NO TURNING BACK

Cassian’s lips crashed against mine with a force that stole the breath from my lungs. There was no hesitation, no restraint—just raw desperation, as if he had finally stopped running, finally stopped fighting the inevitable.

I didn’t think.

I didn’t question.

I sank into him, into the fire, into the storm that had been building between us since the moment we met.

His hands gripped my waist, pulling me flush against him, his fingers curling possessively against my skin. A low growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating through me, claiming me without words.

And I let him.

Because I wanted this.

I wanted him.

But then—just as suddenly as it had started—Cassian ripped himself away.

I gasped, blinking up at him, my breath coming in short, uneven bursts.

Cassian stood rigid, his red eyes burning, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His hands were still clenched at his sides, as if he were physically holding himself back.

“No,” he ground out, his voice raw.

I froze.

His expression was a storm of conflict.

I swallowed hard, my throat tight. “Cassian.”

“No,” he repeated, his jaw clenched so tightly I thought it might snap.

He turned away from me, his fingers pressing against his temples as he let out a shaky breath.

I stood there, my heart pounding, my lips still tingling from his kiss.

And I understood.

He wasn’t rejecting me.

He was rejecting what came next.

Because if we did this—if he accepted the bond fully—there would be no undoing it.

Cassian had spent his entire life running from ties, from attachments, from anything that could be used against him.

And now, I was forcing him into one.

I exhaled slowly, trying to steady myself. “We don’t have time for this.”

Cassian let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. “You think this is just about time?”

I clenched my fists. “I think we’re out of options.”

He turned to me then, his red eyes sharp. “You don’t understand what you’re asking me to do.”

I took a step closer, my heart hammering. “Then explain it to me.”

His nostrils flared. “If I claim you, Sienna—if I bind you to me—you will be mine.”

My breath caught.

Cassian’s hands trembled at his sides. “It won’t just be a shield against the Council. It won’t just be a piece of magic tying us together. It will be real.”

He took a step forward, his voice low and dangerous.

“If I take you, if I mark you, there will be no other after me. No one else will ever be able to touch you. Your body, your soul, your very essence will belong to me.”

He was so close now that I could feel his breath against my skin.

“And I,” he whispered, “will belong to you.”

My chest tightened.

I knew.

I knew what this meant for him.

For us.

But I also knew that it didn’t change anything.

I lifted my chin. “Then do it.”

Cassian’s entire body went still.

“You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Yes, I do.” My voice was steady now. Certain.

His eyes searched mine, looking for any sign of doubt, hesitation—anything that would give him a reason to walk away.

He didn’t find it.

Cassian exhaled sharply, his head tilting back. “You are going to be the death of me.”

I stepped closer, pressing my hands against his chest. “Then let me take you down with me.”

His control snapped.

With a low, guttural growl, Cassian grabbed me and lifted me into his arms, his lips crashing onto mine once more.

This time, there was no hesitation.

No second-guessing.

There was only us.

Only this fire, this storm, this undeniable force pulling us together.

Cassian carried me through the dimly lit room, his hands gripping me like I was the only thing keeping him grounded.

When my back hit the wall, a gasp left my lips, but Cassian was relentless, his mouth moving against mine with an urgency that left me dizzy.

I could feel it—the bond forming between us.

It was in the way my body shivered under his touch, in the way my soul recognized his as its match.

But he still wasn’t marking me.

And I knew why.

He needed me to say it again.

To choose him.

I cupped his face, forcing him to look at me. “Cassian.”

His breathing was ragged, his red eyes wild.

“I want this.”

He groaned, pressing his forehead against mine. “Sienna.”

“I choose you,” I whispered. “Now choose me.”

Cassian’s lips parted.

And then—he did.

His teeth sank into my skin, right where my shoulder met my neck.

A sharp, white-hot pain shot through me, but it was over in an instant.

Replaced by something deeper, stronger.

The moment his mark took hold, I felt everything.

His power. His soul wrapping around mine, fusing us together.

The bond snapped into place, and the force of it was so intense that I gasped, my fingers clutching onto him, holding on as the magic settled into my bones.

Cassian pulled back slightly, his lips brushing against my skin, his breathing harsh and uneven.

And then, he whispered the words that changed everything.

“You’re mine now, little wolf.”

And I knew.

I felt it in my soul.

I was his.

And he was mine.

Forever.