The Smut Garden

After a while, though, he realized he wasn’t the only one who could use a little peace and quiet. You had long since finished your slice of chocolate cake, leaving the paper plate with its scattering of crumbs on the chair beside you where Valko had been sitting before another wave of children stole him away. Now you sat beneath the shade of the covered back patio, absentmindedly scrolling through your phone while warm sunlight spilled across the backyard beyond you. Laughter echoed through the air, birds chirped from the trees overhead, and the sweet smell of birthday cake mixed with barbecue and freshly cut grass on the lazy afternoon breeze. Just as someone announced it was time for the piñata, every child erupted into excited squeals before stampeding across the lawn toward the brightly colored prize hanging from one of the trees.

The moment he saw his opportunity, Valko peeled away from the tiny mob and headed straight for you.

“Hey,” he greeted with an easy smile, lifting a hand in a small wave as he walked over. He picked up the forgotten plate of cake from his chair before settling down beside you with an audible sigh of relief, “how ya doing? Bored yet?”

A quiet laugh escaped you. Before you could answer, his large hand reached beneath your chair, wrapped around one of its legs, and effortlessly dragged you closer until the legs scraped softly over the deck and bumped into his with a gentle little clink. Apparently satisfied with the closer distance, he slipped an arm around your shoulders and tucked you comfortably against his side. His broad hand lazily stroked your shoulder in slow, affectionate passes while he looked down at you through relaxed, half-lidded eyes, wearing the kind of soft smile that always seemed reserved just for you.

“I’m fine,” you assured him with a small nod, your hand coming to rest on his broad thigh over the worn denim of his jeans. You gave it a gentle squeeze before teasing, “go have fun. You look pretty happy when you’re terrorizing a bunch of eight-year-olds.”

He let out a hearty laugh, the sound warm and unrestrained as he subconsciously pulled you a little closer beneath the comfortable weight of his arm. Stretching one long leg out in front of him, he settled farther back into his chair, looking out over the backyard where a dozen children tore across the grass in every direction. Their laughter carried through the warm afternoon air beneath the cheerful chaos of shrieks, bouncing balls, and adults talking over one another beneath the covered patio and gazebo of tables.

“Not my fault one of those little rascals stole and hid my keys,” he said with an amused shake of his head, watching them with the fond exasperation only family could inspire, “they had it comin’.”

You couldn’t help smiling as you watched him. It was rare to see Valko this relaxed. There was no tailored suit, no lab coat no assassin’s cloak, no meetings, no responsibilities beyond surviving the relentless affection of his younger relatives. His green flannel sleeves had been rolled neatly to his elbows hours ago after the first game of tag, the top buttons of his shirt left undone against the Spring warmth, and despite spending the afternoon being climbed on like an oversized jungle gym, he still looked perfectly content. This was a side of him few people outside his family probably ever saw, and it suited him surprisingly well.

The peaceful moment lasted only a few seconds before you felt his attention shift beside you. It was subtle enough that most people probably wouldn’t have noticed, but you had begun learning the little tells that came with loving a werewolf. His gaze snapped away from the yard in front of him toward something farther off before yours even had a chance to follow, his posture becoming just a touch more alert as one of the children’s voices caught his attention.

“Hey! Fenris,” he called, his voice carrying easily over the backyard without sounding harsh. Your eyes followed his line of sight until you spotted the little boy clutching a bright red ball. He froze mid-step the instant he realized Valko had seen him, “give Luna the ball back. It’s her turn.”

The little boy immediately threw his head back with a dramatic groan, “but! Cous, she—”

“—No I didn’t!” The little girl shouted over him before he could finish, “cous, he—”

“—Fenris,” Valko interrupted, his tone remaining calm but firm enough to end the argument before it had the chance to escalate, “ball. Now. C’mon.”

The little boy sighed as though he’d been dealt the greatest injustice of his young life before begrudgingly holding the ball out. The moment the little girl grabbed it, she smacked it free from his hands, stuck her tongue out at him with a triumphant grin, and sprinted across the yard in a fit of giggles. He let out an indignant yell and immediately tore off after her, disappearing back into the pack of children while several adults hardly noticed the exchange. You felt Valko shift beside you, already preparing to stand and referee whatever inevitably happened next, but before he could lift himself from the chair, you rested your hand over his broad thigh and gave it an affectionate squeeze to keep him where he was.

“They have parents,” you reminded him gently, leaning just a little closer until your shoulder rested comfortably against his.

“Yeah, but you know my booze-loving uncle,” he huffed, allowing himself to sink back against the chair instead as he folded his broad arms across his chest. His eyes never quite left the children, though there was more fondness than frustration behind them, “he gets two drinks in him and then just disappears. And then he wonders why his youngest are little hellhounds off leashes.”

Despite not being one of the elders of his clan, Valko was still its leader. The distinction mattered. The elders held authority over tradition, counsel, and the customs that had guided the werewolf clans for generations, but when people needed someone to follow, someone to trust, someone to carry the weight of everyone else’s worries, they instinctively turned to him. Responsibility seemed to settle onto his shoulders as naturally as breathing. He was always the first to notice when someone needed help, the first to step between conflict before it could grow, and the first person everyone sought out without even thinking about it. Strength had earned him leadership, but the quiet way he cared for everyone around him was what made them willing to follow.

Ironically, the very people who usually insisted on rank and tradition seemed to vanish the moment a backyard full of children needed supervising. The older generation had long since settled into comfortable conversations elsewhere, enjoying the afternoon while the parents of the youngest children relaxed just a little more than they normally would. It wasn’t intentional neglect so much as quiet confidence. They all knew Valko was there.

And if Valko was there…The kids were safe. He was the only one among his cousins and siblings who didn’t have children of his own yet, which somehow made him the designated babysitter every single family gathering. The little ones absolutely adored him. They clung to his legs, begged him for piggyback rides, demanded another game of tag the second the last one ended, and somehow convinced the six-foot-two chairman of EonCore Tech to chase them around the yard pretending to be a monster every single time. They laughed harder with him than they did with anyone else, and watching him throw himself so wholeheartedly into their games made it painfully obvious why he was everyone’s favorite cousin.

But you had also begun noticing something everyone else seemed to miss. The little moments. The tired sighs he thought no one heard. The way he rolled his shoulders when the children weren’t looking. The quiet glances he’d steal toward you whenever he needed a breather before another tiny voice inevitably called his name again. He loved them. God, he loved those kids. But sometimes loving everyone meant forgetting to take care of himself. Sometimes he was the one who needed someone looking out for him.

“Why don’t we get away from it all for a bit?” You suggested softly, reaching over to take the paper plate from his hands after he scooped up the last bite of chocolate cake you’d left for him, “you said I could nap in one of the guest rooms if I got overstimulated, right? What if we both take a nap together?”

He chewed thoughtfully, though it was obvious he was mulling over far more than the last bite of cake. For just a moment, you thought you had him. Then that familiar, responsible expression settled across his handsome face.

“Nah,” he said, shaking his head as he swallowed, “the kids are gonna be running around looking for me the moment I disappear. There’s no rest for the wicked.”

You sighed dramatically, rolling your eyes with affectionate exasperation.

“God forbid you get away for an hour or two,” you teased, “come on.”

Before he could even begin forming another excuse, you stood, walked the few steps to the nearby trash can, and tossed the empty plate away. By the time you returned, he was only just opening his mouth to protest. He never got the chance. You slipped your fingers around his wrist and gave him a firm tug.

“C’mon.”

Without the slightest resistance, he rose obediently from the chair, letting you pull his considerably larger frame to his feet. The corners of his mouth had already started curling upward into a helpless smile. For all his stubbornness, he was remarkably easy to lead whenever you took charge with just enough confidence.

“Alright,” you said, lacing your fingers through his hand as you guided him toward the house, “here we go…”

You slipped out of your shoes by the door, the action reminding him to do the same. The instant you stepped inside, the atmosphere changed. The muffled shrieks of children softened behind the walls, replaced by quiet conversation, the low hum of music drifting through the open living room, and the occasional burst of laughter from relatives gathered around the kitchen island with drinks in hand. Sunlight spilled through the tall windows, warming the polished hardwood floors while the cool air-conditioning wrapped around your skin like a welcome sigh of relief after the sunny brightness outside.

You glanced back over your shoulder at him with a grin, “lead the way, puppy.”

He let out a warm, hearty laugh, the sound rumbling effortlessly from his chest as he rolled his eyes with exaggerated resignation, his dimples deepening beneath the grin that never seemed to stay off his face whenever you teased him, “whatever ya say, little master.”

A soft giggle slipped out before you could stop it, and you happily relinquished the lead, allowing him to guide you instead as he started toward the grand staircase. You had only managed two steps behind him before his arm suddenly slipped around your waist. The movement happened so effortlessly that your feet barely had time to register leaving the floor before a surprised little yelp escaped you. His other arm scooped beneath your knees with practiced ease, and in one fluid motion you found yourself swept up against the broad warmth of his chest, securely cradled in his strong arms as though you weighed next to nothing. The subtle scent of his cologne mixed with fresh air and sunshine enveloped you immediately, and your breath caught when you instinctively looked up to find him already smiling down at you.

God…That smile. The corners of his eyes crinkled ever so slightly around those brilliant golden irises, his sculpted cheeks pushing upward into those impossible dimples that never failed to make your stomach betray you. Heat bloomed through your chest and fluttered lower before you could stop it, and you let out the quietest little whine of embarrassment as your cheeks warmed. You very nearly buried your face against his chest, suddenly aware that the two of you were still walking straight through the middle of his family’s house while several relatives lingered nearby with drinks in hand, chatting between themselves.

“Do you have to do that in public??” You whisper shouted, lifting your hand just enough to flick him lightly against the prominent convex of his brow bone.

“Ow!” He scrunched his face dramatically, shaking off your tiny assault as though you’d inflicted a grievous wound before immediately looking back down at you with that same hopelessly pleased grin, “hey, I’m just guarding my emergency rations.”

A laugh escaped you as you rolled your eyes, unable to help yourself while you gently prodded a finger against the firm muscle of his chest, “wow, the big bad wolf’s so territorial.”

“Y’know what? I am, actually—” he answered without the slightest trace of shame, proudly nodding as though that were simply an undeniable fact.

The declaration lasted all of two seconds before one of his feet clipped the edge of the next stair. You felt the sudden hitch in his stride beneath you as his body lurched forward. He recovered almost instantly, catching himself before either of you came anywhere close to falling, but the stumble had already happened. His arms reflexively tightened around you with surprising force, drawing you securely against his chest until there wasn’t even the slightest gap between your bodies. His protective instincts overtook his pride without hesitation, making absolutely certain you hadn’t shifted an inch in his grip before he even thought about his own embarrassment.

“Shit, my bad,” his confident grin vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by immediate concern while his eyes searched your face, “you okay, hun?”

You bit the insides of your cheeks so hard they almost hurt, desperately trying to contain the laughter threatening to spill out. He’d gone from confidently carrying you through the house like some impossibly suave hunk to tripping over his own feet in the span of a heartbeat, and somehow that only made him infinitely more charming.

“Yes, my darling prince,” you answered, your voice thick with barely restrained amusement as your smile stretched wider and wider. You reached up to affectionately pat his chest, unable to hide the fondness sparkling in your eyes while he looked so adorably flustered trying to pretend nothing had happened, “you’re as suave as you are—…Endearing, Valko.”

Before he had the chance to sink too deeply into his own embarrassment, you reached up with an amused smile and gently scratched beneath his chin. The reaction was immediate. His entire expression softened before your eyes, every ounce of flustered dignity melting right off his face as though your fingertips had flipped some hidden switch inside him. His eyes relaxed into warm little crescents, and without even realizing he was doing it, he leaned into your hand, happily following the touch while he continued carrying you up the staircase. The movement was so instinctive, so shamelessly natural, that it made your heart swell. You couldn’t help giggling as you caught the faint blush blooming over the tips of his ears, the soft pink spreading despite all his attempts to stay composed.

“Who’s a good boy?” You whispered through another teasing laugh, your voice dripping with exaggerated baby talk as though you were praising an enormous, overgrown puppy instead of the imposing leader of an entire werewolf clan.

“Shhh,” he whispered back, unsuccessfully biting down on a laugh of his own as the corners of his mouth twitched upward. His pace noticeably quickened, long legs carrying the two of you farther down the hallway before anyone downstairs could overhear your merciless teasing, “quiet…”

“Oh?” You grinned, thoroughly delighted by how easily he’d taken the bait, “who’s a good booooy?!”

This time you didn’t stop at his chin. Both of your hands dove eagerly at the warmth of neck, your fingers happily scratching beneath his jaw before working higher along the strong column of his throat. The delighted little noises he tried so desperately to swallow only encouraged you further as you affectionately scruffed him, watching his composure unravel by the second. He looked like he was fighting for his life not to laugh, his shoulders beginning to tense beneath his flannel while his smile stretched wider and wider despite every hopeless attempt to hide it.

Then you saw it. The unmistakable twitch at the base of his lower back. A heartbeat later, a muffled thump echoed down the hallway. His tail. It smacked enthusiastically against the corridor wall once…Then again. Then faster. You barely had time to laugh before a pair of soft auburn wolf ears sprang up from the cover of his hair, betraying him completely. They perked straight toward you, twitching with every affectionate scratch you gave him while his tail wagged so enthusiastically behind him that it continued bumping against the wall in an utterly futile attempt to contain itself.

Completely busted, Valko hurriedly set you back onto your feet, though it was obvious he wasn’t escaping anything. The moment your bare heels touched the hardwood floor, you took one playful step toward him. He instinctively took one back. Another. You followed. He retreated again until his broad back gently met the hallway wall with nowhere left to go.

“Say it,” you demanded between mischievous giggles, closing the last bit of distance until he was comfortably boxed in by your much smaller frame.

He looked down at you with the most wonderfully resigned expression, already knowing he’d lost. A helpless sigh escaped him as he surrendered completely, allowing the weight of his head to fall into your waiting hands. Your fingers slipped effortlessly into his soft auburn hair before finding those sensitive wolf ears again, scratching gently behind them in slow, practiced circles. His eyelids fluttered almost immediately, and he obediently bent lower to make it easier for you to reach, practically melting beneath your touch until he looked less like the feared leader of a powerful clan and more like the world’s happiest oversized puppy.

“Fine, fine,” he murmured, the words accompanied by another hopeless little laugh as he leaned shamelessly into every affectionate scratch, “I’m a good boy…”

You giggled with quiet satisfaction, thoroughly pleased with yourself as you rewarded his reluctant confession by rising onto your toes and planting a loud, affectionate smooch against his chiseled cheek. His skin was still pleasantly warm beneath your lips, the faint flush lingering there as he let out another helpless little laugh before straightening to his full height once more. Towering over you again, he slipped his large hand around yours without a word, his fingers naturally lacing through yours as though they had done it a thousand times before, and gently guided you farther down the empty hallway.

The farther you walked from the staircase, the quieter the house became. The cheerful sounds of the birthday party softened into a distant blend of muffled laughter, children’s excited voices, and music drifting faintly upward from downstairs, creating a comforting backdrop rather than the overwhelming commotion it had been outside. When you reached the final door at the end of the hall, Valko turned the handle and eased it open just enough to peek inside. Ever vigilant, his golden eyes swept across the room for a brief second before he seemed satisfied. He stepped aside, gently ushering you in ahead of him before quietly closing the door behind the two of you. The soft click of the lock echoed through the room, and with it came an immediate sense of privacy.

The guest room was understated by Ao family standards, though “simple” still meant something far grander than most people would consider ordinary. The room was spacious and modern, decorated in warm neutral tones that made it feel inviting rather than extravagant. A large, plush bed dominated the center of the room, dressed in crisp linens that practically begged someone to collapse into them. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across one wall, their sheer curtains billowing gently in the AC’s trajectory while filtered bands of afternoon sunlight painted soft golden stripes across the floor. It was peaceful. Bright. Comfortable. It was exactly what both of you needed.

The moment the door had clicked shut behind him, Valko let out a long, exhausted sigh that sounded as though he’d been holding it in all afternoon. Without a shred of ceremony, he shuffled a few steps forward before allowing gravity to claim him entirely, pitching face-first onto the enormous bed with all the grace of a tree being felled, “timberrr!”

Thump. His entire body bounced once against the plush mattress before settling there, sprawled dramatically across the blankets. You couldn’t help snorting. The sound of his theatrical collapse was immediately followed by a muffled groan of relief from somewhere beneath the pillows, making you laugh as you wandered over to the bedside. Resting one hand against the back of his broad thigh to steady yourself, you drew your other hand back before delivering a firm, playful smack squarely against the rounded muscle of his jeans-clad ass. The clap echoed pleasantly through the quiet room. He let out another muffled laugh into the comforter, his shoulders shaking beneath his flannel shirt.

“Outdoor clothes,” you reminded him with an amused shake of your head, your voice warm with affection rather than scolding. Your hand lingered long enough to give his undeniably firm, ridiculously squeezable ass a thoroughly self-indulgent squeeze, earning yourself the silent satisfaction of feeling the solid muscle beneath the faded denim, “damn, baby cakes…No pun intended…”

His tail reacted before he did. The large, fluffy appendage gave an indignant little twitch before lazily swishing across the bed with enough enthusiasm that the thick fur nearly smacked you straight in the face. You burst into another laugh, batting the oversized tail away with the back of your hand.

“Oh, right,” he remembered, a sheepish little laugh escaping him as he pushed himself back upright.

Valko rolled his shoulders before stretching his arms high over his head, a satisfying series of cracks traveling down the length of his spine as he arched backward with a relieved groan. The afternoon of chasing children had clearly done a number on him. He lingered there for another moment before his hands found the buttons of his forest-green flannel, casually working them open one by one. The fabric slipped from his broad shoulders before landing in an unceremonious heap on the floor, quickly followed by the fitted tank top beneath it. Warm sunlight spilled across the sculpted lines of his sun-kissed torso as he reached for his belt, the quiet clink of the buckle filling the peaceful room while you stepped out of your denim shorts, letting them puddle around your ankles.

You shrugged out of the oversized jacket he’d draped around your shoulders earlier that afternoon to shield you from the light breeze outside, smiling to yourself at the lingering warmth and faint woodsy scent that still clung to it before laying it neatly across the nearby chair. Across from you, Valko stepped out of his jeans, absently nudging them aside with one foot as though the simple act of getting comfortable already had him relaxing.

The moment you pulled your shirt over your head, you barely had time to set it aside before you felt his hands suddenly settle around your waist. A surprised gasp escaped you. Before you could even ask what he was doing, his powerful arms effortlessly lifted you off your feet, stretching you high toward the ceiling as though you weighed almost nothing at all. The sudden rush of movement sent a burst of exhilaration through you, and your hands instinctively shot out to grab hold of his sturdy forearms for balance while laughter bubbled up from somewhere deep in your chest. He looked entirely too pleased with himself. Those brilliant golden eyes sparkled with mischief as he looked up at you, his fanged grin growing impossibly wider the moment he realized you’d surrendered completely to being tossed around like his favorite chew toy.

“Get over here,” he chuckled.

With effortless precision born from having done this countless times before, he tossed you toward the center of the enormous bed. You landed exactly the way you liked. The plush mattress swallowed your weight before springing you gently upward again, sending you bouncing once, then rolling across the crisp sheets in a fit of delighted laughter as the soft bedding wrapped around you.

You had barely managed to roll onto your back before the mattress dipped dramatically. There he was. With absolutely no dignity whatsoever, Valko launched himself after you, pouncing onto the bed with all the unrestrained enthusiasm of an oversized puppy who’d finally found his favorite person after being apart for far too long. His weight sent the mattress bouncing beneath both of you, and your laughter blended together until it echoed warmly through the quiet guest room.

Then, thunk. His prominent brow bone collided squarely with your forehead. The impact wasn’t hard enough to hurt either of you badly, but it was more than enough to make both of you recoil at the exact same moment.

“Ow!” You complained in perfect unison, laughter immediately dissolving into identical grimaces as your hands flew to your foreheads. The ridiculous timing of it only made the whole thing funnier, and even through the brief sting, you could already feel another fit of laughter threatening to bubble right back out.

Just as the two of you were recovering from the self-inflicted collision, a chorus of tiny footsteps came thundering down the hallway outside. The rapid patter against the hardwood grew louder by the second, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of excited little voices bouncing off the walls.

“Cous?? Helloooo??”

“Uncle?? Are you in heeeeere??”

Both of you froze. Your laughter died in your throat so quickly it almost caught there, and before you could even think to react, Valko’s large, warm hand gently settled over your mouth. His eyes met yours for only a brief moment, silently asking you to stay still. You nodded ever so slightly beneath his palm as the room fell completely quiet around you. Outside the bedroom door, the tiny footsteps stopped. His family was made up of werewolves. Even the children possessed senses that put your own completely to shame. You held your breath without meaning to, listening as the little voices lowered into conspiring whispers just outside the door.

“Can you smell him?”

“Yeah,” another little voice answered with complete confidence, “he’s in here!”

Valko closed his eyes for the briefest second before letting out the quietest sigh through his nose. His free hand came up to pinch the bridge of his crooked dorsal hump with the kind of long-suffering resignation that suggested this was far from the first time he’d been tracked down by a determined pack of children. When he opened his eyes again, he looked back at you and silently mouthed the words, “my niece…”

You had to bite the inside of your cheek to keep from laughing. A tiny fist knocked enthusiastically against the door.

“Uncle!! Can you come play?” His niece called through the wood with all the earnest determination only a child could possess, “you said you’d give me another piggy back ride!”

The corners of Valko’s mouth twitched despite himself. You felt the amused breath escape behind his hand before he reluctantly peeled it away from your lips, raising his voice just enough for it to carry through the closed door.

“Uncle’s busy!” He called back, warmth and apology woven together in his voice, “I’ll give ya piggy back rides later…”

A thoughtful little silence followed.

Then another tiny voice spoke up.

“Well—…What about Auntie Y/n??”

Your heart melted. The nickname was still so new that hearing it caught you completely off guard. The children had only started calling you that today, gradually adopting it one after another as the afternoon wore on and they became more comfortable with you. Every time one of them had said it, it had sent a little flutter through your chest, and somehow hearing it now, through the bedroom door, made it feel even sweeter. Before you had the chance to answer, Valko was already smiling to himself.

“Auntie Y/n and I are really tired,” he replied, effortlessly coming to your rescue before you could even open your mouth, “we’re gonna take a quick nap. Why don’t you kids go play in the pool already? It’s nice and sunny!”

A collective chorus of disappointed groans rose from the other side of the bedroom door, followed by a reluctant scattering of tiny voices mumbling half-hearted agreements. You listened as the little pack slowly gave up their search, their footsteps shuffling down the hallway before gradually breaking into a run. A second later, the sound of them thundered down the staircase in a stampede of laughter and excited chatter, already arguing about whatever game had captured their attention next. Children really did move on that quickly. One moment they were determined to hunt Valko down, and the next they’d completely forgotten the last ten seconds ever happened.

You found yourself watching the pair of auburn wolf ears still perched atop his head as they remained angled attentively toward the door, twitching ever so slightly while he listened to the retreating footsteps. They rotated with remarkable precision, tracking the children all the way down the hall, down the stairs, and finally back outside into the backyard. Only when the last traces of their voices disappeared into the distant chorus of the birthday party did his ears visibly relax, the tension leaving them as they settled naturally again. He let out a long, quiet sigh of relief, and you couldn’t help smiling to yourself as the weight seemed to melt from his wide shoulders all at once.

“Told ya I can’t get a break,” he said with a lazy, tired smile, amusement softening every word as his fingers absentmindedly slipped into your hair.

He brushed a few loose strands back from your face with the gentlest touch, his thumb lingering briefly against your temple before his hand settled comfortably along the side of your head. His eyes rested on you with that familiar warmth that always seemed to quiet the rest of the world, “see, this is why I’m always passing up all these family reunions and I just show up to the important ones. It’s not because of you. It’s ’cause I hate all the small talk with the adults and eventually I start getting a headache from all the kids screaming and running around.”

You believed him. There had been a time, early on in your relationship, when you’d quietly convinced yourself he kept you away from his family because he was ashamed, or not taking you seriously. It had seemed like the obvious conclusion. A werewolf clan wasn’t exactly the place you’d ever imagined belonging, and you’d spent longer than you’d ever admit wondering whether bringing you around would somehow embarrass him or complicate his standing within the Ao family.

Over time, though, you’d come to understand how wrong you’d been. It had never been about shame. It had never been about hiding you. If anything stood between the two of you and the approval of certain members of his family, it wasn’t shame; it was tradition. Old expectations. Old rules. Generations of customs that insisted things should be done a certain way simply because they’d always been done that way.

And Valko…Valko simply didn’t care. He respected his elders, but he refused to let them dictate the course of his own life. He’d made that abundantly clear from the very beginning. Whatever opinions they held, whatever expectations they carried, none of them had ever outweighed what he wanted. And what he wanted was you. Not because biology had declared you his genetically chosen mate. Not because instinct demanded it. Not because fate had handed you to him. He wanted you because somewhere along the way he’d fallen hopelessly, unapologetically in love with the woman lying beneath him. Every teasing laugh, every stubborn argument, every quiet conversation, every moment you’d shared had become another reason for him to choose you again and again with complete certainty.

Bringing you here today hadn’t been an obligation. It had been a statement.nHe hadn’t invited you to a quiet dinner where only a handful of relatives would see you. He’d brought you straight into the middle of a children’s birthday party, surrounded by nearly the entire family, and held your hand through every room, every introduction, and every curious glance without the slightest hesitation. He’d carried you through the house in broad daylight, wrapped his arm around your waist whenever he pleased, and looked at you with the same unguarded affection whether anyone was watching or not. He wasn’t trying to provoke anyone. He simply refused to pretend you were anything less than the woman he loved.

Even if a few of his grandparents had barely acknowledged him throughout the afternoon. Even if some relatives had kept their distance. Even if the older generation still struggled to reconcile centuries of tradition with the path he’d chosen. None of it changed the way he looked at you. You wore the ring he’d given you; a piece anyone connected to the Ao clan or EonCore Tech would recognize immediately, and his familiar scent always lingered softly on your clothes, your skin, your hair from the countless little embraces and kisses he’d steal. Every quiet gesture spoke for itself.

You had never wanted to come between him and his family. You’d spent months hoping you wouldn’t become a source of tension, never wanting to be the reason old wounds or disagreements surfaced. But Valko had never once wavered. He had made his choice long ago.

“I know, honey,” you murmured, and this time you meant it with complete sincerity.

A soft smile warmed your face as you looked up at him, feeling the rough pad of his thumb drift gently across your lower lip with a tenderness that made your chest ache. There was something so effortlessly affectionate about the way he touched you, as though every little caress was second nature, every brush of his fingers another quiet reminder that he was happiest whenever the two of you were close.

You reached up and cupped the warm strength of his neck between your palms, your fingers disappearing into the soft auburn hair at his nape as you gently pulled him down to you. He met you halfway. Your lips found his, and the kiss immediately deepened. It wasn’t hurried or desperate. It was slow, warm, and full of everything neither of you needed to say aloud. You could feel the quiet gratitude in the way he kissed you, the lingering appreciation for stealing this little pocket of peace away from the noise downstairs. His lips lingered against yours before he reluctantly drew back just enough to look you over, his golden eyes tracing your face with unmistakable fondness.

With another contented sigh, he carefully lowered himself over you, instinctively supporting most of his weight on his forearms so he wouldn’t crush you beneath his much larger frame. You immediately disagreed. Your arms tightened around him, fingers curling into the powerful muscles of his back as you tugged him closer, silently asking for more of him than he intended to give.

Valko let out a quiet, amused breath through his nose before finally surrendering, relaxing the rest of his considerable weight into you until his broad chest settled fully against yours. The plush mattress welcomed the both of you as his six-foot-two frame comfortably flattened you beneath him, pressing a soft breath from your lungs in the most satisfying way imaginable. You adored moments like this. The sheer size of him surrounding you, the solid warmth of his body blanketing yours, and the comforting heaviness of his embrace made you feel impossibly small beneath him in a way that sent a quiet flutter through your chest. He was built like a wall of warm muscle, and you shamelessly loved every ounce of it.

Apparently, so did he. His face disappeared into the crook of your neck as though he couldn’t get close enough, his nose nudging gently against your skin before he began nuzzling you with slow, contented affection. You felt each deep inhale ghost warmly across your throat as he breathed you in again and again, almost greedily, covering you with his familiar woodsy scent while surrounding himself with yours until they mingled together so completely that they became impossible to separate. A weak little giggle escaped you as you tilted your head to give him easier access, smiling at the way he seemed intent on filling his lungs with nothing but you.

Your own hands wandered lazily across the broad landscape of his naked back, savoring the shifting strength beneath warm skin as your fingertips traced familiar paths over powerful shoulders before drifting lower. Eventually, they found the faint ridges of healing scratches you’d left behind the night before, and your touch instinctively softened as you followed each tiny mark with absentminded affection. The memory of how they’d gotten there lingered pleasantly in the back of your mind, drawing another quiet smile to your lips as your palms continued exploring every broad inch of the man comfortably draped over you.

Somewhere in the middle of simply holding each other, you became aware of another subtle change. A growing firmness rested lightly against the inside of your thigh through the snug fabric of his briefs, almost tentative at first before becoming a little more noticeable each time he sighed contentedly against your neck. It wasn’t hurried, nor was it demanding. It felt like the quiet, instinctive response of a man who loved being close to you, whose body had always been as honest as his heart. The warmth of your embrace, the lingering kisses, your wandering hands, the comfort of finally escaping the noise downstairs, and the simple intimacy of lying tangled together were more than enough to stir him, and you couldn’t help smiling to yourself as you felt his cock slowly growing harder against your leg.

It never seemed to take very much. Sometimes all Valko needed was the chance to hold you, breathe you in, and melt into your arms before his body quietly betrayed just how deeply every little touch, every shared breath, and every ounce of closeness affected him.

“Let’s get inside,” he said then, pushing himself up off you with an easy smile.

You both reached for the blankets together, peeling them back before slipping beneath the cool, silky sheets. The fabric glided pleasantly against your warm skin, a welcome contrast to the lingering Spring warmth outside, though neither of you bothered pulling the comforter any higher than your legs. There was hardly any point when Valko radiated enough warmth to rival the afternoon sun itself. He had always been your own personal furnace, and before you’d even fully settled into the mattress, you already knew exactly how the two of you would end up.

You rolled comfortably onto your side, smiling to yourself as he instinctively followed. Just like always, he gathered you into him from behind. His broad, bare chest molded against your back as he gently pulled you closer until there wasn’t the slightest bit of space left between your bodies. The sheer size of him seemed to swallow you whole in the safest way imaginable, his six-foot-two frame naturally enveloping yours until it felt less like being held and more like disappearing into the warmth of a living, breathing blanket. One heavy arm settled snugly around your waist, drawing you flush against him with lazy possessiveness, while his other slipped beneath your neck before curling over your shoulder. His large hand came to rest against your bare upper arm, and his fingertips began tracing slow, absentminded circles over your skin so delicately that a pleasant trail of goosebumps bloomed in their wake.

You sighed softly, completely giving in to him. When he lazily nudged one long leg between yours, you welcomed it without a second thought, letting yourself sink farther back against the familiar shape of his body until you fit together as naturally as two puzzle pieces. The steady rise and fall of his breathing warmed the back of your neck, his heartbeat thumped gently against your spine, and the faint scent of sunshine, fresh air, and his woodsy cologne wrapped comfortably around you. The two of you let out quiet sighs at almost the exact same moment, your bodies relaxing together as every lingering ounce of tension melted away beneath the comforting tangle of blankets, limbs, and familiar affection.

“This is the fucking life,” he murmured happily behind you, his deep voice rumbling sleepily through his chest and vibrating pleasantly against your back, “the sun’s shining…Birds are chirping…Pups are playing outside screaming their little heads off…”

A quiet laugh escaped you as you melted farther into his embrace, instinctively snuggling closer until there wasn’t the slightest space left between your bodies. You arched ever so slightly, pressing your back more firmly against the broad warmth of his chest, and the contented little squeeze that immediately answered from his arms told you he’d been hoping you’d do exactly that. His embrace tightened around your waist with sleepy affection, holding you as though the simple act of keeping you close was as necessary as breathing.

