building as fast as I could, and went to my car. On the road, the city lights blurred a little. I blinked, trying to clear my vision. My mind played back the words I had just heard. ‘It was a secret for five years’. ‘Divorce in a month’. ‘Twenty million inheritance gone’. ‘Tolerate her for a month more’. ‘I rubbed my chest as the betrayal hurt deep’.

I gripped the steering wheel. I thought about Lucy and her firmly denying me to meet Craig. Did she know? Was she helping them keep me away so I would not see anything? So that their plan was executed smoothly?

Then I thought about my father. If I called him now and told him what I saw, what I heard, would he believe me? No, he wouldn’t. That’s why I sent the video proof. He loved me, but he thought I was an “entitled brat.”

If I hadn’t recorded them in the act, Maya would lie through her teeth in front of him just to get the money. I didn’t trust Craig either. He would rather watch me suffer and make the marriage more miserable.

I remembered how four years ago, after high school, Maya left the house after a fight. She told everyone I was the reason. The house was full of tension for weeks. My father chose to calm Lucy and Maya instead of me. But despite his efforts, Maya left never to return. Since then, Daddy treated me like I might start another problem at any moment. He watched me like I was a risk to manage. He scolded me often because of Maya.

I remembered that fight like it happened yesterday. Maya had cried so much that day, her sobs filled every corner of the house. She stood in front of my father and her mother, acting like she was the victim. She said she would always be a stepsister and that I could never accept her. Then, with a trembling voice, she offered to leave the house so I could live “comfortably.” Lucy’s eyes had filled with tears, but she didn’t protest. She only lowered her head and suffered quietly, as if Maya’s sacrifice was breaking her heart.

But the truth was different. The fight started because on the last day of our school, I had caught Maya with Luke. I had confessed to her a week before that I liked Luke.

I had seen her sitting close to him, cuddling him, kissing him on his lips. When I confronted her later, she smiled in a way she wasn’t ashamed. On the contrary, she flaunted her “victory”. “He never liked you!” she had said, flicking her hair.

The betrayal from Luke was nothing compared to the one from Maya. “You can have him,” I replied.

I stifled my feelings for Luke right after so that Maya could be with him. But I don’t know why Maya came home and created the drama, accusing me of just the opposite? She told our parents that it was me who kissed her boyfriend, Luke, and I hated her for being happy. My father believed her and scolded me to be more adjusting. But Maya left for college nonetheless, trapping me into guilt all this while.

It was during that painful time that Craig, Luke’s friend, stepped in. He comforted me, chased after me, and slowly, I fell in love with him. But now Maya had her claws in Craig as well. It was like she wanted to snatch everything I cherished.

You'll Be Safe

Bella

I didn’t know where to go after leaving Craig’s apartment. My chest still hurt deep from the betrayal, and my thoughts kept circling the same question—how could Maya do this to me again?

Before I knew it, I was parking in front of the Phoenix Mall, the largest and grandest mall in the city. It had chains across the world, and I had heard that its CEO, Scott Moore, was a secretive sharp billionaire bachelor. He was arrogant, and cold, more handsome than God, and had hundreds of girls swooning over him.

I wandered through the bright halls of the mall and walked into a quiet café. The smell of coffee and baked bread wafted in the air. I ordered a cappuccino and sat at a small table by the window. The moment the cup was in my hands, tears started to fall again. I tried to wipe them quickly, but they kept coming. I cried quietly, hoping no one noticed. I couldn’t believe my life had come to this. How was I supposed to stop a marriage my whole family had already planned? Would my father believe the video content? I wondered if I should make the video viral.

Just as I lowered my head to sip my coffee, the door opened, and two men walked in. My heart skipped. It was Luke and Mark, Craig’s friends. Luke was the same boy who I liked in high school before Maya destroyed it all. I quickly bent my head lower, hoping they wouldn’t notice me. They sat two tables behind me, talking and laughing. I couldn’t help but overhear them.

