I stirred slowly, my body heavy and languid, every muscle aching in a way that was both satisfying and shameful. Sunlight filtered through the heavy curtains of Elias's bedroom, casting golden streaks across the rumpled sheets.
I blinked against the brightness, my mind foggy from the remnants of sleep and the intense night before. Gods, what had happened? The memories flooded back in a rush—the brutal kisses, his mocking words, the way he'd claimed me with that punishing rhythm, his knot locking us together until the heat finally broke.
My cheeks burned with humiliation even as a traitorous throb pulsed between my thighs. I was still naked, my skin marked with faint bruises from his grip, the scent of cedar clinging to me like a brand.
Elias lay beside me, his massive alpha fram