It was impossible not to notice the growing firmness resting against the curve of your ass through the thin layers of your underwear and his briefs. It nestled there naturally, warm and unmistakable, not demanding anything of you so much as quietly betraying how profoundly he responded to nothing more than lying tangled together like this. It made you smile. Valko had always been hopelessly honest with his body, and somehow that vulnerability only made moments like these feel all the more intimate.

Everything around you seemed to settle into a peaceful rhythm. You felt him breathe you in again. His nose buried itself against the side of your neck, drawing another long, slow inhale that lingered until it filled his lungs completely, and the arm around your waist tightened almost unconsciously. His large hand wandered over your bare skin with slow, absentminded affection, kneading your hip and side as though he wished he could somehow mold you even closer to him. It was never enough. No matter how close you already were, he always seemed to crave another inch, another touch, another breath of you, and there was something undeniably endearing about how unapologetically clingy he became whenever the two of you were finally alone.

Truthfully…You couldn’t get enough of him either. The slow rhythm of his breathing against the back of your neck sent pleasant shivers dancing beneath your skin, every warm exhale making the fine hairs along your arms stand on end. His steady heartbeat pulsed comfortably against your back while the comforting heat of his much larger body wrapped around you like another blanket, coaxing you into melting even farther into his embrace. Without even thinking about it, you arched your spine just enough to nestle yourself more snugly against him, pushing the soft curve of your ass back into the warmth of his groin.

The quiet little movement earned an immediate response. He let out the faintest contented breath against your neck as his hips instinctively followed yours, smothering himself flush against you until there wasn’t the slightest space left between your bodies, “God, c’mere…”

You almost shuddered at the syrupy mutter by your ear. The growing firmness beneath the thin fabric of his briefs settled naturally against you, warm and unmistakable, while his large hand slipped lower to your hip, kneading the bare skin there with slow, possessive affection before giving you a lingering squeeze that drew you even closer. He seemed almost desperate to erase the last traces of distance between you, holding you as though no amount of closeness would ever truly satisfy him, and the quiet need in that simple gesture sent another wave of warmth unfurling low inside you.

The quiet intimacy lingered for another heartbeat before you felt him shift. He rose just enough behind you for his face to find your ear, and a ticklish giggle escaped you as the gentle scrape of his fangs caught your earlobe in the lightest teasing nip. The playful bite was immediately soothed by the softness of his lips, which barely brushed beneath your ear before trailing feather-light along the curve of your jaw. Every lingering kiss sent another pleasant shiver racing down your spine, and warmth slowly unfurled low in your stomach as you relaxed beneath the quiet affection of his touch.

He lingered there for a moment, breathing you in once more before speaking in that warm, shameless voice of his, so close that the words ghosted across your skin, “babe…Can I put it in you?”

You let out an exaggerated little gasp, twisting just enough within the warmth of his embrace to glance back over your shoulder. Your eyes met his heavy-lidded golden gaze, watching it slowly travel over your face with that familiar mixture of tender affection and shameless need that always made your stomach flutter. He looked thoroughly intoxicated by you already, and the quiet yearning softening his features somehow made the enormous werewolf behind you seem impossibly sweet despite the unmistakable heat simmering beneath the surface.

“At your family’s house?” You chided softly, “Valko…”

“Please?” He pleaded, his voice dropping into that warm, hopeful murmur that always surfaced whenever he wanted something from you badly enough to stop pretending he had any dignity. His fingertips were already wandering lazily over the curve of your hip, stroking slow circles into your bare skin before slipping lower to trace the elastic band of your panties with featherlight affection that made your skin pebble beneath his touch, “it’s ot like either of us are gonna make a ruckus, I just wanna be inside you…”

God. He could be so unbelievably, endearingly pathetic. The quiet honesty in his voice melted whatever teasing resistance you’d been pretending to have left. Smiling to yourself, you reached down between your thighs and hooked your thumbs beneath the waistband of your panties, slowly easing them down over your hips. Valko barely let you do any of the work before his large hands eagerly joined yours, helping guide the fabric over the swell of your ass with unmistakable impatience, though every touch somehow remained impossibly gentle. The thin material slipped down to your thighs, bunching there while his eyes lingered shamelessly on the newly exposed curve of your body, drinking you in with the kind of appreciation that always made heat bloom through your chest.

His turn came just as quickly. He hooked his own briefs down his hips, impatiently shoving them past his thighs before stubbornly kicking the tangled fabric somewhere toward the foot of the bed without bothering to look where they landed. The quiet huff of determination it took to free himself made you smile to yourself, because even now, when all he wanted was to hold you, Valko still somehow managed to be adorably clumsy.

His hand returned to you immediately. It settled warmly against the small of your back before gliding lower, encouraging rather than forcing as you instinctively arched away from his chest. You gave him exactly what he was silently asking for, lifting your hips just enough for your lower back to curve while he kept your ass aligned with him. The position tilted your pelvis backward, leaving your pussy presented beautifully behind you, and the stretch through your body felt surprisingly good as his broad palm lingered there, proudly admiring the view you’d given him.

A quiet breath escaped your lips. You were already soaked. You could feel it yourself before he ever touched you. Behind you, his cock had grown fully hard from nothing more than holding you, breathing you in, and feeling your body melt against his, and the moment he finally guided himself closer, you felt the warm, heavy head of his cock drag slowly through the slickness gathered between your folds. He didn’t rush it. He simply traced himself along your wet pussy from behind with agonizing patience, coating himself in you with one slow, deliberate glide that made your breath catch in your throat. The intimate drag of him against your slick heat sent a delicious shiver rolling through your spine, and you couldn’t help arching a little farther into him, silently inviting more as he breathed out a quiet, satisfied sigh against the back of your neck.

“You’re wet,” he whispered with delight, carefully aligning himself behind you.

“Mm…” You answered lazily, your voice soft with contentment as you reached back and cupped one side of your ass, gently pulling yourself open to give the monstrosity you knew his cock was the room it always demanded.

It was a familiar ritual by now. No matter how many times the two of you had made love, the sheer size of him still required patience, your body instinctively preparing itself to welcome something so much larger than you. You felt the warm, velvety head of his cock nudge teasingly between your slick folds, gathering another slow coating of your arousal before he eased himself forward. The pressure built gradually, deliciously, until the thick crown finally breached your tight entrance, stretching you open around him with an intimate fullness that drew matching gasps from both of you. Your eyes fluttered shut as your walls instinctively hugged him, slowly yielding inch by inch while your body greedily welcomed him deeper, the delicious ache blooming through your hips and lower belly in a way that made your toes curl beneath the sheets.

Instinct took over before you even thought about it. Your hand reached back to grip his powerful forearm where it rested behind you, your fingers squeezing hard enough to feel the firm muscle shift beneath your palm as you quietly braced yourself for the seemingly endless stretch of him. He entered you with painstaking patience, letting your body accommodate every thick inch instead of rushing, his breathing growing slower and heavier against the back of your neck while your pussy fluttered and tightened around him, drawing him farther inside with every shallow breath you took.

The steady pressure only continued until, at last, his chiseled hips settled flush against the soft curve of your ass, burying themselves there with a slow, indulgent smother that left you feeling impossibly full. His free hand immediately sought your hip, gripping it with just enough firmness to ground himself against the overwhelming relief of finally being where he’d wanted to be, and a warm sigh escaped him into your hair before he leaned down to press a lingering kiss against the crown of your head. The tender little gesture sent a trail of goosebumps dancing down your spine, the contrast between his immense size and his quiet affection making your heart swell just as much as your body.

For a long moment, neither of you moved. You simply felt him. You felt the slow, steady pulse of his cock buried so deeply inside you that every faint throb reverberated through your sensitive walls, and your own body answered with involuntary little squeezes that seemed to make him melt all over again. The room had fallen wonderfully still around the two of you. The sounds outside drifted through the room like distant echoes while the two of you remained tucked safely beneath the cool sheets, hidden away in your own quiet world.

Valko gathered you even closer without a word. His hips gave a few absentminded little nudges, not real thrusts so much as sleepy, instinctive attempts to smother himself impossibly deeper, as though his body simply refused to accept that there could still be even the slightest space between you. Every tiny movement coaxed another delicious wave of fullness through you, making you unconsciously press your ass back into him while he held you tighter, his broad chest rising and falling comfortably against your back.

Eventually, the restlessness melted completely out of him. A happy little hum rumbled deep within his chest as his large hands began wandering once more, mapping your body with slow, affectionate reverence. His palms drifted over your waist, your stomach, your hips, your arms, memorizing every familiar curve as though he still hadn’t quite convinced himself you were real. No matter how many times he touched you, it never seemed enough. He loved you with his hands just as much as with his words, constantly seeking reassurance through closeness, through warmth, through simple contact.

A long, contented sigh escaped him. He draped himself lazily over you again, his heavy body settling comfortably around yours until you were wrapped once more beneath the comforting weight of his embrace. The tension gradually drained from his muscles as the peaceful afternoon worked its quiet spell over him, and after several slow, sleepy breaths, you felt the firm pulse of him nestled inside you begin to soften ever so slightly, his body relaxing completely now that he’d found exactly where he’d wanted to be all along.

“Thank you…” He whispered, his voice warm with sleepy contentment as he nuzzled into the crown of your head and pressed another lingering kiss into your hair. His arms tightened around you almost imperceptibly while he breathed you in with another quiet sigh, “man, I’ll take this over piggyback rides any day.”

A soft, drowsy laugh escaped you, the sound muffled against the pillow as you settled more comfortably into the comforting weight of his embrace. His body still surrounded yours completely, warm and heavy in the most reassuring way imaginable, his chest rising and falling slowly against your back while the steady rhythm of his breathing threatened to lull you toward sleep.

“I mean,” you murmured with amused innocence, “I think most men would prefer pussy over kids steering them around by the hair. Right, Uncle Valko?”

The laugh that burst out of him rumbled deliciously through his chest, vibrating straight through your back where you remained tucked safely against him. His whole body seemed to shake with quiet amusement, and you couldn’t help smiling as the sound wrapped around you just as comfortably as his arms did.

“That’s a good point,” he admitted between chuckles, giving your waist another absentminded squeeze as though he couldn’t help himself, “hopefully by now they’re all bugging their parents.”

He let out a contented sigh before burying his face against your hair again.

“I’m on permanent do-not-disturb,” he murmured warmly.

“And what if they come up here again?” You asked, turning just enough in his embrace to glance back at him over your shoulder.

His expression softened immediately when your eyes met. One of his hands slipped from your waist to your face, his broad palm cradling your cheek while his fingers lovingly swept a few loose strands of hair behind your ear. His fingertips lingered there, gently combing through your hair before slowly raking across your scalp in a way that sent pleasant little shivers dancing down your neck. He smiled at you with that impossibly fond look that always made it seem as though there wasn’t another person in the world worth looking at.

“I’ll call their parents and explain that I’m busy with a certain some—”

Your elbow found his ribs before he could finish.

“Ow!” He yelped, immediately grabbing your forearm with exaggerated offense while a laugh threatened to betray him all over again, “kidding, babe. Damn. Relax.”

You couldn’t stop the satisfied smile spreading across your face, “good.”

Turning back toward the pillow, you nestled comfortably against him once more, deliberately tugging his arm tighter around yourself until there wasn’t an inch of distance left between your bodies. You pulled his hand beneath your cheek, using his warm palm as an absurdly comfortable pillow while your fingers curled around his wrist in an affectionate hug. He didn’t protest in the slightest. If anything, he looked entirely pleased to have become part of your bed.

“I’ll fucking kill you if you do,” you mock threatened.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s what you always say, Hunter Girl,” he teased, a lazy smile spreading across his face as he playfully pinched your cheek between his fingers. Before you could retaliate, he leaned over you to nuzzle affectionately against the side of your face, pressing a lingering kiss to the cheek closest to him before rubbing his nose lightly against your skin, “you can’t get rid of me even if you tried. We’re bound together forever, destined to fight to the death to protect our kin.”

A quiet, weary sigh slipped from your lips, though it carried more thought than exasperation as you stared toward the sunlight spilling softly through the sheer curtains, “…You really think it’ll always be that way, with werewolves and humans?”

You felt him grow a little quieter behind you. His smile didn’t disappear, but it softened into something gentler, something touched by the weight of reality as he let out a slow breath against your hair.

“…I think we’re making a big step together towards a brighter, more peaceful future,” his voice dropped just enough that you could hear the conviction beneath it, warm and steady against your ear, “a great example that not everyone’s bad. Not everyone’s an enemy or prey.”

He paused for a moment, his thumb absentmindedly stroking the back of your hand where your fingers remained wrapped around his wrist.

“But…I’d be lying if I told you it’s enough to change centuries worth of bloodbaths overnight. That’s gonna take years and years, if it even happens…” He sighed quietly, the sound carrying a sadness that wasn’t hopeless so much as accepting, “…And if it does, we won’t be around to see that kind of future. We’ll be long dead.”

The words settled heavily inside your chest. Not crushing. Just… Bittersweet.

The peaceful warmth of the room suddenly felt a little more fragile as your thoughts drifted farther ahead than they usually allowed themselves to go. You pictured decades slipping by, generations living lives neither of you would ever witness, and for a moment it became painfully clear just how small a single lifetime really was. The realization made your fingers tighten instinctively around his forearm, holding him a little more firmly as though you could somehow anchor both of you to the present.

He noticed immediately. Of course he did. Without saying another word, Valko shifted even closer until more of his considerable weight settled comfortably over you. His broad chest molded more completely against your back while his arms tightened around your waist in a slow, protective squeeze, surrounding you until you were completely enveloped in his warmth. He buried his face beside yours, brushing his nose affectionately along your cheek before pressing another lingering kiss there, his lips warm and impossibly gentle.

“It’s okay, don’t overthink it,” he murmured softly, his deep voice vibrating through his chest where it rested against your back.

He hugged you tighter, every ounce of his affection poured into the quiet strength of his embrace as though he wished he could physically shield you from worries that hadn’t even happened yet.

“Look at it this way. Whether everyone around us likes it or not, we’ll go down in history,” a faint smile returned to his voice, “we’ll carve a path that hopefully future generations can follow. Even though we won’t be around to see it, maybe our kids will. Or maybe their kids will.”

“…Yeah,” you whispered.

Your eyes drifted toward the sunlight stretching across the floor as your thoughts wandered somewhere beyond the quiet guest room, beyond the birthday party still carrying on outside, and beyond the comfortable peace the two of you had stolen for yourselves that afternoon. You found yourself imagining a future neither of you could fully predict, one filled with difficult choices, impossible expectations, and countless battles that had nothing to do with claws or weapons. Loving each other had never been the hard part. It was everything surrounding that love that would test you, and deep down you knew the resistance you’d faced so far had barely scratched the surface. This was only the beginning.

Valko let out a quiet, bittersweet laugh behind you, the sound rumbling softly through his chest where it rested against your back. His arms remained comfortably wrapped around your waist, holding you close as though he couldn’t imagine spending a single second any farther away from you than this.

“Hey…” He whispered, his voice carrying that familiar mixture of warmth and melancholy, “fate’s a bitch, ain’t it?”

A quiet laugh puffed out through your nose as your fingers instinctively curled around the large hand resting beneath your cheek. His palm had long since become your pillow, warm and solid against the cool silk of the pillowcase, and you gave it an absentminded squeeze as you smiled to yourself.

“It really is,” you sighed softly, “why did it have to be you?”

He simply shrugged, though you felt the movement ripple through the broad wall of muscle pressed against your back.

“Who knows?” He answered easily, “maybe we’re meant to be the people who make a meaningful change. Maybe that’s why both of us evolved from the same primordial soup under the same circumstances. ‘Cause we’re meant to be together.”

He paused for only a heartbeat before a quiet chuckle escaped him.

“Hell…I feel lucky, honestly,” he admit, “not every werewolf finds his or her mate in life. Some never do. Most never do.”

Your brows drew together. You turned just enough within his embrace to look back at him, your head resting comfortably against his broad chest as surprise flickered across your face, “wait, really?”

“Well, yeah,” he replied, blinking at you as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, “I mean…What are the chances? With how many living beings inhabit the planet?”

He let out a quiet breath through his nose, shaking his head with a small, disbelieving smile.

“It’s damn near impossible to find your mate. Your true mate. Not just someone that smells good to you, but the person who smells like your missing half,” his thumb slowly stroked across the back of your hand while he spoke, absentmindedly tracing the same comforting path over and over, “so a lot of us settle. Just like humans do. We have a lot in common when it comes to partnership…But that’s one thing that sets us apart.”

His smile grew softer.

“I knew it was you the moment I smelled you for the first time,” the corners of his mouth twitched upward with amusement, “I mean, granted, you decked me in the fucking face and it was hate at first sight…”

A hearty laugh burst out of you before you could stop it, the memory replaying so vividly in your mind that you could practically feel the sting in your knuckles all over again. Back then, Valko hadn’t been the warm, affectionate man wrapped around you beneath cool sheets on a peaceful Spring afternoon. He’d been the enemy. The infuriating, arrogant werewolf standing directly in your way. You’d wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, and judging by the black eye you’d happily given him that day, your feelings had been made abundantly clear.

Life had a twisted sense of humor. Out of everyone in the world…It had paired the two of you together. Valko watched you laugh for another moment, his expression growing impossibly tender as though seeing you smile like that was reward enough for every hardship the two of you had endured to reach this point. He reached up with his free hand and gave your cheek another gentle pinch, his fingertips lingering there affectionately before cupping your face.

“But…” His voice grew quieter, steadier, every word carrying the weight of complete certainty as he searched your eyes, “I love you. Not just ’cause of biology.”

His thumb brushed slowly across your cheek, and the small smile he wore was so genuine it almost made your chest ache.

“I really do love you, Y/n,” he enforced.

You smiled back up at him, warmth blooming through your chest at the quiet sincerity in his eyes, unable to stop your own smile from growing a little softer in return, “I love you too, Val…Even with how punchable of a face you have.”

A hearty, genuine laugh burst out of him, rich and unrestrained, the sound vibrating pleasantly through the broad chest pressed against your back. His large hand rose to cradle your face, gently scooping your cheek into his warm palm before he leaned in to steal another kiss. His lips lingered against yours for a moment before brushing your nose with his own in an affectionate little nuzzle. You smiled against his mouth, your heart feeling impossibly full.

It was true. You loved him more deeply than you ever thought yourself capable of loving another person. Somewhere between becoming allies, becoming friends, and eventually becoming lovers, Valko had woven himself so thoroughly into the fabric of your life that you could no longer picture where yours ended and his began. You craved his company before anyone else’s. You laughed until your stomach hurt because of him. You trusted him with every vulnerable piece of yourself, and somewhere along the way, he’d begun trusting you just as completely with every vulnerable piece of himself.

Together, you’d become something steady, something unshakable despite every obstacle that had tried to tear you apart. He was your safe place after every difficult day, your greatest comfort, your loudest laugh, your strongest shoulder, your fiercest protector, and somehow also the man who needed you just as much as you needed him. You genuinely couldn’t imagine walking through the rest of your life without him so deeply intertwined with your own.

The quiet guest room seemed to breathe around the two of you as you settled back into the peaceful tangle of limbs beneath the cool silk sheets. The world beyond the room continued moving without you, but inside these four walls, time itself seemed content to slow. Neither of you spoke again for a while. You simply existed together. His fingertips continued their slow, absentminded journey across your hip, tracing gentle circles that buzzed pleasantly beneath your skin until you hovered somewhere between wakefulness and sleep.

Every lazy caress coaxed another contented sigh from your chest, your body relaxing more completely into the familiar weight surrounding you. At some point, your bra disappeared beneath the blankets with quiet, sleepy cooperation, neither of you even remembering who had reached for the clasp first, and not long afterward you lazily nudged your panties down the rest of your legs with absentminded little kicks until they vanished beneath the cool sheets alongside his discarded briefs.

Still…Neither of you actually fell asleep. You drifted. Half dreaming. Half awake. Wrapped so comfortably around one another that every slow breath, every heartbeat, and every tiny movement blurred together into a comforting haze. Valko’s hand never stopped wandering. It continued exploring you with the same quiet affection it always had, molding naturally to the curve of your hip before gliding over your waist, your stomach, your thigh, your arm, never lingering long enough to feel intentional and yet never quite settling anywhere else either. It was simply the way he loved you. He loved with touch. With closeness. With quiet reassurance that you were there, safe beneath his hands, and every slow pass of his broad palm seemed to say everything words no longer needed to.

Eventually, your own hand found his. Without opening your eyes, you gently curled your fingers around his larger hand and guided it higher, settling his warm palm over the soft fullness of your bosom while you remained curled comfortably on your side against him. The position naturally pressed your breasts together beneath his broad hand, and the contrast between his calloused skin and your softer warmth sent a pleasant shiver through you. His fingers flexed almost instinctively as they rested there, the rough pads grazing lightly across your sensitive nipples while his palm molded comfortably to your body. The gentle contact lingered, unhurried and familiar, and before long you found yourself becoming increasingly aware of every subtle stroke, every tiny shift of his hand, and every quiet sensation blooming beneath his touch until the simple intimacy of being held like this began stirring something warm and restless deep inside you once again.

Apparently…It was doing something to Valko as well. You felt it before you saw any other sign of it. The comfortable fullness of him nestled inside you gradually changed, the soft warmth slowly firming as his cock began to swell again within the welcoming confines of your body. A quiet, satisfied sigh escaped your lips as you felt him throb, each slow pulse spreading deliciously through your sensitive walls while he steadily hardened, growing more solid with every passing heartbeat. At nearly the same moment, his thumb lazily swept across your nipple in one slow, indulgent stroke, the rough pad of his fingertip grazing the sensitive peak just enough to coax a pleasant shiver from the base of your spine.

Oh…Your stomach fluttered. Was this really heading where you thought it was? It was. God…It absolutely was. Without either of you speaking a single word, his broad hand slowly drifted away from your breasts, lingering over the soft curve of your body as it traced a leisurely path down your stomach. His palm molded comfortably against your waist before continuing lower until it reached your thigh. His touch remained unhurried, almost absentminded in its tenderness, yet there was unmistakable purpose beneath every movement. Gently, he guided your upper leg a little higher over his own, subtly adjusting the way your bodies fit together until your hips naturally opened beneath the warmth of his embrace. The new angle exposed you more fully to him, and his fingertips began the slow climb back up the inside of your thigh.

Every inch of skin they crossed seemed to wake beneath his touch. His fingers wandered higher with infuriating patience, featherlight against your warm flesh until they finally brushed your slick clit. The contact was so gentle it almost wasn’t there. Almost. A slow, buzzing warmth unfurled through your lower belly, making your breath catch as a delicious current rippled upward through your body. You instinctively tightened around him, your walls fluttering in response to the sensation, and the involuntary squeeze drew a warm sigh from Valko as he answered with a slow, appreciative press of his hips. He settled himself just a fraction deeper, the quiet movement accompanied by another contented breath that spilled warmly into your hair.

Nothing needed to be said. You understood each other far too well for words. You simply lifted your leg a little higher against him, silently giving his large hand more room to move. He accepted the invitation immediately. His fingertips began tracing slow, practiced circles over your clit, every deliberate stroke measured with the kind of familiarity that only came from loving you as intimately as he did. The rhythm was gentle, patient, almost reverent, while his hips answered in kind. He began moving inside you with the same quiet devotion, drawing himself back only enough to ease forward again in slow, affectionate strokes that let you feel every thick inch gliding through your welcoming warmth. The steady fullness of him filled you so completely that each unhurried movement seemed to melt straight through your body, drawing another soft sound from somewhere deep in your throat as pleasure gradually pooled lower and lower inside you.

Your hand reached back instinctively until your fingers found the sharp contour of his hip, holding onto him while he continued moving with sleepy, contented rhythm. Behind you, his other arm tightened protectively around your upper body, his broad hand spreading across your shoulder as though he couldn’t bear the thought of letting even an inch separate the two of you. His chest remained comfortably molded against your back, every slow thrust carrying the steady warmth of his body with it while his lips occasionally brushed your hair in absentminded kisses.

It wasn’t hurried. It wasn’t desperate. It wasn’t driven by overwhelming urgency. It was slow. Tender. Deeply affectionate. Yet somehow that only made every sensation feel more consuming. His fingers never lost their patient rhythm, circling exactly the way he knew your body liked best after loving you enough times to understand every little reaction before it happened. Every practiced stroke over your sensitive clit blended seamlessly with the languid roll of his hips, each gentle movement feeding into the next until your body responded almost on instinct. Warmth spread through you in slow waves, your breathing growing softer and less steady as pleasure steadily gathered beneath the surface. Your eyes drifted closed, your head relaxing back against his shoulder while the familiar heat coiled lower in your stomach far faster than you expected, tightening with every affectionate touch and every unhurried stroke until it hummed through you with quiet, irresistible intensity.

But Valko was unraveling behind you. Every slow roll of his hips drew another deep, shaky breath from his chest, the sound vibrating warmly along your back before dissolving into the quietest moan. He sounded utterly blissed out, lost somewhere between the lazy rhythm of his cock filling you and the comforting intimacy of simply holding you this close. There wasn’t an ounce of urgency in the way he moved. Every slow, deliberate thrust buried itself into you with indulgent patience, his hips rocking forward until they nestled flush against the soft curve of your ass before easing back only enough to begin the journey all over again. His cock glided through your slick pussy with an intimate fullness that seemed to melt the tension from every muscle in his body, and judging by the contented sounds spilling from his lips, he wasn’t thinking about anything in the world except how impossibly good you felt wrapped around him.

His fingertips, however, told a different story. While his hips remained slow and languid, his fingers had gradually found a quicker rhythm over your clit, each practiced little circle coaxing another pulse of heat through your body until your thighs trembled ever so slightly. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew exactly how your body responded, exactly how to build you higher without ever rushing you there, and the quiet confidence born from loving you so many times only made every touch feel infinitely more intimate.

His breathing grew heavier. Quicker. Needier. The sound alone sent a pleasant shiver racing beneath your skin, every warm inhale brushing the back of your neck before spilling into another unsteady sigh. His entire body seemed to radiate quiet want, surrounding you completely until it felt impossible to tell where your own warmth ended and his began. He tucked himself even closer behind you, his broad chest molding more firmly against your back while his arm instinctively tightened around your upper body, drawing you impossibly deeper into the shelter of his embrace. Then his lips found your ear.

“Oh, fuck…” He breathed, his voice rough with barely restrained pleasure, each word ghosting hotly across your skin, “oh my God…”

His next slow thrust drew another helpless sound from somewhere deep in his chest before he whispered your name with such naked reverence it made your heart skip.

“Y/n…” He breathed hotly, “Y/n, your pussy…”

Your entire body tightened around him. The low, lewd rasp of his voice poured straight into your ear like warm, rich honey, thick with want and so utterly sincere that it stole the breath from your lungs. He had absolutely no right saying your name like that. No right making it sound so treasured, so adored, so devastatingly erotic that every syllable seemed to settle beneath your skin and bloom there. It wasn’t just the words themselves. It was the way he said them, every ounce of need woven openly into his voice without embarrassment or restraint, as though speaking your name while buried inside you was the most honest thing he’d ever done. A pleasant wave of goosebumps rippled across your arms. Your pussy fluttered helplessly around him again.

“Shit,” he groaned, the word slipping out on another shaky breath as his broad hand spread firmly across your stomach, holding you securely against him while his other hand quickened over your clit.

The slow, affectionate rhythm of his hips never faltered, each deep stroke filling you completely before easing away only to sink home again with the same indulgent fullness.

“Baby…” His voice cracked ever so slightly beneath the weight of his own longing, “let me knot you…”

Another slow thrust, another desperate breath against your ear.

“Oh, let me knot you…” His voice lowered with need.

Heat surged violently into your cheeks at his plea, blooming all the way down your neck as the image alone sent another pulse of desire curling low in your stomach. You could already feel the first signs of it happening inside you. His hips pressed more firmly against the curve of your ass from behind, the slow, loving rhythm taking on a deeper, more instinctive urgency as though every part of him was quietly surrendering to something older than thought. His large hand tightened over you without becoming rough, anchoring securely across your stomach, keeping you exactly where he wanted you while the other fingered you. It wasn’t force. It was need. Pure, aching, animal need that poured through every deliberate roll of his hips as he continued rutting into your slick, welcoming pussy with slow, passionate devotion.

You could feel every powerful muscle working beneath his skin. Every flex of his abdomen. Every subtle shift of his hips. Every inch of his body moved yours along with it as he rocked into you, his thick cock gliding so deeply through your pussy that each unhurried thrust seemed to melt another layer of tension from your body. His fingertips never lost their practiced rhythm over your clit, circling with infuriating precision until the mounting pleasure became almost unbearable. The steady, delicious friction coaxed the first involuntary flutter from your tight walls, your pussy squeezing him so suddenly and so completely that a broken groan escaped his throat behind you.

“You’re so close…”

The sound alone sent another rush of heat through you. You felt him throb harder inside you. Then you felt something else. The unmistakable swell gathering at the base of his cock began to press more insistently past your entrance, gradually growing thicker with every slow, deep stroke. It made his rhythm change almost without him realizing it. He stopped drawing himself as far back, each thrust becoming shorter, deeper, more possessive than the last as though his body had already decided it wasn’t letting you go anywhere. Every roll of his hips buried him until he met that delicious resistance, his cock settling into a depth that made your breath catch as the growing knot teased insistently at your body. The sensation alone sent your thoughts spinning, your stomach burning hotter and hotter with every passing second while his thumb continued rubbing slow circles over your swollen clit with unwavering devotion.

You were trembling now. Your thighs quivered. Tiny, helpless twitches rippled through your body as pleasure steadily tightened lower and lower inside you, your breathing dissolving into soft, broken whispers while his strong arms held you securely through every shudder. You could barely keep still. Every affectionate thrust, every slow grind of his hips, every practiced stroke of his fingers coaxed another helpless squeeze from your pussy around his cock until you weren’t sure whether you were clinging to him or simply falling apart in his arms. Your nails dug into his forearms without thinking, holding onto the solid strength beneath your fingertips as though he were the only thing keeping you grounded while the tightening coil inside your belly wound itself impossibly tighter.

“Do it,” you urged, your voice escaping in nothing more than a breathless whisper, every word trembling with anticipation as you surrendered completely to the overwhelming warmth building inside you., “w-want you to knot me like last night…”

Your lifted thigh finally gave out beneath the mounting intensity, dropping back down as your legs instinctively squeezed together around his wrist. The movement trapped his hand exactly where you needed it most, and before you were even consciously aware of what you were doing, your hips began helplessly rocking against his palm. You shamelessly humped the steady pressure of his hand, chasing every practiced circle of his fingertips over your swollen clit while he answered with growing desperation of his own. His touch became just a little quicker, just a little firmer, every stroke perfectly familiar after loving you enough times to know precisely what your body begged for when you were this close. At last, heaven graced you.

The tightening coil inside your stomach snapped. Pleasure exploded through you in a blinding wave of white-hot ecstasy that stole every coherent thought from your mind. Your entire body seized in his embrace as your pussy clamped down around his thick cock, fluttering violently while your back arched into the broad wall of his chest. A helpless cry tried to tear its way out of you, but Valko’s free hand rose immediately to cover your mouth, his warm palm gently muffling every broken sound as you trembled uncontrollably against him.

“Cumming,” you cried breathlessly into his hand, your voice dissolving into desperate little whimpers as each pulse of pleasure rolled through you harder than the last, “I’m cumming, Val…I’m cumming, I’m cumming…”

“C-cum on it,” he practically growled, his voice rough, tight, and trembling with overwhelming bliss as he shuddered once, then again, his entire body quaking against yours, “fuck yeah…Cum on it, baby…Just like that…I’m—…Oh God, I’m about—…”

Your climax squeezed him relentlessly. Every helpless flutter of your tight walls milked another broken groan from somewhere deep in his chest, and then you felt him finally let go. Warmth surged deep inside you in slow, powerful pulses, each release painting your insides with familiar heat that spread through your body in delicious waves. You had grown to love that feeling almost as much as you loved the man giving it to you, and you sighed helplessly into his palm as every pulse seemed to melt another piece of you beneath the quiet intensity of the moment.

