Natalia stared down at Arthur's dazed, heavy-lidded smile. The sheer vulnerability in his eyes, the helpless way he seemed so completely dependent on her, sent a fierce spike of possessiveness straight through her chest.
With a low, ragged breath, she buried her face into the crook of his neck, her teeth tingling with the overwhelming urge to claim him.
She wanted nothing more than to sink her fangs into his scent gland, to mark him so deeply that the rest of the world would know he belonged to her.
But as her fingers curled into the sensitive skin at his nape, she forced herself to hold back.
Her palm pressed flat against his skin, acts of restraint anchoring her. It absolutely couldn't happen yet. They weren't ready for a permanent bond, no matter how much her inner alpha screamed for it.
However, maintaining that control was rapidly becoming an agonizing task. Arthur, still caught in the intoxicating haze of his heat, was finally showing signs of cooling down.
