MAXIMUS:
The morning began like a storm waiting to break.
The air was heavy. My skin burned. Every heartbeat thudded too loud, too close.
I could feel my wolf clawing beneath my flesh, restless, desperate — calling for what it could no longer deny.
I wanted her.
Zara.
Her scent lingered everywhere — the courtyard, the halls. So sweet it was driving me mad.
I’d tried everything: training, meditation, even locking myself in my chamber. Nothing worked. I wanted her — and so did my wolf.
An Alpha’s rut wasn’t like an Omega’s heat. I wouldn’t go brainless in pain or begging for touches, though touches would be nice. I would just crave — maddeningly crave — my mate and want to breed every inch of her.
But goddamn it, I felt like my skin was on fire every second I was away from her.
If