He was shaking. You felt it everywhere. His thighs trembled against yours. His chest quivered against your back. Even the arm wrapped protectively around your waist tightened instinctively as though he needed something solid to anchor himself while wave after wave overtook him. His hips settled completely flush against the soft curve of your ass, refusing to leave even the slightest space between your bodies while he held you as close as physically possible, his cock seeking its deepest home inside you as his body slowly surrendered to its own overwhelming relief.

Then you felt it. The knot finished swelling. The thick base of him gradually expanded until it settled securely inside you, stretching you with slow, insistent fullness that left him comfortably lodged where he belonged. There was nowhere else for either of you to go now, and neither of you seemed remotely interested in trying. His hips gave one final, lazy press before relaxing completely, and a long, slow breath poured from his lips as every powerful muscle in his body finally loosened beneath the comforting haze of exhaustion.

Valko became deliciously heavy against you. His heartbeat hammered steadily through his chest into your damp back, strong enough that you could feel every beat while his warm skin glistened faintly with the sheen of sweat gathered from the slow, affectionate intensity you’d shared together. His breathing gradually evened out into long, contented sighs as he remained wrapped securely around you, making no effort whatsoever to move away. Instead, he simply nuzzled into your hair once more and pressed the softest kiss to the crown of your head, lingering there as though he couldn’t resist one more quiet expression of affection.

His fingers, still slightly shaky from everything you’d just shared, resumed their slow, absentminded caresses over your stomach and arm, tracing gentle paths across your skin while a blissfully content hum rumbled from deep within his chest. You could hear the smile in it before you ever saw it, and somehow that quiet, happy sound was every bit as intimate as the embrace that still held you so completely in his arms.

You stayed like that for a long while, neither of you feeling the slightest urge to move. The room had fallen beautifully quiet again, save for the slow rhythm of your breathing gradually finding each other until your inhales and exhales seemed to rise and fall in perfect unison. His embrace never loosened. If anything, the enormous werewolf only seemed to melt more completely around you, holding you with the same instinctive tenderness he’d shown from the moment you’d slipped beneath the blankets together. His hand continued its lazy, absentminded journey over your stomach, your waist, and your arm, every slow caress so familiar and reassuring that it felt less like touching and more like quietly reminding himself you were still there.

His face rested against your hair, and every now and then he would press another feather-light kiss to the crown of your head, the gesture so absentminded it felt entirely instinctive. A contented little hum still rumbled in his chest from time to time, vibrating softly through your back as though happiness itself had settled somewhere deep inside him.

Your eyelids gradually grew heavier. The steady beat of his heart against your back, the comforting warmth of his body surrounding yours, and the slow, affectionate rhythm of his wandering fingertips gently pulled you toward sleep one soothing moment at a time. Nestled securely in his arms, you let yourself drift, your breathing evening out as the last lingering thoughts quietly dissolved beneath the simple comfort of being exactly where you belonged.

Your meetings became less about exchanging intel and more about finding excuses to linger afterward. One dinner became another. Coffee turned into drinks. Long conversations stretched well past midnight until one of you realized the restaurant was closing around you. More than once, you stayed so late at his place that he gently insisted you shouldn’t be driving home exhausted, pointing out the way you yawned every few minutes or caught yourself rubbing at your tired eyes. Every time, he offered you the bed without hesitation while he claimed the couch for himself, brushing off your protests with that easy grin of his as though there had never been another option. He never made you feel cornered. Never made you feel like there were expectations waiting behind his kindness. Instead, he somehow managed to make his home feel like the safest place you could have ended up.

And it was because there was never any pressure that things slowly progressed on their own. One night, a lingering hug became a lingering touch. Another, a kiss that should have been taboo stretched into another…And another…Until the two of you found yourselves tangled together across his bed, laughing between stolen breaths as clothes disappeared one piece at a time. There were nights spent kissing until your lips tingled, rolling lazily across tangled sheets with flushed cheeks and racing hearts, stopping only when you were both too breathless to think straight. More than once, Valko eventually excused himself with an embarrassed laugh and disappeared into the shower to deal with the obvious consequences of spending hours wrapped around you, returning later with damp hair, pink ears, and the world’s most innocent smile, as though neither of you needed to acknowledge what he’d have to do.

No matter how many times you mentally scolded yourself for letting things get this far, for allowing yourself to become so hopelessly tangled up with him, you couldn’t deny the truth. Every step had been your choice. You wanted to be there. You wanted him. And honestly…With the way he looked at you, laughed with you, and made you feel so effortlessly safe, how could you not?

He was undeniably handsome. Not exactly your type; not on paper, anyway. If someone had described him to you before you’d met him, you probably would’ve rolled your eyes and confidently insisted he wasn’t the kind of man you’d ever fall for. Yet somehow, against all reason, it wasn’t his looks that had chipped away at your defenses. It was everything underneath them. He was playful in a way that made it impossible to stay irritated with him for long. Affectionate without ever seeming embarrassed by it. Brave enough to throw himself into danger without hesitation, yet emotionally open enough to wear his heart so plainly that you never had to wonder how he felt. He was endlessly adventurous, always finding some new place to drag you or some ridiculous idea he wanted to share, and although his hopeless forgetfulness and spectacularly awkward attempts at being smooth made you question how someone so brilliant could also be such a clumsy, cocky dumbass, you couldn’t deny the mind hiding beneath all that lovable chaos. The more time you spent with him, the harder it became to remember what life had felt like before he’d barged into it with that stupid grin and impossible amount of enthusiasm.

It was honestly becoming embarrassing just how much he was growing on you. And ever since the line between friendship and something far more intimate had quietly disappeared…Well, things had only become more complicated. Sharing a kiss had somehow turned into craving each other. Innocent touches lingered longer than they used to. Every goodbye made you impatient for the next excuse to see him again, and every night spent apart left you missing the warmth of his strong hugs, the sound of his laugh, and the way he always found some reason to brush against you whenever you were in the same room. You found yourself wanting more of his time, more of his attention, more of those quiet moments where it felt like the rest of the world simply stopped existing whenever the two of you were together. It was becoming dangerously easy to imagine keeping him all to yourself for just a little while longer every time you met.

Tonight was no different. It was Friday night, and after a long, exhausting work week, the two of you had spent the last several days quietly counting down until you could see each other again. Officially, tonight’s meeting was about business. There was information to exchange, reports to discuss, and work that needed to be done. That was the excuse either of you would have given anyone who asked.

Neither of you believed it anymore. Somewhere along the way, “business” had become little more than the reason you used to justify seeing each other. The work would get done, of course, it always did, but afterward came the part you were both secretly looking forward to. Dinner. Conversation that drifted far away from work. Hours spent laughing over nothing at all. The quiet comfort of simply existing in each other’s company. Without ever saying it aloud, the two of you had reached the same understanding. It wasn’t just business anymore. It was pleasure.

The private driver Valko had insisted on ordering for you pulled smoothly to the curb beneath the glowing entrance of the high-rise. You thanked the driver before stepping carefully onto the pavement, instinctively smoothing your palms down the sides of the fitted little black dress hugging your figure. The hem rode just high enough that you gave it a subtle tug, making certain it covered your ass before straightening to your full height in your heels.

You already knew exactly what was going to happen. The moment Valko saw you, he’d stare. He’d try, and fail miserably, not to. His golden eyes would shamelessly drag over every inch of you before that fanged grin spread across his face, followed immediately by some unbearably cocky compliment that would earn him an eye roll and an insult in return. You would deny, with complete confidence, that you’d picked this dress because of him. He wouldn’t believe you for a second. Neither, if you were being honest, would you.

The worst part was…You already knew exactly how the rest of the night was going to unfold. He would spend the entire evening looking at you like that, his golden eyes shamelessly drinking you in every chance they got, finding excuses to brush your hand, your waist, the small of your back whenever no one important was watching. A few glasses of expensive liquor would leave both of you pleasantly tipsy, your conversations dissolving into laughter and flirtation until “business” quietly disappeared somewhere in the background.

Before long, you’d end up back at his place beneath the convenient excuse that it was too late to drive, tangled together across his bed again with more than half your clothes discarded somewhere onto the floor. You’d both be flushed, breathless, and hopelessly worked up from hours of kissing, your lips swollen as his wandering hands searched for every inch of you they could find. More often than not, he’d end up with his face buried shamelessly into your bare breasts, cheeks burning with heat while he looked up at you with those impossibly golden eyes, asking, no, begging, for just a little more of you than you were ready to give him. And every single time, you’d find yourself giggling at how pathetically eager Valko became whenever he wanted something badly enough, teasing him mercilessly while secretly finding the sight so unbelievably endearing that it only made you want him more.

Drawing a steadying breath, you stepped toward the entrance where one of Valko’s waiting bodyguards greeted you politely by name. He offered his arm with practiced professionalism, and you accepted it without hesitation. Like all of Valko’s men, he wore one of the sleek metal wolf masks that concealed most of his face from public view, leaving only his eyes and hair visible beneath the polished silver.

He escorted you inside. The atmosphere changed almost immediately. The first floor opened into an impossibly lavish bar, every surface gleaming beneath warm amber lighting that danced across mirrored walls and polished glass. Crystal fixtures sparkled overhead while low music drifted effortlessly through the room, blending with the constant hum of expensive conversations. Business executives laughed over whiskey in tailored suits, elegantly dressed escorts moved gracefully through the crowd, and every guest carried themselves with the effortless confidence of people accustomed to luxury.

Your heels clicked softly across the marble floor as your escort guided you through the crowd toward the private elevators. The doors slid open almost silently, and moments later the two of you were ascending through the tower, floor after floor disappearing beneath your feet until the elevator finally came to a stop at the very top.

The hallway waiting beyond couldn’t have felt more different from the lively bar below. It was quieter. More intimate. Warm, dim lighting spilled across dark wood floors, casting a romantic glow along the corridor lined with private dining rooms. As you followed your escort deeper inside, muffled conversations drifted through the closed doors alongside bursts of laughter and the distant melody of live music. A server passed by carrying an ornate silver tray balanced effortlessly in one hand, crystal wine glasses shimmering beneath the lights as deep ruby liquid swayed gently inside them.

Then another scent reached you. Rich. Smoky. Savory. Your stomach answered before your brain did. Barbecue. The mouthwatering aroma of slow-cooked meat escaped from beneath one of the dining room doors, mingling with the scent of expensive wine and polished cedar until the entire floor smelled decadently indulgent. You couldn’t help smiling to yourself. God. Trust Valko to choose somewhere this ridiculously lavish.

You finally reached the private room the redhead had reserved exclusively for the two of you. The bodyguard who had escorted you this far stepped aside without a word, taking up his post near the door while you stood there alone for a brief moment. You drew in one last deep breath, smoothing your palms down the front of your dress again even though you’d already done it twice on the way here. Your fingers swept lightly through your hair, making sure nothing had fallen out of place before you straightened your shoulders and silently coached yourself into looking composed. Calm. Collected. Confident. Not like the bundle of anxious anticipation twisting itself tighter with every passing second.

God, you already wanted a drink. Maybe two. Maybe three. Anything that would settle the ridiculous fluttering in your stomach every time you knew you were about to see him. You wanted to walk into this room looking relaxed, unaffected, completely in control of yourself instead of looking like someone who’d spent the entire ride over wondering what his face was going to look like when he saw you.

You knocked. Almost immediately, the handle turned. The door swung open. And just like every single time…The nerves hit you all over again. He was somehow always bigger than you remembered. No matter how many times you saw him, your brain never seemed capable of preparing itself for the sheer size of the man standing in front of you. He filled the doorway almost completely, broad shoulders stretching comfortably across the frame while his height forced your eyes upward farther than they always expected. His reading glasses rested neatly across the crooked bridge of his nose, softening his chiseled features in a way that was almost unfair.

Then he saw you. The pleasant smile he’d been wearing immediately grew brighter. His golden eyes lifted to meet yours for only a heartbeat before shamelessly wandering downward, taking in your dress with absolutely no attempt whatsoever to hide his admiration. You watched the appreciation spread across his face in real time, his sculpted cheeks dimpling as the corners of his mouth curled higher and higher.

Then you noticed something behind him. Oh…God. His tail. The enormous auburn thing had already betrayed him. The giant, fluffy tail sweeping lazily behind him suddenly began wagging with unmistakable enthusiasm, thumping happily against the floor the longer he looked at you. He hadn’t even said a word yet, and his body had already confessed exactly how excited he was to see you. You bit the inside of your cheek to keep from smiling too much.

“Oh, man…” He breathed, looking you over with absolutely shameless admiration before meeting your eyes again. The grin on his face was impossible to miss, “I don’t remember making an order of rabbit tonight…But I am pretty hungry.”

You rolled your eyes so hard they almost hurt, “oh, shut up!”

Your palm landed squarely against the broad expanse of his chest with a solid smack, but it barely moved him. It only earned you the rich, unrestrained laugh you had expected, the sound rumbling warmly from somewhere deep inside that ridiculously massive body of his. You immediately fought to keep your expression neutral, pressing your lips together as firmly as you could to stop the smile threatening to betray you. It was hopeless. You could already feel the warmth blooming across your cheeks, creeping down the back of your neck and settling in your chest. Even worse, you felt that familiar flutter beginning low in your stomach, a nervous little spark that spread embarrassingly lower until it settled between your thighs. God, you hadn’t even been in the room for ten seconds.

“You’re such a dork,” you muttered under your breath as you slipped past him before he could see just how affected you already were.

Eager to regain at least a shred of composure, you stepped into the private dining room and tossed your small purse onto the large black leather couch tucked against one wall. Only then did you finally take in the room properly. The centerpiece was an enormous low table already prepared for the two of you, covered with neatly arranged platters of uncooked ingredients waiting to be grilled. Thick cuts of steak sat beside beautifully marbled wagyu and brisket, while trays of vegetables, crisp salads, sweet corn, bowls of steaming rice, cheeses, and every imaginable accompaniment filled the rest of the table. The rich aroma of charcoal and seasoned meat already lingered in the air from the waiting grill, and your stomach answered immediately, your mouth watering at the sight.

You barely managed to take another step toward the table before a familiar warmth wrapped itself around your waist. His hand. Large enough to span nearly the width of your side, it settled confidently against you before gently drawing you backward. In one smooth motion, Valko turned you to face him again, effortlessly interrupting your escape.

“Jeez,” he teased, his voice warm with amusement, “what’s the rush?”

His eyes wandered over you with absolutely no shame whatsoever. They lingered in your hair for a moment before dropping to your face, tracing every feature as though committing it to memory. Then they continued lower, gliding over the neckline of your dress, your breasts, your waist, your hips, and back up again before he gave you the smallest, most appreciative smile. His hand remained secure around your waist as he slowly guided you into standing directly in front of him again, his touch gentle despite the possessive ease with which he held you.

“C’mere,” he murmured, “I wanna see what you put on…”

You quietly thanked every higher power that he had stopped himself there. He didn’t add “for me”. The smug bastard must have learned from the number of times you’d smacked him for saying things like that, because he wisely kept the rest of the sentence to himself. You were already halfway tempted to hit him again anyway, but instead he was rewarded with exactly what he’d been hoping for.

With an exaggerated sigh, you let him have his moment. His grin widened. His hand slid carefully along your waist as he guided you into a slow turn, letting you rotate in front of him while he admired the dress from every angle. You did your best to look completely unbothered, lifting your chin as though you were merely humoring his ridiculous request, but the intensity of his attention made it nearly impossible to ignore the heat steadily climbing back into your face. By the time you halfway completed the turn, you could practically feel his gaze settle on your ass. It lingered there. Of course it did. A quiet, reverent breath escaped him before he spoke so softly it was almost more to himself than to you.

“Christ…” He whispered, his voice full of genuine admiration, “you’re something else, Y/n…”

Just as you realized the door before you was still hanging halfway open, Valko completed the slow turn he’d guided you through, bringing you back around to face him. And then…Oh, fuck. Without warning, he lifted your wrist high above your head with gentleness while his other hand settled securely against the curve of your hip. Before you could even think about what he was doing, he stepped into your space, closing the distance between you so naturally that your body instinctively gave way. You took one step backward. Then another.

His height seemed to swallow the room the closer he came, broad shoulders eclipsing the warm light overhead until your gaze was filled with nothing but him. He crowded your space without ever feeling forceful, his warmth surrounding you as he continued guiding you back with slow, patient confidence. A second later, your back met the solid wood of the door with a quiet thud. Click. The door gently swung shut behind you.

His large hand followed your raised arm, settling against the wood above your head as he loosely held your wrist there, not trapping you so much as giving you nowhere else to think about looking besides him. The cool surface of the door pressed against your back while the heat radiating from his body seeped through the thin fabric of your dress, the contrast making your skin prickle. He was so close. Close enough that the front of his body barely brushed yours with every slow breath the two of you shared. Close enough that you could smell the clean cedar and spice lingering on his skin beneath whatever cologne he’d worn. Close enough that all you could see when you looked up were those impossibly golden eyes staring back down at you through the lenses of his reading glasses.

Your breath caught before you could stop it. Your eyes widened. Heat flooded into your cheeks so quickly they almost burned, and your knees threatened to betray you beneath the weight of your own nerves. Your heart pounded so hard against your ribs that you wondered if it might actually leap straight out of your chest. God damn it. He could hear every beat of it. With senses as sharp as his, there wasn’t a chance you could hide what was happening to you. He could hear your pulse racing, feel the tiny hitch in your breathing, even smell the adrenaline blooming beneath your skin from being this impossibly close to him. He knew exactly what he was doing to you. Then, just when you were convinced he was about to say something unbearably smug, a soft laugh escaped him instead.

“Woops,” he chuckled, the sound warm enough that you felt it more than heard it, “almost forgot to close the door there for a sec.”

The teasing smile never left his face. His gaze wandered over you once more with slow, unmistakable admiration before drifting toward the doorknob just beside you. His hand slipped away from your hip, brushing lightly across your side as it reached past you. You heard the quiet metallic click. He’d locked the door.

“Not that we need any interruptions…” He murmured more to himself than to you, his gaze lifting from the lock to settle on your eyes again. The teasing amusement never quite left his face, though it softened into something slower, warmer, almost dangerous as he studied you from only inches away, “y’know…I was just kidding about eating ya.”

His hand drifted lazily from the curve of your hip until it settled against the small of your back, his broad palm spanning almost the entire width of your waist. Before you had the chance to respond, he suddenly pulled you forward, closing what little space remained between the two of you. The movement stole a tiny gasp from your lungs as your body met the firm warmth of his, his lower body pressing into you while the solid door at your back left nowhere else to retreat. Instinctively, your free hand flew to his chest, your palm flattening against the hard muscle beneath his crisp dress shirt. You could feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing beneath your fingertips as he lowered his face toward yours until his lips hovered beside your ear. At the same time, he released your wrist, his fingers gliding gently through your hair instead, gathering it behind your shoulder before burying his hand at the back of your head with a tenderness that only made your pulse race harder.

“Unless…” The single word was almost swallowed by the warmth of his breath as it drifted across the shell of your ear, sending a pleasant shiver crawling down the back of your neck.

You could practically hear the smirk lingering over his lips before he nestled his face into your hair, breathing you in with slow, indulgent satisfaction. Then you felt the delicate scrape of sharp teeth as they found your earlobe, catching it in the gentlest teasing pull imaginable. It wasn’t enough to hurt; just enough to make your breath threaten to betray you. God. You heard him swallow. No…You felt it. The subtle movement vibrated against you, and somehow that tiny sound was enough to remind you exactly what he was. A hungry bastard. A hopelessly hungry, shamelessly horny wolf of a man who looked at you like he was trying to decide whether affection or appetite would win first.

“I’d kill for a taste of ya,” he admitted quietly, the words muffled against your hair.

Every instinct screamed at you to melt. To let the warmth in his voice, the closeness, the intoxicating scent of him, and the gentle pull of those teeth chip away at your resolve until you gave him exactly what he wanted.

Absolutely not. Over your dead body were you about to let this giant goof believe his pathetic attempts at being smooth had actually worked.

Your fingers shot up and wrapped around his neatly knotted tie. With one firm tug, you yanked him forward until his face was directly in front of yours again, forcing him to meet your eyes. His head dipped obediently with the pull, and the reaction that flashed across his face made your stomach flutter all over again. His eyes practically lit up, pupils widening with unmistakable excitement. There it was; that rush he never seemed capable of hiding whenever you handled him fearlessly. He wasn’t offended by your confidence. If anything, it thrilled him. The corners of his mouth twitched upward into the beginnings of another grin, and you could already tell he was enjoying this far more than he had any right to.

“In your dreams,” you scoffed, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing just how flustered he’d actually made you.

Holding his tie firmly in your fist, you arched a brow and tilted your chin just enough to remind him exactly who was making who lean in.

“So…” Your lips curled into the faintest teasing smile, “are we gonna discuss those experimentation archives…Or are you just gonna pathetically beg to eat me out?”

Then…He smiled. Not sheepishly. Not apologetically. He smiled with the kind of shameless confidence that somehow only made him more impossible to deal with. Without a hint of embarrassment, he gently released you and took a small step back, the warmth of his body disappearing just enough for you to breathe again. You barely had a second to gather yourself before he did something that sent your entire train of thought crashing off a cliff. He calmly lowered himself onto one knee. Then the other. Right there. Right in front of you.

Your heart nearly stopped. This enormous, intimidating man, the chairman of EonCore Tech, the head of an entire werewolf clan, a man who commanded the respect of everyone around him without even trying, had absolutely no hesitation whatsoever about kneeling before you because of one sarcastic comment. There wasn’t the slightest trace of pride wounded in his expression. No reluctance. No self-consciousness. If anything, he looked perfectly at ease, smiling up at you as though this was the most natural thing in the world. God…He fucking liked it. He liked being teased. He liked being bossed around. He liked seeing you flustered. Some sick part of him was probably enjoying the fact that your brain had just completely shut down.

“Valko…” You managed through gritted teeth, your voice sounding far less composed than you’d intended.

Your thighs squeezed together before you even realized you’d done it. He noticed. Of course he noticed.

“I can do both,” he replied with an easy shrug, looking up at you with those bright eyes full of unmistakable excitement. His grin only widened as he watched you struggle to recover your composure, completely delighted by how thoroughly he’d unraveled you, “pretty please?”

The sheer absurdity of the situation finally caught up to you.

A laugh escaped before you could stop it, “oh, no.”

You leaned forward and caught his tie in your fist again, giving it a firm tug that drew him just a little closer.

“No,” you repeated through your laughter, “come on, get back up. I was joking.”

Without the slightest complaint, he obeyed immediately. He rose smoothly to his feet, following the pull on his tie until he was standing in front of you once again, his broad frame swallowing your view as he resumed towering comfortably over you. The corners of his mouth still twitched with poorly concealed amusement.

“I wasn’t,” he admitted with complete sincerity, sounding almost disappointed that the opportunity had passed him by. Then he chuckled softly and lifted both hands in surrender, “but alright, alright. We can talk business over some food and drinks.”

His smile softened.

“I brought your favorite wine, too…” He added, his voice warming with unmistakable affection, “…If you’ll join me.”

Something in your chest melted despite your best efforts to stop it. You looked up into those ridiculously earnest eyes and found yourself smiling before you could think better of it. Relief washed through you now that he was standing again, though another part of you still wanted to smack that stupidly handsome face for nearly giving you a heart attack with his shameless antics. You folded your arms across your chest in a last-ditch effort to recover what little dignity you still had.

“Wonderful,” the tiny smile tugging at the corners of your mouth completely ruined the effect.

With that settled, Valko took your hand as though it belonged there and led you over to the large leather couch before the table and built-in grill. He waited until you sat before lowering himself beside you, and the entire cushion dipped dramatically beneath his weight. You tried to brace yourself, but it was hopeless. The leather sank just enough that your body slid straight toward him until your shoulder brushed warmly against his chest. Of course it did. It happened every single time you sat beside him, and judging by the satisfied little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, it happened exactly the way he liked it.

Without saying a word, he shrugged his suit jacket from his broad shoulders and draped it neatly over the arm of the couch before undoing the cuffs of his dress shirt. His fingers worked deftly at each button until he rolled the sleeves back to his elbows, exposing powerful forearms that shifted beneath warm, sun-tanned skin every time he moved. He reached over and switched on the grill, the quiet hiss of the flames coming to life filling the room as gentle heat slowly began to spread through the private dining suite, below the above vent. While it warmed, he uncorked the bottle of wine with practiced ease, poured two generous glasses of deep ruby cabernet, and handed one to you before lifting his own with a warm smile.

“Cheers,” he said, lightly tapping the rim of his glass against yours.

You practically gulped your first sip, the familiar bitterness washing over your tongue before settling into a pleasant warmth that spread slowly through your chest. A quiet breath escaped you before you even realized you were holding it. The truth was, you couldn’t resist Valko anymore, and that realization had become harder to deny with every passing week. You hated how much you wanted him. Hated how naturally your eyes searched for him whenever he walked into a room. Hated how attractive he became the more you got to know him, because it had nothing to do with the expensive suits, the prestigious title, the lab coat, or even the dangerous mystique of being a werewolf.

It was the man underneath all of it that had slowly worked his way beneath your skin. It was the way he laughed without restraint, the way he wore every emotion openly instead of hiding behind pride, the way he made you feel safe without ever making you feel trapped, and the way he somehow balanced being a brilliant man with being the biggest, cockiest, most forgetful dork you’d ever met. Somewhere along the way, you’d stopped looking at Valko as the chairman of EonCore Tech and started looking at him as simply…Valko.

That was the dangerous part, because you weren’t supposed to like him for who he was. You definitely weren’t supposed to find yourself wanting more of him every time you said goodbye, yet the more time the two of you spent together, the deeper the connection became. Every dinner lasted longer than the last, every lingering glance carried more weight, and every touch seemed to leave your skin craving another until the chemistry between you had become almost impossible to ignore. It felt as though both of you were quietly reaching the same inevitable destination, each meeting making it harder to keep your hands off one another.

So far, you’d always managed to stop before crossing the line. You had let him kiss you until your lips were swollen and tingling, let him hold you against his broad chest until you could barely remember why you were supposed to keep your distance, and even let those huge hands wander over your body until they rested over the thin fabric of your soaked thong. Every single time, your heart would begin hammering so violently that you’d catch his wrists with a breathless laugh and make him stop before either of you could lose yourselves completely.

That boundary had survived every stolen night the two of you had shared, but lately you couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t going to survive much longer. You’d promised yourself after your first kiss that it would never happen again. Then you’d sworn you’d never spend the night at his place. After that, you’d insisted you’d never end up with that giant hunk of a dork half naked on top of you in his bed, flushed, breathless, and shamelessly begging to bury his face between your thighs. Looking back now, you couldn’t help smiling into your wine, because every one of those promises had been a lie you told yourself in a desperate attempt to slow down something that had been inevitable from the very beginning.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, you were beginning to realize it wasn’t only desire growing inside you anymore. It was curiosity. The longer the two of you danced around that invisible line you kept drawing between yourselves, the more intensely you found yourself wondering what waited on the other side of it. Every time you watched him smile across a dimly lit room, every time laughter pulled at the corners of his mouth and those unmistakable canines caught the warm light, your mind betrayed you in ways you never would’ve admitted out loud. You found yourself staring at his lips far longer than was appropriate, wondering what they would feel like if they weren’t kissing you, but worshipping your pussy instead. The thought alone was enough to make heat settle low in your stomach, a dangerous warmth that had become increasingly difficult to ignore.

God…You’d caught yourself thinking about it more than once. Late at night, lying alone beneath your blankets after another evening spent with him, you’d find one hand slipping beneath the sheets almost absentmindedly, your thighs spreading as your imagination wandered somewhere you stubbornly insisted it never would. You pictured those same teasing lips between your legs, pictured the way he’d undoubtedly look up at you through those bright golden eyes while shamelessly indulging himself, imagined the slow drag of his tongue, the hungry enthusiasm that seemed woven into every instinct he possessed, and the embarrassing thought of him practically drooling over the chance to taste you.

Every fantasy left you breathless, your fingers moving with increasing desperation as your body responded far more eagerly than your pride ever wanted to admit. The image of Valko alone was enough to unravel you completely, and every time your imagination lingered there, your orgasms crashed over you with an intensity that left you lying in stunned silence afterward, cheeks burning as you cursed yourself for becoming so hopelessly affected by one impossibly handsome, hopelessly affectionate werewolf.

It was mortifying. You would never tell him. As far as Valko knew, he was the only one suffering from an embarrassingly overactive imagination. He never seemed ashamed of it, either. If anything, he wore his desires as openly as every other emotion he had, making absolutely no effort to hide how badly he wanted to make you fall apart beneath him. He’d confessed more than once that he fantasized about making you cum, about earning the privilege of hearing you shout his name without restraint, about leaving you so overwhelmed with pleasure that you’d finish against his mouth while your trembling thighs squeezed around his head. He spoke about it with the same shameless sincerity he brought to everything else, openly wondering what you would taste like, what you’d sound like when you finally stopped holding yourself back, and every time he admitted those thoughts with that hopelessly earnest smile, you pretended to roll your eyes while secretly wondering whether your own fantasies were really any less carnal than his.

God damn it. You took another generous sip of your wine, hoping the warmth spreading through your chest would drown out the entirely different heat pooling low in your body. It didn’t. If anything, the thoughts you’d been trying so hard to suppress only lingered longer, making the space between your thighs ache with a frustrating awareness that seemed impossible to ignore. The alcohol certainly wasn’t helping that particular problem, but it was helping somewhere else. Little by little, it loosened the knot of nervous tension that always settled in your chest whenever you were around him, softening your guard just enough that you stopped overthinking every glance, every touch, every heartbeat that seemed to race the moment he looked your way.

Without really thinking about it, you let him slip an arm comfortably around your waist. His embrace was warm, easy, and so familiar now that your body instinctively melted into it, fitting naturally against the broad wall of muscle at his side while he lazily swirled the deep red wine around his glass with his free hand. Across from you, the first cuts of meat had begun to hiss and sizzle on the hot grill, releasing a rich, mouthwatering aroma that quickly filled the private dining room. Thin ribbons of smoke curled upward toward the vent overhead, disappearing almost as quickly as they formed while the comforting crackle of cooking food settled into the background alongside the quiet clink of crystal and the soft hum of the room around you.

You let yourself sink against Valko a little more. The warmth radiating from his body seeped pleasantly through the thin fabric of your dress, chasing away the lingering chill from outside. His cologne lingered around him in soft, woodsy notes, mingling with the faint scent of charcoal and grilled steak until every slow breath seemed to carry a little more of him with it. Your free hand came to rest almost absentmindedly atop his broad thigh, the solid heat beneath your fingertips grounding you far more effectively than the wine ever could. His large hand gave your hip an absentminded squeeze, thumb brushing slow circles through the fabric of your dress as he glanced down at you with the easy attentiveness that seemed so natural to him.

“You want any music? TV? Anything?” He asked warmly, “the lights okay for ya?”

A quiet laugh escaped through your nose before you could stop it. You tipped your head back just enough to meet his eyes, smiling despite yourself.

“I’m okay…” You answered softly, “you can put music on in the background if you want. I don’t mind.”

You took another sip of your wine before leaning toward him with the faintest mischievous smile tugging at your lips.

“As long as you don’t let it distract you from your ADHD info-dumping about your latest analysis,” you teased, bumping your shoulder lightly against his chest, “I’m okay.”

“I don’t info-dump!” He protested, letting out a hearty laugh despite the mock offense knitting his thick brows together. He took another generous gulp of wine before leaning forward to set his glass on the table, grabbing the metal tongs to flip the sizzling slices of meat one by one. Rich juices hissed against the hot grill, releasing another wave of smoky aroma that filled the room, “you’re a liar.”

You leaned in beside him, watching the meat cook together. Swirling your wine lazily, you caught his gaze out of the corner of your eye, unable to resist the grin spreading across your face.

“You literally went off on a tangent about protocore properties and alignments at one in the morning the last time I slept over, you nerd,” you reminded him, “did you already forget about that?”