“Bella has always been a moron,” Luke chuckled, stirring his coffee. “She never noticed Craig and Maya were in love. Stupid blind brat. Maya is back in town and she'll be staying with me for a while.”

Mark laughed loudly. “But it works for us, Luke. Craig smartly handled Bella after you goofed up with her. Once he gets Bella’s inheritance, we’re set. Our contracts with him are already drafted. The moment the money comes, we’ll sign. Our businesses will finally take off. Only a month before final goodbye to the bitch!” They both laughed again.

My blood went cold. I clutched my cup so tightly I thought it might break. Their words sank in slowly but clearly. They were all in on it. Craig, Maya, Luke, and Mark. They weren’t just betraying me with love. They were plotting around my inheritance. My stomach twisted, bitterness coating my soul. This all was happening behind my back ever since high school, and like a fool, I never came to know. How gullible I was?

Anger burned in my chest. I wanted to go to their table and confront them, scream that I had come to know it all. On an impulse, I pushed my chair back and stood up quickly. But the moment I turned, I collided with someone. Arms gripped me instantly to stop me from falling.

I craned my neck up, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe. A beautiful man, towering over me with broad shoulders, filled the space. He was wearing a pinstripe suit. His face was striking with a sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and dark eyes so intense they seemed to glow. His lips were firm and bow-shaped, his nose straight, his black hair falling just slightly across his forehead. He looked unreal, like a man who didn’t belong to this world. Like a king who ruled the world.

I noticed that there was complete silence in the café now. In that instant, an idea lit up in my mind. A reckless, desperate plan that could actually break the marriage.

I tilted my head slightly, giving Luke and Mark a sidelong glance, then turned back to the man. Without giving myself time to think, I pressed my lips against his.

He growled low in his throat as his hand shot out and grabbed me by the waist, pulling me close. It was protective, possessive, and startling all at once. My body went stiff in his arms, but from the corner of my eyes, I saw Luke and Mark watching us. Their mouths had fallen open. Everyone in the café had turned to stare.

The kiss was quick at first, just enough for everyone to see. I whispered against his lips, “Please, could you keep up the act for a minute?”

To my surprise, he didn’t push me away. Instead, his hand tightened on my waist, and he kissed me back. His lips were warm and commanding. He deepened the kiss, and the world around me blurred. His kiss was passionate, strong, almost overwhelming. For a moment, I forgot why I even started it. I felt my knees weaken, and I had to hold on to his shirt to stay steady.

When we finally broke apart, the café was completely silent. My lips tingled, my cheeks burned, and I couldn’t get a hold of myself. Like my whole body was on fire. 

But I knew Luke and Mark had seen everything. Now they would inform Craig or my father about it. So if the video didn’t work, this would.

“Could you please walk out with me from the café?” I asked softly. “I want them to see it clearly,” I said, darting my eyes to Luke and Mark.

“Do you want me to make them disappear from the face of the earth?” he asked seriously, his intense eyes locked on mine.

My mouth dropped. Was he a mafia boss? I let out a nervous chuckle. “N-no!”

Without waiting, he grabbed my wrist and walked with me toward the door. I glanced back. Luke and Mark had jumped up, chasing us. Panic rushed through me. I pulled closer to the man and whispered urgently, “Please, help me. Hide me for a few hours. I want to escape them.” Now I was afraid that they would confront me and manhandle me.

His dark eyes cut to me. “You shouldn’t trust strangers,” he said in a low and rough voice.

I faltered, my lips parting. I didn’t know what to say. I felt foolish and desperate. But then his eyes softened. “But I’ll save you,” he said.

Something in me believed him instantly. I couldn’t explain why. It was pure instinct.

He led me quickly to a side hallway I hadn’t even noticed before. At the end was a private elevator, hidden behind mirrored doors. He pressed his palm to a panel, and the doors opened silently. I glanced behind. Luke and Mark were still chasing, and they were closing in.

