R A I D E N
The moment her lips touched mine, the world fractured.
Again.
My wolf slammed against my ribs like it wanted out of my skin, a violent surge of need and recognition that stole the air from my lungs. It wasn’t hunger. It wasn’t lust.
It was claim.
I staggered internally, every instinct screaming at once. This wasn’t Ayla. It couldn’t be. And yet my wolf didn’t care about names or faces or logic. It only knew what it felt, what it knew.
Mate.
No.
I clenched my jaw, trying to force the thought away. She isn’t Ayla. She isn’t who she seems. This is wrong. This is dangerous.
Everything about this was wrong.
And still… I didn’t push her back.
Her hand came up, resting against my face with infuriating familiarity, her touch steady, unafraid. She didn’t rush me. Didn’t plead
