Taking a shaky breath, I focus on staying calm. A hulking wolf-man stands before me, Titan’s eyes welling with unshed tears. The image is painful, but he is part of the betrayal.

His arms grasp my shoulders. “No, Seren,” he rasps, his face contorted. “I never betrayed you. Believe me. I’ve always been...” His voice is raspy as his chest heaves. His furred hand morphs into a massive paw, reaching for mine with a desperate plea in his dark eyes.

“Only yours,” he whispers.

For a moment, I forget everything. The urge to comfort him is strong as memories of what we had flood my mind, stirring something deep within me. But Theron’s words linger. I hesitate as he pulls me close, his touch gentle, warmth radiating from him. Logic surrenders as I find myself wrapped in his arms, his frantic kisses showering my face in silentreassurance. The sensation is electric, pulling me toward him, even as a part of me wants to fight it.

“Fucking wallpaper.”

“No,” I snarl, pushing him back with all my might.

I need to leave. This charade has to end. Blackwood Estate was never my home. Theron was never mine.

I expect him to push, fight, and control, but Titan immediately moves away. He drops to his knees, baring his throat in a gesture of complete surrender.

This behavior is confusing. My head throbs. But one thing is certain—I can’t stay here any longer. I turn away from him. I need to pack and leave before I lose myself again.

“Please don’t leave me alone.”

The plea stops me cold, cutting through my defenses. Any anger, resentment, or hurt I was feeling a second ago is forgotten. I turn around and pull him into my arms. We stay like that for a few moments, the warmth of his body seeping into mine. My mind screams at me to pull away, but this is what I’ve always wanted: him, loving me, unrestricted.

He pulls away, his eyes burning with barely contained desire. Then, his lips are on mine—desperate, passionate, making me forget everything else.

A strangled moan escapes me as our tongues meet. The taste of coffee and something smoky lingers on his breath, bittersweet.A distant awareness registers him lifting me off the ground, but I’m lost in his kiss. Sparks light up every inch of my skin. Suddenly, my back touches a soft surface, and I know I’m on my bed.

The words “only yours” echo in my mind as frantic fingers work to remove my clothes. His fingers trace a path up myarm, sending shivers down my spine. I hear fabric rip, but then soft lips are on my neck, sucking the tender skin. My eyelids flutter closed, overwhelmed by the intensity of the sensation. My body melts in his arms, my core wet and throbbing.

“Touch me, my Seren.”

The whispered plea sends goosebumps prickling all over my skin. My hands trace his back and circle his butt. He whimpers before lowering himself, trailing kisses to my core. My heart stops.

I look down to find a more human-looking face, breathing in deeply with his nose pressed to my slick slit. We’ve never done this before. I instantly try to cup myself with my palms in fear and shame, but he pushes them away with a murmured “Relax.”.

“Mm, lilacs,” he moans, throwing his head back.

I blink, trying to identify the voice. It sounds more like Theron than Titan, but then his mouth is on me and all coherent thought shatters.

He gives me a long, slow lick of his tongue, from the top of the slit to the bottom, before he focuses on the center. I keep trying to push his head away, gasping with each lick, but he latches his mouth on the bundle of nerves nestled in my core, and an extremely loud and shameless moan tears out of me.

“Ahh!”

Alternating between licking and sucking, he slowly increases the pace. I feel something strong building inside me. My hips rise in anticipation. I grip his hair hard, holding him in place as my body starts tightening, waiting.

I don’t hold back my sounds of pleasure, which only spur him on harder.

Just as I’m teetering on the brink of an orgasm, he pushes a finger inside me, switching the rhythm, taking me away from the peak. I yell in frustration.

“What the hell!”

But he quickly adds another finger and picks up speed, hitting a place inside of me that has me gasping. Suddenly I feel a strong urge to pee.

“Titan, move.”

The sense of urgency increases every second.

“Move, Titan, please,” I plead, my breath getting caught in my throat, but that only makes him pick up speed.

He does take his mouth away from my core for a moment to whisper, “It’s alright, let it go, my love. Just let it go.” His voice is calm, but the intensity of feeling in his tone is hard to describe.