The man pulled me inside with him, still holding my wrist. The doors closed, shutting out the noise, and shutting out everything. My heart pounded in my chest as the elevator began to rise.

“Where are we going?” I whispered, half afraid of the answer.

He turned his head slightly, his eyes burning into mine. “To my penthouse,” he said. “You’ll be safe there.”

Somehow, even with everything I had been through that day, I believed him. Maybe I had a natural penchant for falling into wrong hands.

Mate

Scott

For centuries, the Lycans had ruled the werewolf race. They were stronger, faster, and nearly immortal, and were born kings. But time had not been kind. Wars, disease, and betrayal had cut their numbers until only I remained. I was the last Lycan alive, and I was the last Lycan king of the werewolves. At 28, the weight of my kind rested on my shoulders.

In order to survive, we moved into human cities and learned to live among them, blending into their world because we had no choice. We worked like them, dressed like them, and hid our true selves. To the humans, I was only Scott Moore, the young billionaire who owned the chain of Phoenix Malls and countless other businesses. If our true identities were discovered, it would mean the end of us.

Every year, Lycans went into a frenzy to rut for a week in order to mate. And it was that time of the year for me. I wanted to fuck every she-wolf or human I came in contact with, but I was restraining myself. I took heavy medication to stop my desires and lust.

And the Elders never let me forget my duty especially during this time. They said it was time I took a mate and produced heirs. They told me every day that my bloodline was too important to end with me, and that without me the werewolves would die out. It was me who gave them the power to exist. They wanted me to continue the Lycan line. But they didn’t understand the risk. Being a Lycan was different from being a normal werewolf. My power was stronger, heavier. If a female she-wolf carried my pup, she might not survive the birth.

Still, the Elders pushed me. “There are plenty of willing she-wolves,” they said. “They would give their lives for you.” They called it sacrifice. I called it madness. I wasn’t going to kill someone just to satisfy their demand. So I refused, again and again. I didn’t want an heir if it meant killing someone to get it.

This discussion again took place in the early morning meeting today. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I listened to them, waiting impatiently to get out of the meeting. As soon as it was done, I walked out of the room, and went for a swim to spend my energy and calm my anger and lust. I had an important meeting with human shareholders to attend next.

Thirty minutes later, I reached that meeting with my Beta, Troy. Troy explained a new plan to the shareholders about dividends. I sat at the head of the table, listening intently, when suddenly a scent hit me. It was that of sweet and warm chocolate and cinnamon. The smell was so strong it shook me. My Lycan stirred instantly. How could a chocolate cake smell so good? My throat went dry and my chest tightened. I couldn’t help the urge to eat it right away.

I tried to sit still, but the craving grew stronger with every second. My hands clenched on the table. What the hell was happening with me? The smell was pulling me like a chain.

I pushed back my chair and stood abruptly. Without a word, I left the meeting. Troy scrambled to follow. “Scott, what’s going on?” he asked as every shareholder looked at me with surprise.

I didn’t answer as I strode out of the meeting. The mouthwatering scent filled my lungs, guiding me through the corridors of Phoenix Mall. My Lycan was in full control now. I felt like a predator on the hunt. And that too for a chocolate and cinnamon cake? I loved dark chocolates, but this? My reaction was strange.

The trail led me to a quiet café. The smell was strong here. I opened the door and walked to the counter, scanning the cakes that got me so distracted. The girl behind the counter flustered, and blushed. It was a normal reaction of humans when they saw me. I continued to scan the cakes, and that’s when I heard a soft sniffle. I snapped my head in that direction.

A human girl sat at a table near the window. Her head was bent, her shoulders small and tense. She was crying quietly, her hand moving to her face again and again to wipe her tears. Before I knew it, my feet carried me in that direction, the smell growing stronger, coiling around my neck like a noose.

My Lycan growled one word that shook me to my core. MATE. The urge to rut surged like waves in a storm-tossed sea. ‘Mark her. Claim her. Rut her.’

