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I moved in fast, and she gasped, thinking I was going for her neck. But I didn’t. I pushed her thighs apart and claimed her heat with my mouth instead.

“Already ready for me?” I murmured against her. “You’re not going to make this hard, are you?”

She grabbed the sheets tightly. “Wait… so I just have to last five minutes?”

“That’s the idea,” I said, breathing her in like it was addictive.

The phone sat nearby too close. 4:43 was already ticking down.

My fingers traced slow, teasing patterns, making her shiver instantly. She was already too close. She just didn’t know it yet.

“If you behave,” I growled softly, “and finish before the timer, I might even give you another round before I send you running.”

Her eyes flicked down at me… then she suddenly pulled away with a playful grin.

My growl echoed through the room as she tried to escape.

I swatted her sharply, making her yelp, then grabbed her ankle and pulled her back onto the bed.

She actually laughed, struggling like she was enjoying every second of it.

“Stop moving,” I warned.

She didn’t listen.

I pinned her down, forcing her still, then slid my hand between her legs again.

“Oh, you like to fight,” I muttered, gripping her tighter.

The moment I eased my hold, she rolled away and hit the floor, scrambling for freedom.

Now the chase was on.

I followed instantly.

“Running already?” I growled.

She only laughed and darted to the corner of the room.

“You want it there?” I asked darkly, slamming her against the wall.

She twisted out of my grip, fast and clever, slipping away again before I could fully lock her down.

Frustration built in my chest. She was fast, too fast but I caught her again and threw her back onto the bed.

This time I didn’t hesitate.

I pinned her wrists, spread her legs, and went straight for her center.

Her gasp turned into a broken sound of pleasure as her body softened under me.

I lost track of everything except her reactions.

She arched, trembled, and gave in for a moment… just long enough for me to think I had it.

But then she moved.

Slipped free.

Turned the game again.

I caught one wrist, but not both.

My patience snapped slightly, and I pressed a hand to her throat not hard, just enough to hold her still.

Her body froze.

Her eyes met mine.

And something in her expression shifted half challenge, half heat.

It hit me wrong in two ways at once.

Desire shot straight through me… and guilt followed right behind it.

“You’re finishing before that timer ends,” I said slowly.

She smiled like she already knew something I didn’t.

And in that split second, she escaped again.

I went after her but then 

DING.

The timer went off.

Silence hit the room.

I stopped.

She didn’t.

“Yes!” she shouted, laughing as she squirmed free. “I won!”

I leaned back slowly, releasing her completely.

And just like that… the game was over.

Now I had to pay the price.

Selena pov

The disbelief on Luca’s face made it hard for me not to laugh out loud.

“Poor alpha… not used to losing, huh?” I teased, giving his head a light pat.

He let out a low growl, but that only made me laugh more. Still, beneath the amusement, something inside me was unsettled. Luca had always been unpredictable with me, warm one moment, distant the next. And during our little challenge, that same unpredictable side had flickered again, pulling an old fear to the surface.

I remembered something he’d once said with Lucien that they were “too dangerous to love.”

But even then, deep down, I knew he wouldn’t truly hurt me. My wolf would have reacted if danger was real. Instead, she had been calm… almost playful. She wanted me to lean into the game, to let Luca chase me the way she enjoyed being chased.

Just like when Rowan had once caught me she had enjoyed that too. The thought of Rowan softened my mood for a moment. He had been off ever since the encounter with the Bloody Dawn pack, and I didn’t like it.

I pushed the thought away and focused on Luca again.

I cared about all these dangerous men of mine, even if some of them still didn’t know how to accept it. Luca especially. Even after everything we’d said, he still looked at me like my feelings weren’t real. I would have to prove it to him… in a way he couldn’t ignore.

Still between my legs, he tilted his head up, watching me through his lashes.

“You win, my warrior wolf,” he murmured. “And winners deserve a proper celebration…”

His hands started to slide up my thighs, and the heat of what we’d been building threatened to pull me under completely.

I shoved his hands away before I lost control.

“I won,” I reminded him firmly. “That means I decide.”

A low sound rumbled in his chest. “Alright… then what do you want?”

I took his hands and held them tightly, locking my gaze with his.

“I want to bite you,” I said clearly. “I want to mark you. I want your father to see it and know you belong to me. I want everyone to see you and know the same thing.”

The moment the words left my mouth, something in his expression snapped. His pupils darkened until barely any gold remained.

He stood, pulling me up with him, pressing me close. His body was burning against mine hard, tense, barely restrained.

“During your heat…” he said roughly, “you bit me. Human teeth or not… I’ve never stopped wanting it since.”

A slow smile touched my lips as I traced his jaw. “Good. Because I want you to bite me too.”

That earned me a sharp grin from him, playful but intense. “You know you already won, right? You could take the mark and leave me unmarked. Make me yours without giving anything back.”

“I’m not doing that,” I said simply. “This is my choice. I want it to be mutual.”

He studied me in silence.

It stretched on heavy, tense, almost unbearable.

Finally, he spoke. “We always said Cassius would come first, if it came to that… before everything changed.”

“My wolf doesn’t doubt this,” I interrupted. “She wants all of you. And I want you, Luca. Fully. No hesitation.”

Another long pause.

Then, slowly, he nodded.

A rush of emotion hit me all at once. This wasn’t a mistake. Not this time. I was choosing him and he was choosing me back.

The shift between us felt like something inevitable like all our past “firsts” had been leading here.

Cassius had been the first to steal my heart. Lucien had been the first to mark me. And now, Luca would be the first I marked in return. Somewhere out there, Rowan still waited in that unfinished space between us, a future I hadn’t reached yet.

I eased myself away from Luca and sat back, letting the bed take my weight while I met his gaze fully.

“Take your clothes off,” I told him.

A slow grin spread across his face. He didn’t rush. He took his time undoing each piece, watching me as if testing my resolve. When he reached his pants, he paused.

“You’re really sure?” he asked quietly.

“I’m sure,” I answered without hesitation.

This wasn’t a game anymore. It was something deeper, something we both needed to settle once and for all. All the uncertainty between us had to end here.

When he finally stood bare in front of me, he ran a hand over himself in a teasing motion, but I could still see the hesitation hiding behind his confidence. Once this happened, there would be no pretending. No walls left to hide behind.

“Come here,” I said softly.

He obeyed.

The moment he covered me with his body, I felt exposed in a way that had nothing to do with clothing. His expression shifted too caught between relief, longing, and something close to fear. I’d never seen an alpha look at me like that before.

He lowered himself between my thighs, but stopped just before joining us completely, as if waiting for one last confirmation.

I didn’t give him the chance to hesitate. I pulled him in.

A shared sound escaped us as he entered me, and I wrapped my arms around him immediately, refusing any space between us. I didn’t just want him close, I wanted him undeniable, impossible to question.

For the first time, everything between Luca and me felt real.

He lifted his head, studying me like he was memorizing every reaction I gave him. There was something almost soft in his gaze now something unguarded.