Iris’s POV

I gasped as Sebastien pinned me against the mattress, his powerful body caging mine. The rich scent of whiskey mixed with his unique wolf musk filled my nostrils, making my head swim. His muscular chest pressed against me, hard and unyielding as his large hands roughly tore at my silk nightgown.

“Sebastian…” I whispered, my voice catching as his lips traveled from my earlobe down my neck, leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses.

His scorching palm found my breast, kneading with just the right pressure that made me moan involuntarily. I arched my back, pressing myself further into his touch as his tongue circled my nipple before his teeth gently bit down, creating a delicious combination of pleasure and pain that made me whimper.

“Please…” The word escaped my lips before I could stop it.

His hand slid lower, fingers expertly teasing between my thighs, finding me already wet and ready for him. I felt his satisfied growl against my skin as he positioned himself at my entrance.

“Ready?” He asked softly.

My eyes widened in surprise. This wasn’t like him at all. Usually, Sebastien took me with cold efficiency, treating me like nothing more than a vessel for his release. He never cared if I found pleasure, never took the time to make sure I was ready. But tonight… tonight was different.

Instead of his typical brutal pace, he moved slowly at first, allowing me to adjust to him, his thrusts deep and deliberate. He slipped his arm beneath my waist, lifting me slightly to deepen our connection. My legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, matching his increasingly urgent rhythm.

Each thrust hit that perfect spot inside me, sending waves of pleasure coursing through my body. I dug my nails into his back, clinging to him as the intensity built.

Then I heard it—my name on his lips. “Iris,” he growled, low and intimate in my ear. He’d never called me by my first name during sex before.

My heart raced. Could this mean what I thought it did? After two years of cold distance, was he finally accepting me? Would he finally give me the mate mark, make me his true Luna?

The thought pushed me over the edge. I cried out as pleasure crashed through me, my body trbeneath hisembling . My inner walls clenched around him as I rode out my orgasm, clutching his back hard enough to leave marks. Sebastien followed moments later with several deep thrusts, spilling himself inside me with a guttural groan.

To my shock, he didn’t immediately pull away. Instead, he held me close as we both drifted to sleep, his warmth surrounding me. For the first time in our marriage, I fell asleep with hope in my heart.

I woke to sunlight streaming through the curtains and an ache between my legs that reminded me of last night’s passion. My lower back and inner thighs protested as I shifted, the pleasant soreness evidence of our most intimate night yet.

I turned my head to look at Sebastien, still sleeping beside me. In the morning light, his sharp features appeared less severe, his perpetually furrowed brow relaxed. His dark lashes cast shadows on his cheekbones, and I resisted the urge to trace the line of his jaw with my finger.

How had we ended up here? Two years ago, my family—the Stone pack—had fallen on hard times. After my father’s death, our position in the wolf community weakened dangerously. My mother Catherine arranged this marriage with the powerful Grey family to ensure our protection.

But our wedding had been nothing but a signing ceremony. No celebration, no reception, and most importantly, no traditional wolf marking ritual. Without the mark, I could never truly be Luna of the Grey pack, never have the status or respect the position should command. Our people needed that connection, that legitimacy only a true mate bond could bring.

I’d spent two years trying to earn Sebastien’s respect, if not his love. Two years of cold shoulders and colder beds. Until last night. The way he’d called my name, the tenderness in his touch—had something finally changed?

I lightly traced one of the scratches I’d left on his chest, feeling a small thrill at marking him, even temporarily. My fingers followed the defined lines of his abs, remembering how they’d tensed and flexed above me. The powerful Alpha scent radiating from him made my wolf stir, wanting to submit to our mate.

“Iris Stone, what the hell are you still doing here?”

My hand froze. I hadn’t noticed Sebastien’s eyes open, now fully alert and cold as ice. The warmth I’d felt moments ago vanished instantly.

“I… I just woke up,” I stammered, pulling my hand back as if burned.

“The contract clearly states you must be gone before I wake,” he cut me off sharply. “You’ve broken our agreement.”

My smile fell as reality crashed back. Our agreement—the cruel terms of our arrangement. In exchange for the Grey family’s protection of the Stone pack, I would satisfy Sebastien’s physical needs whenever he wanted. But I could never expect to be his true mate, never stay until morning. If I fulfilled my role, the Grey pack would prevent other wolves from absorbing what remained of the Stone pack.

Sebastien sat up, the sheet falling to his waist, revealing his muscular chest marked with the scratches from my nails. His eyes filled with disgust as he noticed them.

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