I can’t stop staring at him. “What?”

“I’m not his father. I’m nobody to him, Alana. I married my best friend to get her out of a quandary, and now my life’s fucking falling apart.”

“Why did you do that?”

“She needed me. She risked losing her inheritance, because her father’s ancient and would never go for her being a single mom. It’s the same bullshit that happened to my mother.”

“What happened to your mother?”

“Never mind, Alana!” He storms toward the door and turns the handle.

I have to speak now or risk losing him. “But you love him, Kase. You take care of him. He loves you like his father, so that’s all that matters. I don’t judge you.” In fact, this might be shocking, but it’s nothing that can’t be solved.

“That’s not all that matters,” he says, torment in his dark eyes. “Liam’s father came to the party tonight. Caused a huge scene. He plans on taking him, Alana. He plans on taking my son.” Kase cringes into his fist, and suddenly, I feel how hard this is for him. He wasn’t Evie’s husband and he’s not Liam’s father, and now it’s clear to everybody that he’s been lying.

Fuck.

“I’m nobody to Liam. I’m nobody to anyone.”

“You’re everything to me.” I pull him in, burying my face in his chest, and push the door closed. “Stay with me, please.”

“Alana…” My name comes out a whisper. Kase collapses in a heap of sobs against my body, but then he pulls himself together, drops his bag, and carries me up the stairs. “I need you so fucking badly.” No explanation necessary, but I know this won’t solve everything. Somehow, we have to keep him from losing Liam.

Kase drops me to my feet then shoves me against the wall roughly, all without reaching his bed. My arms are forced up and my shirt is pushed up over my head. Hungrily, he latches onto my tits, squeezing and sucking them hard, and my body arches into his mouth. I need more. I need him completely. I never realized how deeply I want to be his woman until tonight.

“I can help you, Kase.” I don’t know how I could possibly, but somehow, we can navigate this shitstorm together. “Make love to me, please.”

He grunts in response, pulls off the rest of my clothes, and drags me to the bed. Suddenly, I’m flat on my back and he’s between my legs, shirt yanked off, and his pants around his knees. There’s something feral in his eyes. He’s not a man tonight but something entirely new. Maybe his demons have finally possessed him and now I’m going to feel the consequences of my pursuit. He’s going to show me why I should’ve stayed away from him, like he warned me to so many times.

Kase pants, grits his teeth, and tells me to open my legs wider. I do as he says and he mutters, “Slather your ass, Alana. Take that delicious pussy juice and smear it all over your ass.”

My body tightens, though with fear or anticipation, I’m not sure. All I know is that I’ll do anything for him, just like I told him that first day. Anything. If I have to bend over and take it up the ass for the first time to get him to stay, then that’s what I’ll do. I know that goes against everything this world has ever taught me, but this world doesn’t understand how much I love and trust this man.

This man I shouldn’t want but do.

This man I shouldn’t pursue but can’t stop.

This man I adore.

I do as he says then watch as he sheds the rest of his clothes, knees between my legs and pushes the head of his cock against my pussy. Dragging it around, he gets it wet then pushes his fingertip against my tight asshole. I’ve heard things. About pain and getting filled and feeling like it’s just too much, but I can do this.

I want this as much as he does, even if I’m a little frightened too…

Across Kase’s face is an eclipsed moon of conflict. I can tell he doesn’t want to hurt me or take advantage of me anymore, but I can also tell that I’m his only solace in this world and needs me now, more than ever. And that’s all I ever wanted—to be his woman.

“Go slow, please,” I tell him. It’s my only request.

Kase moves from my pussy to my ass and begins to push in slowly. “I can’t promise anything.” I know. Tonight he’s an alpha wolf and I’m his submissive mate. I can’t control his speed anymore than I can control his pain.

But I can ease it.

Closing my eyes, I breathe deeply to relax and feel Kase’s massive cock beginning to fill me. There are no words to describe the depth and intimacy of this act. All I know is that in less than two months I’ve gone from complete virgin to Kase’s willing cockwhore, and I wouldn’t change a fucking thing.

When he’s in all the way, and I’m feeling like I’m going to explode, he leans down and kisses me strongly, with purpose. His eyes burn into my brain. “You win, Alana. You want me? Here I am.”

He’s got a plan, and I know what it is: he wants me to regret my decision to love him, by making this difficult and rough, so I’ll never want him again. But what he doesn’t understand is that he could never push me away. As long as he’ll have me, I’ll want to be with him. Even if he’s about to hurt me.

Suddenly, he pulls back and pushes in again. I cry out loud, gripping the sheets. He’s wrong. It doesn’t hurt, it overwhelms me, pushes me higher, teaches me new things about him. New things about myself. When he sees in my eyes that I’m not about to give up, that I want it harder and stronger than he’s ever given it to me before, he becomes unhinged.