Chapter 15

Jules's scentis all around me as I lead her up the stairs. With every step, my heart grows lighter. Jules didn't run.

Ever since Rhys's betrayal, I've only had one other person whom I felt I could trust. I hadn't realized how small my world had become — that I was suffocating in my own loneliness.

It only got worse when I fell for Jules — to love her knowing she would never accept me. That she could never love my wolf.

But Jules looked inside me and saw it all — the ugly, broken, chaotic bits. She saw the beast, and she didn't run. She stayed and fought for my soul.

I'll always be grateful for that.

My bedroom is still in shambles from my meltdown earlier, so I tug Jules down the hallway to the room I gave her. I didn't tell her at the time, but this was my room before she moved in. It has the very best views in the house, and I wanted her to have it.

I lead her over to the bed, and Jules sinks down on the edge. There's always a chill in here after sunset, so I light a fire in the hearth, allowing the warmth of the small flames to lap against my skin.

I can feel Jules's eyes on me the entire time, but I remain focused on my task so she can look her fill.

My wolf is urging me to mark Jules, but for the first time in a long while, his wants and needs feel manageable. As much as I want to claim Jules for my own, I want her to trust me more. I want her to know that she's safe in my arms — that I would never hurt her.

Only once the fire is crackling in the hearth do I allow myself to turn around. Jules hasn't moved from her spot on the bed, and even in a baggy T-shirt and sweatpants, she's a fucking goddess. The golden glow of the fire plays over her soft features, dances in her warm brown eyes. Her raven locks are messy from our earlier lovemaking, splayed across her one bare shoulder where the T-shirt has fallen down.

Neither of us says a word as I cross to the bed. Jules scoots back to make room for me, and I cup her face in my hands. She doesn't flinch as she did before, and I get the feeling that she truly sees me.

Gathering her wild locks, I tilt her head to the side and kiss a soft trail down her cheek, all the way along her neck to the little indent where I'll mark her. I pause just there and inhale deeply, drinking in her warm cinnamon scent that has become like home to me.

I encircle her throat lightly and then drag my hand down between her breasts, where I can feel her racing heart. Jules rises up onto her knees and slips her sweatpants down her hips. I help free her of the heavy material, tossing them into a corner of the room.

My nostrils flare with desire when I realize she isn't wearing anything underneath. I reach between her legs, and a quiet groan escapes me when my fingers come away drenched in her cream.

Jules shifts so that she's straddling me, teasing my mouth with those warm, soft lips. I moan against her, reveling in the feel of her skin as I palm her bare ass.

I take my time stroking the swell of each cheek, my fingers dipping down to her silky inner thighs before trailing up her hips, under her shirt, and exploring the valley of her waist.

Jules's sigh tickles my lips as I stroke her back and ribs. My erection is a painful throb against the zipper of my jeans, and when she seats herself down over my cock and grinds her pussy along my length, I can't hold back my shaky groan.

Slowly, I inch my fingers up Jules's body, palming her gorgeous breasts. A whimper slips out of her at my touch, and that little sound nearly unravels me.

In one rough motion, I free her of her shirt, and my breath catches at the sight of her glowing golden skin. She is so beautiful it hurts to look at her, and she's offering herself to me.

Overcome by my own desire, I grip Jules around the thighs and fall back onto the bed. A surprised yip escapes her as I haul her over my body, landing with her splayed directly over my face.

Peering up, I catch the deep flush that darkens her cheeks and the stunned blink of her eyes. This close, the sweet musk of her arousal nearly undoes me, and I have the sudden urge to turn my face to the side and sink my fangs into the soft flesh of her inner thigh.

But then my mate relaxes against me, spreading her folds as I part my lips. The taste of her sets my body aflame, and I thrust my tongue inside her.

Jules whimpers, and I grip her thighs tighter, drawing her pussy around my mouth until her taste and scent consume me.

Jules is everywhere, and I'm powerless to deny myself the pleasure of her body. She moans as I devour her sweet little cunt, grinding her mound against my stubble and taking the friction she needs.

A fresh gush of cream slides across my tongue, and I greedily lap it up. She is so hot and ready for me, but I'm not in a hurry to relinquish my position.

Pressed between her thighs, I'm in heaven. Every tiny moan and shudder reverberates through my body, feeding the flames of my desire. I can feel the way she writhes and clenches from my touch. I can taste every new reaction.

When her pussy spasms around my tongue, a soft sob wrenches from her throat. I moan into her ripe flesh as she rocks back and forth, using my mouth to milk her orgasm.