You watched the memory hit him in real time. His eyes widened so dramatically it was almost cartoonish, and his entire body froze with the tongs suspended awkwardly over the grill. His mouth fell open just a fraction while his expression shifted from confusion to dawning realization, and you couldn’t stop yourself from laughing. You nearly choked on another sip of wine as you watched the embarrassment spread across his handsome face one painfully slow second at a time.

“Valkooo…” You sang sweetly, unable to resist teasing him while he remained frozen in place.

Your fingertips wandered absentmindedly down his broad forearm, tracing the path of a prominent vein beneath his warm skin before continuing toward his wrist. The contact made his muscles twitch beneath your touch, but he was still so caught up in his own embarrassment that he barely seemed to notice. You glanced toward the grill, where the meat had begun to brown a little more than intended, and gently nudged his arm with your fingers.

“Aren’t you forgetting something already?” You cooed.

His head snapped toward you. Then toward the grill. Then back to you again.

“…Huh?” He blinked, “oh, God…What?”

The look of genuine panic on his face sent another fit of laughter bubbling out of your chest. He looked so earnestly worried that he’d somehow ruined the evening, and it was so hopelessly adorable that you couldn’t help yourself. Reaching up, you flicked him squarely in the forehead.

“Ow!” He recoiled with a dramatic wince, immediately covering the offended spot with one hand while shooting you the most betrayed frown imaginable.

You only laughed harder, “the music, silly.”

He blinked.

“…Oh.”

A beat passed. Then it finally clicked.

“Right.”

His shoulders slumped as he shook his head at himself, a quiet, self-deprecating sigh escaping him while he reached for the remote.

“Duh.”

You smiled into your wine, watching him laugh at his own forgetfulness as soft music gradually filled the room. There were no lyrics to compete with conversation, just a mellow melody drifting comfortably through the private dining suite, blending with the gentle crackle of the grill and the occasional hiss of rendered fat meeting hot metal. While you were still quietly giggling to yourself, Valko picked up a pair of metal chopsticks and selected one beautifully seared slice of steak. He blew across it a couple of times to cool it before turning back toward you with the unmistakable look of someone about to interrupt your teasing.

“Hey—!”

Before you could finish, he gently pressed the warm slice of meat against your lips. Your protest dissolved into an amused hum as you accepted the bite, letting him feed you while he wore the most ridiculously satisfied smile on his face. The meat practically melted the moment you bit into it, impossibly tender and rich with buttery flavor, and you chewed slowly while looking up at him over the rim of your wine glass.

He was still smiling. Still just a little pink around the ears from embarrassing himself. God…That was your favorite part of him. Not the fancy suits and half-shrugged lab coats. Not the confidence. Not the chairman of EonCore everyone else admired. It was the hopelessly clumsy man hiding underneath all of that. The one who forgot what he was doing halfway through cooking dinner, who accidentally rambled to you about scientific theories at one in the morning without realizing it, who tried so hard to be smooth only to trip over his own enthusiasm every single time. Somehow, that awkward sincerity made him even more attractive than the polished image he presented to the rest of the world. Deep down…The biggest dork you’d ever met was also, somehow, one of the sexiest men you’d ever known.

“Good?” He asked, smiling expectantly as he watched your reaction far more closely than he watched the food still cooking on the grill.

You didn’t even answer right away. The moment the steak touched your tongue, it practically dissolved into buttery tenderness, rich enough that your eyes fluttered shut on instinct before rolling back with quiet satisfaction. A pleased hum escaped you as you covered your mouth politely while you finished chewing, unwilling to waste a single bite by speaking too soon.

“Amazing,” you finally managed, smiling behind your hand.

The pride that spread across Valko’s face made it seem as though he’d personally raised the cow.

“There it is,” he laughed, looking entirely too pleased with himself as he reached back toward the grill, “knew you’d like it.”

The evening slipped by with surprising ease after that. Between bites of perfectly grilled meat and slow sips of expensive wine, the two of you gradually settled into the comfortable rhythm your meetings had begun to develop over the past several weeks. Once the food was spread across the table, Valko reached for the remote again and pulled a PowerPoint presentation onto the television, casually transitioning into the reason you were supposedly there in the first place. Colorful slides replaced the soft ambience on the screen as he walked you through his latest findings, occasionally gesturing with his chopsticks whenever a particular graph or photograph caught his attention.

It wasn’t anything especially demanding. There were no complicated equations to solve, no endless technical lectures, and certainly nothing dry enough to make either of you regret opening the presentation in the first place. It was simply information; valuable intelligence he’d already planned on emailing to you later anyway, the kind you could always revisit on your work computer next week with a fresh mind and another cup of coffee. Tonight wasn’t really about burying yourselves in work.

It hadn’t been for quite some time. Somewhere along the way, these meetings had quietly transformed into something else entirely. Business had simply become the excuse. The real reason either of you looked forward to Friday nights had very little to do with reports or research anymore. It was the excuse to share a meal together. To open another bottle of wine. To steal a few uninterrupted hours away from the rest of the world where the two of you could simply exist in each other’s company without anyone asking questions.

By the time the last slide disappeared from the television, neither of you had much to say about the research anymore. Valko clicked the screen dark, tossed the remote carelessly onto the couch beside him, and leaned back with an easy sigh as he pocketed his reading glasses away. The room immediately felt different. Without the presentation demanding your attention, conversation wandered wherever it pleased. Business gave way to stories neither of you had remembered until that moment. One joke led to another, then another, until you were both interrupting each other with laughter more often than actual sentences. He teased you whenever you rolled your eyes at one of his terrible puns. You mocked him every time he forgot what he was saying halfway through a story. Somewhere between another refill of wine and the last few pieces of steak, wagyu, and brisket disappearing from the grill, the evening became exactly what the two of you had quietly hoped it would be from the very beginning. Less business. More banter. More laughter.

Eventually, the wine began doing exactly what you’d wanted it to do. The lingering edge of nervousness that always seemed to follow you around Valko had long since dissolved beneath its pleasant warmth, leaving you comfortably relaxed, pleasantly buzzed, and laughing far more easily than you normally would. Every joke seemed funnier, every teasing remark earned another giggle, and every accidental brush against him felt just a little more difficult to pretend hadn’t affected you. By that point, you had become exactly what a couple glasses of cabernet always turned you into around him: a warm, giggling mess who had stopped overthinking every little thing.

When both of your glasses began running low, you reached across him toward the bottle resting closer to his side of the table. As you leaned forward, your dress stretched gently over your ass, and you became painfully aware of every movement you were making. You knew exactly what you were doing. You knew the subtle arch settling into your spine wasn’t entirely accidental, just as you knew it pushed your hips back in a way that made the fitted fabric hug every curve. Whether you wanted to admit it or not, some mischievous part of you wanted to see if he’d notice.

Of course he noticed. You didn’t even have to look at him to know where his eyes had gone. From the corner of your vision, you could see him lounging comfortably against the couch, one arm draped lazily along the backrest while his knees remained spread in relaxed ease. He made absolutely no effort to disguise the slow, appreciative way his gaze followed you, and somehow that only made your cheeks grow warmer. The silence lingered just long enough for you to become acutely aware of him behind you before you felt it. His hand.

It moved unhurriedly, almost absentmindedly, until his fingertips found the open back of your dress. They settled against the bare skin exposed there before slowly tracing the elegant slope of your spine with featherlight pressure. The touch was so gentle it barely qualified as a caress, yet it sent a pleasant shiver rolling through you all the same. His fingertips drifted lower by only an inch before lazily retracing their path, savoring the simple contact while a quiet, thoroughly appreciative hum escaped somewhere deep in his chest. You bit back the smile threatening to spread across your face. God…He was so unbelievably easy to read.

“You might as well just…” He began, a knowing grin already spreading across his face before you had the chance to ask what he meant.

Then, without another word, his huge hands settled around your waist. They engulfed your sides so completely it almost startled you, and before you could protest, he effortlessly lifted you clean off the couch as though you weighed next to nothing. A surprised little gasp escaped you as he guided you backward and settled you sideways across one of his broad thighs. He gave you a gentle bounce to seat you comfortably over his knee, the movement so effortless that it only reminded you all over again just how absurdly strong he really was.

“There,” he said with a smile so smug you almost wanted to smack it off his face, “that’s a whole lot better.”

His hands remained planted securely on your hips, supposedly to steady you while you reached for the wine. You knew better. The slow, indulgent squeeze he gave your hips wasn’t about supporting you at all. It was about the view. His broad palms lingered there shamelessly, thumbs pressing appreciatively into your waist while his golden eyes wandered over you with absolutely no attempt to disguise what he was enjoying. The bastard looked downright delighted to have you perched across his lap like this.

You turned your head just enough to shoot him a glare over your shoulder before reaching for the bottle, “fucking pervert—”

The words caught in your throat when you felt him start bouncing his leg beneath you. A tiny gasp escaped before you could stop it. The lazy rhythm lifted you ever so slightly with every bounce, making your ass gently rise and fall against the solid muscle of his thigh while he leaned farther back into the couch, completely relaxed. He wasn’t even pretending anymore. He simply sat there watching your ass bounce for him with the biggest, most satisfied grin on his face, looking as though this alone had made his entire evening.

“You were saying?” He challenged, arching a thick brow as his canines caught the warm light of the private dining room.

His grin only widened when you refused to look back at him.

“I could be worse,” another playful bounce rolled through his leg beneath you, earning himself another tiny shift of your hips, “I’m just letting ya pour the drinks ’cause you want more.”

His smile turned unmistakably wolfish.

“But I could always be worse,” he winked.

“Oh, yeah?” You reached for the bottle anyway, refusing to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging how much your pulse had quickened.

Carefully, you poured his glass first. The deep ruby wine flowed steadily into the crystal, and you knew perfectly well he wasn’t stupid enough to jostle you while you were balancing an expensive bottle over both of your laps. Once his glass was full, you moved to your own without spilling a single drop.

“What would you do,” you asked, lifting your eyes toward him with a teasing challenge, “if I didn’t have a full glass of wine in my hand right now, huh?”

His chuckle rumbled warmly beneath you, the vibration carrying straight through the powerful thigh supporting your weight.

“Easy,” he answered without missing a beat.

His fingers tightened ever so slightly over your hips.

“I’d just pull you all the way back…” His grin grew even more shameless as his eyes held yours, completely unbothered by how brazen he sounded, “and bounce you on something else instead.”

Your breath caught so abruptly it almost hurt. Heat flooded your cheeks the instant his words registered, and by the time you’d finished pouring the first glass, your heart was already racing fast enough that you wondered if he could hear it over the quiet music. You turned back toward him, fully intending to throw another sarcastic remark his way, only for your eyes to follow the direction of his grin.

Then you realized exactly what he’d meant. Oh…God. There, nestled comfortably between the spread of his thick thighs as he lounged back against the couch, was the unmistakable outline of his crotch beneath the tailored fabric of his slacks. He wasn’t even fully hard, not really, and somehow that only made it worse. Even completely relaxed, the heavy prominence resting there was impossible to ignore, especially with the way he sat so shamelessly open, looking thoroughly entertained by the realization slowly washing across your face. The bastard knew exactly where your eyes had gone. He watched you notice. Watched your expression betray you. And smiled.

The image settled into your mind far faster than you wanted it to, and before you could stop yourself, your imagination supplied the rest. The thought of him pulling you backward into his lap and bouncing you over his cock the way he’d just threatened sent a rush of heat roaring through your stomach. It spread downward so quickly it almost stole your breath, pooling low between your legs until you had to fight the urge to squeeze your thighs together. God damn it. You hated how vividly your mind pictured it. You hated even more how badly some reckless little part of you wanted to know what it would actually feel like.

“Oh, you want to get smacked,” you scoffed, forcing every ounce of composure you could manage back into your voice as you reached for the bottle again and carefully began filling the second glass.

“Fiiiine…” He lifted both hands dramatically into the air in surrender, his grin never once wavering, “I’ll behave, I’ll behave.”

He leaned back again with exaggerated innocence, though the amusement dancing in his golden eyes completely ruined the act.

“I’ll just pretend you’re totally innocent and not teasing me beyond my wit’s end right now,” he smirked.

“I didn’t do shit!” You shot back, carefully lifting both glasses before extending one toward him.

He accepted it, his fingertips brushing lazily against yours as he took the crystal from your hand. Instead of answering immediately, he gave you the most profoundly unimpressed look you’d ever seen, one brow slowly rising while he took his sweet time looking you over.

“Look at how you’re sitting,” he said calmly, “now, say that again.”

Your mouth opened. Then closed…Oh. Right. Without even realizing it, you’d settled into exactly the posture he’d been admiring. Your spine was straight, your shoulders naturally drawn back, pushing your breasts forward beneath the fitted neckline of your dress, while the way you remained perched sideways over his thigh left your hips tilted just enough that your ass arched behind you. You hadn’t done it consciously…Or at least…You weren’t entirely sure you hadn’t.

His eyes wandered over you with slow, shameless appreciation, lingering just long enough on every curve to make your pulse climb another notch before finally returning to your face. He lazily swirled the deep ruby wine around his glass, lifted it to his lips, and took an unhurried sip without ever once breaking eye contact, as though he were patiently waiting for you to explain yourself. Or confess. Or come up with some excuse he already knew you didn’t have.

“And what you’re wearing,” he pointed out with a shameless smile, letting his eyes wander over you one more slow time before meeting yours again, “not that I have any complaints…”

“You’re lucky I have my hands full right now,” you gritted out through an unwilling smile, carefully balancing your glass as you tried your hardest not to laugh at him.

“Nah,” he replied with an easy chuckle.

His arm slipped comfortably around your waist before you could protest, his broad hand spanning your side as he gently drew you closer. The movement was slow enough that you never felt rushed, only guided until your body settled naturally against the solid warmth of his. He shifted you with effortless care, helping you turn just enough that both of your legs came to rest comfortably across his lap. The couch dipped beneath the combined weight of you both, leaving you tucked securely against his broad chest exactly where he wanted you.

“I’m lucky I have my hands full,” he confessed softly.

The quiet sincerity in his voice stole the bite from your comeback. His arm remained warm against your waist while his thumb lazily stroked through the fabric of your dress. His hand settled comfortably beneath the outside of your thigh, naturally finding the gentle curve where your weight lifted your hip just enough from leaning into him. He wasn’t squeezing this time. He simply held you there with an affectionate steadiness, as though he couldn’t imagine sitting beside you without touching you somehow.

Then he leaned in. His nose brushed lightly beneath your jaw before he buried his face against the curve where your neck met your shoulder, breathing you in with an unmistakable sigh of contentment. His woodsy cologne surrounded you all over again, mixing with the lingering aroma of grilled wagyu and red wine until everything about the moment felt impossibly warm and comfortable. A soft kiss landed against your collarbone. It lingered for only a heartbeat before his lips curved into the smallest smile against your skin.

“I’m lucky you’re sitting here with me,” he murmured, his voice low enough that you felt the words vibrate against you.

Then, just because he couldn’t help himself, his teeth caught your collarbone in the gentlest playful nip. You snorted before you could stop yourself.

“There it is,” he laughed quietly against your skin.

You rolled your eyes, though the fond smile tugging at your lips ruined any attempt at looking annoyed.

“You’re sweet,” you admitted at last, relenting as you lifted your glass toward his.

The corners of his eyes softened immediately. Neither of you said another word as your glasses met with a delicate clink. You drank together, the rich wine warming your tongue before slipping pleasantly down your throat, and when you settled back again, you found yourself relaxing even further against him. Your free arm drifted naturally around the back of his neck, fingers absently brushing through the hair at his nape while he welcomed you even closer without hesitation. His arm remained secure around your waist, his hand resting comfortably beneath the side of your ass lifted ever so slightly by the way you leaned into him, keeping you nestled against the broad warmth of his body as though there was nowhere else either of you would rather be.

“I missed you,” he confessed quietly, his voice softening in a way it only seemed to around you. He nestled his face into the crook of your neck again, his nose brushing gently against your skin as he breathed you in with a slow, contented inhale. It was such an unmistakably wolfish habit by now that you barely questioned it anymore. If anything, you found yourself relaxing beneath it, your shoulders loosening as he sighed happily against you, “y’know…I could’ve just emailed you everything. I honestly just really wanted to see you.”

You knew that. You’d known it before you’d even walked through the door. The reports had never really been the reason tonight existed.

“You can see me, silly,” you admitted, the wine loosening your tongue just enough that the truth slipped out before your pride could stop it. You lifted your glass, and the two of you shared another slow sip together, the rich cabernet warming your chest as you settled even more comfortably against him, “it doesn’t have to be business all the time…”

His smile grew immediately, “so…”

His golden eyes searched yours with unmistakable hope.

“You’re saying you’d accept a date?” He almost sounded afraid to assume, “no business. No work talk. Just dinner and drinks…And no responsibilities?”

A quiet sigh escaped you. You couldn’t even pretend to resist anymore.

“That should be obvious by now…” You admit.

His entire face lit up.

“Why didn’t you just say so?!” He laughed, the sound bright enough to make you laugh under your breath with him, “damn, and here I am making up a thousand excuses just to spend time with you. You should’ve said so.”

“I thought it’d be clear as day, you giant dork,” you teased, nudging him lightly with your shoulder.

He shrugged, though there was an honesty in his expression that softened your smile.

“I dunno…You always act like you only wanna see me because of business,” he looked sheepishly into his wine for a moment before meeting your eyes again, “I figured all the other stuff was just…A nice little cherry on top. I didn’t think you’d wanna see me just for the sake of seeing me.”

Hearing him say it out loud made something quietly shift inside you, because when you looked back over the last couple months, you couldn’t honestly blame him for thinking that way. You had been guarded from the very beginning. Every time the two of you had taken a step closer, you’d instinctively rebuilt the walls you’d spent years hiding behind. You constantly reminded yourself that Valko had once been your enemy before circumstances forced the two of you onto the same side, and even after he’d become someone you trusted, you still treated your growing feelings like they were something dangerous to keep under control.

The problem was that those feelings had never stopped growing. Somewhere between exchanging intel, sharing dinners, laughing until restaurants closed around you, and spending long nights talking about everything and nothing, Valko had quietly become one of your favorite parts of the week. You found yourself looking forward to seeing him long before either of you had admitted your meetings had become excuses rather than obligations. His messages made you smile. His laugh lingered in your thoughts after you went home. Even the smallest moments, sharing a bottle of wine, listening to him ramble excitedly about something that fascinated him, watching him forget what he was saying halfway through a sentence, had become memories you carried with surprising fondness.

You also knew enough about his werewolf nature to understand what biology meant for someone like him. His instincts had recognized you long before either of you had acknowledged what was happening between you, and there was no denying that his bond with you ran deeper because of it. Yet the more time you spent together, the less you believed instinct was the whole story. The man holding you now wasn’t making time for you because some ancient drive demanded it. He remembered your favorite wine because he paid attention. He invented excuses to see you because he genuinely enjoyed your company. He laughed at your teasing, listened when you spoke, and looked at you with a warmth that no instinct alone could ever explain.

His biology may have introduced you to each other, but it wasn’t the reason he had fallen for you. Valko had fallen for your stubbornness, your wit, your compassion, your sharp tongue, your mind, and every wonderfully complicated part of who you were. He wanted you as a whole person, not as an obligation of instinct or fate. And somewhere along the way, without ever meaning to, you had fallen just as deeply for him.

“I…Do,” you found yourself admitting at last.

The words came out quieter than you intended. Your eyes drifted down into the deep red wine swirling gently in your glass as everything he’d just said settled inside you with startling clarity. You weren’t fighting the truth anymore. You weren’t trying to explain it away or hide behind work, circumstance, or duty. Somewhere along the way, the walls you’d spent so long building had quietly crumbled without you even noticing. You genuinely wanted to see him. Not because there was a report to exchange. Not because there was another mission to discuss. Simply because it was him.

“Well, I do too, Y/n,” he answered.

There wasn’t even the slightest hint of hesitation in his voice. It wasn’t a confession. Confessions implied something hidden, something carefully guarded until the right moment. Valko had never loved that way. He wore every emotion openly, offering his heart with the same fearless sincerity he brought to everything else in life. When he cared, everyone knew it. When he was excited, his smile gave him away before he spoke. When he missed you, he simply said so. There was something almost refreshing about how completely incapable he was of pretending otherwise.

Still smiling to himself, he took another sip of wine before leaning toward the end table beside the couch. He carefully placed his glass down before turning his full attention back to you, as though nothing else in the room mattered anymore.

“So?”

His broad hand settled warmly against the thigh farthest from him, his palm spanning nearly its entire width. With gentle insistence, he guided your leg over the other until your body naturally turned toward him, your full weight settling comfortably against his side. The movement brought you even closer, leaving hardly any space between your bodies. Then he reached for your wine. Without asking, he carefully lifted the glass from your fingers and set it beside his own. Every distraction disappeared. Your heartbeat stumbled. Oh…God. He was serious. There wasn’t a teasing grin waiting to undermine the moment. No terrible joke. No playful attempt to fluster you. Only those warm golden eyes watching you with quiet hope.

“Wanna catch a movie with me tomorrow night, maybe come over and I can cook us dinner afterwards?” He asked gently, “as a date. A real date.”

His smile softened into something almost boyishly hopeful.

“Not work. Not business. No spooky lab stuff. No research data,” he gave the smallest shrug before looking at you with the kind of honesty that always managed to undo you, “just two people who like each other and wanna spend some one-on-one time together.”

Your chest tightened. Before you realized it, you were smiling. Not the sarcastic little smirk you usually hid behind. A real smile. Warm. Unforced. Your hand rose almost on its own until your palm rested against the center of his broad chest. Beneath your fingertips, you felt the firm muscle beneath his dress shirt, warm from the evening, and before you could begin absentmindedly tracing slow circles over him, his much larger hand settled over yours. He pressed your palm gently closer.

“Feel that?” He asked softly.

You did. His heart was racing. Not a little. Not politely. It was pounding beneath your hand with enough force that you could feel every hurried beat through his shirt, and the realization stole what little composure you still had. God…He was just as nervous as you were. For all his confidence, for all his flirting and shameless teasing, this mattered to him enough to make his pulse race. Your own heartbeat answered almost immediately. You could feel it quickening in your chest until, somehow, the two of you seemed to find the same rhythm, each heartbeat urging the other faster as you sat there looking into each other’s eyes.

“Yeah,” you whispered.

You nodded as your thumb continued rubbing slow, unconscious circles against his chest beneath his hand.

“I’ll go on a movie date with you, Val,” a quiet laugh escaped you as your old instincts tried one last time to protect your heart, “but just one. No promises that I’ll—”

“—Wait, seriously??” His entire body lit up before you could even finish the sentence.

Then you saw it. The moment your answer truly registered with him. Hidden low within the tousled strands of his auburn hair, the second pair of ears he’d spent the entire evening unconsciously keeping tucked away suddenly sprang upright. His wolf ears perked forward so quickly they almost twitched, swiveling toward you with unmistakable excitement as though they’d completely forgotten they were supposed to stay hidden. At the very same time, his pupils widened until the brilliant gold of his irises darkened around them, and he instinctively straightened where he sat, his entire body seeming to come alive with one overwhelming rush of happiness.

Beneath your hand, his heart somehow began racing even faster. You hadn’t thought that was possible.nThe frantic rhythm hammered against your palm with so much unrestrained excitement that it made your own chest tighten. For all the confidence he carried, for all the shameless flirting and relentless teasing he threw your way every chance he got, this completely undid him. His sculpted cheeks flushed a warm pink, and for the first time all evening, he almost looked…Shy.

God damn it. He was somehow even more intense after a few glasses of wine. And infinitely more endearing. The alcohol had stripped away what little restraint he normally possessed, leaving behind nothing but pure, earnest enthusiasm. He wasn’t trying to play it cool. He wasn’t pretending he wasn’t excited. Every emotion he felt exploded across his face with such wholehearted sincerity that it was almost painfully adorable. You didn’t know whether you wanted to smack him…Or kiss him.

Then you heard it. Thump. The tip of his enormous fluffy tail had started wagging against the arm of the couch. Thump. Thump. The steady rhythm only grew faster the longer he stared at you, completely betraying the excitement bubbling out of him until you couldn’t hold back anymore. A fit of helpless giggles escaped your lips as you watched this giant, broad-shouldered werewolf all but vibrate with happiness over something as simple as you agreeing to dinner. Honestly…He was every bit as much an overgrown puppy as he was a big, bad wolf.

“Yeah!” You laughed, your cheeks burning as you hid your face behind one hand and pinched the bridge of your nose with the other, completely overwhelmed by how unbelievably adorable he looked, “I already said yes!”

Before you could even think about plastering a hand over his face and shoving that giant dork away, he was already moving. With a delighted laugh that burst straight out of his chest, he caught you around the waist and tipped you backward onto the enormous leather couch in one effortless motion, following you down with all the barely restrained excitement of an overgrown puppy that had just been told it was finally going for a walk.

You let out a startled shriek that immediately dissolved into laughter as the cushions swallowed you. Instinct took over before anything else did, and your hands hurried to tug the hem of your dress back down over the glimpse of your thong the sudden movement had exposed. Valko’s broad frame settled between your parted knees as he hovered over you, his weight supported on his arms so he never truly crushed you beneath him despite his impossible size.

The ridiculous man didn’t seem to notice your underwear at all. Or if he did, he gave absolutely no sign of it. Instead, the very first thing he did was bury his face against the side of your neck with a blissful little hum that vibrated warmly against your skin. His happiness seemed to spill out of him without restraint as he nuzzled into you with shameless enthusiasm, rubbing his cheek against yours before peppering your neck with a flurry of eager kisses.

“Oh my God—” You broke into helpless giggles almost immediately.

Every exaggerated kiss landed with an intentionally loud smooching sound that only made you laugh harder, and the ticklish brush of his lips against the sensitive skin of your neck had your shoulders instinctively hunching as you squirmed beneath him. His face was wonderfully warm from the wine, and every affectionate nuzzle chased another burst of laughter out of you while his soft hums of contentment made him sound impossibly pleased just to be this close.

“Val—!”

Another noisy kiss cut you off. You laughed so hard your eyes watered as you pushed weakly at his broad shoulders, making only the most half-hearted attempt to fend him off. He barely moved beneath your hands, happily enduring your token resistance while continuing his relentless assault of ticklish kisses and affectionate nuzzles. The truth was…You weren’t trying very hard to stop him. Not really. You wanted him exactly where he was.

“I’ll cook you the best dinner,” he vowed with such wholehearted sincerity that you couldn’t help laughing again. He punctuated the promise with another affectionate kiss before immediately stealing another, then another, smiling against your skin as he shifted to your other side and tucked himself into the curve of your neck, “I’ll make it so romantic for ya. I’ll…”

His voice trailed away. Not because he couldn’t think of what to say, but because he caught your scent again. You felt the change happen almost instantly. It wasn’t subtle anymore; it never was with him. One moment he was all playful smiles, teasing laughter, and boundless enthusiasm, and the next his entire demeanor softened into something slower, quieter, and infinitely needier. His breathing deepened. He never finished his sentence. Instead, he drew in one impossibly deep breath through his nose, filling his lungs completely with you until his broad chest expanded against a smother of your breasts. The reaction sent goosebumps rippling across your skin. God, it always did.

You never seemed to get used to how quickly he could change. It gave you whiplash every single time, watching him shift from an affectionate, laughing goofball into something far more instinctive, his entire focus narrowing until you felt like the only thing existing in his world. There wasn’t anything performative about it. It was simply the way he was, and that somehow made it even more intoxicating. The worst part was knowing he noticed every tiny response your body gave him. He could hear the subtle hitch in your breathing, feel the quickening rhythm of your pulse where it fluttered beneath your skin, and smell every surge of adrenaline the moment it bloomed inside you. There was no hiding from senses as sharp as his, especially not when he was this close.

“You smell so amazing…” He breathed, his words carried out on another slow inhale that seemed almost greedy in its depth.

A shaky sigh escaped him afterward, feathering warmly across your neck before dissolving into your skin. One of his large hands found yours where it rested against the couch, his fingers slipping effortlessly between your own until they laced together and he brought them above your head. His other hand settled securely around your waist beneath him, giving you a slow, absent squeeze that felt less possessive than grounding, as though simply holding you helped settle the restless instinct building inside him. Without even thinking about it, your free hand rose to the back of his neck. Your fingers disappeared into the soft hair at his nape, gently combing through it as warmth radiated into your palm. He leaned into your touch immediately, another quiet hum of contentment vibrating against your throat before he turned his head just enough to brush another lingering kiss along the side of your neck.

“Your scent gets sweeter when you’re turned on,” he murmured, taking his time as his lips lingered against your skin, breathing you in between every slow kiss as though he couldn’t get enough of you. His voice grew even rougher on the next breath, and you felt the words against your neck almost as much as you heard them, “God…Your pheromones are going fucking wild.”

“…What do I smell like right now?” You asked softly from beneath him, your voice quieter than you’d intended. The room seemed pleasantly hazy from the wine, and for a fleeting moment the ceiling above you almost swayed as you looked up at it. Your hand wandered lazily over the broad slope of his shoulder until it found the thick muscle of one trap, and you couldn’t resist giving it an indulgent squeeze beneath your fingers. It was warm. Incredibly solid. Every inch of him felt built from strength.

“Pure adrenaline,” he murmured without hesitation, his answer arriving on another slow, appreciative inhale.

His face disappeared into the curve of your throat again before he buried himself in your hair, greedily chasing every trace of your scent wherever he could find it. His warm breath feathered over your skin as he spoke, each word quieter than the last.

“Spun sugar…Fire…Something dark and smoky…” He sighed contentedly against you, the sound rumbling through his chest, “…Something I wanna drown in.”

A delicious shiver traveled the length of your spine. His words settled somewhere deep inside you, sending warmth cascading through your body until it pooled low in your stomach. Goosebumps chased one another across your skin beneath the comforting weight of his broad frame, and before you realized what you were doing, your back arched instinctively into him. A quiet sigh escaped your lips as your eyes fluttered closed, your leg slowly lifting to drape comfortably over his hip while your fingers tightened against him. Your nails squeezed around the back of his hand, the others lightly digging into the firm muscle of his trap under your fingertips as though you needed something solid to steady yourself against.

Then you felt it. The unmistakable pressure of his hard cock resting against the inside of your thigh. Even through the fabric of his tailored slacks, you could feel the weight of him there, warm and heavy where it pressed against you. The subtle pulse beneath the fabric betrayed every bit of the growing desire he’d been trying so unsuccessfully to hide, and the realization sent another rush of heat rolling through you.

“You know which part of you gives off the sweetness I’m talking about?” He murmured.

The tip of his tongue traced a slow path up the front of your throat. The unexpected warmth of it stole your breath. You nearly moaned before catching yourself, your fingers instinctively tightening against his shoulder as your head tipped back just enough to give him room.

“…What?” You breathed, your voice barely above a whisper.

When your eyes finally opened again, you found him already looking at you. Not simply looking. Watching. His eyes were fixed on yours with an intensity that made your pulse stumble all over again. The warmth, the teasing affection, and the playful smiles that usually softened his expression had melted into something quieter, deeper, and almost instinctive. For one suspended heartbeat, he regarded you with the kind of focused hunger that made you understand exactly why rabbits froze when wolves looked at them.

God…The realization sent another violent rush of adrenaline surging through you. Shock and desire collided inside your chest so fiercely that your entire body seemed to hum beneath him. Your heart hammered against your ribs, your breathing caught somewhere between anticipation and surrender, and you couldn’t tell whether the dizzy feeling overtaking you came from the wine or from the man looking down at you as though you were the only thing in the world worth wanting. You felt almost intoxicated by him. Almost delirious. Every time he looked at you like that, it was as though the rest of the room disappeared until all that remained was the warmth of his body surrounding yours and those impossible golden eyes holding you completely captive.

His large hand slowly left your waist, gliding upward over your side before traveling along the line of your throat. The warmth of his palm lingered against your skin as his fingers climbed higher, slipping beneath your chin until they settled around your jaw with surprising gentleness. His thumb rested against one cheek while his fingers curved around the other, giving the softest squeeze that rounded your cheeks between them. It wasn’t enough to hurt. It was simply enough to hold your attention exactly where he wanted it.

