The Snow Wolf's Mate

Burn for Me:

[POV: Hayden]

I smelled her before I saw her.

The moment Aria stepped onto the path toward the pack house, her scent hit me—sharp, sweet, dangerous. It slammed into my lungs and coiled low in my gut, stopping my breath mid-sentence. I was in the middle of reading patrol reports in my office, but suddenly ink and paper felt about as important as dust.

Her pheromones were thick in the air—warm, heady, pulsing with need. And they were getting closer.

I stood before I could think. A heartbeat later, the door swung open, and there she was. Flushed. Glowing. Wild.

Her white hair was tousled, her cheeks pink, her lips parted as she stood in the doorway and her eyes locked onto mine with a hunger that punched the air straight out of my lungs.

“Aria—” I started, but she was already moving.

She crossed the room in two fierce steps and crashed into me, her arms wrapping around my neck, her mouth finding mine in a kiss that wasn’t tentative or sweet.

It was desperate.

She kissed like she was starving for me—like her skin might burn if I didn’t touch her back. Her hands tangled in my shirt, tugging, pulling, fingers sliding beneath fabric, nails scratching across my chest.

I groaned, catching her waist before I lost all control. “Goddess, Aria…”

“You smell so good,” she whispered against my lips, voice breathy and thick. “I need you, Hayden. Now.”

My pulse thundered. She was in heat.

I should have known the second her scent shifted, but I hadn’t expected it to hit this fast. This hard.

“Aria—” I tried, but she silenced me with another kiss, her hands already tugging at my shirt, fingers clawing at the hem like the fabric had personally offended her.

“I want you,” she gasped against my lips, voice wrecked with heat. “Right now, Hayden. I— please— I can’t—”

Her words dissolved into a moan as she pressed her body against mine, hips shifting forward in a slow, needy grind that made my restraint crack straight down the middle.

Fuck.

I cupped her face, searching her gaze—checking. “Aria, you’re in heat.”

“I know,” she breathed, eyes blazing with something feral.

She was flushed and trembling, her body pressed tight against mine like she didn’t even care who might see her like this.

“Aria,” I growled, breaking the kiss just long enough to breathe. “You can’t just run through the pack territory like this. Someone could’ve caught your scent—anyone—”

"I don't care," she interrupted fiercely, pressing her body even tighter against mine, her hips grinding impatiently. “I only wanted to find you.”

That should’ve made me scold her again.

Instead, I kissed her like I was going to lose her in the next second.

Her lips were soft, pliant, mine. Her body arched into mine with pure instinct, and I could feel her heat rolling off her skin like a furnace—like her wolf was clawing for me beneath the surface.

The reports on my desk were already forgotten.

Without breaking the kiss, I swept her into my arms. My hands found her hips, gripping them tightly as I lifted her.

Her legs locked instinctively around my waist, anchoring herself to me as our mouths crashed together again.

Her scent grew stronger with every passing second, igniting my blood, making my senses reel. I stumbled blindly from the office, entirely consumed by Aria's mouth, her skin, her warmth pressed so perfectly against me.

I carried her through the hallway, ignoring the startled glance from a passing warrior. He turned his gaze away quickly, smart enough not to question his Alpha’s intent—not when my Luna was tangled around me like this, radiating need like a second skin.

Nothing mattered but her.

I navigated quickly through the corridors, Aria’s hot breaths against my lips driving me to move faster, fueled by the unbearable ache building within us both.

Her lips never left mine, her kisses deep and demanding, her moans stirring every primal instinct within me.

When we finally reached our chambers, I kicked the door shut behind us without hesitation. I carried her straight to our bed, gently laying her down among the soft sheets, intending to take control, to care for her the way she clearly needed.

But Aria surprised me. With a burst of strength and speed, she flipped our positions in a heartbeat. I landed beneath her, momentarily breathless with surprise.

My breath caught.

Her pupils were blown wide, her skin glowing under the ambient light, her mouth red and kiss-bruised. And she was looking down at me like I was hers to devour.

She straddled my hips confidently, a wild, determined look in her eyes.

"Tonight," she whispered, her voice husky and powerful, daring me to challenge her dominance, "you're mine."

Something wild growled inside me at her tone—at the pure, unashamed desire in her voice. She wasn’t hesitant. She wasn’t shy. She wanted me, and she wanted to take.

I’d never seen her like this. And I couldn’t resist her if I tried.

I reached up and cupped her cheek, stroking the mark on her forehead—the glowing crescent moon that had appeared during the ceremony. My voice was rough when I answered.

“Yours, little wolf. Do whatever you want.”

Her hands trailed down my chest, leaving goosebumps in their wake. She moved against me with a rhythm that drove every last thread of my control toward the edge.

I could feel her heat through every layer between us. I could feel her need.

And I knew, without question, I would give her anything she asked for.