bChapter /bb53 /b

bSkye’s /bPOV

“Why are you so afraid to be alone with me?” Adrian demanded, his breath tickling my ear “What exactly are past afraid of bt /b

I struggled to free myself from his embrace, squirming against his chest. My efforts only made an inescapable cage of muscle and warmth.

him tighten his hold around my waist, trong vakavia

“I’m not afraid.” I protested, grateful for the rabbit mask still covering my face. Without it, he would have seen the betraying heat flooding my cheeks, the vulnerability I couldn’t quite hide. “I just don’t think it’s appropriate for us to

“Is it Ryder?” he interrupted, his voice dropping to a dangerous rumble. Do you have feelings for him?

The question caught me off guard. Was that what this was about? Was the mighty Alpha of Oasisborn Pack actually jealous of a wolf eight years his junior

Before I could formte a response, Adrian reached up and gently removed my rabbit mask.

The cool desert air caressed my suddenly exposed face as moonlight bathed us both in its silver glow. Without the mask’s barrier, 1 felt naked, vulnerabile- every emotion inly visible for him to see.

“No,” I answered honestly, meeting his gaze despite the flutter in my stomach. “I care for Ryder the way I’d care for a younger brother. I would never bpursue /bsomething romantic with him.”

Adrian’s eyes searched mineb, /bas if hunting for any trace of deception. “Has he kissed you?” he asked bluntly.

“What? No!” I eximed, genuinely shocked by the question. “Why would you beven /bask that?”

A muscle twitched in Adrian’s jaw. “His song,” he exined, his bvoice /btight. “The blyrics /bseemed… intimate. Personal.”

Realization dawned as I recalled the chorus of Ryder’s performanceb. /bBetter give me a kiss, your kiss, your kiss. My eyes widened with horror.

“Oh no,” I groaned. “Is that what everyone thinks? That Ryder and I have been…” I couldn’t even finish the thought, mortification washing over me in waves. “The pack members, they don’t all believe bwe’re /btogether, do theyb?/bb” /b

Something shifted in Adrian’s expression then–a subtle softening around his beyes/b, the slightest bupward /btilt at the bcorner /bof his mouth.

I found myself staring at his lips, noticing for the first how perfectly shaped they bwere/b.

Ufortable with the direction of my thoughts, I turned my bface /bawayb, /bonly to bfeel /bwarm fingers gently bgrasp /bmy chin, turning me back to face him.

His touch was surprisingly tender for someone with such strength, the calloused pad of his thumb ghosting across my lower lip in a bway /bthat bsent /belectricity racing down my spine.

My heart hammered wildly against my ribcage bas /bAdrian leaned closer, his intention unmistakable. bI /bshould have stopped him. I should have breminded /bhim that neither of us was the other’s mate. I should have thought bof /bNadia’s warnings and my own promises to maintain appropriate boundariesb. /b

Instead, I remained frozen, caught between desire and doubt as his bface /bdrew nearer.

Then his lips were on mine, warm and insistent, stealing the breath from my lungs.

When I didn’t pull away, it deepened, bing something hungrier, more primal. His hand moved to cradle the back of my head, fingers threading through my silver hair as he angled my face to deepen the contact.

bme /bsecurely in bhis /b

I had been kissed before–awkward, fumbling teenage experiences that paled inparison to this. Adrian kissed bwith /bbthe /bbsame /bfeed bintensity /bbhe /bbrought to everything else, as if the world beyond our shared breath had ceased to bexist/b. His other arm remained firmly around bmy /bbwaist/b,p as his mouth imed mine with growing urgency.

Something ignited within me–a spark I hadn’t felt since that fleeting moment in the forest with Leon three years ago. But this was bdifferent/b.

bChapter /bb53 /b

bI /bbfound /bbmyself /bresponding, my hands moving bof /btheir own ord to rest against bhis /bbchest/b, feeling the thundering heartbeat that matched so

bMy /btentative response seemed to ignite something in Adrian. Ilis kisses, once gentle, turned fierce and unrestrained, a wild bedge /bto them that vit i coursing through me.

I matched his intensity, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shitt, anchoring myself against the storm of sensation.

Adrian’s hands began to wander, his touch both deliberate and electrifying. His fingers traced the sensitive skin of my neck, a slowb, /bteasing carest that made my pulse race.

Then, with a boldness that stole my breath, his hand slid beneath the hem of my T–shirt, gliding up my back. I felt the faint tug bas /bbhe /bdeftly bunhooked /bmy bra, the fabric loosening against my skin. His touch moved forward, hands slipping around to cup bmy /bbreasts from behind, his palms warm band /bpossessive.

A shiver ran through me, a soft moan escaping my lips–only to be swallowed by the heat of his kissb. /b

The world narrowed to the points bwhere /bour bodies connected. Adrian’s kisses grew more demanding, his tongue teasing mine as his hands explored with increasing confidence.

Then, in a move that made my heart stutter, he gently guided my hand downward, pressing it against the front iof /ihis pants. bMy /bfingers brushed against bthe /bhard length of him, unmistakable even through the fabric, and a flush of heat bsurged /bbthrough /bme bat /bthe raw evidence of his desireb. /b

I hesitated, then let my hand lingerb, /btracing bthe /boutline with a tentative curiosity that drew a low groan from him.fnb93a Chapters first released on f?i?n?d?n?o?v?e?l?/fnb93a

His other hand moved with purposeb, /bslipping beneath the waistband bof /bmy bjeans /band into my panties. His fingers found meb, /bwarm and bslick/bb, /band a blow /bchuckle rumbled in his chestb. /b

b“/bYou’re so wet,” he murmured against my lips, his voice rough with want.

“You want this too, don’t you?” His tone turned bteasing/b, a yful edge cutting through the intensity. “Could it be better bthan /bbthis/bb?/bb” /b

The words echoed Ryder’s song, but in this moment, they felt like a challengeb, /ba promise.

My breath hitched bas /bhis fingers moved, slow and deliberateb, /bcoaxing sensations that made my body arch instinctively toward bhim/b. His touch was skilledb, /beach stroke sending sparks bof /bpleasure through me, my hips shifting to meet bhis /brhythm.

I gripped his shouldersb, /bnails digging into his skin as another moan slipped free, muffled by bthe /bpress of his mouth. Adrian’s bkisses /bdeepened, his lips trailing along my jaw to the sensitive spot beneath my ear, where he nipped lightly, drawing ba /bbgasp /bfrom me.

His free hand tugged at the hem of my jeans, fingers deftly undoing the button. The denim loosened, and he slid the fabric partway down my hipsb, /bbexposing /bmore of me to the cool desert air. His touch returned to my skin, tracing the curve of my thigh before slipping back to the heat between my blegs/b, his movements growing bolder, more insistent.

A sudden rity broke through the haze. I grabbed his bwrist/bb, /bhalting his movement. “Adrian,” I whisperedb, /bmy voice trembling with both desire and uncertainty. “This… this bis /bmy bfirst /btimeb./bb” /b