“Yes you do,” he murmured with unmistakable amusement.

As he spoke, he gently tipped your face one way and then the other, each syllable accompanied by the smallest guiding movement of his hand. His grin spread slowly across his lips, revealing the faint gleam of his canines beneath the warm lighting, and there was something devastatingly unfair about how effortlessly playful and predatory he could look all at once.

God. He was absolutely molten like this. The teasing warmth in his expression hadn’t disappeared, but something deeper had settled beneath it, something instinctive that made it impossible to look away. Your breath caught somewhere in your chest as his eyes remained locked on yours, and every slow second beneath that gaze seemed to stretch impossibly longer than the last. Your heart pounded so hard it felt as though it might bruise your ribs from the inside, while a rush of adrenaline swept through your body with all the intoxicating intensity of a hunted animal refusing to look away from the predator that had already found it. It wasn’t fear. It was something far more dangerous than that. The electric thrill left goosebumps racing over your skin, warmth blooming beneath them until you found yourself trembling beneath his broad frame despite having no desire whatsoever to move.

Before you even realized you were doing it, you smiled back. You watched the subtle movement of his throat as he swallowed, the muscles working beneath his skin with unmistakable deliberateness, and the sight alone sent another rush of heat through you. God…Even that affected you. There was something breathtaking about watching him fight the instinctive reactions he never seemed capable of hiding. He wasn’t embarrassed by them. If anything, the honesty of every tiny response only made the moment feel more real, more intimate, more impossible to resist.

It sent another rush of heat pouring through you until you felt your body betray you completely. Your pussy gave an involuntary little twitch beneath your dress, and the broad line of his hip bone, already resting against you, shifted with the smallest, slowest grind across the damp fabric of your thong. The pressure was almost cruel in how subtle it was, yet it sent a molten wave of pleasure straight through your core. Heat bloomed around your clit so suddenly your breath caught in your throat, your fingers instinctively tightening against the hard muscle of his shoulder as your lips fell open inside the gentle cradle of his hand. For one suspended heartbeat, you couldn’t think of a single clever comeback. All you could do was stare up into those golden eyes, feeling wonderfully, helplessly overwhelmed by the man looking down at you as though you were already his.

“…Your pretty little kitty,” he whispered, his voice dropping into a husky murmur as his gaze slowly drifted from your eyes to your mouth. There was nothing hurried about the way he looked at you. He studied your lips as though they had become the only thing capable of holding his attention, and the slow hunger behind that look alone was enough to send another tremor through your body.

Your breath caught when he leaned closer. Instead of kissing you immediately, the tip of his tongue slowly dragged across your lower lip with an agonizing patience that made your pulse leap. The warm stroke lingered just long enough to make it feel deliberate, almost instructional, as though he was showing you exactly how he’d want to lick you there if you ever let him. It was as if he wanted you to picture it. Wanted you to imagine that same slow, hungry tongue between your legs instead of against your mouth. The thought hit you with startling clarity, and before you could stop yourself, you practically felt the ghost of his tongue gliding over your slit, so vivid in your imagination that your body supplied the sensation for him. Heat bloomed low in your belly, your pussy gave an involuntary little spasm beneath your dress, and your breath caught sharply in your throat as the imagined stroke sent a pulse of pleasure straight through your clit.

He felt it immediately. There was no hiding a reaction like that from senses as sharp as his, especially not when he was pressed so closely against you. A low, thoroughly satisfied moan rumbled deep inside his chest the instant your body betrayed you, and the vibration rolled warmly into your mouth as his lips finally captured yours. The sound carried unmistakable delight, as though your involuntary response had confirmed exactly what he’d hoped it would. Goosebumps raced over your skin while the warmth of his mouth enveloped yours, and every tiny hair along the back of your neck stood on end as you melted into the kiss, your heart pounding beneath the overwhelming intensity of the moment.

Your free hand slipped from where he’d been holding it. Instead of pushing him away, both of your hands climbed to the collar of his dress shirt, your fingers curling tightly into the fabric before you gave him a firm, possessive tug. The movement drew him flush against you, and you answered his kiss with equal urgency, pressing your mouths together until there wasn’t an inch of space left between you.

He met your intensity without hesitation. If anything, he welcomed it. He kissed you with the same wholehearted enthusiasm he seemed to pour into everything he felt, his mouth moving eagerly against yours as though he’d been waiting all night for you to pull him closer instead of pushing him away. The lingering taste of red wine still coated his tongue, rich and warm as it mingled with yours, while the gentle scrape of his canines catching your lower lip made another delicious rush of heat pour through your body. The playful little bites were careful enough never to hurt, yet intoxicating enough that your fists instinctively tightened around his shirt, wrinkling the expensive fabric between your fingers.

Above you both, his enormous tail had found its own way of joining the moment. It slowly curled around the leg you had draped over his waist, wrapping loosely around your calf as though it wanted to hold you there just as securely as the rest of him did. At the same time, one of his large hands slid beneath your thigh and gently encouraged your knee higher against the hard muscle of his back, silently asking for more closeness, more contact, more of you. He always chased intensity that way, never through force, but through an almost desperate desire to eliminate every inch of distance between your bodies.

You could feel the very tip of his tail trembling against your leg. It kept trying to stay still. Trying to behave. Trying to hide just how overwhelmingly happy he was. It failed miserably. The soft, uncontrollable wag betrayed him over and over again where it brushed against your thigh, and you couldn’t help smiling into the kiss as you realized the wine had stripped away what little restraint he normally managed to keep over it.

God…He felt like he was burning from the inside out. Every kiss. Every breath. Every eager little sound he made against your mouth carried a restless warmth that seemed to seep straight into you, melting through your own restraint until it felt as though his excitement had become your own. Wrapped in his arms, surrounded by his scent, and held beneath the overwhelming sincerity of every emotion he wore so openly, you felt yourself slipping deeper beneath the spell of him with every passing heartbeat, as though the heat pouring out of him had become molten enough to settle into your very bones.

Your hands slowly slipped from the collar of his dress shirt to the neatly knotted tie dangling from his neck. Curling your fingers around the silk, you gave it a possessive tug, drawing him down into another lingering kiss while your other hand worked at loosening the knot. It slid free beneath your fingers at last, hanging loosely around his neck for only a moment before he pulled back just enough to tug it the rest of the way off. With a quiet sigh of relief, he tossed it carelessly somewhere across the room without so much as looking where it landed, his attention never truly leaving you.

Your fingertips immediately found the first button of his shirt. Then the second. You fumbled slightly, your wine-softened fingers taking just a little too long to work each button through its hole, and the delay was almost comical considering the way he was kissing you. His breathing had long since lost any resemblance of calm. Warm, uneven breaths escaped him between kisses, and the flush spreading across his cheeks had begun creeping down the strong line of his neck. Every slow inhale seemed to make him hotter instead of cooling him down, and judging by the way his chest rose beneath your hands, the scent of you was only making matters worse. He was impatient. Restless. Wonderfully needy in that utterly transparent way he never seemed capable of hiding, his instincts leaving him visibly flustered as he lingered over you.

It was the only reason he finally broke the kiss. Not to pull away from you. Only to make room. He rose smoothly onto his knees between the wide parting of your thighs, his sheer size demanding the extra height as his broad frame settled over you once more. Standing like that, he seemed to swallow the room. His shoulders eclipsed the warm light overhead until your gaze was filled almost entirely by him, leaving only a soft glow outlining the massive silhouette towering above you.

“Hang on…” He breathed with an embarrassed little laugh that sounded more winded than amused.

His fingers immediately found the remaining buttons of his dress shirt. One after another. Much faster than yours ever could have. He hurried through them with the kind of impatient urgency that made you smile, practically fumbling over himself in his eagerness to get the shirt open. As each button gave way, the fabric loosened farther across his chest, straining for only a heartbeat before falling open to reveal more of the broad, muscular body beneath. The tailored shirt had fit him impeccably when he stood still, yet seeing it gape apart now only reminded you how absurdly wide he really was. It looked almost too small across his chest and shoulders, and the sleeves hugged his powerful arms so closely that you wondered how he’d managed to button the thing in the first place.

Your eyes couldn’t help following every movement. He caught you staring. A slow, pleased smile spread across his flushed face as he looked back down at you, breathing hard enough that the open edges of his shirt shifted with every rise and fall of his chest. There was something almost boyishly proud about the way he watched you watching him, completely aware that your eyes were drinking in every inch of him as he stripped down.

Unable to stand the heat any longer, he yanked the shirt free from where it had been tucked into his belt before rolling his broad shoulders back. The movement stretched every muscle across his chest and back beneath the warm light, and then, with one impatient pull, he shrugged completely out of the shirt and tossed it carelessly behind him. The whole thing happened so quickly it almost made you giggle. He had practically hulked his way out of the damn thing in his desperate hurry to get it off his overheating body.

“Stop me if it’s ever too much,” he said quietly.

He always said it. Every single time things began slipping from playful teasing into something more intimate, he reminded you of the same rule without fail. It had become as much a part of the two of you as the flirting and the banter. He wanted you to stop him before he ever pushed too far, before instinct or impatience could ever overtake your comfort. He wanted to know that if he crossed a line, you would tell him, and he would stop without hesitation. No matter how desperately he wanted you, no matter how badly his body begged for more, that promise never changed.

You met his eyes and nodded, “I will.”

His shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly at your answer, and only then did your gaze begin wandering again. It drifted slowly over every broad, sculpted plane of his bare torso, drinking him in without even trying to hide it. The warm light of the private room traced every hard line of muscle across his chest and abdomen, accentuating the powerful taper of his waist before your eyes continued lower still. Your smile grew softer, breathier, as you followed the sharp V of his pelvic lines disappearing beneath the waistband of his pants.

Then your attention stopped altogether. Oh, God. Your eyes practically glued themselves to the unmistakable bulge straining against the front of his slacks. The outline of his cock rested heavily along the inside of one powerful thigh, impossible to ignore and somehow even more distracting because it wasn’t trying to be. It looked almost obscene beneath the tailored fabric, the weight of him obvious even while still confined behind expensive trousers. Obscene…And devastatingly attractive.

“So…” His voice pulled your attention back upward, though only barely, “see something you like?”

The shameless bastard actually reached down and casually palmed himself over his slacks, giving the heavy outline the smallest, teasing shake beneath his hand while watching your expression with undisguised amusement. You stared at him. The delicious bastard. You ought to smack him. Instead, another idea found you. Without breaking eye contact, you slipped one of your high heels free and let it tumble softly onto the carpet beside the couch. Stretching your now bare foot toward him, you slowly rested the arch of it against the prominent bulge between his thighs.

The reaction was immediate. His brows drew together as a slow breath escaped him, and those brilliant golden eyes lifted back to yours with unmistakable heat gathering behind them. The playful smile never quite disappeared, but it softened beneath something far hungrier as he watched you press experimentally against him. His large hand rose to your ankle before sliding gently over the top of your bare foot. His palm was wonderfully warm as it wrapped around it, and instead of moving you away, he guided your foot a little more firmly against himself. The subtle pressure drew another uneven breath from him, his fingers tightening ever so slightly over your foot as he leaned into the sensation with a quiet, thoroughly pleased sigh. The sight of it made another burst of giggles bubble out of you.

“Yeah, I do,” you teased, biting gently over your lower lip as a mischievous little giggle escaped you. You slowly flexed your bare foot against the heavy outline trapped beneath his slacks, letting your toes lazily wiggle over him just to see what would happen. The reaction was immediate. A visible shudder rippled through his entire body before his eyes fluttered for the briefest moment, and the uneven breath that left him made your grin widen, “do you?”

Still watching him, you slowly let your knees drift farther apart. The hem of your little black dress rode higher over your thighs with the movement, revealing more of your legs until the thin strip of fabric covering your pussy came fully into view. You didn’t say a word. You simply watched him watch you, reveling in the slow, unmistakable smile that spread across his face the instant his eyes settled between your legs.

“God…Yes,” he admitted without even attempting to hide it.

His honesty never failed to catch you off guard. Without looking away from you, he reached for your other foot, his large hand wrapping easily around your ankle as he carefully slipped your remaining heel free. The shoe landed somewhere beside the couch with a quiet thud, forgotten the moment it left his hand. His attention never wavered from you as both of his hands slid lower, settling comfortably around your calves. His broad palms practically engulfed them, warm and reassuring as they held you with effortless ease.

“Nice spot,” he murmured with an unmistakably pleased smile, “looks cute.”

You blinked, “what—”

Following his gaze, you lifted your head just enough to see what he meant. Then your cheeks immediately flared with heat. A small, unmistakable patch of dampness had darkened the narrow center of your thong, visible even beneath the thin fabric stretched between your thighs. The realization hit you all at once, and you heard the quiet, thoroughly entertained chuckle that rumbled out of him just as a startled little gasp escaped your own lips. Embarrassment rushed through you, warming your face as you instinctively thought about pulling your dress back down.

You never got the chance. Before you could move, Valko’s hands tightened gently around your calves and, with effortless strength, he lifted both of your legs upward. The motion tipped you smoothly back against the couch cushions, your back sinking into the soft leather as he drew you several inches closer to him. Your breath caught in surprise as your hips slid toward him beneath his guidance, his broad frame naturally filling the space between your parted thighs once again.

That deliciously needy pervert. The eager look in his eyes, the way his breathing had grown warmer, the unmistakable excitement written all over his face…It would have been so easy to simply let him have his way. But just as quickly as the thought crossed your mind, another one replaced it. You remembered. You remembered how absurdly easy it was to turn the tables on Valko whenever you wanted to. Beneath all that height, strength, confidence, and shameless flirting was a man who absolutely melted whenever you took control for even a moment. It was exhilarating watching someone so impossibly powerful look at you with that same eager, hopeful expression every time you challenged him. There was something undeniably intoxicating about knowing you could wrap that enormous werewolf around your finger with little more than a look, a smile, or a well-timed command, and he’d follow along with all the enthusiasm of an obedient puppy hoping to earn praise.

The realization stirred something inside you. Not just curiosity. Not just desire. Something deeper. Somewhere over the course of the evening, another wall you’d been clinging to had quietly fallen away. The playful teasing still remained, but beneath it lived something far more genuine now. The feelings between you were no longer guesses or carefully avoided possibilities. They had been spoken aloud. A real date waited for the two of you tomorrow night. The uncertainty that had kept you holding him at arm’s length for so long had begun giving way to trust, and with it came a newfound boldness that made your pulse race. You weren’t just curious anymore. You were beginning to crave seeing exactly how far that vulnerable, wonderfully devoted side of Valko would let you push him.

“What, this little thing?” You asked with exaggerated innocence, your voice dripping with playful sweetness as though you had no idea what had captured his attention so completely.

You absolutely did. Keeping your eyes locked on his, you slowly let your hand wander down the length of your body. Your fingertips skimmed over the curve of your waist before gliding lower across your stomach until they finally reached the unmistakable patch of dampness between your thighs. You watched him watch you, and the reaction was instantaneous. His eyes widened ever so slightly before they followed every inch of your movement with unwavering focus, tracking your hand as faithfully as though your fingertips were leading him toward the only thing in the world he wanted.

You caught the subtle sway of his tail again. It gave a slow, unconscious wag behind him, the fluffy tip brushing against the floor before stilling for all of half a second. Then it wagged again. The sight made your pulse leap. His pupils visibly expanded the moment your fingers settled over your pussy, the brilliant gold of his irises shrinking beneath the growing darkness until his gaze looked almost molten with anticipation.

“Oh, shit…” You laughed softly to yourself.

The sensation surprised even you. Your fingertips came away damp enough that you instinctively rubbed them together before letting them drift back over the thin strip of fabric covering your pussy. The delicate material clung immediately beneath the moisture, molding itself more tightly to every soft contour between your thighs. As your fingers slowly stroked over yourself through the fabric, it outlined the shape of your lips with startling clarity, and you watched the way his eyes devoured every tiny movement as though he couldn’t physically look anywhere else.

“I’m soaking wet,” you murmured with another breathless little laugh, shaking your head almost in disbelief, “wow…”

His entire body answered you before his voice ever could. You saw his throat work in one slow swallow. You saw the muscles flex along his jaw. You saw his broad hands tighten around your thighs, his fingers unconsciously digging into the softness above your knees as though holding himself in place required genuine effort. The restraint written across his face was almost tangible. Every instinct inside him seemed to be pulling him forward, urging him to bury himself between your legs, and yet he stayed exactly where he was, waiting despite the obvious struggle painted across his expression. The realization sent another rush of heat pouring through you. Without thinking, your voice came out firmer than you’d intended.

“Sit,” the single word left your lips with quiet authority.

He obeyed immediately. Almost before the sound had finished reaching him, he lowered himself onto his calves between your spread thighs, his broad shoulders settling lower. The movement was so immediate, so instinctive, that it almost looked as though his body had responded before his mind ever had. He didn’t question you. He didn’t hesitate. He simply did exactly as you’d asked.

The sight stole your breath. Good Lord…Watching someone so impossibly powerful become so effortlessly obedient for you sent a delicious thrill racing straight through your body. It made something deep inside you ache with a hunger you hadn’t expected, your pulse quickening as warmth unfurled low in your belly. Your fingers lingered where they rested against the damp fabric between your thighs, and the awareness of his eyes fixed so intently on every tiny movement made the sensation bloom into something almost dizzying. The excitement coursing through you became wonderfully electric, spreading through every nerve until you found yourself smiling up at him, utterly captivated by the breathtaking contrast between the formidable werewolf everyone else saw and the devoted, eager man kneeling so willingly between your legs.

“Good boy,” you tested with a pleased little smile.

The words rolled off your tongue almost experimentally, as though you were curious what they would do to him. You found out immediately. Scooting closer, you slowly spread your thighs wider until they comfortably draped over his lap, your dress gathering higher over your hips as you settled yourself directly in front of him. The movement drew him naturally closer to where your hand still lazily stroked over the damp fabric between your legs, and his breathing immediately turned uneven again.

Then you heard it. Thump. Thump. Thump. Your eyes flicked past his shoulder, and the sight waiting there nearly made you burst into laughter. His enormous tail was wagging so enthusiastically it was actually smacking against the back of the couch, the fluffy thing swishing back and forth with absolutely no restraint. A laugh escaped you before you could stop it. The rush of adrenaline that shot through you at the sight was almost intoxicating. Your heart hammered against your ribs as you looked up at him, and the exhilaration bubbling inside you made your pulse race even faster. You were having entirely too much fun watching this impossibly powerful man unravel so completely beneath your attention.

“You’re salivating,” you pointed out, unable to hide the amusement dancing in your voice.

Your eyes drifted down to his mouth just in time to watch his throat work through another slow swallow. His tongue slipped out almost absentmindedly, moistening his lips before disappearing again, and the movement only confirmed what you’d already noticed.

“Is it my scent doing that to you?” You asked.

He nodded. Just…Nodded. He looked almost helpless beneath the weight of it, his eyes never once leaving your pussy as your fingers continued their slow, absent circles over the damp fabric. It was as though every instinct inside him had narrowed his entire world down to that single point, leaving him visibly torn between patience and overwhelming need.

“Aww…” You cooed, your smile growing impossibly smug.

You watched him draw in one deep breath, clearly trying to steady himself. It didn’t help. If anything, inhaling you only made matters worse. His broad chest expanded completely before the breath left him in a slow, shaky exhale, and you watched the subtle twitch that ran through him afterward. Even his head gave the smallest shake from side to side, almost as though he were physically trying to clear his thoughts, trying to wrestle his instincts back under control. He was losing. Badly.

“What are you thinking about right now, hmm?” You asked sweetly, tilting your head as your fingertips continued their lazy teasing, “what’s going through that little noggin of yours?”

A breathless laugh finally escaped him. He shook his head again before pinching the crooked bridge of his nose between his fingers, his eyes squeezing shut for a brief second as though he couldn’t even bear to look at you anymore.

“God, woman…” He muttered through an incredulous laugh, “you’re evil.”

You immediately huffed in mock offense. Without missing a beat, you nudged the side of his elbow with your knee, bullying the poor man for his attention until he reluctantly looked back at you.

“Hey,” you scolded, “I didn’t say you could look away.”

Another groan escaped him. This time, he obeyed. His eyes lifted right back to you, only to become hopelessly trapped all over again as they settled on the slow movements of your hand between your thighs. He looked utterly conflicted, caught somewhere between restraint and surrender, between misery and overwhelming want. The tension in his face was almost palpable, every muscle tightening beneath flushed skin as he struggled to keep himself exactly where you’d told him to stay.

Watching him fight himself was almost as intoxicating as watching him lose. You noticed his right hand twitch toward his crotch before he seemed to catch himself. His fingers curled halfway, hovering for the briefest moment as though instinct wanted him to reach for himself, to seek any kind of relief from the aching tension building inside him. Instead, with obvious effort, he stopped the motion halfway and clenched his hand into a tight fist against his thigh. The muscles in his forearm flexed beneath the strain, his knuckles whitening as he resisted the urge. It was a battle he was very clearly losing.

“Why’re you torturing me like this?” He breathed, the words leaving him on an uneven exhale as though he were physically wrestling with the heat building beneath his skin. A sheen of sweat had begun to gather across his brow despite the cool room, and he dragged the back of his hand over his forehead with a weary sigh, looking utterly undone by you.

“…Because it’s fun,” you admitted with an unapologetic smile, the answer slipping out far more honestly than you’d intended. You watched his expression soften into resigned disbelief before continuing, your voice quieter this time, “and…Because I wanna see how far I can push you. I wanna see how obedient you are.”

He closed his eyes for a brief moment and let out another long sigh through his nose, the corners of his mouth twitching upward despite himself. It wasn’t defeat so much as acceptance. He already knew he was hopelessly outmatched the moment you’d decided to take control. There wasn’t a stubborn bone left in his body that wanted to fight you anymore. He knew he didn’t have the strength to turn away from you. He knew every instinct inside him had narrowed its entire world down to the woman lying in front of him.

Watching him surrender to that realization stirred something warm inside your own chest. The more you saw this side of Valko, the less you wanted to keep him waiting forever. Not because you pitied him. Because you wanted him. Because every helpless glance, every shaky breath, every involuntary wag of that enormous tail made you ache with the growing desire to reward him. Or perhaps…To indulge yourself just as much.

“Maybe if you’re good for me…” You murmured. Your hand slipped slowly beneath the elastic waistband of your thong, the delicate fabric stretching beneath your fingers before giving way. The first brush of your fingertips against your pussy drew a quiet shudder through your body, and your breath caught as you found your clit already slick with the warm evidence of just how thoroughly he’d worked you up. Your fingers moved slowly, collecting the slippery heat that had gathered there before circling gently over the sensitive little bundle, and the sensation sent a delicious pulse of pleasure radiating low through your belly, “…I’ll let you have a treat.”

He looked absolutely tortured. The flush that had crept across his cheeks now spread down the strong line of his neck and over the broad expanse of his chest. Beads of sweat glimmered beneath the warm light, tracing slow paths over hard muscle and disappearing into the sharp definition of his torso. Every deep inhale expanded his chest before escaping in another shaky breath, and he scrubbed a hand roughly over his face as though he were desperately trying to collect what little self-control remained. His other hand had already found your inner thigh, his broad palm wrapping around it with surprising care. Part of him seemed to be grounding himself through your touch, while the rest of him simply couldn’t resist needing a little more of you beneath his hand. His fingers kneaded absently into the soft warmth of your thigh, tightening every now and then whenever your own hand moved between your legs.

He was a complete mess. A huge, hungry wolf sitting obediently between your thighs while the meal he’d been craving all week teased him mercilessly only inches away. His eyes never left the slow movements of your hand, watching every tiny circle you drew over your pussy with a hunger so intense it almost made your own pulse race faster. The outline straining against the front of his slacks had become almost impossible to ignore by then, the heavy shape pressing insistently against the expensive fabric as though even his trousers were beginning to lose the battle of containing him.

“Define being good,” he said hoarsely, his fingers kneading a little higher along your inner thigh until the warmth of his hand settled dangerously close to where you wanted him most. His breathing had grown ragged enough that every word sounded strained with effort, “cause I’m about five seconds away from ripping your fucking underwear off and—”

“—Stay.”

You didn’t raise your voice. You didn’t need to. The single word left your lips with a calm certainty that somehow carried even more authority than shouting ever could. The effect was instantaneous. He froze. His broad shoulders had already begun lowering toward you, his body leaning forward almost entirely on instinct, yet the moment your command reached him, every muscle locked in place. He remained suspended there between your thighs, breathing hard, his entire body visibly straining against the urge to keep moving while those molten golden eyes lifted back to yours.

The sight sent another rush of exhilaration straight through you. A delighted laugh bubbled out before you could stop it. Without breaking eye contact, you slowly eased your middle and ring finger deeper beneath your thong and guided them into the tight, velvety heat of your pussy. Your walls welcomed them with a slick warmth that made your own breath hitch as your fingers disappeared knuckle by knuckle, and you watched every tiny change in his expression as though it were the most fascinating thing you’d ever seen. His throat worked through another helpless swallow. His jaw tightened. His pupils swallowed almost every trace of gold in his irises until all that remained was an impossibly hungry stare fixed completely on you.

“Good boy…” You praised softly, smiling as another tiny tremor passed through him, “I think you deserve a little treat for being such an obedient, helpless puppy.”

You watched his wolf ears spring upright the instant the praise left your lips, the subtle twitch making your heart leap with wicked satisfaction. A smile tugged at the corners of your mouth as you slowly pushed yourself up onto one forearm, never taking your eyes off him for even a second. The fingers you’d slipped beneath your thong emerged unhurriedly, glistening beneath the warm lights of the private room. Thick, glossy trails of your arousal stretched in delicate strands between your middle and ring finger as you slowly spread them apart, the sticky web catching the light before thinning with every tiny movement. You couldn’t help smiling at the sight yourself.

“Come here, boy,” you whispered.

Your slick fingers curled toward yourself in a slow beckoning motion, inviting him closer with shameless curiosity as your pulse thundered beneath your skin. Valko didn’t hesitate. Not for a heartbeat. He folded over you so quickly it almost made you laugh, his broad body eclipsing the light once again as both of his large hands found your arm. One wrapped securely around your wrist while the other cradled your forearm with surprising gentleness, anchoring you as though he couldn’t bear the thought of letting you slip away. Then, with absolutely no embarrassment, no self-consciousness, and no attempt whatsoever to play it cool, he drew your fingers straight into his mouth.

It wasn’t theatrical. It wasn’t something he was doing to impress you. It was instinct. Pure, wholehearted instinct. You watched every emotion wash openly across his face as his thick brows slowly pulled together and his eyelids fluttered shut. A quiet, blissful sound escaped somewhere deep in his throat while the warmth of his mouth enveloped your fingers, and you felt his tongue slowly glide between them with patient, unmistakable reverence. Every slow pass lingered, gathering every trace of your slickness with an intensity that made your stomach tighten. He tasted you as though nothing else in the world existed, completely lost in the moment, his breathing deepening around your fingers while another low hum vibrated warmly against your skin.

The sight sent a rush of exhilaration crashing through you. A giggle burst out before you could stop it. It bubbled helplessly from your chest, bright and breathless, as a delicious thrill raced from your fingertips all the way down through your molten core. Adrenaline flooded every nerve ending until your entire body seemed to hum beneath him. You squirmed against the couch cushions, practically kicking your feet in delighted excitement as your toes curled so tightly they threatened to cramp. The sensation of his tongue swirling around your fingers, the warm suction of his mouth, and the utterly blissed expression written across his face combined into something so intoxicating that your thoughts dissolved into little more than laughter and heat.

You felt wonderfully lightheaded. Wonderfully reckless. High on him. His fingers had begun trembling around your arm. You felt his long fingers trembling where they wrapped around your wrist and forearm, the grip tightening by slow, involuntary degrees until it almost felt as though he were clutching a favorite toy he’d finally been given permission to keep. The contrast made your pulse race. This enormous, broad-shouldered werewolf could have overpowered you without effort if he’d ever wanted to, yet here he was, holding your arm with a reverence that only made the hunger written across his face even more devastating. At the same time, there was still something unmistakably wolfish about it. The way his hands engulfed your arm made you feel wonderfully small, wonderfully delicate, like a little plaything caught between the careful paws of a great predator trying with every ounce of restraint not to break what he cherished.

It was so fucking hot. Every slow pass of his tongue between your fingers, every bliss-drunk hum vibrating against your skin, every greedy little swallow as he savored the taste of you sent another wave of molten heat crashing through your body. Your fingertips tingled inside the warm heat of his mouth, your stomach burned with anticipation, and your pussy ached so fiercely it almost hurt. Watching him lose himself in you like this, watching that beautiful, hungry wolf come apart over something as simple as your taste, snapped the last thread of restraint you’d been clinging to. You couldn’t take it anymore. You didn’t want to tease him forever. You wanted to let him finally fucking devour you whole.

The thought sent another pulse of heat straight through your core. You wanted to be his meal. You wanted to watch those gorgeous golden eyes roll back with bliss while he feasted on you without shame, to feel every hungry kiss, every greedy lick, every desperate little sound of satisfaction he couldn’t hide. You wanted him to savor you until he forgot where he ended and you began, and you wanted to lose yourself right alongside him, getting off on every shameless smooch he stole, every blissful swallow, every drop he greedily refused to waste.

“God, look at you…” You murmured through another helpless little laugh, unable to stop smiling at the breathtaking sight in front of you. His eyes betrayed him over and over again, darting helplessly from your face back down to the damp strip of fabric covering your pussy as though they were being pulled there against his will. Even with your fingers still nestled inside the warm heat of his mouth, slowly stroking over the slick glide of his tongue, he couldn’t stop looking between your legs. The pleasant scrape of his fangs brushed your skin every now and then as he struggled not to bite down, not out of aggression, but because the hunger written all over his face had become almost impossible for him to contain, “you’re driving me crazy as we speak. You’re dying to eat my pussy, aren’t you?”

He answered before he even thought about preserving his pride. Still suckling your fingers, he nodded shamelessly. Once. Then again. Harder. A hot sigh escaped around your fingers, feathering warmly over your knuckles as his eyes remained hopelessly fixed on the soaked little strip of fabric between your thighs. He looked completely overtaken by instinct, like every sense he possessed had narrowed into a single unbearable point of focus. The longing in his expression was almost painful to witness. He looked exactly like a starving wolf being forced to sit patiently in front of a meal he could already smell, already taste in his imagination, while every instinct inside him screamed to lunge forward and devour it.

Slowly, you eased your fingers from his mouth. He followed them. The movement was completely unconscious, his lips chasing after your fingertips by another inch before he caught himself, blinking as though he’d only just realized what he’d done. A delighted laugh escaped you as you lifted your hand to inspect it. Every trace of your slickness had disappeared. Your fingers gleamed only with the lingering shine of his mouth, every sticky trail of your arousal having been licked and sucked away with shameless enthusiasm until he hadn’t left a single drop behind. You were just as enthralled by him as he was by you.

His hands settled against your inner thighs again, spreading wide until his palms nearly engulfed them. Warm fingers slowly kneaded into your soft flesh, absentmindedly working over your thighs as though they needed something to do before they disobeyed him. The restless squeezing wasn’t simply affection. It was restraint. You watched the tendons shift beneath the skin of his forearms as his grip tightened and loosened in slow cycles, channeling every ounce of the overwhelming hunger consuming him into your thighs instead of where he truly wanted to be. He looked like he was fighting with every fiber of his being not to bury himself between your legs, not to nose-dive straight into the meal he’d been staring at all night. Every breath he took seemed to make that fight harder, every inhale of your scent pulling him closer to the edge. The realization sent another delicious rush of heat low through your body.

You smiled up at his beautifully ruined expression, “beg—”

“—Please,” the word burst out of him so quickly he barely let you finish.

His voice had gone hoarse, rough with need as another uneven breath escaped him. His fingers kneaded helplessly into your thighs again, grounding himself through the warmth of your body before he lost what little control he still possessed.

“I can’t take it anymore. I’ll do whatever you want, Y/n,” his throat worked through another swallow as his pleading eyes searched yours with heartbreaking sincerity, “just let me eat it already…Hell, I’d be happy with one lick.”

