Page 36 of Knotting else Matters

“So I grabbed lunch with Sophie and her friend—”

Friend?

The word hit me like a knife. Friend. Was that it? That fucking Beta Karl had mentioned? A polite, nice, spineless Beta who’d whisper sweet nothings to her? Who’d take her out to dinner, who’d make her feel safe—who’d try to take her from me?

No.

No. No. No.

She was mine. Mine.

I moved before I even realized it, my vision blurring, my body a pulse of raw, furious need. I crossed the room in two steps, my hands grabbing her shoulders, spinning her around, her wide, startled eyes meeting mine for just a heartbeat.

“Adrian—?”

The dresses slipped from her arms, pooling on the floor in a forgotten heap. Her mouth opened, a soft, confused gasp, and I saw her lips move, but the sound didn’t register.

My wolf roared, a wild, vicious demand that drowned out everything else. I leaned in, my lips brushing against the soft, warm skin of her neck, my teeth grazing the delicate curve, and then I bit down.

A sharp, possessive bite—deep enough to leave a mark, to claim.

Her body stiffened, a sharp gasp breaking from her lips, but I didn’t let go. I felt her pulse racing beneath my lips, tasted the sweet, heated scent of her, and I didn’t just want her—I needed her.

Mine. Mine.

I pulled back, my breath ragged, my hands still gripping her shoulders, my gaze locked on the soft, pink mark already beginning to bloom on her neck. Her wide, shocked eyes stared up at me, her lips parted, her breath coming fast.

“Adrian—”

Her voice was a whisper, breathless, confused.

“You’re mine.” My voice was a low, rough growl, a vicious, unyielding declaration. “I don’t care about Sophie's Beta friend. I don’t care about anyone else. You. Are. Mine.”

Her lips moved, her breath still coming fast, her cheeks flushing, a wild, uncertain light dancing in her green eyes. But I didn’t give her a chance to argue, to run, to pretend this was something less than it was.

I leaned in again, my lips crashing against hers, fierce and hungry, my fingers tangling in her hair, pulling her closer, pressing her back against the door. Her hands flew to my chest, caught between pushing me away and pulling me closer.

But I didn’t care. I didn’t want to let her go. I didn’t want to hear her tell me this was a mistake, that she didn’t want this.

Because I knew. I could feel it—the wild, desperate heat in her kiss, the way her body arched against mine, the way her hands curled into my shirt, her nails scraping against my skin.

“Adrian,” she whispered again, her voice breaking, her breath a soft, shuddering plea.

“Mine,” I growled, my mouth tracing a burning path along her jaw, down the side of her neck, my fingers slipping beneath the thin strap of her blouse, baring her shoulder. “Say it.”

Her fingers dug into my chest, her head falling back against the door, her eyes half-lidded, her breath coming faster. “Yours.”

The word was a soft, desperate whisper, and it was all I needed. My mouth crashed against hers again, my hands sliding down her body, gripping her hips, pulling her against me, the sweet, maddening scent of fresh rain still swirling around me, sinking into my skin.

I didn't make it two steps away from the door. I couldn’t. The second her lips parted beneath mine, the second her breathless, desperate whisper of"Yours"slipped between us, something snapped. All the control, all the restraint I’d tried to claw back since this morning shattered like glass.

My hands slid down her body, gripping her thighs, and without a second thought, I lifted her, pressing her against the cool, solid door. Her legs wrapped around me instinctively, her arms looping around my neck, pulling me closer, her fingers tangling in my hair.

Her mouth was hot, desperate against mine, her soft, breathless moans swallowed by my kiss, and I was lost—lost in the taste of her, the heat of her, the wild, electric need that seemed to spark with every touch.

“Adrian—” she gasped, her head falling back against the door, and I didn’t waste a second. My lips trailed down the soft, exposed line of her throat, my teeth grazing the faint, pink mark I’d left—my mark.

“Are you always this needy?” I whispered, my voice rough and teasing against her skin.

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