I froze. My heart hammered in my chest hard. How was this possible? She was human. That couldn’t be right. The Moon Goddess wouldn’t bind me to a human. Yet every cell in my body knew it was true. She was mine. Mine to claim. And I wanted her madly, badly. She would never be able to carry my pups. But who cared?

I stared at her. She was so beautiful that I forgot to breathe. She was soft, timid, and fragile-looking. She had disheveled blond hair, framing an innocent face, and eyes so emerald green they shone through her tears. My fingers twitched to feel the curves beneath her pink dress.

My Lycan was howling in joy, desire stirring inside him. ‘Take her. Rut her.’

I started moving toward her, my primal nature surging forth. Then, just as I got close, she stood up quickly, turned to the side and bumped into me.

Her small body collided with mine, and my arms reacted on their own. I caught her against me, holding her firmly against my chest. The shock of her touch was like electricity sparking through my body. My Lycan roared with triumph. ‘Mark her.’

She looked up at me, her eyes wide. For a second, we just stared at each other. My world tilted on its axis and then started rotating at a dizzying speed.

She glanced over my shoulder. I turned slightly and saw two men watching her. They were sitting a few tables away, staring in shock. My Lycan’s rage flared at once. Whoever they were, they had made her cry. For that alone, I wanted them dead.

Before I could do anything, she grabbed my shirt and kissed me, shocking the hell out of me. I froze. Then I felt her soft lips against mine, desperate and trembling, and everything inside me snapped. I never wanted the kiss to end.

I hated it when she pulled away. She whispered quickly against my lips. “Please, bear with me. Keep up the act for a minute.”

She thought this was an act? She had no idea what I was going through. But I saw the fear in her eyes, the desperation. I nodded. I would play along, for now.

‘No. Mark her. Rut her.’

Her enemies were still watching. My anger burned hot. So I kissed her back possessively, pulling her closer. The taste of her, the warmth of her mouth, the way her hands clutched at me. It all set me on fire, addling my mind. My Lycan howled in pure joy. ‘Ours.’

After our kiss, I led her out of the café, keeping her close. People stared, but no one said a word. Through the mind link, I called Troy. ‘Some men are chasing me. If they try to follow me, stop them. If they resist, kill them.’

‘Yes, Alpha,’ Troy replied instantly, sounding worried. ‘But where are you? You vanished faster than smoke.’

I gritted my teeth. ‘Near Moon Cafe.’

I didn’t slow down and pulled her with me toward the private elevators only I had access to. She didn’t fight me. Her steps matched mine, small and quick. I felt the trembling in her hand, and I squeezed them softly.

The doors slid open, and I guided her inside my penthouse. She looked up at me like a little lamb, unbeknownst that she had walked into a wolf’s den.

“You’re safe now,” I said reassuringly. “No one can reach you here.”

The doors closed behind us, shutting out the world. For the first time in a long time, I felt calm, satisfied, and grounded. Like I had found what I’d been waiting for all my life. My beautiful mate. In my home.

And I wasn’t going to let her go because I was going to announce her to the Elders tomorrow.

You Are Divine

Bella

The elevator opened into a quiet, beautiful penthouse. I didn’t look around much. I went straight to the first couch I saw and sat down. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Tears came again. I tried to wipe them away, but they wouldn’t stop. I didn’t want to show myself as a damsel in distress to a stranger. But what could I do? My chest hurt so much, the betrayal being fresh.

He stood a few steps away, watching me. “Do you want something?” he asked softly, carefully.

I shook my head. “I-I’ll just leave in some time. Th-thanks for helping me.”

He walked to a bar cabinet and came back with a glass of wine. When I didn’t take it, he crouched in front of me, and set it on the table in front of me. In a low voice, he stared into my eyes and said, “Drink. It will calm you.”

I picked up the glass, stared at it, and gulped it down.

