Damon – POV
Fuck.
Even now, after I’d spent myself inside her, after I’d lost every last thread of restraint, the heat still crawled under my skin like a living thing.
Not the sa molten fury as before — but an aching, unfinished need that throbbed in my veins.
She pulled off my lap, her breath ragged, her legs trembling, water sloshing around us. My cock slipped out of her slick, still hard enough to hurt. Her heat clung to , sticky, intoxicating. And gods, every part of wanted to drag her right back, flip her over, and take her again until she begged to finish what we started.
But she wouldn’t look at .
Even after everything.
Even after giving what no one else ever could — the raw surrender of her body.
I could still see the stubborn set of her jaw. The warning in her wolf-gold eyes.
Don’t mark .
My beast howled inside at the mory. My wolf’s teeth scraped at the edges of my mind, demanding I bite. My vampiric hunger burned to claim, to taste, to see her writhe under my fangs.
And beneath them both, Hades — cold and ancient — whispered in velvet darkness:
"She is yours. Take what is owed. Make her your queen, damn the cost."
The temptation coiled tight, a crushing band of lust and rage around my ribs.
But she didn’t want it.
Not yet.
And gods help , the part of that still rembered being just Damon couldn’t do it without her consent.
So I sat there, water cooling around us, my hands still hovering an inch from her skin — fingers twitching to pull her back.
She wouldn’t et my eyes.
And that cut deeper than any blade.
I saw the way her mouth parted like she might speak. Then she swallowed it down, looking at the cracked tile behind instead.
Her body still trembled, thighs slick with our release, her wolf so close to the surface I could sll it — but she fought it. Held herself back.
"I haven’t forgiven you," she rasped, voice rough, raw.
"I know," I forced out, though it tasted like blood on my tongue.
She moved to stand, water streaming off her body in rivulets that caught the light. I wanted to grab her hips and bury myself inside her again. Wanted to see her fall apart on one more ti — no, a hundred more tis.
But I let her go.
Because I’d rather cut out my own heart than force her.
Gods, she didn’t understand what that cost .
My beast raged, claws raking deep under my skin. My wolf snarled, furious that his mate dared walk away before the bond was sealed. And Hades... Hades watched with cold amusent, promising power if I only surrendered to him fully.
"One bite," he murmured, dark as midnight. "One mark. And she is ours forever."
My fangs ached so badly it felt like they’d crack my skull.
But when she turned back to — wet hair plastered to her shoulders, eyes shining with sothing between defiance and heartbreak — I bit the inside of my cheek instead.
And stayed silent.
Because if I opened my mouth now, I would beg.
And if I begged, I might break her resolve.
She stepped out of the tub, water dripping down her thighs, her ass flushed from where my palm had smacked it red. I caught the tremor in her legs, the lingering shiver in her shoulders.
Proof of what we’d just done.
Proof that for at least those monts, she’d been mine. Entirely, fiercely mine.
And gods forgive — it still wasn’t enough.
I wanted more. I wanted everything.
The air in the bathroom felt thin, stripped of heat and steam. Only her scent remained, heavy with sex, sweat, and stubborn refusal.
My cock twitched, still painfully hard, even after spilling inside her.
It wasn’t just lust.
It was the unclaid bond gnawing at my bones, whispering that nothing was finished. That until my mark pulsed on her neck, we’d both feel this endless ache.
But she wouldn’t have it.
And she didn’t know — couldn’t know — what else clawed inside .
Not just wolf. Not just vampire.
Hades had tasted her through , and now he wanted more.
He wanted a queen.
"She is your catalyst," he whispered again, voice curling around my mind like smoke. "Mark her, and your power will be complete."
But I couldn’t. Not like this.
Because even if she never knew about the monster sleeping inside , I did.
And gods, what if my mark didn’t just claim her — what if it corrupted her?
The thought chilled deeper than the water ever could.
She caught my gaze, just for a second. Long enough for to see the war in her eyes.
Wanting . Hating that she wanted .
And sothing darker — a spark of fear.
Not of hurting her body.
Of what surrendering to completely would an.
She turned away first, wrapping her arms around herself. The sight gutted worse than any wound.
The silence stretched, heavy and raw.
Finally, she spoke, voice barely above a whisper. "This... doesn’t an anything," she lied.
My jaw clenched so hard my teeth creaked.
If she believed that, why did her scent still burn with wanting?
Why did her wolf still hover so close to the surface, ears flattened, tail low — submission battling pride?
But I said nothing.
Because the truth?
It ant everything.
And that terrified her.
She left the bathroom, dripping wet, hair tangled, back stiff with stubborn pride.
And I stayed.
Alone with the ghosts in my blood, the thunder of my still-racing heart — and the cruel ache of what I couldn’t have.
I should have followed her.
Should have forced the conversation, demanded she admit what we both knew.
But instead, I let her go.
Because the only thing worse than living with this ache...
Was making her wear my mark before she was ready.
Even if it ant my heat wouldn’t end.
Even if it ant Hades whispered in my ear, night after night, that I was a coward.
She was worth the wait.
Gods help — even if it killed .
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