Damien’s POV
I didn’t answer with words. I pulled her into my arms, holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world. Then I whispered against her hair, "I want you, Sofia. You. Our son. This baby. Our family."
Her arms wrapped around slowly... then tightly. She buried her face in my neck and nodded, crying softly.
"I’ll stay," she whispered. "I’ll stay with you."
"I promise."
I held her tighter, closed my eyes, and breathed her in. She was ho. My mate. My love. The mother of my children. And this ti—I would never let her go.
I held her. Tighter. Closer. My wolf was pacing inside , desperate to pull her even deeper into my arms, but I forced myself to stay gentle. She had been through enough. We both had.
After a mont, she pulled back slightly, her red eyes eting mine.
"Damien..." she whispered, voice shaky.
I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Yes?"
She stared at for a long second. Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips against mine.
Soft. Warm. Barely a touch at first—like she was asking permission.
My breath hitched.
Then she kissed again—harder, fuller—her hands sliding up to my jaw, her body pressing closer like she couldn’t hold back anymore.
I let out a low sound in my chest. A sound that ca from both and my wolf.
I cupped her face and kissed her back deeply, tasting her tears and her need and her apology all at once. She moved on my lap, her hands gripping my shirt as if she wanted to climb into my soul.
"Sofia..." I murmured against her lips, breath uneven.
She kissed again, desperate, trembling.
I broke the kiss suddenly, pressing my forehead to hers.
She blinked, confused, lips still parted.
"Why did you stop?" she whispered.
I exhaled slowly, struggling to keep control.
"You need to rest," I said quietly, brushing her cheek with my thumb. "You’re pregnant. You cried earlier. Your body is exhausted and—"
"No," she breathed.
Her hands clutched the sides of my face. Then she kissed again. Deeper. Harder. Like she was pouring everything she had left into .
"Sofia..." I whispered, but the sound died against her mouth.
She pulled back only enough to speak, her voice shaking.
"I want you," she whispered. "I want you, Damien. Please... don’t push away again."
Her words hit straight in the chest.
My wolf growled with approval.
I swallowed hard, staring at her—my mate, crying, begging, trembling in my arms.
"Sofia..." I whispered, voice cracking slightly. "I’m trying to be careful with you."
"I don’t want you to be careful," she whispered back, brushing her lips along my jaw. "I want you."
Her hands slid around my neck. Her lips found mine again.
"I want you to mark ."
Those words hit harder than any wound, any betrayal, any pain she ever caused.
My wolf pushed so hard against my chest that I had to grit my teeth to keep him from taking over completely.
"Sofia..." I whispered, my voice rough. "Are you sure?"
She nodded—slow, certain, beautiful.
"I want to be yours fully."
She didn’t blink. She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t look away.
"I’m sure," she said again, softer this ti. "I want you. I want our family. I want this bond."
My heart—my cold, angry, hurting heart—shook inside my chest.
She didn’t know how long I had waited to hear those words. How many nights I imagined her sleeping beside with my mark on her neck. How many tis my wolf clawed at , whispering:
"Mate. Mark her. Claim her. Keep her."
But I forced myself to breathe. To be sure.
Because once I marked her... there was no going back.
She would feel my emotions. I would feel hers. Our wolves would be tied forever. Our souls would be one.
I swallowed hard.
"You know what a mark ans," I whispered, stepping closer. "It’s permanent. It ties your life to mine. Your heart to mine. There will be no distance between us. No secrets. No lies."
"I know," she whispered.
"You’ll feel everything I feel."
"I want that."
"You’ll feel my pain, my anger, my love—everything."
Her eyes softened at the last word.
"I want it all."
My chest tightened so painfully I had to shut my eyes for a second. When I opened them again, she was still looking at .
I moved closer, slowly, afraid she would vanish if I moved too fast.
"Sofia," I whispered, searching her face, "you’re pregnant. You’re emotional. You’re scared. I don’t want you to choose this because you think you’ll lose ."
She reached for —her hands trembling—and placed them against my face.
"I choose this," she whispered. "Because I love you."
My breath hitched.
Her thumbs brushed my cheeks gently.
"And I want to belong to you," she whispered, eyes soft but burning with sothing deeper. "Not because of fear. Not because of the baby. But because it’s where I want to be."
My wolf let out a growl so deep it vibrated through my chest.
I leaned down until our lips were almost touching.
"Say it one more ti," I murmured, my voice barely a breath. "So I know you’re not afraid."
Her lips trembled lightly against mine as she whispered, "Mark , Damien. Please. I want to be yours."
Every last bit of control I had left broke.
I pulled her onto my lap, holding her as if my life depended on it. She gasped softly as her arms wrapped around my neck.
Her scent—sweet, warm, familiar—wrapped around like a spell.
I pressed my forehead to hers and let my wolf rise, let him breathe through , let him speak through the growl in my chest.
"You will be mine," I whispered.
"I am already yours," she breathed.
I lowered my lips to her neck—the spot just above her shoulder where the mark belonged. The spot where her scent was strongest. The place my wolf had dread of for months.
I kissed it softly.
Once.
Twice.
Her breath shuddered. Her fingers slid into my hair, pulling closer, whispering my na in a way that made every part of tremble.
I kissed the spot again—slow and reverent—feeling her pulse race beneath my lips.
Then I pulled back just enough to et her eyes.
"Last chance," I whispered, my voice almost shaking. "If I mark you, you are mine forever."
Her eyes glowed with certainty.
"I want forever with you."
That was all I needed.
I lowered my mouth toward her neck—my wolf surging forward, ready to complete what fate started the day we t.
And I marked her.
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