[POV: Aria]
His door clicked shut behind us, sealing out the world, the celebration, the pack—everything but us.
The moment Hayden turned to me, the fire in his eyes made my knees weaken. He said nothing at first. Just looked. Like he was memorizing every inch of me.
Like he couldn’t quite believe I was standing here, in his space, as his Luna.
“Are you going to run?” he asked softly, stepping closer.
I shook my head. He didn’t smile—he smirked. “Good.”
Then he moved—slow, deliberate—and closed the space between us in two strides. His hands cupped my face, rough palms cradling gently, like I might break if he wasn’t careful. But there was nothing soft about the way he kissed me.
It was hungry. Like every moment of tension between us had finally snapped loose.
I moaned into his mouth as his hands slid down my back, gripping my hips and pressing me against him.
“Hayden,” I gasped as he pulled back, just barely, his forehead resting against mine.
His lips brushed my cheek. “Say it again.”
I breathed, “Hayden.”
He groaned, a low, guttural sound vibrating in his chest. “That sound… Goddess, Aria, I’m not going to last if you keep saying my name like that.”
I melted into him, hands knotting in his shirt as our mouths found each other with more urgency. His tongue slid against mine, teasing, claiming, sending sparks all across my body.
His lips left mine, trailing fire along my jaw, down the curve of my neck. “Tell me to stop,” he whispered. “And I will.”
“No,” I breathed, voice barely audible. “Don’t stop.”
Something broke in him.
One of his hands skimming over my waist, the other tilting my chin up so he could kiss me again—slower this time, deeper, as though trying to memorize the shape of my mouth.
“Hayden,” I whispered as he pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against mine.
“Yes, little wolf?”
“I’ve never… done this before.”
He stilled, his thumb brushing over my cheek. “I know.”
My eyes widened. “You do?”
“I can feel it,” he said softly, voice dark with reverence. “The way you tremble… the way you breathe when I touch you. But you trust me.”
“I do.”
His gaze softened, though the fire behind it never dimmed. “Then let me show you how it should feel.”
His hands moved to my back, slowly unfastening my dress. Each loosened tie sent a ripple of anticipation down my spine. His fingers were skilled, deliberate, maddening.
When the dress slipped down my arms and pooled at my feet, I stood there in almost nothing but bare skin and nerves. He stepped back just far enough to look—really look—and his jaw clenched.
“Goddess,” he whispered. “You’re unreal.”
I felt the heat in my cheeks, but before I could cover myself, he was close again.
His hand reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my face. Then that same hand trailed down—slowly, torturously—over my collarbone, between my breasts, until it found its home between my thighs.
My head dropped to his shoulder as his fingers teased me through the fabric—slow, knowing, relentless.
“Hayden…”
“You’re so wet for me,” he said roughly. “And I haven’t even touched you properly yet.”
He reached down and hooked his fingers into my underwear, sliding them down slowly. I cried out, clutching his shoulders for balance as he gently stroked between my folds, finding the places I didn’t even know needed him.
“You’re so sensitive,” he whispered, kissing just above my collarbone. “You’ve been aching for this. For me. Haven’t you?”
“Yes,” I gasped.
His fingers slipped inside me, slow and deep, and I broke.
I moaned as his fingers curled just right, as his palm moved in perfect rhythm. His free hand tightened around my hip, grounding me as my legs began to shake.
“You feel like heaven,” he whispered, “and you’re mine. Mine to touch. Mine to love. Mine to ruin with pleasure if I want to.”
My body tensed, every muscle tightening as he curled his fingers once again, his thumb circling in sync.
“You’re close already,” he growled, kissing the swell of my breast. “So damn responsive. So mine.”
“Hayden—” I whimpered, already trembling. “I— please—”
“That’s it,” he whispered, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “Let me feel you fall apart. Just like this. Just for me.”
I clung to him, hips moving helplessly as his rhythm deepened. My thighs trembled.
“Hayden—” I gasped, “I—can’t—”
“Yes, you can.” His voice was dark velvet. “You’re doing so well. So damn beautiful when you come.”
The orgasm slammed into me like a wave crashing on stone—raw, bright, all-consuming. I moaned his name, burying my face in his neck, shaking as he held me through it, still moving his fingers slowly, like he wanted to draw every drop of pleasure from me.
“That’s my girl,” he whispered against my shoulder.
He swept me into his arms like I weighed nothing and laid me down gently on the bed, kissing my stomach, my breasts, my lips again.
“This is insane…” I murmured, still breathless. “I thought I’d lost my mind.”
“Good.” His grin was wicked as he knelt beside the bed. “Because I’m not done with you.”
I sat up, fingers reaching for the hem of his shirt. “My turn.”
His breath caught when I touched him, and I smiled, emboldened.
I peeled his shirt off slowly, revealing muscle and scars, the raw strength of a man who’d spent his life protecting others—and now, me.
My fingers grazed his chest, his stomach, I could feel how he shivered under my touch.
“You’re trembling,” I teased.
“And you’re playing with fire, little wolf,” he growled.
I kissed his chest, just over his heart, then again at his collarbone, his throat, feeling the tremor that ran through him. His hands fisted the sheets beside my knees.
When I finally reached the hem of his pants, he growled softly, “If you keep teasing me, I won’t be able to take it slow.”
I laughed, a sound full of heat and joy.
“Then don’t.”