Aria's pov:
Night-time came soon much to my pleasure. To think I would be happy despite doing this in a spur of the moment but I wasn't able to summon any care.
Soon, I arrived in front of the room, already feeling Kael's presence and that was the only thing I needed before taking a deep breath in.
With my hand on the door knob, I opened the door without knocking.
And there he was; Standing at the far end of the room, facing the window, the moonlight casting a sharp silver glow across his bare back.
His hair was damp, tousled like he'd just come from a run or a cold shower, possibly after attending to the business he said he had. His muscles shifted slightly when the door clicked shut behind me, but he didn't turn.
He didn't need to.
He felt me. The bond buzzed between us, louder now, thicker since he'd marked me… since he'd claimed me.
I stepped in. Not needing to be told or to be asked. This wasn't what I had come here to do.
The silk nightdress clung to my skin like water, barely there, chosen on purpose. I had never worn anything like it before and not once did I think I'd be doing this. I didn't want to think too deeply about what I was doing. I just wanted to feel. To take something back. To have control of something for once in my life.
"I couldn't sleep," I said, voice quiet and even with the knowledge that I didn't have to explain.
Still, he said nothing. His silence should've been a wall, but I kept walking toward him, barefoot, the sound of each step muffled by the thick rug underfoot.
"I thought maybe you couldn't sleep either," I added, standing only a few feet from him now.
He finally turned.
His face was half in shadow, but his eyes caught the light—burning gold, intense. Dangerous. His wolf!
"You should be resting," he said in an almost-like growl.
"I'm not tired."
The tension in the room was nearly visible now, thick and coiled. Still, I pushed forward, not ready to give up anytime soon. My mind raced with the idea and the thought of what I had made up my mind to do.
My fingers brushed against his arm, trailing upward to his shoulder.
A sharp inhale of breath came from him as I tested the waters.
"Aria," he warned, his voice low and rough. "Don't."
"Don't what?" I whispered, letting my fingertips travel across his chest, feeling the steady, deep beat of his heart. "Touch you?"
He stepped back. I stepped forward, not ready to quit without pushing it.
"Don't do this," he said again, but it sounded less certain this time. "You don't understand what you're playing with."
"Don't I?"
I stepped closer again, until my chest nearly touched his. I could feel his heat, the raw energy in his body, how tightly wound he was.
I tilted my head slightly, letting my lips brush his jaw. For the first time, thankful for my height.
"I know exactly what I'm doing," I whispered, letting my breath kiss his skin. "I'm giving myself to my mate."
His body shuddered once and the restraint in his eyes cracked like burning wood.
Suddenly, he grabbed my wrist tightly, not rough, but with force, like he was grounding himself. His head dropped to the curve of my neck, breath hot against my pulse.
"You smell like a fucking dream," he growled, voice wrecked. "Like temptation I wasn't made to resist."
I pressed against him, my lips brushing the shell of his ear.
"Then don't resist."
Another second passed.
Then his mouth crashed into mine.
There was no patience in it; no carefulness. Just fire. A fire that had long been ignited but we both had resisted, fighting against it.
He kissed me like he was claiming me all over again. His arms wrapped around me, lifting me off the floor, slamming my back into the nearest wall. I gasped into his mouth as he swallowed it down, not for once leaving my lips.
"You have no idea what you've started," he rasped, biting down gently on my lower lip, dragging it between his teeth. "You don't get to walk away now."
"I don't want to," I said in between repeated panting.
His hands roamed down, gripping my thighs, pulling me tighter against him. My fingers fisted into his hair as I ground against him shamelessly, my need spiraling fast and hard inside me. Something I'd never felt before. Was this how it was?
The bond between us raged, crying to fully complete and seal the bond we had. It burned so hot it felt like lightning in my veins.
"Ka..el," I moaned softly, gripping his hair tighter but not for once did he complain.
"Aria!" Kael's growl shook against my skin as he tossed me onto the bed, following less than a second later and pinning me beneath him.
"I warned you," he said, eyes wild now, barely holding onto his wolf. "But now you've lit the fire, and I'm not putting it out."
"Then burn with me. Let me put it out for you. Use my body for tonight, " I whispered.
And he did.
He kissed me until I forgot my name. Touched me until I was begging without shame. Every part of me was bare beneath him, and still, it wasn't enough. I wanted more. Needed more. His mouth, his hands, the deep possessive growl in his throat as I moaned beneath him.
Letting out screams of pleasure each time it courses through my veins.
"Moreee…" I moaned shamelessly, even forgetting I had come here with a purpose. His thrusts quickened, hard and fast as my eyes rolled backwards in my head.
He didn't stop. And I didn't want him to.
I shattered in his arms, screaming out his name without shame about who could hear us, "Kaeeeellll!" and he followed, breaking with me.
There was no plan anymore.
No pretending. Hidden truth but just us.
"Celeste, bring it on!"