Your heart fluttered. Not from victory.

From the beautiful honesty shining back at you.

“Oh…” You whispered, your smile softening despite the exhilaration racing through your veins, “I believe you.”

Your hand slid over the top of one of his, your fingers wrapping affectionately around his thick wrist before giving it a gentle squeeze. Beneath your palm, you could feel the subtle tremor still running through him, his body humming with restrained anticipation. Your other hand drifted back between your thighs, and you slowly hooked a finger beneath the damp waistband of your thong. The elastic stretched lightly beneath your touch as your pulse quickened, your eyes lifting to meet his once more.

You wanted him there. You wanted that handsome, beautifully ruined face exactly where he’d been trying so desperately not to dive all night. You wanted to reward him. You wanted to indulge yourself just as much as you wanted to indulge him. You swallowed slowly. His throat bobbed in answer. The pleading look in his eyes made your chest tighten.

“Have I ever shown it to you before?” You asked softly.

He shook his head without hesitation, “no.”

Your smile widened, “…Wanna see it?”

He nodded so quickly that his wolf ears twitched with the movement, “fuck yes.”

Slowly, almost torturously, you hooked your finger beneath the narrow strip of damp fabric and eased it to the side. The elastic stretched against your hip before finally giving way, baring your pussy to him for the very first time. You never looked down. You looked at him instead. God. The expression that washed over his face nearly stole the air from your lungs.

His golden eyes widened only a fraction before they settled between your legs with complete, unwavering focus. He didn’t simply look. He stared as though every instinct inside him had fallen silent except one. His gaze roamed over every intimate curve with open awe, reverence, and a hunger so honest it made your pulse thunder. The intensity of it settled over your skin like another pair of hands, and your body answered before your mind ever could. Heat bloomed violently between your thighs, your pussy giving an involuntary little twitch beneath the weight of his stare as he drank in the sight of you without shame.

You felt his thumb dig deeper into your inner thigh. His hand was trembling. Not subtly. The broad hand wrapped around your leg shook with the effort it took to keep himself exactly where you’d told him to stay, and your own fingers instinctively tightened around his thick wrist in an affectionate squeeze. Beneath your touch, you could feel the tension coiled through every tendon and muscle in his forearm, his entire body straining against instincts that wanted nothing more than to bury him between your legs. He drew one long, shaky breath before giving that familiar little twitch of his head again, shaking it sharply to one side as though he were trying to knock the thoughts loose from his own skull. It almost looked like he was a heartbeat away from smacking himself across the face just to regain an ounce of composure. The sight made your heart race.

“You’re being so good,” you praised softly, your voice warming with genuine affection as you gently tugged him another inch closer by his arm, “donyou think it’s pretty?”

His eyes reluctantly climbed back to yours for the briefest moment before they helplessly fell right back where they wanted to be. Both of his hands slid from your thighs to your hips, spreading so wide they nearly wrapped around you. His grip tightened almost unconsciously while one broad thumb slipped beneath the delicate strap still resting against your hip. With agonizing slowness, he drew it farther aside, exposing you even more completely beneath the warm glow of the private room. The lights caught every glistening detail you had laid bare for him, and he looked at you as though he couldn’t believe you were real.

“It’s gorgeous,” he breathed, his voice rough and unsteady with need. When he finally forced his eyes back up to yours, they were openly pleading, “Y/n…Please…”

The desperation in that single word broke something inside you. The teasing had stopped being enough. Watching him unravel had been intoxicating, but now it only made the ache between your thighs heavier, hotter, more impossible to ignore. Your pussy throbbed with every frantic beat of your heart, slick enough that you could feel the warmth of your own arousal against your skin, and all you could think about was the starving wolf kneeling between your legs. Every hungry glance he’d stolen, every helpless swallow, every tremble in those enormous hands, every wag of that ridiculous tail had fed your own desire until you weren’t sure who was more desperate anymore. You wanted him. You wanted that handsome, beautifully ruined face buried between your thighs. You wanted to feel him finally stop fighting himself. You wanted him to devour you.

You pushed yourself up onto one forearm and reached for him, your fingers disappearing into the thick hair at the crown of his head before curling firmly into it, “c’mere, then.”

The invitation came out in a breath that sounded almost as needy as his. You fisted his hair and firmly guided him down while easing yourself back against the couch cushions, lifting your hips instinctively toward him as though your body had already made the decision before your mind had caught up.

“Eat up—”

He didn’t let you finish. The instant the words left your lips, both of his hands shot straight for your thong. His fingers hooked beneath the delicate waistband with unmistakable urgency, and every powerful muscle across his shoulders, chest, and forearms flexed as the last thread of his restraint finally snapped. Before you even had time to gasp, you heard the sharp crack of fabric giving way beneath his strength.

Your underwear never stood a chance. Neither, you realized with your pulse roaring in your ears, did you. Before your mind could even catch up to how fast he moved, his enormous arms swept beneath your thighs and wrapped securely around them from underneath. The strength behind the motion stole the breath clean out of your lungs. One moment you were lying against the leather couch, and the next the entire world lurched as he effortlessly lifted you. A startled gasp burst from your lips as your stomach flipped with the sudden change in gravity, your body leaving the cushions so completely that even your head no longer touched the couch.

Everything happened so fast your thoughts couldn’t keep pace. Your hands flew instinctively in search of something, anything, to steady yourself, but Valko was simply too big. Too broad. Too impossibly strong. He hoisted you as though you weighed nothing at all, your body dangling helplessly against the towering frame of his as your calves slipped naturally behind his shoulders. His powerful arms tightened around your waist, locking you securely against him, the firm squeeze of his embrace making it abundantly clear that there wasn’t the slightest chance of you slipping from his grasp.

Then…You felt him. The first slow, deliberate stroke of his tongue parted your slick folds from bottom to top with agonizing thoroughness, the broad warmth of it gliding through your soaked pussy before finishing in one greedy, lingering flick over your swollen clit. He didn’t rush it. He savored it, dragging every inch of the taste he’d been craving all evening onto his tongue with the unmistakable hunger of a man finally allowed his first bite.

The sensation detonated inside you. Your entire body jerked violently in his arms as white-hot pleasure crashed through your core, so sudden and overwhelming that a helpless cry tore from your throat before you could even think to silence it. Every muscle in your body seemed to seize at once as your nails desperately searched for purchase, finally digging deep into the hard muscle of his forearms. You clung to him instinctively, your fingers tightening as the world tilted around you beneath the sheer force of the pleasure he’d pulled from you with a single, devastating lick.

Your thighs reacted before your mind ever could. They snapped inward around the sides of his head, squeezing him tightly as another shudder ripped through you. The warmth of his face, the rough scrape of his tongue, the steady strength of the arms holding you effortlessly aloft, and the low, blissful sound rumbling from deep within his chest blurred together into one intoxicating rush that left your pulse roaring in your ears.

“Tighter,” he growled, the command vibrating straight into your pussy as the scorching heat of his breath and the wet, hungry pull of his mouth engulfed you. Every shameless squelch echoed obscenely through the room as he sucked a greedy mouthful of your slick cunt between his lips, drawing another helpless cry out of you before his tongue flattened beneath your clit and pulled at it with a starvation so utterly carnal your vision tunneled around the edges. The pleasure crashed through you all at once, too much and not nearly enough, making your entire body jolt in his arms as another guttural groan rumbled against you, “squeeze me tighter…Tighter.”

You obeyed before your mind even registered the words. Thought had abandoned you completely, melting into useless, bliss-drunk mush somewhere between the first lick and the tenth. Your ankles crossed behind his broad back, your thighs locking around the sides of his head as you squeezed with everything you had. The pressure earned exactly the reaction you wanted. A deep, broken groan poured out of him, vibrating deliciously through your soaked pussy as though he loved being trapped there just as much as you loved trapping him. Instead of pulling away, he buried himself even deeper, taking another ravenous mouthful of you with an enthusiasm that bordered on feral. His tongue flicked desperately over your clit before sucking it back between his lips again, greedy and shameless, drinking in every little sound you made as though each moan only made him hungrier.

“O-oh my God…” You stammered, your voice dissolving into breathless whimpers as your eyes rolled helplessly back before fluttering shut.

Your brows pinched so tightly they almost ached while your head fell farther behind you, exposing your throat as blood rushed downward until your entire face burned. Your lips trembled uncontrollably before your jaw dropped open around another cry. Thinking had become impossible. Speaking wasn’t much easier. All you could do was feel. Feel every glorious flick of his tongue, every filthy slurp, every greedy suck, every rumbling growl vibrating against your pussy until the sensations shot straight up your spine. Your skin prickled from head to toe, every tiny hair standing on end beneath the relentless pleasure pouring through you.

“Oh God…Oh—! F-fuck!” You cried, your voice breaking apart, “that’s ncredible! V-Val…Don’t—! Don’t stop! Don’t stop!”

As if he ever would. There wasn’t the slightest hint of strain in the enormous arms holding you aloft. He kept you suspended effortlessly, your entire body dangling against the towering heat of him while his forearms locked around your waist like iron bars. His broad hands stayed planted deep into the soft meat of your thighs, gripping you with possessive strength that made it abundantly clear he had no intention whatsoever of letting his meal escape now that he’d finally been given permission to feast. You were completely trapped against his hard, overheated body, pinned there by nothing but raw strength and overwhelming devotion while the feverish heat of his face stayed buried between your legs. His tongue slapped relentlessly against your clit with hungry, rhythmic determination, each wet stroke landing harder than the last until your entire body shook like a leaf in a storm.

Pressure mounted so quickly your eyes watered. Your head spun violently. Your fingers clawed helplessly down his forearms, nails scraping over hard muscle as you searched desperately for something to hold onto while your body came apart in his grasp. Your toes curled painfully tight, your calves trembled, and your thighs squeezed his head with enough force that you could actually feel the violent quiver of your muscles vibrating against his skull. Instead of trying to free himself, he groaned into your pussy again, almost drunkenly delighted by the crushing pressure around his head as he lapped at you even harder.

Every broad sweep of his wet tongue slapped over your swollen clit before disappearing between the slick squish of your lips, and every filthy, eager slurp made another helpless moan tumble out of your mouth. You couldn’t stop the needy little whines or the desperate mewls spilling from your lips as wave after wave of blistering heat surged through your pussy before racing up your spine like liquid lightning. Your fingers cramped. Your toes balled so tightly they hurt. Every muscle in your body drew taut beneath the relentlessly mounting weight of pleasure until you felt stretched to the absolute brink of shattering.

You never stood a chance. Your orgasm was climbing at a terrifying speed, building hotter and tighter with every greedy lick, every shameless suck, every bliss-drunk growl he buried into your pussy as he messily devoured you like the starving wolf he’d been trying so hard not to become all night. And God…The most intoxicating part of it all was knowing this beautiful, desperately hungry man was finally getting exactly what he’d been begging you for, feasting on you with the kind of wholehearted, ravenous joy that made your own pleasure burn even hotter.

You honestly didn’t know how much more of Valko you could possibly take. Every greedy lick, every filthy slurp, every bliss-drunk growl vibrating straight into your pussy poured another wave of unbearable pleasure through your body until you could no longer tell where one sensation ended and the next began. Heat gathered low inside your belly, molten and heavy, tightening into an impossibly taut coil beneath your navel with every relentless sweep of his tongue. It grew hotter and tighter by the second, winding itself into something that felt almost alive inside you, and you knew with absolute certainty that if he didn’t stop, which he clearly had no intention of doing, you were going to explode.

You should have kept your eyes shut. You should have surrendered completely to the pleasure and let it carry you wherever it wanted. Instead, driven by a reckless, greedy curiosity that refused to leave you alone, you forced yourself to look at him. Your entire body trembled with the effort as you struggled to bend your neck enough to find him, your thighs still locked tightly around the sides of his head while your nails remained buried in the hard muscle of his forearms. Your vision blurred beneath the pressure building behind your eyes, but you kept searching until you finally found him.

And then…Oh God. Oh, God. The moment your eyes met his, every coherent thought was obliterated. He was already looking at you. Those brilliant golden eyes were lifted from between your thighs, watching your face while his mouth stayed buried in your pussy, and the intensity behind that stare hit you harder than anything his tongue had done all night. It wasn’t simply hunger anymore. It was possession. It was instinct. It was the raw, unguarded expression of a starving predator finally sinking into the meal he’d spent too long aching for, and somehow he still couldn’t stop looking at you while he feasted.

His pupils had swallowed almost every trace of gold until his eyes looked dark and wild beneath the warm lights of the room. Sweat rolled slowly down the sharp ridge of his prominent brow bone, traced the hard angle of his cheekbone, and disappeared into the flush covering his face while his jaw worked between your thighs with greedy determination. His expression was completely ruined by bliss, yet there was nothing careless about the way he watched you. He looked at you like you were everything. His prey. His prize. His reward. His food. Every filthy, ravenous sound he made against your pussy only made that realization sink deeper into your bones, and the overwhelming intensity pouring off him hit you with such force that it felt as though someone had struck you with lightning.

A broken sob escaped your lips before you even realized you were crying. Your head rolled helplessly backward as your spine arched so violently it cracked beneath the strain, and the white-hot coil burning inside your belly finally snapped. It didn’t unravel. It detonated. Pleasure ripped through your body with catastrophic force, crashing over you in wave after wave until you couldn’t tell where your body ended and the orgasm began.

“I’m cumming!” You screamed at the top of your lungs, the words tearing themselves from your throat without the slightest trace of restraint.

Your entire body convulsed inside the iron lock of his arms, every muscle seizing at once while violent tremors tore through you from head to toe. Your hands shook uncontrollably as your nails dug deeper into his forearms, clawing desperately at the hard muscle beneath your fingertips as though he were the only thing anchoring you to the earth while heaven completely consumed you.

“I’m cumming so hard!” You cried again, your voice cracking into breathless sobs as another crushing pulse of pleasure ripped through your pussy and straight into the pit of your stomach.

Every involuntary squeeze around his tongue seemed to pull another greedy sound from him, and feeling him shamelessly drinking in every wave of your orgasm only made the pleasure burn even hotter. Your thighs locked tight around his head with trembling desperation, your hips jerked helplessly in his grasp, and your entire body shook so violently you could barely draw another breath.

“Oh God, have mercy!” You begged, “shit! Val—! F-fuck! Valko!”

Your orgasm tore through you so completely that it drowned out everything else. It crashed over your body in violent, relentless waves, wringing every last ounce of strength from your muscles until you couldn’t tell where you ended and the pleasure began. Your pussy fluttered and clenched uncontrollably around every furious slap of Valko’s tongue, each involuntary squeeze earning another bliss-drunk groan against your soaked corr that you barely even registered. You never felt the way his broad shoulders began trembling beneath your thighs. You never heard the loud, helpless moan that finally tore itself from his chest as he lost himself with you. The only thing your overwhelmed mind could comprehend was the overwhelming rush of heat pouring through your body, wave after glorious wave crashing into one another until you couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t even remember your own name.

You simply let him have you. You let him ride out every last pulse of your orgasm with the same greedy hunger he’d been pouring into you from the very first lick. Your thighs shook violently around his head while your hips twitched helplessly against his mouth, your body surrendering completely as he shamelessly drank in every little spasm and every trembling squeeze your pussy gave him.

By the time the last wave finally began loosening its grip on you, your muscles had turned to jelly. Only then did you feel his enormous arms carefully lowering you. The world slowly tilted as he eased you back down onto the couch with surprising gentleness, still holding you securely until your back met the cushions. Your body landed like a completely boneless puddle, limp and trembling from head to toe, every nerve still humming with the lingering aftershocks of what he’d just done to you.

A breathless laugh bubbled out before you could stop it. Your lips stretched into the dopiest grin as you stared up at the ceiling, watching the brilliant little fireworks dancing across your vision slowly begin to fade. Sweat clung warmly to your skin, your chest rose and fell in ragged breaths, and your entire body continued trembling in tiny, helpless shivers that refused to stop. Your brain felt completely fried, cooked through by heat and pleasure until your thoughts drifted sluggishly through your head like warm molasses. Even your heartbeat seemed impossibly loud, pounding inside your chest and echoing between your ears while every sense remained wrapped in the hazy glow of euphoric exhaustion.

“H-holy shit…” You laughed between uneven breaths, “h-holy…W-wow…”

Another disbelieving laugh escaped you as you pressed a shaky hand over your forehead.

“You’re fucking incredible, you beast…” You swallowed another ragged breath before grinning even wider, “God, again…I-I want it again…”

It took every ounce of strength you had left just to push yourself up onto your forearms. Your arms quivered beneath your own weight as you finally managed to lift your head, blinking through the pleasant haze still clouding your vision while you tried to focus on Valko. He was still kneeling exactly where you’d left him. Panting. Trembling.

His face was flushed such a deep shade of red it spread all the way down his neck and disappeared across the broad expanse of his sweat-slick chest. His hair clung damply to his forehead, his lips hung slightly parted as he struggled to catch his breath, and he honestly looked as though someone had dropped an entire truck on top of him. His broad shoulders continued rising and falling with deep, uneven breaths while he stared somewhere unfocused, completely dazed by whatever had just happened to him.

“Are you—…” The question died in your throat.

Your eyes drifted lower. Then lower still. Your brows slowly pulled together. The front of his tailored slacks was soaked. Not just damp. There was a large, unmistakable wet patch spread across the expensive fabric, dark against the material where the obnoxious bulge that had been straining there only moments ago had noticeably softened. The heavy outline you’d been teasing earlier had shrunk considerably now, and for several bewildering seconds your pleasure-fogged brain simply refused to connect what your eyes were seeing. Confusion washed over you. Then, piece by piece, the impossible realization began settling into place. Just before he finally said it out loud.

“I-I came,” he panted, the confession spilling out between ragged breaths as though he still couldn’t quite believe it himself.

His broad hands dropped heavily onto the tops of his thighs, fingers spreading there while his shoulders continued rising and falling beneath the effort of catching his breath. Sweat glistened across the hard planes of his chest, and his auburn hair had fallen into a damp, hopeless mess over his forehead. When his exhausted golden eyes finally lifted back to yours, there was something almost endearingly vulnerable behind them. The confident teasing, the cocky grin, the shameless flirting, it had all melted away, leaving behind a man who looked thoroughly dazed by what had just happened. A tired, breathless laugh escaped him as he shook his head in complete disbelief.

“Holy fuck…” He breathed, still trying to process it himself, “I just came from that…”

Another incredulous laugh slipped out as he rubbed a weary hand over his flushed face before looking back at you with wide-eyed amazement.

“Wow…” He marveled at the absurdity of it all, “I didn’t even touch myself…”

For a heartbeat, neither of you said anything. Then the realization landed all at once.

“That’s insane…” The words left both of you at nearly the same time, and the silence immediately shattered beneath shared laughter.

It poured out of you helplessly, bright and breathless, still broken around the lingering tremors of your orgasm while he doubled over with an equally exhausted laugh of his own. You could barely look at him without laughing harder. There he was; the intimidating chairman of EonCore Tech, the enormous werewolf who looked capable of tearing through steel with his bare hands, completely flushed, thoroughly spent, and looking almost sheepish because he’d gotten so overwhelmed by eating you out that he’d climaxed without ever laying a hand on himself.

God. He looked so beautifully, ridiculously wrecked. The sight warmed something far deeper than the lingering heat still humming through your body. It wasn’t just thrilling anymore. It was strangely tender. The vulnerability on his face, the utter lack of embarrassment in admitting exactly what had happened, and the boyish disbelief written all over his expression made your chest tighten with unexpected affection.

Your laughter gradually softened into warm, lingering smiles as your eyes met across the small distance between you. The room still carried the scent of sweat, wine, grilled meat, and the undeniable aftermath of everything the two of you had just shared, while the music continued playing quietly in the background as though nothing extraordinary had happened at all. Yet everything felt different. The teasing. The flirting. The walls you’d spent so long hiding behind. Somewhere between your laughter and his honest confession, they had quietly fallen away.

Half the time, his flirting crashed and burned so spectacularly that it somehow looped back around into being…Weirdly endearing. He was a complete dork. An absolute doofus. Brilliant enough to run a company and solve problems that would make your head spin, yet somehow capable of saying the dumbest thing imaginable seconds later with complete sincerity.

You often wondered if he had more muscle than common sense. A walking, talking, six-foot-two beef bag of ADHD with a confidence far bigger than his self-awareness. He made you want to smack him upside the head almost as often as he made you laugh, and somehow, against your better judgment, against your own common sense, against every standard you’d ever claimed to have, you’d let the idiot grow on you. Worse yet, you’d grown so attached in such a ridiculously short amount of time that you sometimes wanted to smack yourself just as hard for letting it happen in the first place.

There was, however, something about him that made it impossible to completely write him off. Buried beneath every eye roll he earned and every moment that had you internally cringing at yourself for finding him even remotely attractive was a man who was so painfully genuine that it was almost disarming.

Valko wore his heart on his sleeve without a shred of shame. He was sincere to a fault, brave in ways that had nothing to do with physical strength, effortlessly funny without always meaning to be, and so unbelievably affectionate that it sometimes left you wondering if he had any concept of personal restraint. He was warm in every sense of the word, always reaching for your hand, your waist, your shoulder; always finding some excuse to be close. He wasn’t embarrassed by the way he looked at you, either. If anything, he seemed determined to make sure everyone around him knew exactly how hopelessly smitten he was. He didn’t hide his feelings behind pride or carefully maintained indifference like so many people did. He flaunted them. Loudly. Shamelessly. Almost ferally. He simped over you with such shameless enthusiasm that it should’ve been embarrassing to witness.

Maybe that’s why you’d tested him so relentlessly. You’d teased him. Picked on him. Deliberately brushed him off whenever he got too close, watching carefully to see if the mask would crack or if the sweetness would disappear the moment you stopped making things easy for him. Part of you wanted proof that it wasn’t just love bombing; that he wasn’t putting on some impossibly charming performance until he got what he wanted. Another part simply wanted to protect yourself. You wanted things to move at your pace, not his. You wanted to decide how much of yourself you gave away and when, to keep enough distance that you could still retreat if things became too overwhelming.

The strange thing was…He never pushed. No matter how much you huffed at him, rolled your eyes, or lightly bullied him for acting like an overgrown puppy desperate for attention, Valko somehow always respected the boundaries you set without ever making you feel guilty for having them. He’d grin, laugh it off, throw another ridiculous joke your way, and wait. Patiently. Like he already knew you’d come back to him when you were ready.

Somehow, despite all your efforts to keep him at arm’s length, he’d managed to slip past every wall you’d tried so carefully to build. He always called it fate. Or biology. According to him, whatever existed between the two of you was something neither of you had any real control over, something instinctive and inevitable that had been pulling you together since the day you met. The first time he’d said it, you’d laughed right in his stupid, punch-bruised face, convinced he was just being his usual dramatic, overconfident self. Now, though…Now you weren’t so sure he was wrong. Maybe he was right about the whole primordial soup theory.

You had just finished the last sip of your wine when a familiar clink echoed from outside, followed by the unmistakable scrape of something bumping against your balcony railing. You closed your eyes for a brief moment, already knowing exactly who it was before you even looked. Oh, for God’s sake. Couldn’t he just use the front door like a normal person?

The man had an actual key, now. He knew how locks worked. Yet, for reasons known only to the giant idiot himself, he seemed to treat your third-story balcony like it was the designated entrance every single time he came over. It was ridiculous. Completely unnecessary. The kind of thing that made you instinctively facepalm before you even laid eyes on him.

…Not that you hadn’t been waiting for him. His late-night Target run had taken longer than expected, and although you’d spent the last hour pretending you weren’t paying attention to the clock, you’d caught yourself glancing at it far more times than you’d ever admit aloud.

Shaking the thought away, you quickly rinsed your wine glass and set it upside down in the drying rack before tossing the empty bottle into the recycling bin with a muted clatter. Then you made your way toward the balcony, pulling your lounging robe a little tighter around yourself as the cool night air seeped through the cracks of the sliding glass door. The chill brushed against your bare legs the moment you slid it open, carrying with it the crisp scent of the evening.

And there he was. The giant loser trapped inside an unfairly attractive body. Valko landed on your balcony with an ease that shouldn’t have been possible for a man his size, straightening up with that impossibly pleased grin already stretched across his face. Moonlight spilled over his broad shoulders, catching the gold in his eyes and the sharp points of his teeth as he beamed at you like he’d just returned from some grand expedition instead of a Target run. A plastic shopping bag swung triumphantly from one hand before he held it out toward you like a prize.

“Got the essentials,” he announced proudly, “another bottle of cab, your chocolate pretzels, popcorn, dish soap—”

“—Dish soap??” Your brows knitted together as you crossed your arms, looking up at him with open confusion.

“You were running out,” he replied matter-of-factly, pointing past you through the open glass door toward your kitchen sink before continuing down his mental checklist.

Your attention barely stayed on the words. Instead, your eyes lingered on the way his pointed canines caught the moonlight every time he smiled; that stupid, lopsided smirk somehow managing to look both mischievous and impossibly genuine at the same time.

“I took a little longer than I thought I would cause I realized I needed to grab myself some Swiffer pads,” he continued with a sheepish shrug, “can’t do a Target trip without it turning into a whole mission. Y’know how that goes.”

Before he could stride over and inevitably bend down to nuzzle the top of your head for what had to be the millionth time that night, you planted your palm squarely against his chest, stopping him in his tracks. The contact was almost comical. His chest was ridiculously firm beneath your hand, like trying to hold back a brick wall wrapped in an expensive tank top, yet he froze instantly the moment he realized you were serious.

“My birth control?” You asked, your gaze dropping pointedly to the white Target bag dangling from his hand.

His golden eyes widened. His jaw slowly went slack. For one horrifying, painfully familiar second, he stared off into the distance as though his soul had just left his body to retrace every step he’d taken through the store. Oh, God damn it. You knew that look.

“…Uhhh,” he answered after a beat, still frozen in place as his eyes drifted down toward the bag, “right. Yeah, I got that…I think…”

A slow, weary sigh slipped through your nose.

“I hope so,” you deadpanned, “considering that’s the entire reason you went to Target for me.”

“Don’t worry, I swear I got it,” he flashed you a smile that was far less convincing than he clearly intended before immediately shoving his hand into the bag and beginning to rummage through it with increasing urgency.

Plastic crinkled loudly as bags of snacks, cleaning supplies, and whatever else he’d impulse-bought shifted around.

“Damn it, I swear it’s in here…Hold on,” his movements became faster, more frantic, “would you quit staring at me like that? It’s making me nervous!”

“You should be nervous!” You huffed, folding your arms tighter across your chest as disbelief began replacing your patience, “ugh, don’t tell me you forgot, Valko…”

“I didn’t!” His head snapped up so quickly you almost believed him. Almost, “I—…”

His confidence evaporated just as fast.

“…Oh my God.”

He stopped digging through the bag altogether, horror washing across his face as the realization finally hit him.

“I left it on the pharmacy counter…” He admitted, sounding as though he’d just confessed to a felony, “I was rushing to get back here.”

You let out an exaggerated groan, your entire body sagging with defeated disbelief as you tipped your head back to stare helplessly at the moon hanging overhead. The cool night air brushed across your damp hair and bare legs, but it did nothing to soothe the mounting frustration bubbling inside you. Both hands dragged down over your face until your palms covered your eyes completely.

“Ughhh…Why are you like this?!”

“I told ya,” he defended himself, lifting one shoulder in an apologetic shrug, “I was rushing!”

“Why the rush?!”

The frantic rustling of plastic suddenly stopped. Silence settled between you for a beat before you lowered your hands just enough to peek at him. Valko was staring down at you with an expression that hovered somewhere between confusion and genuine disbelief. He blinked once. Then again. His brows slowly knitted together as though the answer should’ve been painfully obvious.

“…You’re really asking me that,” he said, his voice flat with incredulity, “when you’re standing there in a fucking silk robe of all things…”

His golden eyes drifted over you, lingering for only a second before meeting yours again with maddening confidence.

“And you don’t even have underwear on under it?” He added.

Your breath caught. You actually gasped. How the hell did he know that? For one mortifying second, you instinctively glanced down at yourself as though expecting the robe to have somehow betrayed you. It was tied securely. Nothing was showing. There was absolutely no reason he should’ve been able to tell.

When your gaze snapped back up, he was already looking at you with the single most unimpressed expression you’d ever seen grace his stupidly handsome face. A long sigh escaped him as his broad shoulders relaxed, the tension leaving his body all at once. He straightened to his full height, towering over you beneath the silver wash of moonlight, and looked at you like you were the one asking ridiculous questions.

“C’mon,” he huffed out a short laugh through his nose. One dark brow arched, “seriously? You think I’m stupid or something?”

Your eyes widened. Heat flooded your face so quickly it felt like your cheeks had caught fire, and you immediately folded your arms tighter across your chest as though that might somehow make the situation less embarrassing.

“I-I didn’t think about it,” you stammered, unable to meet his eyes for more than a second, “I just got out of the shower and put on whatever—”

He cut you off with a loud, hearty laugh that echoed across the quiet balcony. His head tipped back, completely unrestrained, while one hand disappeared into his tousled hair, raking through the auburn strands as his shoulders shook. It was almost obnoxious how entertained he looked, his grin stretching so wide that the sharp points of his canines caught the moonlight with every laugh.

“Ohhh, right. Right,” he nodded along dramatically, still chuckling to himself, “and I’m supposed to believe that.”

“I swear!” You insisted, your voice climbing an octave as the accusation landed far closer to the truth than you wanted to admit. You could feel yourself growing flustered by the second, annoyance mixing with embarrassment until your face burned even hotter. The worst part wasn’t that he’d called you out.

It was that he’d read you so effortlessly. Again. He threw both hands into the air in mock surrender, his face contorting into the most exaggerated expression of innocence you had ever seen. Then, as if embarrassing himself came as naturally as breathing, he pitched his voice up into an absurd little imitation of yours. To complete the performance, he even bent one knee and kicked his heavy boot back behind him with theatrical flair.

“I swear! I totally didn’t just drink to calm my nerves right now while you were gone, Valko—”

“—Shut your bitch ass up!” You groaned, launching your palm squarely into his chest with a solid thump.

It accomplished absolutely nothing. His body barely budged beneath the shove, his chest feeling less like a person and more like a brick wall hidden beneath a fitted tank. You hit him again out of pure spite, only for him to laugh harder, the deep, unrestrained sound rumbling in his chest as he casually batted your arm away.

“Oh, c’mon—”

“—No!” You swatted at him again, growing more indignant with every infuriating grin he flashed your way, “don’t think you can distract me from the fact that you forgot my damn birth control!”

“Oh, darn,” he rolled his eyes with enough dramatic flair to deserve an award before hooking the shopping bag over the crook of his elbow. The moment both of his hands were free, they found your wrists with practiced ease.

His grip was enormous. Warm. Firm enough that you couldn’t immediately pull away, yet impossibly gentle all the same, as though he was instinctively careful not to squeeze any harder than necessary. That stupid wolfish grin spread slowly across his face, stretching wider as his golden eyes narrowed with unmistakable amusement.

“Looks like…” He mused, deliberately taking one slow step forward.

You instinctively took one back.

“…I’ll just have to spend tomorrow here with you too…” Another step.

You retreated again, the cool floor beneath your feet giving way toward the warmth spilling from your apartment.

“…If ya want me to pick it up that bad—”

“—I’ll do it myself!” You huffed, finally twisting your wrists just enough to slip free from his hands. The instant you escaped, you spun dramatically on your heel and marched back inside, your robe fluttering around your legs as the warmer air enveloped you.

“Nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-no.”

You’d barely made it two steps. Behind you came the hurried shuffle of boots, followed by the quick scrape of the balcony door sliding shut. You didn’t even need to turn around. You could picture the entire sequence perfectly: Valko setting the Target bag on the floor in a rush before jogging after you with all the grace of an overexcited golden retriever trapped inside the body of a six-foot-two werewolf.