“More?” he asked. When I nodded, he brought the bottle, unscrewed the cap and poured more. It burned a little, warmed my throat, and turned my crying into hiccups. I took another as he watched me without judging, but I saw his jaw tighten once. He went to sit on the armrest of the sofa.

After a while, the heat spread through me and blunted the edge of deep sorrow. I felt better. I looked up at him. He was quiet, watching me with his sharp gaze. “My fiancé cheated on me with my stepsister,” I said finally. “We were supposed to marry in three days, and I found them having sex today.”

“He doesn’t deserve you,” he growled animalistically.

I clenched my teeth and became quiet for a few minutes. Then, I said hesitantly, “I want to ask you something.”

“Ask,” he replied, his voice rough, studying me like he was committing my features to his memory.

“Am I… pretty enough?”

For a second, he was startled. “Pretty? You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he breathed. Then he did the most bizarre thing. He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “You are so pretty that I can have sex with you right now.”

My lips parted in surprise at his blatant readiness. Like the word hesitation didn’t exist in his dictionary? I asked, “Do you offer yourself for sex to strangers like this?”

His gaze became more intense. “No, usually, it’s the strangers who offer themselves to me every time. But I have offered myself to anyone for the first time. You can take advantage of my body. You know, like revenge sex?”

I licked my lip, blushing. I wanted to end this feeling of feeling used. He was staring at me to gauge my reaction. I wanted to refuse even though the idea of revenge sex was enticing.

He insisted, “Trust me, I’d be happy to be used by you.”

I blushed harder, and bit my bottom lip. He came forward, crouched in front me and pulled my bottom lip out. “You won’t regret it,” he said, watching my lips. He was so close that his body’s heat seeped inside me.

My breath faltered. I felt like I was being hypnotized by him. What was he doing to me? “Umm…” An ache developed between my thighs. Craig was never able to elicit this reaction in me.

His nostrils flared as he searched my face a moment longer. “I won’t touch you unless you want it,” he said, becoming tense.

I gulped down more wine, and then nodded, “Okay!” I think it was the wine speaking on my behalf.

His shoulders eased as if he was holding tension inside him. He got up, slid one arm under my knees and the other behind my back, and lifted me like I weighed nothing. I gasped as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Up close, he was even more beautiful. Being carried by him felt oddly safe. He walked into a bedroom that was exquisitely furnished.

He set me on the edge of the bed and took a step back, giving me space. “We can stop at any time,” he said as if through a lot of restraint. “You only have to say the word.”

I looked at my hands, then at him. I stood and reached for the zipper of my dress. My fingers fumbled. He came close and eased the zipper down without touching my skin. The dress slid to the floor. I stood there in simple lingerie, feeling shy.

His breath hitched as he took my body in. “You are divine,” he said, like he meant every word. “You don’t need to prove anything to anyone.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding. He moved with a calm I needed, speaking to me in short, steady sentences that told me I was safe, and in control. When he kissed me, it wasn’t rushed. He waited for me to respond. When I did, he deepened it, but always let me lead.

He removed his clothes, and when we finally lay down naked, he paused again. “Are you still sure?”

“Yes,” I said as I moved my fingers over his tattooed body. There was a tattoo of a wolf on his chest with vines that ran all the way to his shoulders and arms. God must have taken his time to sculpt this masterpiece.

He cupped my face and kissed me. When his lips met mine, and the world seemed to vanish. My breath hitched, my heart racing as warmth spread through me. His mouth moved against mine desperately with a hunger that made me tremble, like he couldn’t get enough of me. I found myself melting into his arms, my fingers clutching at him. The taste of him was sweet and intoxicating, making me forget everything but the fire between us. Every second his kiss pulled me deeper into him, until I no longer knew where I ended and he began. It was pure, consuming passion.

He went lower to my breasts and sucked my nipples hard. My body hummed with need so intense that I whimpered. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured reverently. He went lower, lower and kissed my belly button.

“Ah!” I moaned.

He went down to my sex, and stared at it for a long moment. And then he blew hot air over it, and parted my lips.