Chapter 98: Spring Heat

Seraphine's POV

I couldn't speak.

Couldn't move.

His thumb kept stroking my pulse. Slow. Deliberate. Each pass sent heat spiraling through my body.

The cold river water lapping at my waist should've numbed me. Should've cleared my head.

Instead, every nerve ending felt like it was on fire.

"Say it." His voice dropped lower. Rougher. "Tell me you're mine."

My lips parted. But the words stuck in my throat.

Because saying it meant surrendering. Meant admitting this bond had teeth. Real fucking teeth that could rip me apart.

His eyes blazed brighter. Pure gold now. No trace of black left.

"You feel it too." Not a question. A statement. "Your body knows what it wants."

My body was betraying me in every possible way. Trembling. Arching toward him. Breath coming in short gasps.

And then it hit me.

The sudden realization crashed through my lust-fogged brain like ice water.

Spring.

Mating season.

My wolf stirred. Deeper than usual. More insistent.

She'd been quiet for weeks. Sulking in the corners of my body after I'd refused to fully accept the bond.

But now she was awake. Alert.

And she wanted things.

Wanted him.

The urge to tilt my head—to expose my throat—was overwhelming. Instinctive. A primal need I'd never experienced this intensely before.

I fought it. Locked every muscle in place.

But my wolf snarled. Pushed harder against my consciousness.

Submit. Accept. Mate.

No.

Fuck no.

I wasn't doing this. Not like this. Not because some biological bullshit was hijacking my body.

Kaelen's grip on my neck tightened. Just enough to make my pulse jump beneath his thumb.

His nose brushed along my jawline. Inhaling deeply. A low rumble vibrated in his chest.

"You smell different." His voice was pure gravel. "Sweeter."

Heat crept up my neck. Shame mixing with arousal in a toxic cocktail.

My breathing hitched.

His hand on my hip slid lower. Gripped my thigh. His fingers burned against my skin despite the cold water.

"Kaelen..." My voice came out wrong. Breathy. Weak. Almost a whimper.

His eyes snapped to mine. Burning with barely restrained hunger.

"Say my name again."

I bit my lip. Hard. Trying to ground myself in the pain.

But his thumb pressed harder against my pulse. And the bond roared to life between us.

That connection we'd forged over two months ago—when he'd saved me in the forest and we'd collided in a desperate tangle of instinct and need. Back then the newly formed bond had been intense. Raw. All-consuming.

But this?

This was ten times worse.

Spring heat amplified everything. Made the magnetic pull between us unbearable. Made every cell in my body scream for him.

I could feel his desire pouring through it. Hot. Demanding. All-consuming.

And worse—he could feel mine.

The feedback loop was devastating. My arousal fed his. His fed mine. An endless spiral of need that drowned out rational thought.

My wolf howled inside me. Louder. More insistent.

Mark. Claim. Bond.

"No." I forced the word out. Strangled. "Let me... go."

But even as I said it, my fingers curled into the fabric of his soaked shirt. Clutching instead of pushing away.

My body was a traitor. A goddamn traitor.

Kaelen's breath came faster. Rougher. His chest heaved against mine.

"Your mouth says no." His lips ghosted over mine. So close I could taste him. "But your body's begging me to—to take you."

I shoved at his chest. Put real strength behind it.

He didn't budge. Might as well have been pushing against stone.

"Ka... Kaelen, I... mmm... me-mean it. Let. Me. Go..."

His jaw clenched. Muscles coiling beneath wet fabric.

Then something shifted.

The gold in his eyes blazed brighter. Hotter.

And the air changed.

Alpha power rolled off him in waves. Thick. Suffocating. Overwhelming.

It wasn't just dominance.

It was sexual. Raw. Aggressive.

Spring heat twisted it into something primal. Possessive. Claiming.

My knees buckled.

The wolf in me wanted to submit. Wanted to drop. Wanted to bare my throat and let him take what he wanted.

"No—" I gasped. Fighting it. Fighting him. Fighting myself.

But my body was losing the battle.

Kaelen moved.

One second I was standing in the water. The next I was in his arms.

He swept me up. Cradled against his chest. My naked body pressed against his soaked clothes.

"Put me... down..." My voice was weak. Breathless. "I can... walk..."

"Shut up." His voice was a growl. Barely human. "Say one more word and I'll fuck you right here on the grass."

The words should've terrified me.

Instead they made me clench.

Made wetness pool between my thighs despite the cold water still dripping off my skin.

He carried me across the garden. Long strides. Purposeful. Predatory.

The cottage loomed ahead. Small. Private. Hidden by flowering bushes.

He kicked the door open. Didn't slow down. Stepped inside and slammed it shut with his foot.

The sound echoed. Final. Definitive.

We were alone.

Completely alone.

And I was naked in his arms.

Fuck.

He crossed the small space in two steps. Pressed me against the door.

Wood dug into my back. Cold. Hard. Unyielding.

His body pressed against my front. Hot. Solid. Overwhelming.

Then his mouth was on mine.

No warning. No gentle lead-in.

Just pure possession.

His tongue forced past my lips. Invading. Claiming. Taking everything.

I should've bitten him. Should've fought.

But I kissed him back.

Hard.

Desperate.

Like I'd been starving for this.

My hands flew to his shoulders. Nails digging in. Finding skin through wet fabric. Leaving marks.

He groaned. The sound vibrating through both of us.

His tongue tangled with mine. Sucking. Biting. Devouring.

The kiss was brutal. Savage. All teeth and hunger and need.

Wet sounds filled the small space. Obscene. Raw.

Our teeth clashed. His bit down on my lower lip.

"Ah—!" Pain and pleasure mixed. Blood welled up.

He licked it away. Growled approval. "Mmm."

His hand left my hair. Slid down. Gripped my ass. Lifted.

My legs wrapped around his waist on instinct.

Now there was nothing between us but his soaked clothes.

And they did nothing to hide how hard he was.

The thick ridge pressed right against my core. Right where I was aching. Empty. Desperate.

"Fuck—" The word tore out of me.

He swallowed it. Kissed me deeper.

His other hand roamed. Traced my collarbone. Cupped my breast. Thumb brushed my nipple.

Lightning shot straight to my core.

"Nnh—" The sound escaped before I could stop it.

I arched into him. Hating myself. Wanting more.

The bond was screaming now. Drowning everything else out.

All I could feel was him. His hands. His mouth. His body.

All I could smell was his scent. Earth and cedar and something uniquely him.

All I could taste was blood and desire and promise.

My wolf purred. Satisfied. Demanding more.

Yes. Yes. This. More.

Kaelen's mouth left mine. Trailed down my jaw. Found the spot below my ear.

He sucked. Hard. Marking me.

"Ah—Kaelen—" I whimpered. Actually whimpered.

His hand squeezed my breast. Possessive. Claiming.

"You're mine." His voice was thick. Rough. "Every inch of you... belongs to me."