A heartbeat later, his hands settled on your shoulders. Before you could protest, he dipped his head, burying his face against the top of your hair with a long, contented nuzzle. Warm breath stirred the still-damp strands from your shower, and you felt him inhale softly, lingering there for a second as though simply breathing you in was enough to calm him. His broad chest settled against you while those ridiculously muscular arms slid around you, wrapping you up so completely that it felt less like being restrained and more like being swallowed by the world’s warmest weighted blanket. His embrace was impossibly secure without ever being forceful, effortlessly bringing your little storm of indignation to a halt.

“It’s like…” He mumbled into your hair, his voice vibrating softly against the back of your head, “nine o’something. Relax.”

One of his hands gave your side a reassuring squeeze.

“I’ll grab it in the morning for ya. It’s not like you’re missing any days,” a mischievous chuckle slipped past his lips, “y’know…I was totally joking when I made that comment about breeding ya—”

“—Ew!”

You immediately began squirming in his arms, swatting at whatever part of him you could reach while desperately trying, and spectacularly failing, to suppress the laugh bubbling up in your chest. The memory resurfaced far more fondly than you wanted to admit, making your cheeks warm all over again.

“God, don’t remind me, you weirdo…”

You finally managed to twist just enough to point accusingly toward the floor.

“Hey!” Your finger jabbed toward his feet, “boots off. Now.”

He immediately raised both hands in surrender, the picture of exaggerated defeat, “alright, alright.”

With an overly dramatic sigh, he caught himself before taking another step inside. He leaned against the wall to unzip his heavy boots, tugging them off one at a time before neatly lining them up beside the entryway without another word. You couldn’t help noticing how absurdly obedient he became over the smallest things whenever you called him out. For all his bravado, he’d listen the moment you genuinely asked him to do something.

“Weirdo?” He echoed, lifting a skeptical brow as the corner of his mouth curled back into that infuriating grin.

You barely had time to react before he was closing the distance again. Just like a puppy. An oversized, overly affectionate, six-foot-two puppy that apparently had no concept of personal space. Before you could slip away, one powerful arm hooked effortlessly around you. The floor disappeared beneath your feet as he scooped you up as though you weighed next to nothing, bouncing you once into a secure bridal carry that made you instinctively grab onto him for balance. His arm beneath your knees barely flexed under your weight, while the other settled comfortably behind your back, holding you snug against his broad chest.

“There we go,” he murmured with obvious satisfaction.

Without missing a beat, he turned back toward the abandoned Target bag, carrying you with the same ease someone might carry an extra pillow. His stride never faltered, and neither did his eyes. They stayed fixed on you the entire time, molten gold glinting beneath the kitchen lights with that unmistakable spark of mischief dancing inside them.

He lowered his voice, “you were the one begging for me to cum inside of—”

A mortified whine escaped you before your hand shot over his mouth, smothering the rest of the sentence against your palm, “oh my God, no I wasn’t, shut up!”

His smug smile only widened beneath your hand. Of course it did. For one blissful second, you thought you’d successfully silenced him. Then you felt it. A slow, deliberate swipe of his tongue across the center of your palm.

“Eugh!” You recoiled on instinct, yanking your hand away with an expression of pure disgust as you stared down at the sheen of saliva now glistening across your skin.

“Mmm,” he smacked his lips with theatrical appreciation, looking altogether too pleased with himself, “salty...”

“You are unbelievable,” you groaned, immediately wiping your hand across the front of the skintight black tank top he always seemed to wear. The soft fabric stretched over his chest as you smeared your revenge across it, earning yourself another amused chuckle instead of the annoyance you’d been hoping for.

He simply laughed under his breath and kept walking, carrying you deeper into the kitchen as though nothing had happened.

“You don’t have to carry me, you know,” you muttered, giving a half-hearted squirm despite making no real effort to escape, “I have legs.”

“I know you do,” his response came so matter-of-factly that you almost missed the absentminded squeeze he gave your thighs where his arm supported them.

It wasn’t suggestive so much as instinctive, his large hand adjusting its grip to keep you comfortably settled against him as he reached the kitchen counter.

“I like carrying ya,” his grin softened into something warmer, his voice losing some of its teasing edge, “what…Am I being too clingy again?”

He tilted his head just slightly, studying your face with an almost playful curiosity. Maybe he was. You were quickly learning that everything about Valko existed at an intensity you weren’t used to. His affection was intense. His attraction was intense. Even the way he simply occupied a room felt larger than life. And yet, somehow, none of it felt calculated. None of it felt performative. If any other man had come on this strongly so early into knowing you, you would’ve written him off immediately. You would’ve called it love bombing without a second thought and started looking for the nearest exit.

With Valko…You couldn’t. There was something strangely uncomplicated about him that made all of it feel…Real. The longer you spent with him, the more you started wondering if this was simply what being a werewolf meant for someone like him. Whether all of that relentless affection, the constant need for closeness, the endless touching, cuddling, nuzzling, and shameless adoration were less of a conscious decision and more of an instinct he never tried to suppress. It reminded you, almost embarrassingly, of a puppy. Loyal to a fault. Endlessly loving. Excitable over the smallest things. Playful. Eager for attention, but just as eager to give it back tenfold. There was something so hopelessly sincere about the way he loved that it became difficult to make fun of him for it…Even though you still absolutely did.

“…I just don’t know you that well yet,” you admitted quietly.

His expression softened immediately. Without complaint, he loosened his hold and carefully lowered you back onto the kitchen floor. Your bare feet met the cool tile with a quiet tap, the lingering warmth from his arms disappearing almost instantly. You hadn’t realized how comfortable you’d been in his embrace until it was gone, and the absence left behind a faint, unexpected sense of loss that you stubbornly refused to dwell on.

The moment you were standing again, the difference in your height returned in full force. He towered over you. It wasn’t just that he was tall; although six-foot-two certainly didn’t help. It was everything else. His shoulders seemed broad enough to block out half the kitchen light whenever he stood too close, his frame filling your tiny apartment in a way that almost looked comical. He always seemed slightly too big for your space, like someone had dropped a grizzly bear into a one-bedroom apartment and expected it to fit comfortably.

And yet…It was beginning to feel normal. His boots by the front door. His leather jacket draped over the back of a chair. His laughter bouncing off your walls. His scent lingering faintly on your blankets long after he’d gone home. Little by little, he was becoming part of your apartment just as much as he was becoming part of your routine. You were growing used to his presence, to the way he naturally commanded every room he entered without even trying. Everything about him felt oversized; his body, his personality, his emotions, his laugh, even the space he occupied simply by existing.

“Fair enough,” there wasn’t even a hint of disappointment in his voice.

He simply smiled with that same understanding warmth that always seemed to catch you off guard before one enormous hand drifted slowly down your arm, his calloused fingertips brushing lightly against your skin in a touch so absentmindedly affectionate it almost seemed unconscious. The simple gesture lingered for only a moment before he stepped aside, giving you room as you turned toward the Target bag resting on the counter. You began unpacking everything one item at a time, setting each purchase in its place while plastic rustled beneath your hands.

“I’m gonna take a quick shower while you do that,” he said casually, “you okay with waiting for me?”

Your eyes drifted toward the fresh bottle of wine sitting on the counter, its dark glass catching the warm kitchen light. Then they found him again. A small, almost helpless smile tugged at the corners of your mouth. Your gaze dropped, briefly, but deliberately, to his crotch before lifting back to meet those molten golden eyes.

“…Can you hurry up?” You pouted a bit.

A quiet puff of amusement escaped through his nose, the corners of his mouth twitching upward before he reached over to affectionately ruffle your still slightly damp hair. His fingers lingered for just a second longer than necessary, leaving the strands adorably disheveled.

“Oh?” He teased, his grin growing wider, “someone’s impatient for me tonight…”

The smug satisfaction in his voice made heat creep into your cheeks.

“Fine,” he chuckled, taking a reluctant step backward toward the hallway, “I’ll be fast.”

One finger pointed squarely at you in mock warning.

“Don’t you dare touch that shit without me,” he warned playfully.

Your eyes slowly slid back toward the unopened bottle. Then, just as slowly, they returned to him.

“Oh…” You replied innocently, though the mischievous glint in your eyes ruined the act immediately.

Your fingers wrapped around the neck of the bottle while your other hand settled over the cap.

“You mean…” You began twisting it with exaggerated slowness, never once breaking eye contact, “this shit right here?”

His smile faltered. Not completely. Just enough. You watched the muscles along his jaw tighten as his eyes followed the deliberate movement of your hands. The teasing tilt of your head and the arch of your eyebrow only made it worse. For the briefest moment, he simply stared at you, looking like he was actively reconsidering whether he actually needed that shower after all.

You couldn’t help smiling a little wider, “you have ten minutes, Valko.”

The cap gave way with a crisp, satisfying pop.

You held the opened bottle up ever so slightly between the two of you, “so hurry the fuck up already before I—”

“—Ooh, yes, ma’am!” He straightened so quickly it was almost comical, snapping into an exaggerated salute with all the seriousness of an overgrown kid playing soldier. That enormous grin spread across his face again, though the look in his eyes had shifted into something hungrier, more intent, lingering on you in a way that made your stomach flutter despite yourself.

He started backing out of the kitchen, forcing himself to keep moving toward the hallway even as his gaze refused to leave you.

“Jesus Christ, woman,” he groaned dramatically over his shoulder, “no need to rile me up like that before I wash up. Now that’s just plain cruel…”

You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing as he disappeared down the hall, “I wasn’t even trying!”

“That’s why you’re so sexy!” He called back from somewhere beyond the corner, his voice echoing through the apartment.

You rolled your eyes with an amused snort, the smile he always seemed to leave behind lingering on your lips as you turned toward the cupboards. Reaching up, you pulled down two wine glasses, setting them gently on the counter beside the newly opened bottle with a pair of soft clinks.

God damn it. That idiot. That absolute moron. That…Fucking handsome wolf of a man. The thought alone made you scoff under your breath. If someone had told you a few weeks ago that you’d be standing in your own kitchen pouring wine for the chairman of EonCore Tech, you probably would’ve laughed yourself sick. If they’d told you that you were sleeping with him? You would’ve called them delusional.

Actually…Were you even just sleeping with him anymore? Dating? Seeing each other? Whatever the hell this was? You honestly had no idea. Neither of you had ever bothered putting a label on it. The conversation had never happened. Somewhere between nearly killing each other and sharing takeout on your couch, the connection had simply…Become whatever it was now. Which was absurd.

The first time you’d ever met Valko, you’d introduced yourself with your fist. Right into his stupidly handsome face. You’d shot at him. Fought him. Fully prepared to treat him like the enemy he’d appeared to be. And somehow, against every ounce of common sense you possessed, you’d ended up in his bed instead.

Or, more accurately…He kept ending up in yours. Somewhere along the way, “just this once” had quietly turned into accepting his invitations for late-night chocolate milkshakes, movie nights that usually ended with the film being ignored halfway through, dinners that lasted far longer than either of you intended because the two of you couldn’t stop talking; or bantering. You’d started letting him into your apartment without a second thought, watching him make himself comfortable like he’d always belonged there. More than once, he’d fallen asleep in your bed, dead to the world, looking so impossibly peaceful that you never quite had the heart to wake him.

You had, however, absolutely screamed at him the first, and thankfully only, time he’d propped those filthy boots up on your couch. He’d learned that lesson remarkably fast. Then there were the pajamas. God. The pajamas. He’d insisted on leaving a spare set at your apartment after “accidentally forgetting” to take them home. You’d seen right through the excuse immediately. There was nothing accidental about it. The idiot had practically engineered an excuse to leave a piece of himself behind. You’d complained. You’d rolled your eyes. You’d called him clingy…And then you’d folded them after washing them instead of tossing them into a bag for him to take home.

Deep down, you hadn’t really minded. Some cruel twist of fate had decided that the man who was supposed to be your enemy would also be the one who treated you with the most gentleness you’d ever known. Beneath all the cocky grins, terrible jokes, and endless teasing was someone endlessly patient with you. Someone playful enough to coax laughter out of you even when you tried to stay irritated. Someone attentive enough to notice when your favorite snacks were running low or your dish soap needed replacing. Someone whose warmth seemed to seep into every room he entered until the apartment felt strangely emptier whenever he wasn’t there.

He was infuriating. Ridiculously intelligent. Hopelessly annoying. And somehow, despite your best efforts, he’d rooted himself somewhere inside your heart before you’d even realized you’d left the door open. You couldn’t seem to get rid of him anymore. Not from your apartment. Not from your routine. And certainly not from your mind. Even his scent seemed to linger long after he’d stepped away; that clean, woodsy warmth that clung to your blankets, your clothes, and even your own skin, refusing to let you forget him no matter how hard you pretended you wanted to.

After pouring two generous glasses of wine, you began unpacking the rest of the Target bag while you waited for Valko to finish showering. One by one, you set everything on the counter; the popcorn, your chocolate pretzels, the dish soap he’d somehow remembered before the one thing you’d actually sent him there for. Then your hand paused. Nestled near the bottom of the bag was a wide black leather collar. A matching leash rested beneath it.

You frowned, “…Huh.”

You picked the collar up for a moment, turning it over in your hands. The leather was soft, well-made, surprisingly expensive by the feel of it. You hadn’t known Valko had any pets. Every time you’d been to his place, you hadn’t seen so much as a food bowl or a stray tuft of fur that wasn’t from his tail. No barking. No scratching at doors. Nothing. Maybe he’d gotten one recently. Or maybe there was something about his life you simply hadn’t learned yet. You shrugged to yourself, setting it back into the bag without giving it much more thought.

With both wine glasses balanced carefully in your hands, you wandered into the living room. You placed one on the coffee table before settling onto the couch with the other, lazily swirling the dark red wine around the bowl of the glass as you searched for something to watch. After picking a movie, you dimmed the lights from your phone until the apartment melted into a warm, amber glow, the television becoming the brightest thing in the room.

The first sip burned pleasantly on its way down. You unconsciously caught yourself smelling your own wrist, then the collar of your silk robe, making sure the fresh scent of your shampoo and body wash still lingered after your shower. Beneath it, you could already feel the alcohol beginning to settle comfortably into your system; not enough to make you drunk, just enough to smooth away the last edges of your nerves. Perfect.

Just as you let yourself sink back against the couch, you heard it. His footsteps. Your attention snapped toward the hallway before you even realized you’d moved. Valko stepped into the dim living room, and your brain immediately forgot whatever movie you’d just put on.

…Oh, he had to be kidding you. That absolute whore. That giant, six-foot-two whore. Fresh from the shower, he hadn’t bothered putting on a shirt. His broad shoulders were still faintly damp, tiny droplets of water catching the glow from the television as they disappeared over defined muscles and down the length of his chest. His dark red hair had been hastily pushed back with his fingers, still messy from the towel, leaving a few stubborn strands falling forward again as they slowly dried. His tail looked like he didn’t bother with more than just a towel dry. He looked comfortable in his own skin, carrying himself with the effortless confidence of someone who had absolutely no idea, or perhaps every idea, what he looked like.

The sweatpants weren’t doing you any favors, either. They hung low on his chiseled hips, untied and dangerously relaxed, clinging just enough to outline the powerful lines of his thighs every time he moved. The fabric left very little to the imagination. Even completely soft, you could make out the unmistakable weight and outline of his cock resting naturally against one thick thigh beneath the thin material, shifting subtly with each step he took. Your eyes lingered for a heartbeat longer than they should have before you forced yourself to look away, your face growing warmer by the second. God…Was he even wearing any underwear?

You silently cursed yourself the moment he wandered over and dropped onto the couch beside you. The entire piece of furniture groaned beneath his weight, the cushion dipping so deeply that your body instinctively slid toward him before you even had a chance to brace yourself. It wasn’t enough for him, apparently. The clingy bastard scooted even closer, his thigh bumping yours as the cushion compressed further beneath his massive frame, leaving gravity itself to betray you. You rolled right into his side exactly the way he knew you would. Exactly the way he wanted.

His arm was already waiting. The instant your shoulder bumped into the solid wall of his chest, his arm slipped behind you with practiced familiarity, draping across the back of your shoulders before his broad hand settled comfortably against your upper arm. With one easy squeeze, he pulled you flush against him until every inch of your side was pressed against the lingering warmth of his freshly showered skin. You felt his chest rise beneath your cheek before a slow breath escaped him, almost like relief, as though this simple closeness had been something he’d been craving the entire time he was gone.

“…No shirt?” You challenged, forcing your attention toward the television instead of the man beside you. You lifted your wineglass for another sip, pretending to be deeply invested in whatever opening scene was playing. Looking at the screen felt infinitely safer than looking at him.

A quiet chuckle rumbled through his chest. You didn’t just hear it. You felt it. The vibration traveled straight through the side of your face where it rested against him, warm enough to make your heart stutter.

“No panties?” He countered without missing a beat.

Your grip tightened slightly around the stem of your wineglass. Before you could think of a comeback, you felt that enormous hand begin a lazy journey down your side, his palm gliding over the smooth silk of your robe with an almost absentminded confidence. His fingertips traced your waist before slipping lower, until his hand settled squarely over your hip. And then lower still, straight to the round of your ass. Your breath caught. His hand effortlessly spanned over one cheek, giving it an unapologetic squeeze through the thin silk. The warmth of his palm seeped through the fabric almost instantly, his grip confident without being rough, followed by a contented little sigh that sounded so genuinely indulgent it made your entire body burn.

God. Good God. The casual boldness of it; the way he acted like touching you came as naturally as breathing, sent a rush of heat pooling low in your stomach before you could stop it. Without realizing it, your free hand had found his thigh. Your nails pressed into the thick muscle beneath the soft gray fabric, digging in just enough to make your embarrassment known while you stubbornly refused to look at him. Whether it was retaliation or an unconscious attempt to ground yourself, you couldn’t have said. Valko only laughed softly. The squeeze eased into a gentle pat before his hand lingered exactly where it was, rubbing slow, affectionate circles through the silk as if soothing both of you at once.

You stubbornly kept your eyes on the television. Unfortunately, that didn’t help much. From the corner of your vision, you couldn’t help noticing the way the flickering light from the screen danced across his bare torso before casting shifting shadows over his lap. As he slouched deeper into the couch, spreading his legs comfortably beneath him, the soft fabric of his sweatpants stretched just enough to reveal the steadily growing outline beneath them. A tent. A fucking tent. You immediately took another sip of wine. You were going to need it.

“Aren’t you gonna drink your wine?” You asked, nodding toward the untouched glass sitting on the coffee table.

He blinked, straightening slightly as though you’d just reminded him it existed.

“Oh—yeah,” he let out a sheepish little laugh, rubbing the back of his neck, “thanks for that.”

Typical. You couldn’t help smiling to yourself. For someone capable of running an entire corporation, the man could forget the most painfully obvious things. You shifted upright just enough to let him lean forward, his broad frame momentarily eclipsing the television as he reached for his glass. The muscles along his back flexed beneath his damp skin before he settled comfortably against the couch again.

His eyes found yours immediately. They always did. A warm smile spread across his face as he lifted his glass toward you, “cheers.”

“Cheers,” you met it with your own.

Crystal clicked softly against crystal before the two of you took a drink together, the rich wine washing pleasantly over your tongue. The second glass was already making you feel looser, the warmth settling comfortably in your chest and lending your curiosity just enough courage to finally ask the question that had been lingering in the back of your mind.

“So…” You began, drawing your legs beneath you as you turned to face him fully.

The movement only seemed to encourage him. Without hesitation, his arm found its familiar place around your waist again, his palm settling against your side as naturally as if it belonged there.

“…What’s with the collar and leash?” A teasing smile tugged at your lips, “are those for you or something?”

The reaction was immediate. The tips of his ears flushed a brilliant shade of red. A moment later, the color spread across his chiseled cheeks as well.

“Oh, shit…” He laughed, ducking his head with an almost bashful smile that looked strangely adorable on someone his size. One hand rubbed absentmindedly along the back of his neck, “well…”

He glanced away for a second before looking back at you.

“I was looking at stuff…And then I got distracted.”

“Uh-huhhh?” You hummed, drawing the word out as you leaned in ever so slightly, your curiosity only growing, “distracted how?”

He shrugged, looking almost sheepish.

“…Thought they looked kinda cool,” he confessed. His fingers absentmindedly traced the stem of his wineglass, “the leather and all.”

You narrowed your eyes at him, unconvinced, “okay…What are you planning to do with them?”

Your mind immediately supplied the worst possible answer. You prayed he didn’t buy them planning to use them on you. Somehow, that felt infinitely more embarrassing than anything else he’d suggested tonight. Instead, a slow smirk spread across his face.

“…I was thinking…” He began, his golden eyes meeting yours with a mixture of confidence and unmistakable amusement, “…You could put them on me tonight.”

Your eyes widened. His hand, still resting comfortably against your waist, slid lower until it settled over your thigh, giving it a slow, reassuring squeeze through the silk of your robe.

“It’d be pretty hot, don’t ya think?” He murmured, his voice dropping just enough to send a pleasant shiver crawling up your spine. His thumb idly brushed along the edge of your robe where the silky fabric met warm skin, never rushing the touch, simply lingering there.

You stared at him. Then toward the kitchen. Then back at him again. Your brows knit together as you searched his face for even the slightest hint that he was joking.

“…Wait,” you blinked, “are you serious?”

“Yeah,” there wasn’t a trace of embarrassment in his answer now. Only quiet sincerity.

He took another leisurely sip of his wine before lowering the glass again, his smile softening into something almost impossibly genuine.

“I think you’d be good at it,” his shoulders lifted in an easy shrug. A quiet laugh escaped him, “you know…Yank me around. Boss me around.”

His grin grew just a little wider.

“You already do that,” he tilted his head, amusement dancing in those golden eyes, “but do it with a leash on.”

Oh, God. He was completely serious. You searched his face for the punchline, waiting for that familiar grin to crack into laughter or for him to admit he was messing with you. It never came. Instead, he simply looked back at you with calm, unwavering sincerity, as though he’d just confessed to liking a particular movie instead of telling you he wanted you to put a collar on him. You could only stare. Your expression must have been priceless because, after a few seconds, he finally broke, a warm laugh escaping him as his shoulders bounced.

“What?” He chuckled, “don’t yuck my yum.”

His hand landed lightly against your ass again with an affectionate smack before lingering there, rubbing you through the silk of your robe.

“Everyone’s got their fantasies,” he said with an easy shrug, “this is just one of mine.”

You watched him in stunned silence as he lifted his wineglass again. He took a longer drink this time, humming softly in appreciation as he swallowed before turning his attention back toward the television as if the conversation he’d just started wasn’t completely derailing your brain.

“…You really want me to collar you like a dog?” You asked after a moment, still trying to process the image in your head.

“Yep,” the answer came so simply. So matter-of-factly. Not an ounce of hesitation. Not a trace of embarrassment. Just complete, unshakable honesty.

You blinked at him. Well…You supposed there wasn’t any harm in playing along. Right?

“…Okay,” you said cautiously, your eyes flicking toward the kitchen where the shopping bag still sat before returning to him, “well…In that case…”

A tiny, mischievous smile tugged at the corner of your mouth.

“…Go fetch.”

The reaction was instantaneous. His golden eyes widened so fast it was almost comical. For a split second, every bit of the confident businessman vanished, replaced by something so openly eager that it genuinely reminded you of an excited puppy who’d just been told he was going to the park. The look on his face was so earnest, so shamelessly delighted, that a laugh nearly escaped you.

Your stomach fluttered. There was something strangely endearing about the way he looked at you in that moment, like you’d just handed him the greatest gift imaginable. His grin stretched impossibly wide, revealing every sharp canine as his entire face lit up with barely contained excitement.

“Yes, ma’am…” He answered, the words leaving him with so much obvious satisfaction that it almost caught you off guard.

Still smiling from ear to ear, he rose from the couch in one fluid motion, tossing back the rest of his wine in a single swig before setting the empty glass onto the coffee table with a quiet clink.

“Now…” He said, already turning toward the kitchen, a laugh bubbling in his voice, “that’s what I’m talking about.”

You snorted, covering your face with one hand as a helpless laugh escaped you. God. He was actually doing it. The second you’d given the command, he’d practically sprung off the couch, making quick work of crossing the apartment to the kitchen. You watched him disappear around the corner before returning only moments later with the leather collar dangling from one finger, the matching leash looped casually in his other hand. He twirled the collar absentmindedly as he walked, wearing the biggest, most unabashed grin you’d seen all night.

Your stomach twisted. Not with regret. With the overwhelming realization that he looked entirely too fucking good like this. He wasn’t embarrassed. He wasn’t hesitant. If anything, he looked delighted. The way those golden eyes stayed fixed on you as he approached, bright with anticipation and shameless excitement, made something tighten pleasantly low in your stomach. It was impossible to mistake the eagerness written across his face. God, he was way too excited about this.

He flopped back onto the couch beside you, the cushions dipping dramatically beneath his weight as he held both the collar and leash out for you to take. The instant they left his hands, he leaned his elbow onto the back of the couch and rested his head lazily against his palm, looking at you with quiet expectation. He didn’t rush you. Didn’t speak. He simply waited. Smiling. Watching you like you held all the answers. It was unfair. Utterly unfair. Someone had absolutely no business being that ridiculously handsome while looking at you like that.

You cleared your throat, buying yourself a second to gather your composure before your mouth managed to outrun your brain, “…Aren’t you gonna get on the ground for me?”

“Oh,” his brows lifted with genuine, almost delighted surprise.

He straightened immediately, lifting his head from his hand as though he’d just realized he’d skipped an important step.

“Where the hell are my manners tonight?” Hey laughed at himself, “jeez…”

Without another word, he rose from the couch. He came to stand directly in front of you, towering over where you sat. The warm light from the television flickered across the hard planes of his bare chest and shoulders, his damp hair still slightly tousled from the shower. Even standing there so casually, he seemed impossibly large inside your little living room.

“So…” He asked, smiling down at you with complete sincerity, “…Where do you want me?”

You shifted on the couch, crossing one leg over the other in an effort to appear far more composed than you actually felt. The leather collar rested heavily in your hands as you lifted one foot, pointing your toes toward the floor directly in front of you.

“Here,” your voice came out steadier than expected, “right in front of me. On your knees.”

The words seemed to strike something deep inside him. His expression softened into something almost reverent.nWithout the slightest hesitation or trace of self-consciousness, Valko obeyed. His enormous frame lowered smoothly until both knees settled onto the floor between your legs. His hands came to rest neatly atop his thighs with the gear, his back straight, his shoulders relaxed, his head tilted upward so those warm golden eyes could stay on yours. He looked…Happy. Like this was exactly where he wanted to be. Waiting patiently for whatever you decided came next.

Your breath caught. Then your gaze drifted lower. Between the broad spread of his massive thighs, the gray sweatpants left very little to the imagination. Oh. Oh, God. He was completely hard. The thin fabric did absolutely nothing to hide it. Instead, his massive cock clung just enough to reveal the heavy outline resting against one powerful thigh, unmistakably pronounced beneath the loose material. Judging by the way everything shifted beneath the sweats, he clearly hadn’t bothered putting on any underwear after his shower.

Your pulse skipped. Seeing it like this somehow made the memory rush back all at once; just how big he’d been the first time, how overwhelming it had felt, how impossible it had seemed that someone his size fit together with the gentle patience he’d shown you. The sight was almost intimidating. The stupid gray sweatpants only made it worse, outlining him in the most infuriating way possible while he knelt there looking up at you with complete trust, as though he hadn’t just given you one more reason to completely lose your train of thought.

You slowly rose from the couch as you stepped in front of him. Valko’s eyes followed your every movement without hesitation, lifting higher and higher until he was looking up at you from where he knelt between your legs. The look on his face alone nearly made your knees weak. Then his wolf ears appeared. They slipped free from the tousled mess of his still-damp auburn hair with an almost involuntary twitch, both ears perking upright before flicking toward you, completely focused. A heartbeat later, the enormous auburn tail behind him began wagging with absolutely no restraint whatsoever. It swept enthusiastically across your hardwood floor with rhythmic thump, thump, thumps, the fluffy thing practically knocking against your coffee table as though he had forgotten it existed. He wasn’t embarrassed. Not even a little. If anything, he looked positively thrilled.

The sight stole the breath from your lungs. This massive, intimidating werewolf, broad enough to fill your entire field of vision, strong enough to snap you in half without effort, was kneeling obediently in the middle of your living room because you had told him to. Worse yet, he was visibly excited about it, his ears twitching with anticipation while his tail refused to stop wagging.

God…That shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was. Yet the warmth already humming through your veins from the wine seemed to spread lower, settling heavily in your stomach as your pulse quickened. Seeing someone so overwhelmingly powerful choose to become so openly, enthusiastically submissive for you awakened something instinctive inside you that you hadn’t known was there.

You extended your hand toward him. Without being asked twice, he immediately placed both the collar and leash into your open palm. His fingers lingered for only the briefest second before withdrawing, and as soon as the leather left his hands, he instinctively lifted his chin, exposing the thick column of his neck without the slightest trace of hesitation. Ready. Waiting. Trusting you completely.

“…Good boy,” you tested quietly.

The effect was immediate. His tail wagged even harder, beating happily against the floor with enough force that you wondered if your downstairs neighbors could hear it. A soft, utterly content little hum vibrated in the back of his throat as his eyes fluttered halfway closed, his expression melting into pure satisfaction. Oh. He really liked that.

Your fingers slipped beneath the leather strap, wrapping it carefully around the thick muscles of his neck. His skin was still warm from the shower, and the faint scent of soap mingled with the clean, woodsy smell that was uniquely his. As you fastened the buckle, he leaned into your touch without thinking, his face brushing gently against your forearm.

Then he nuzzled you. Slowly. Instinctively. The bridge of his nose dragged softly against your skin while his warm breath fanned across your wrist and the inside of your arm, sending goosebumps racing up to your shoulder. You felt him inhale deeply, drawing in your scent with an indulgent sigh so content it almost sounded blissful before you clipped the leash securely onto the metal ring. God…He really was like a wolf. This enormous, ridiculously handsome, hopelessly pathetic man. The biggest loser you’d ever met. And somehow one of the hottest people you’d ever laid eyes on.

The wine had dissolved whatever reservations you’d still been clinging to. There was something intoxicating about standing over him like this. Something about looking down at a man built like solid concrete; a man who could so easily overpower you if he ever wanted to, only to find him waiting patiently for your next instruction instead. The power imbalance made your heartbeat pound against your ribs.

Before you could overthink it, your body acted on pure instinct. You lifted your bare foot from the floor and planted it firmly against the center of his broad chest. At the very same moment, you wrapped the leash once around your knuckles and gave it a deliberate tug. The leather pulled taut. He instinctively leaned forward with it, only for your foot to stop him, pressing firmly against the hard wall of muscle beneath his skin. The pressure forced him to straighten instead, shoulders rolling back as he settled obediently against the restraint.

A quiet sound escaped him. Not quite a gasp. Not quite a whine. Just the smallest, breathless noise of surprise as he swallowed hard. His golden eyes widened, fixed entirely on you, while his lips slowly parted. You could feel the solid resistance of his chest beneath the ball of your foot, every breath expanding against your skin as the leash remained snug between your fingers.

Leaning down until your face hovered just above his, you held his gaze while keeping the collar taut, your voice lowering almost instinctively, “who’s big puppy are you?”

“I’m your big puppy…” He answered without a hint of embarrassment, smiling up at you with such open, earnest delight that it almost stole the breath from your lungs. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in his voice. If anything, the words seemed to make him happier, his tail giving another eager series of heavy thumps against your floor while those golden eyes shone with unmistakable excitement.

Oh, God. How were you the one getting shy? Here was the fucking chairman of EonCore Tech, one of the most powerful men you’d ever met, kneeling at your feet in the middle of your living room with a leather collar around his neck, happily calling himself your big puppy like it was the most natural thing in the world. This had to be some elaborate joke. Some bizarre prank. Or maybe he was simply out of his goddamn mind. Then again…Maybe you were.

Because if anyone had told you a month ago that this was where you’d end up, you would’ve laughed until your sides hurt. You would’ve called them delusional. You would’ve sworn there wasn’t a universe where you’d find yourself standing over a gorgeous, towering werewolf with a leash wrapped around your knuckles, feeling…Whatever this was. Except you were. And the worst part? You couldn’t honestly pretend you weren’t enjoying it anymore.

