Draven.
Meredith’s heat was intoxicating, her scent filling every corner of me, threatening to break what control I had left.
I kissed her deeper, letting my mouth move to her jaw, her throat. She gasped and tilted her head to give me more.
My lips lingered over the spot where my teeth would soon sink, my breath hot against her skin.
"This is where it will be," I whispered against her pulse, feeling it race beneath my lips. "Right here. And I will make sure you feel pleasure before you feel the bite."
She shivered, her fingers tangling in my hair, and pulling me closer instead of away.
I smiled against her neck, then kissed lower, tasting her skin, leaving a trail that made her tremble in my arms.
Her breaths grew shallow, her body pressing closer to mine, and I knew she was ready. Not just for me, but for us.
When I pulled back enough to see her face, her cheeks were flushed, her lips parted. The sight nearly undid me.
"Meredith," I said softly, holding her firmly in place, "when I mark you, the pain will come first. But trust me, the bond will burn away every ounce of it. And then, you will know you’ve always been mine."
Her answer was simple. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders, her lips brushed my ear, and she whispered, "Do it."
Instantly her response shattered the last chain of restraint I had left.
I tightened my hold on her, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other pressing against the curve of her waist, steadying her trembling body against mine.
For a brief second, I hesitated, memorizing the sight of her violet eyes locked on me, so fierce and trusting all at once. Then I lowered my lips to her neck.
Her pulse thudded wildly under my mouth. I kissed the spot first, slowly and reverent. Then I let my teeth graze over her skin. Her breath hitched, but she didn’t pull away.
If anything, she tilted her head further, offering me everything.
"Mine," I whispered.
And then I sank my fangs into her.
She gasped, letting out a sharp cry of pain as her nails dug into my shoulders.
The bond surged instantly, searing through both of us. Her body arched, caught between agony and something else entirely.
I held her tighter, kissing against her skin even as I drank her essence in tiny pulls, enough to seal the mark but never to harm.
Then the rush came.
Her pain faded into heat. I felt her soul brush against mine, her thoughts skimming the edge of my own.
I groaned softly, pulling back at last, my lips and chin slick with her taste. The mark glowed faintly on her skin, already sealing, binding us together.
Meredith’s chest rose and fell as she clung to me, tears streaming down her cheeks, though her lips curved in the faintest smile.
"I told you," I murmured, brushing the wetness from her face with my thumb. "The pain would pass. And now..." I leaned my forehead against hers, my breath mingling with hers, "...you are mine."
The room fell silent, save for the sound of our mingled breathing and the thunderous rhythm of two hearts now bound together.
I kissed her then—not to distract or to ease whatsoever pain that remained, but to celebrate. A kiss that sealed what neither pain nor fate could undo.
I carried on, deepening the kiss until I couldn’t tell where I ended and where she began. The bond pulsed between us, tugging, urging, and demanding.
Every brush of her skin against mine was magnified a hundredfold. Every heartbeat, every breath, and every shiver.
Meredith broke the kiss first, gasping for air, but she didn’t let go. Instead, her hands slid down my chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt, tugging impatiently.
"Meredith..." My voice was rough, warning, but also pleading.
She pulled back just enough to look at me, her violet eyes glowing faintly with Valmora’s presence. "Don’t stop me. Tonight, I want everything."
Her boldness burned through me, unravelling the last threads of restraint.
Rhovan growled in triumph within me, echoing precisely what I felt—that this woman, this mate, was no longer merely part of my life. She was my life.
I lifted Meredith effortlessly, laying her back on the pillows, my body hovering over hers.
Her silver hair fanned out across the sheets like moonlight, her flushed skin glowing with heat.
She reached up, pulling me down into another kiss that was nothing like the ones before, wild, desperate, and hungry.

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