Only when she stills do I lift her up and set her back on the bed. Jules's eyes are slightly glassy, and her cheeks are painted with the flush of her orgasm. The increased blood flow intensifies her delicious scent, drawing my wolf to the surface.

Jules's hands travel to my waistband, her fingers fumbling to undo my top button. Her eyes widen as she frees my cock, which only makes me harder.

In one quick motion, I rip off my jeans and bring her mouth to mine. She moans against me when she tastes herself, and I devour her mouth with the same savagery as her pussy.

Crawling into my lap, Jules wraps herself around me. Fresh flames of need ignite everywhere she touches, and my cock twitches between us as she presses her soft folds against me.

All I want is to sink so deep inside of her that I forget my own name. But first I need her to be certain.

Gently twisting her curls around my hand, I tug her head back until I can see the firelight shimmering in her chocolate eyes.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" I croak, cupping her neck with my other hand and stroking her pulse point with my thumb.

"Yes," she whispers, eyes fluttering closed as she presses a chaste kiss to my lips. "I want you, Dimitri," she breathes. "All of you."

A lump forms in my throat at the sound of my name on those lips. I shudder as Jules moves up to my cheek, peppering my face with kisses. She presses her lips to my temple, my forehead, finally anointing my eyelids.

Fuck. What did I ever do to deserve this woman?

Once she's finished worshipping my lips and cheeks, Jules takes my hand in hers and presses a kiss to the center of my palm. I open my eyes to meet her gaze, and the look on her face seems to steal the air from my lungs.

Her eyes are burning with a fiery need that is every inch as deep as my own, and I can't wait any longer.

For once, I let the wolf overtake me as I smash my lips to hers. Jules's mouth hardens beneath mine as she crushes herself to me, teeth scraping my bottom lip with an animalistic fervor.

My hands tremble as they rove over her body, squeezing and stroking and loving her with everything I have.

As I roll her back onto the bed, Jules's dark curls fan out all around her. She is so damn beautiful I know this has to be a dream.

Wordlessly, she spreads her thighs — opening for me like a book. Gripping her hips, I align my cock with her glistening entrance and bury myself inside her.

Those first few inches make my balls pull up tight to my body, but once I'm seated to the hilt, the sensation of her tight, wet pussy strangling my cock is so intense that I almost black out.

Blood pounds in my temples as I suck in a breath, overwhelmed by how good she feels. I pull out slowly and ram back in, my forearms shaking with restraint.

I find Jules's face, and her lips part slightly as her brow creases with desire. My cock throbs inside her, causing an aftershock of spasms from Jules, and the bitter taste of venom coats the back of my tongue.

Shame floods my body — hot and unwelcome — as the beast emerges. I feel the pinch of fangs pressing through my gums and the heat just beneath my skin that tells me I'm not in full control.

But when I glance back down at Jules, she's still staring up at me with that same soft trust —the same scorching desire that heats my own blood.

She doesn't see the beast, I realize. She only sees me.

"I love you," I rasp, tears burning my throat as I press a kiss to her lips.

Jules strokes my hair as I pull back, and for the first time in my life, I feel as though I'm truly home. "I love you, too."

I shudder as her fingers stroke the side of my face, her touch unbearably soft. "Make me yours, Dimitri," Jules whispers, her brow pinching with longing.

That's all I need to hear.

A strangled cry rips from my throat as I thrust back into her channel. Jules moans as I fill every inch of her, and I feel the slick pressure of fangs against my lips as I lower my head to her neck.

Blackness dances at the edges of my vision as my fangs find their mark, sinking deep into her flesh. Jules muffles her cry against the side of my head, her pussy clenching all around me as the iron tang of blood coats my mouth.

I hold her close as I thrust in and out, and a bite of pain cuts through the haze of pleasure as Jules digs her nails into the back of my neck. She drags them across the muscles of my back, digging little trenches into my skin.

I withdraw my fangs slowly, shuddering out a groan of satisfaction when I realize she gave me a mark of her own.

I slam inside her once again — hitting the very end of her channel. Jules groans and grips my hair in her fist, dragging her nipples against my chest as she uses my body for leverage. Her hips move in frantic thrusts beneath me, blood trickling down her shoulder as her core shudders around me.

My limbs tremble as I find my release, holding fast to her as I come. I fill her with everything I have to offer, and I know I'll never be the same again.

The moment Jules stared down my wolf, she glimpsed my very soul. She broke the spell that's kept me a miserable beast locked in a fortress of my own making.

For the first time in my life, I'm free. All because of her.