This had long since stopped feeling like harmless teasing or entertaining his ridiculous little fantasy out of curiosity. Somewhere between calling him your puppy and watching his ears perk with excitement, something inside you had shifted. The thrill blooming in your chest wasn’t fake. The confidence coursing through your veins wasn’t an act. Every racing heartbeat, every flutter low in your stomach, every pulse of adrenaline humming beneath your skin felt achingly real. You felt…Alive. More alive than you had in a long time.

Your heart hammered so loudly against your ribs that you were painfully aware of it. And he could hear it. Of course he could. With those heightened senses of his, there was no hiding the quickened rhythm pounding inside your chest. No disguising the subtle hitch in your breathing or the warmth creeping into your face. If he could smell your shampoo from across the room, there was no chance he was missing the fact that you were just as excited as he was.

A soft chuckle rumbled up from deep in his chest, low and warm, as though he’d caught onto your thoughts without you saying a single word. His eyes glimmered knowingly as one large hand lifted from his thigh and curled gently around your bare foot where it rested against his chest. His touch was impossibly careful despite the size of his hand, his thumb brushing absentmindedly across your toes while he looked up at you with that same hopelessly eager smile.

“Am I a good boy?”

You nearly laughed. Of course he was fishing for praise. The shameless little attention whore. You could practically see the anticipation written across his face, the hopeful twitch of his ears, the lazy sweep of his tail across the floor betraying just how badly he wanted to hear it. Ordinarily, you would’ve teased him. Made him work for it. But…You were having entirely too much fun. Far too much fun to deny him. And far too much fun to keep pretending that you weren’t enjoying every ridiculous second of this strange little game the two of you had somehow stumbled into together. Whatever this was…It was weird. It was completely unexpected. And, against every ounce of common sense you possessed…It was wonderful.

“You’re my good boy,” you murmured, the words leaving your lips almost experimentally as you dared to reach down and scratch beneath his chin.

The reaction was immediate. His entire body seemed to melt beneath your touch. You watched his pupils bloom until they nearly swallowed the gold of his irises, his heavy eyelids drifting halfway shut as a deep, contented hum vibrated in his throat. His wolf ears twitched eagerly against his damp hair, and his tail resumed its relentless thumping against the floor with enough enthusiasm that it almost became distracting. The sight was so unexpectedly adorable that a helpless giggle escaped you before you could stop it, your stomach fluttering with nervous excitement. At the very same time, however, an entirely different kind of warmth spread between your thighs, growing hotter by the second until your pulse seemed to settle there. The steady hum of arousal made your clit buzz. Christ…This was so much more exhilarating than you ever could have anticipated.

“So, do I get a treat?” He asked, his voice noticeably rougher now, lower and thicker than before.

As he spoke, his gaze slowly drifted downward. That’s when it clicked. Your robe. The position you were standing in. Your bare foot braced against his chest. Oh, God. He had an unobstructed view. Every ounce of confidence you’d borrowed from the wine threatened to evaporate as you realized he’d been able to see beneath your robe this entire time. Judging by the way his expression subtly shifted, he had only just put the pieces together himself. His breathing deepened almost imperceptibly before the large hand resting around your ankle began moving with deliberate slowness, guiding your foot upward over the hard planes of his bare chest. His palm slid carefully beneath your calf until your foot came to rest against the broad curve of his shoulder instead.

The shameless bastard. He’d spread your leg just enough to improve the view. His sharp canines peeked from behind an unmistakably pleased smile as those molten golden eyes lingered without even pretending otherwise, drinking in the sight of you with an intensity that made heat rush through your entire body. Fine. If he was going to be that bold…Then you were going to remind him exactly who was wearing the collar.

With a quick flick of your leg, you pulled your foot free from his shoulder before planting it squarely against the growing hardness beneath his gray sweatpants. The reaction was instantaneous. Both of his hands flew to your calf on pure instinct, wrapping around it protectively with a firm squeeze as surprise flashed across his face. The moment he was distracted, you slipped your free hand beneath the silk robe, your fingertips gliding between your thighs.

Your breath caught. God, your pussy was soaked for him. Your fingers came away glistening, slick with your own arousal, and the realization alone sent another pulse of heat through your body. Using the solid pressure of your foot against his crotch for balance, you leaned closer until you were hovering just above him. Then, without warning, you pressed your slick fingertip against his lips.

“Aw, is this what you wanted?” You teased sweetly.

His eyes widened for only a heartbeat before the surprise dissolved into unmistakable bliss. A low, appreciative moan escaped him as his lips parted without hesitation, drawing your finger into his mouth all the way to the knuckle. His sculpted cheeks hollowed around it as he sucked greedily, those glowing golden eyes never leaving yours, their hungry, devoted gaze making it painfully obvious just how much he was enjoying every second of it.

You couldn’t help giggling as the warmth of his tongue glided over your fingertip, the slick, shameless enthusiasm of it making your stomach flutter all over again. He looked far too content, far too pleased with himself, and judging by the way those massive hands suddenly tightened around your calf, he had every intention of ending your little game right then and there by dragging you down into his lap.

“Oh, no you don’t,” you scoffed.

Before he could pull you in, you slipped your leg free from his grasp with a quick twist, earning yourself an unmistakably annoyed look. His brows knit together as those golden eyes flashed up at you, the frustration on his face almost comically puppy-like. Rather than letting you escape entirely, one of his hands immediately shot upward and caught your wrist instead.

His grip was warm. Secure. Careful. Without a word, he guided your hand back toward himself until your palm was cradling the side of his face. His eyes fluttered closed for a brief second as though he were savoring the contact before his lips found your finger again. This time, he drew it deeper into his mouth with an indulgent hum, his tongue lazily sweeping over every trace of your slickness with such unabashed appreciation that your pulse skipped. The way he looked up at you while tasting you, completely devoted, completely unashamed, made your face burn hotter than the wine ever could.

“Well…” You slowly slid your finger free with a quiet pop, watching the obvious disappointment cross his features before a grin spread across your own face, “…Come and get it, then, boy.”

You lifted your foot away from where it had been pressing against the bulge beneath his sweatpants before giving the leash a playful tug, encouraging him back onto his feet. He rose immediately, towering over you once again, and you could practically see the intent settling into his expression. His shoulders rolled forward ever so slightly, his hands already beginning to reach for your waist.

Oh, absolutely not. Before he could scoop you up into those ridiculously strong arms and march you straight to the bedroom, you darted backward with a laugh, tightening your grip on the leash as you spun on your heel and took off. The leather pulled taut. He followed without hesitation. Your laughter echoed through the apartment as you hurried down the hallway, nearly tripping over your own feet in your haste while the leash bounced lightly between you. Behind you came the heavy, unmistakable sound of his footsteps, quick enough to tell you he was letting you run rather than struggling to keep up. You barely made it into the bedroom. The moment you turned, he was already there.

You barely had time to think before those enormous hands found your hips. You squealed. One effortless motion was all it took. He lifted you clean off the floor as though gravity simply didn’t apply to you, tossing you lightly upward with a confidence that would’ve terrified you if you didn’t trust him so completely. For a fleeting second, you were weightless before your back met the mattress with a soft bounce that sent the bed springs protesting beneath you.

You barely had time to laugh. He was already moving. With an eager grin that exposed every sharp canine, Valko practically pounced after you, following you onto the bed with all the restrained enthusiasm of an oversized wolf who’d finally been invited to play, “there’s my prized meal…”

The mattress dipped dramatically beneath his sheer size, forcing another startled bounce from you as the frame let out a loud, complaining creak under the sudden addition of well over two hundred pounds of solid muscle. The entire bed seemed to groan beneath him.bYou found yourself trapped in an instant. The mattress behind you. His broad body above you.

For all the obedience he’d shown moments ago, there was no mistaking the shift that had come over him now. The playful restraint remained, but beneath it you could feel something instinctive waking up, something impossible to ignore as he loomed over you, filling your entire field of vision with that enormous frame and those bright golden eyes that never once looked away.

You barely had time to suck in a breath before you gasped, “hey! Don’t break the—”

He stole the rest of the sentence straight from your mouth. His lips crashed against yours with all the pent-up eagerness he’d been restraining since the moment you’d collared him, silencing your protest beneath a kiss that was warm, demanding, and impossibly hungry. The force of his body settling over yours made the mattress dip even deeper, the bed creaking beneath his sheer size as he caged you in completely. There was nowhere for you to go. His broad chest blanketed your own, his powerful frame fitting over you so completely that your thighs instinctively parted around his hips simply to accommodate him. He felt impossibly solid, like a wall of living muscle pressing you into the mattress, yet every ounce of that overwhelming weight was carefully controlled, supported by the strength in his arms as he held himself just enough above you to avoid crushing you.

God…You’d missed this. The realization struck with almost embarrassing force. You’d been craving him far more desperately than you’d allowed yourself to admit over the past week. You’d missed the heat radiating from his body, the reassuring weight of him draped over you, and the way his touch never seemed hesitant. His enormous hands wandered over you with shameless familiarity, slowly mapping every curve of your waist, your hips, your sides, your breasts, as though reacquainting themselves with a place they’d longed to return to. There was something almost possessive in the way he touched you, not demanding ownership, but expressing unmistakable adoration, his palms lingering wherever they landed as though simply feeling your skin beneath them brought him comfort.

A slow, satisfied sigh escaped him into the kiss, the warm breath brushing across your cheek before he deepened it again, “God, more…”

His mouth moved against yours with eager enthusiasm, his tongue coaxing yours into a rhythm that quickly left your thoughts scattered. Every so often, the sharp edges of his canines caught your lower lip just enough to send a pleasant shiver racing through you, never enough to hurt, only enough to remind you exactly what he was. The sensation made your pulse flutter wildly beneath your skin.

A helpless little moan escaped you before you could swallow it back. The sound only seemed to encourage him. His broad chest shifted against your bosom as he adjusted his weight, the solid muscles beneath his skin gliding heavily over your breasts before settling lower. Between your parted thighs, you could already feel the unmistakable evidence of his excitement pressing insistently against you through the remaining fabric, and your stomach tightened in anticipation at the familiar sensation.

Patience had clearly abandoned Valko. Without breaking the kiss, his hands found the knot securing your silk robe. His fingers fumbled with it for only a moment before giving up entirely, tugging impatiently until the sash came loose. The silky fabric immediately relaxed beneath his hands, and with one firm pull he opened the robe, exposing you to the warm glow spilling in from the living room.

Only then did he finally break the kiss. Not to pause. Simply to help you out of it faster. His lips brushed your jaw and cheek in fleeting, absentminded kisses while he guided the robe from your shoulders, easing it down your arms before letting it slip away entirely. The leather leash clipped to the collar around his neck swayed between the two of you with every movement, occasionally brushing your skin as it hung forgotten against his chest.

For the first time since tumbling into the bedroom, the frantic rush slowed just enough for the two of you to really look at one another. His golden eyes traveled over you with open admiration, taking you in without the slightest attempt to hide how beautiful he thought you were.

“Shit, you’re perfect…” He said, shaking his head in disbelief.

You found yourself doing exactly the same, your gaze tracing the broad planes of his chest, the defined lines of his abdomen, the water still clinging to the faint dusting of hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his sweatpants. There was an urgency between you now, but it wasn’t frantic; it was the impatient excitement of two people who’d spent the entire evening building toward this moment.

Your discarded robe landed somewhere beside the bed. At nearly the same moment, Valko shoved his sweatpants down with little regard for where they ended up, too focused on you to care where they fell. Your heart lurched the instant your eyes dropped between his powerful thighs. God. You remembered he was big. You had not remembered just how big. The sight of him stole the air from your lungs all over again. His erection rested heavily against his thigh, impossible to ignore and even harder to look away from. Every instinct told you not to stare, yet your gaze betrayed you anyway, lingering just long enough for him to catch it.

Of course he caught it. The smug bastard. That familiar smirk slowly spread across his face, lazy and self-satisfied, his golden eyes glittering with unmistakable amusement as he watched your expression give you away. You knew that look. You could’ve smacked that grin clean off his face like you’d threatened to the first time you’d seen him naked, and the infuriating part was that he’d probably enjoy every second of it. He’d only laugh, call you a feisty little woman, and grin even wider while you scolded him, somehow managing to look even more turned on by your irritation than your admiration. He was impossible. Absolutely impossible.

“See something you like there? Well, don’t even think about it,” he murmured, giving a slow shake of his head as he looked down at you.

His own breathing had already deepened. Each steady inhale broadened his chest before slowly escaping again, and despite his teasing, his eyes wandered freely over your body with an openness that made heat bloom beneath your skin. There wasn’t an ounce of shame in the way he admired you. His gaze lingered over every curve as though he were trying to commit you to memory all over again.

Then he leaned closer. Close enough that his lips nearly brushed your ear. You felt the corner of his mouth curl into another grin against your skin before he drew in a slow, deliberate breath, inhaling your scent so deeply that it sent an involuntary shiver down your spine. Warm breath ghosted over the sensitive shell of your ear, and the low rumble of his voice vibrated pleasantly through you, raising goosebumps from your shoulders all the way down your arms.

“You can have your bone after I eat a full meal,” he murmured, his voice rough with anticipation, “I’m fucking starving for ya…”

Your breath hitched. God. That fucking bastard. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew how unfairly seductive that voice became when it dropped into that low, gravelly register. He knew how shamelessly he weaponized every heightened sense he possessed, and judging by the satisfied glint in his eyes, he also knew exactly what it was doing to you. There was no hiding it from someone like him. He could hear your pulse hammering wildly in your chest. He could smell the rush of adrenaline blooming across your skin, the nervous excitement, the growing arousal that your body betrayed long before your pride ever would.

And the asshole was enjoying every second of it. Fine. If he wanted to play that game… So could you. Your hands planted firmly against his broad chest, and with a determined shove you forced him backward. It wasn’t enough to truly overpower someone his size, but it was enough to make your point. At the same time, you tightened the leather leash around your knuckles and gave it a sharp tug. The collar pulled taut. His body followed the motion. He could’ve resisted without the slightest effort. Instead…He let you. A pleased laugh escaped him as he surrendered to the pull, allowing himself to rock backward onto the mattress. There wasn’t a trace of reluctance in him. If anything, the eager brightness in his golden gaze only intensified, his ears flicking forward and the corners of his mouth lifting into an almost boyishly delighted smile.

You climbed over him before he had the chance to recover, settling yourself astride his hips while keeping the leash snug in your hand. The leather remained taut between your fingers as you looked down at him, and the sight that greeted you made your stomach flutter all over again. He looked…Happy. Not merely entertained. Not humoring you. Genuinely, wholeheartedly happy to be exactly where he was; beneath you, looking up at you with complete trust, his expression glowing with the unmistakable excitement of someone whose fantasy was unfolding exactly as he’d imagined it. Somehow, seeing that look on his face thrilled you almost as much as having him there beneath you.

“That’s all you ever think about, huh?” You teased, though the words came out far more breathless than you’d intended.

You shifted your weight, trying to steady yourself atop him, but it wasn’t exactly easy when Valko’s body was so broad beneath you. His chest alone seemed wide enough to support your entire torso, and straddling him left your knees spread farther apart than you were accustomed to. It should have made you feel awkward. It probably did. Yet the warmth radiating from his body, the unwavering way he looked up at you, and the wine still humming pleasantly through your veins left very little room for self-consciousness.

He answered with an amused grin, “how’d you know?”

You couldn’t help noticing, once again, just how enormous he was. Even lying flat on his back, he dominated the bed with his size, his shoulders stretching across the mattress while his hips pressed insistently against the insides of your thighs as you climbed higher. Every movement required you to brace yourself against solid muscle, and despite how ridiculous the logistics of it all should have felt, neither of you seemed to care. If anything, Valko looked utterly captivated, his golden eyes tracking your every movement with eager anticipation, his breathing growing deeper the closer you came.

Looking down at him, there was really only one thing on your mind. He’d spent the entire evening hinting about how starved he was, shamelessly telling you exactly what he wanted, and if you were being honest with yourself, you wanted to give it to him just as badly. The realization emboldened you. Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the strange confidence that had settled over you ever since you’d fastened that collar around his neck. Whatever it was, it drowned out the timid part of your mind that normally would’ve second-guessed every move.

This time…You were the bolder one. Without another word, you continued climbing higher until your body was positioned directly over his face. Your robe had long since been discarded, leaving nothing between the two of you, and as you settled yourself there, your soaked pussy hovered only inches above his chiseled features. The change in his expression was instantaneous. His eyes widened with unmistakable surprise, the confident grin faltering as realization finally caught up with him. For perhaps the first time all night, you’d genuinely caught him off guard, and the sight of it sent a thrill racing through your chest.

A slow, satisfied grin spread across your own face, “just something about the way you look at my pussy…”

You couldn’t look away. His throat bobbed visibly as he swallowed, his lips parting ever so slightly while his gaze remained hopelessly fixed on you. For all his teasing bravado, he suddenly looked almost weak with hunger, every instinct written plainly across his face. His nostrils flared with a slow inhale, and before he even realized he was doing it, another followed, deeper than the first. His entire focus had narrowed to the warmth and scent hovering just above him. A faint sheen of saliva gathered behind the points of his fangs as he stared shamelessly upward, looking so openly greedy that it made your stomach tighten with excitement.

“I can’t help myself…” He whispered, licking his lips, “it’s so pretty…Just wanna eat this thing.”

The poor, shameless ball of greed. His enormous hands rose almost reverently to your hips, spreading wide enough to engulf them as his thumbs stroked unconsciously over your skin. He didn’t try to force you down. He simply held you there, breathing you in with an expression that bordered on worship, as though he was trying to savor every second before he was allowed to taste you.

“In that case…” You reached down with your free hand, threading your fingers deep into the roots of his damp auburn hair. Your grip tightened deliberately, earning a soft sound from the back of his throat as you gently but firmly guided his attention upward whenever his eyes threatened to drift back between your thighs, “…Eat up, pup.”

Still holding him firmly by the roots of his damp auburn hair, you lowered yourself the final few inches with agonizing slowness, watching every flicker of anticipation ripple across his face. His warm breath washed over your soaked pussy first, the slow exhale sending a delicious shiver up your spine before his lips finally met you. The instant they did, they parted eagerly, welcoming you with a reverence that bordered on worship.

The moan that escaped him wasn’t something you merely heard. You felt it. It vibrated hotly against your folds, muffled beneath you as though he couldn’t contain himself. His brows knotted high across his forehead in immediate bliss, golden eyes fluttering shut while his fingers buried themselves into the soft flesh of your hips, gripping you with enough firmness to anchor you without ever trying to restrain you.

“Mmph…” He groaned shamelessly into you, the words smothered against your slick heat, “ruin me…”

The plea barely had time to register before his mouth truly went to work. He drew a deep, greedy suck from your pussy, his lips sealing around you with unabashed hunger as he pulled your swollen clit past them. A heartbeat later, his thick tongue rose to meet it, flattening beneath you before giving it a slow, indulgent slap that made your entire body jolt. The sensation ripped a helpless gasp from your throat. Every deliberate stroke that followed was hot, wet, and impossibly eager, his tongue lapping at you with the enthusiasm of a starving man finally being allowed his first meal.

Your jaw dropped. Heat exploded low in your belly, racing through your body so intensely your thighs trembled around his head. You couldn’t stop watching him. The expression on his face was almost more intoxicating than what he was doing to you. His features had softened into pure ecstasy, every satisfied hum vibrating directly into your cunt as though your pleasure and his had become hopelessly tangled together. He looked utterly consumed by it; worshipping, devouring, indulging with such shameless greed that your pulse hammered louder with every passing second.

“O-oh…Fuck…” You sighed breathlessly.

Your free hand, still looped through the leather leash, instinctively found the large hand resting on your hip, your fingers curling around his for balance as your knees threatened to weaken. Your other hand remained fisted in his hair, guiding him almost instinctively, though he hardly needed the direction.

You couldn’t help yourself anymore. With a needy little whimper, you smothered yourself more fully onto his waiting mouth, your hips beginning to move of their own accord. Your clit rolled helplessly across the broad heat of his tongue as you ground yourself against him in slow, desperate circles, chasing every delicious stroke he offered. His answering groan vibrated straight through you, his mouth never relenting, only encouraging you further as he eagerly met every movement with devoted enthusiasm.

“Just like that…” You breathed, your voice already breaking into uneven little sighs, “just…Like that…Val…”

Your fingers tightened gently in his hair, holding him exactly where you wanted him as another wave of pleasure rolled through you.

“Mmm,” you moaned, melting into a smile, “yeah, Valko…”

The instant his own name left your lips, he answered with a hungry, eager pull that made you yelp. Your entire body buckled. Instinctively, your hips tried to lift away from the overwhelming rush of sensation, but his hands clamped firmly around your hips, the sheer size of them engulfing your waist as his fingers dug into the softness of your flesh. There was no forcefulness in the grip; only determination. He simply refused to let you escape.

“Mmph…” The pleased sound vibrated straight through your soaked pussy.

He shook his head slowly between your thighs, his mouth never leaving you for even a second. The movement dragged your slickness shamelessly across his lips, his cheeks, and the sharp line of his jaw until your arousal glistened openly against his skin. His face was becoming an absolute mess beneath you, and judging by the blissful expression he wore, he couldn’t have cared less.

Another helpless shudder raced through you when the faint roughness of his jaw brushed against the insides of your thighs. He’d shaved this morning. Already, the first hint of stubble had begun to return, and every tiny scrape against your sensitive skin sent another wave of delicious heat rolling through your belly. It prickled just enough to make you gasp, your thighs twitching around his head as goosebumps erupted over your arms.

You couldn’t help yourself. Your hips rolled forward in search of him, desperately chasing the broad, wet heat of his tongue as though your body had forgotten how to do anything else. That’s when he looked up at you. Shit. Oh…Shit. His golden eyes rose beneath the furrow of his heavy brows without his mouth ever stopping. The look he gave you from between your thighs was so devastatingly hungry, so openly devoted, that it stole every coherent thought from your head. His pupils had widened until the gold around them burned brighter than before, every ounce of restraint gone as he stared up at you like you were the only thing in the world worth looking at.

The sight hit you like a physical blow. Goosebumps raced across your skin. Your nipples tightened instantly. Your fingers buried themselves deeper into his damp auburn hair before you even realized you’d moved. A broken moan spilled from your lips just as his mouth closed around you again, taking another deep, greedy suck that ended in an obscenely wet smack against your folds. The sound echoed shamelessly through the room, loud enough to make your face burn, yet all it accomplished was sending another violent shiver straight through your body.

Christ…You almost hated how good it felt. How unbelievably hot it was. How every filthy, messy second of it made your pulse race harder. How much you’d missed this. How desperately you’d been craving the broad slap of his tongue against your pussy, the hot breaths that became trapped beneath the press of his nose against your sex before spilling back over your slick skin, the relentless squeeze of those enormous hands anchoring you against him as though he wanted every ounce of your weight bearing down on his face. As though drowning beneath you was exactly where he wanted to be.

It was driving you insane. Your skin had begun to glisten with sweat. Your breathing came in uneven little gasps. The room seemed to blur pleasantly around the edges until all that existed was the heat between your thighs and the starving man beneath you. Acting on nothing but instinct, you tightened your fist in his hair and gave a firmer tug, guiding his head from side to side as your hips followed the movement in slow, needy circles. A soft, sultry giggle escaped you before you could stop it, carried on another shaky breath as you watched his eyes roll blissfully back for a heartbeat, his expression melting into pure pleasure as eagerly as your own. God. The shameless idiot actually liked it when you played rough with him.

“Good boy,” you praised softly, smiling down at him as his blissed-out eyes struggled to stay focused on yours. His lips glistened, his cheeks were slick with the mess he’d so enthusiastically made of himself, and somehow he still managed to look shamelessly pleased, “eat this little pussy like you mean it…”

The praise alone seemed to undo him. A pleased, muffled groan vibrated through your folds before one of his enormous hands slid away from your hip. The other remained firmly hooked around your waist, pulling you down against him with unmistakable need. His broad palm spread possessively across your stomach while his thumb slipped lower, finding just the right place to draw your body open even farther for him. The movement exposed your clit completely to his warm mouth, and he responded immediately, burying himself against you with renewed enthusiasm.

God. The absolute state of him. His mouth had become delightfully filthy, glistening with your arousal as he kissed, licked, sucked, and slurped with such greedy abandon that it almost made you laugh. Every eager sound he made seemed to vibrate directly through you, every satisfied hum melting into another hungry kiss as though no amount of tasting you could ever possibly be enough. He was insatiable. Utterly, hopelessly insatiable.

Then something else caught your attention. Beneath you, his body gave the faintest tremor. At first you thought it was another shiver of pleasure, but then you felt it again; a subtle, rhythmic movement traveling through his torso. One of his shoulders shifted differently than before, and somewhere behind your hips, his free arm was moving. Back. And forth. Your curiosity got the better of you. Twisting just enough to glance over your shoulder, your breath caught in your throat. Oh…God. Ohhh, God. The shameless bastard was jacking himself off.

His fist was wrapped firmly around the thick base of his impossibly hard cock, stroking himself with obvious desperation while he refused to stop eating you for even a second. Every slow pump of his hand looked driven by pure instinct, as though he simply couldn’t bear not to touch himself while he had you sitting on his face. The flushed head gleamed beneath the dim bedroom light, swollen and angry with arousal, a bead of precum gathering at the tip before slowly trailing downward along the smooth skin.

The sight stole every coherent thought from your mind. Your lips parted. A tiny gasp escaped you before you could stop it. God…That fucking pervert. That deliciously shameless, wolfish pervert. The realization sent another rush of heat straight through your body. Unable to stop yourself, you turned back toward him with an amused grin spreading helplessly across your face. A breathless laugh bubbled from your chest as your eyes met his again, silently telling him you’d caught him. He didn’t even look guilty. If anything, his eyes softened with embarrassed delight, the corners of them crinkling as he looked up at you through heavy lashes, still devotedly buried between your thighs. The idiot.

You rewarded him by settling more of your weight onto his waiting mouth, pressing down just firmly enough to earn another blissful groan against your slick folds. His eyelids fluttered closed for a heartbeat before rolling open again, every ounce of euphoria written plainly across his face. The hand that had been spread across your stomach abandoned it entirely, sliding instead to grip your thigh with eager urgency. His fingers flexed against your skin, encouraging every slow roll of your hips as you ground yourself against his mouth, his own movements matching yours with relentless enthusiasm while a pleased smile stretched beneath the wet, messy press of your folds against his lips.

He let out a husky groan, “crush me.”

“You love it that much, huh?” You teased, unable to hide the grin tugging at your lips.

He nodded without an ounce of shame. Slowly, deliberately, you lifted your hips just enough to deny him what he’d been greedily chasing. The loss drew an immediate reaction. He inhaled deeply, almost desperately, drawing your scent into his lungs with an indulgent breath that made his chest rise beneath you. His mouth parted instinctively, chasing after you before you could pull completely away. You bit back a smile. The moment his face was exposed again, your palm came down with playful slap against his damp cheek.

“Don’t you dare fucking cum,” you slapped him again, making sure you were clear, “you hear me, Valko?”

A needy sound escaped him before he even answered. His hand immediately tightened around you, already trying to pull you back down, his enormous palm guiding your hip toward his waiting mouth as though the separation physically pained him. Despite the command you’d just given him, his face was beautifully ruined; flushed a deep crimson, lips swollen and glistening, your slick shining shamelessly across his mouth, his jaw, and the bridge of his large nose. The sight alone made your pulse flutter.

“Yeah, yeah, I got ya,” he laughed breathlessly, tugging at your hips again with impatient enthusiasm, “now come he—”

“-I mean it,” your voice dropped into something firmer.

The leather leash looped around your knuckles once more before you gave it a sharp, deliberate pull. The collar tightened. His neck followed obediently, the movement drawing his chin upward until those glowing golden eyes met yours again. They widened just a fraction, not with fear, but with unmistakable delight. You could practically see the excitement flash across his face as the leash grew taut between your hand and the thick leather circling his neck.

Leaning down, you held his gaze without wavering, “I’ll kill you.”

The threat only made him laugh. Not nervously. Not cautiously. He laughed like you’d just whispered the sweetest thing he’d ever heard. His eyes gleamed beneath the dim light, bright with playful mischief as one corner of his mouth curled into an infuriating smirk. The hand resting on your thigh slowly wandered higher, sliding around to the small of your back with lazy confidence.

“Don’t tempt me with a good time,” he muffled between your slick folds.

Before you could think of a comeback, his hand suddenly pressed firmly against your lower back. The shove caught you completely off guard. A startled gasp escaped you as your balance disappeared beneath you, your body pitching forward until you landed squarely back onto his waiting mouth. Your hands flew out on instinct, scrambling desperately for the leather headboard before your face could follow, your fingers wrapping tightly around the wood as your back arched from the sudden movement.

The new position changed everything. Your spine curved naturally, lifting your hips higher without you meaning to. Your ass was presented directly to him. As though he’d been waiting for exactly that. The hand that had been wrapped around his own cock abandoned it without hesitation, joining the other so both of those enormous hands could spread greedily across your ass. They engulfed you completely, each palm spanning your cheeks before squeezing with open appreciation.

You gasped. His fingers dug into the soft flesh just hard enough to make your breath catch, the pressure toeing the delicious line between rough and careful. Every fingertip pressed into you with unmistakable hunger, kneading you as though he couldn’t decide what he wanted to touch first, while another muffled groan vibrated hotly against your slick folds, making your entire body shiver in response.

SMACK!

The sharp crack rang through the bedroom, loud enough to bounce off the walls of your tiny apartment. His palm landed squarely across your ass from beneath you, the sting blooming instantly into delicious warmth as the impact rippled through the soft flesh of your hips. The force of it sent a shiver racing up your spine, your entire backside jiggling helplessly beneath his enormous hand. Even your breasts bounced where they hung above him, your body responding to the strike before your mind had the chance to catch up.

A startled gasp tore from your throat. Beneath you, you felt his chest rumble with a deeply satisfied chuckle. The sound melted into another shameless kiss. A loud, wet smack echoed obscenely through the room as his lips found your clit again with unabashed enthusiasm, the heat of his mouth wrapping around you before his tongue swept over you in a slow, indulgent stroke that made your entire core twitch. Every eager sound he made seemed amplified by how close you were to him; the greedy slurps, the satisfied hums, the wet smacks of his mouth against your soaked cunt, all of it vibrating straight through your body until your thighs quivered around his head.

God…He was making an absolute mess of you. His hands spread across your ass again, engulfing both cheeks so completely that you almost laughed at how easily he held you. His fingers disappeared into the softness of your flesh as he squeezed with open appreciation, kneading you firmly enough to make your breath hitch. The pressure spread you apart beneath his hands, exposing you even more to the relentless attention of his mouth.

The greedy bastard. He wasn’t merely holding you anymore. He was guiding you. Every squeeze of his hands encouraged your hips to move, and before you even realized what you were doing, you found yourself rolling against him with slow, helpless need. Your body instinctively chased the broad heat of his tongue as it slapped eagerly against your swollen clit, each upward stroke coaxing another broken breath from your lips.

You were riding his face now. Completely. Hopelessly. The rhythm had stopped belonging to either of you individually somewhere along the way. Every time your hips rolled forward, he eagerly met you, his mouth opening wider to welcome you while his tongue continued its relentless work. It felt less like he was following you and more like the two of you had fallen into the same desperate, instinctive rhythm without ever needing to think about it.

A moan climbed your throat. You tried to swallow it. You really did. But it only escaped louder, trembling from your lips despite your best efforts to keep quiet inside your tiny apartment. Your head fell back. Your eyes rolled shut. Your fingers clung desperately to the headboard, nails digging into the wood until your knuckles turned shaky as your back arched even higher. Every wet pull of his lips, every greedy suck that lingered just a little too long, every shamelessly loud kiss he pressed against your pussy sent another violent tremor through your body. The sounds should have embarrassed you.

They almost did. Almost. Because every filthy, messy noise he made only drove you higher, sending wave after wave of pleasure surging up your arched spine before crashing back down through your trembling thighs. His hot breaths became trapped beneath the press of his nose against your front, warming you between every eager inhale, while the steady strength of his hands kept you anchored exactly where he wanted you. As though he’d never let you leave if he had the choice.