I press myself against the rough bark of the tree trunk, my heart hammering in my chest. The Knight watches me with those intense glowing eyes, his massive frame rigid with tension.


    I expect him to lunge at any moment, to pin me down and take what he wants like every other alpha I’ve ever known except for Azarel. And I guess Niki, as loathe as I am to give him credit for having even a shred of decency.


    But he doesn’t move.


    He just stares.


    When I make eye contact with him, he snarls low in his chest and raises his huge hands—both the metal and the organic one—but still stares at me through his fingers, growling dangerously the entire time.


    I avert my gaze and he goes quiet, his hands slowly lowering. A quick nce back at his face and the snarling starts up again. His hands move up, too. Why doesn’t he just turn away? Is it because he doesn’t want to let me out of his sight, even for a moment?


    Whatever’s going on, it’s clear he does not like it when I look at him. That’s fine. I can respect that. It’s easy enough to look at everything else. He may be terrifying, but he’s fucking jacked, his strong muscles tense beneath his scarred skin. I’ve never seen a set of eight pack abs in person before, but here we are.


    If he’s used to wearing a mask all the time, maybe I can figure out how to rece the half-broken one. There have to be more aesthetic masks than a crude metal b with eye holes in it. Maybe something that makes him look more like his namesake. Obviously not right now, butter.


    Am I really thinking aboutter?


    What the hell am I going to do, leash him and lead him back to Azarel? I’m sure he would love that. ‘Oh, hi, Az, long time no see! Remember when you said I can’t have one of those adorable mutated three-headed puppies? Well, I have great news! I’m never going to ask again because now I have a giant mutated alpha instead! And he’ll even eat our enemies!‘


    Nope. Not happening.


    But this isn’t just any giant mutated alpha. He’s the giant mutated alpha I’ve had the same damn dream about since I can remember.


    Yeah. I really have lost it.


    But he’s clearly affected by me, too. The low growl continuously rumbling from him—just not the same as the snarling one he lets out when I look at his face—tells me that much. And yet he stays perfectly still, as if afraid any movement might shatter this fragile moment between us.


    Even though he’s tense and growling, the longer I study him, the more certain I be that he isn’t going to attack me.


    Which allows me to focus on an entirely different problem.


    My heat is building, bing impossible to ignore. And even though we’re in the middle of nowhere, my scent could attract other alphas for miles around. Never mind the physical distress.


    I’m not safe here.


    Being in full-blown heat out here could prove deadly. And even if my legs weren’t going to jelly and I could go off to find something, I’m not fucking myself with a splintery stick to try to take the edge off.


    ‘Well,’ I mutter dryly, ‘this is awkward, isn’t it?’


    I find myself moving toward him before I fully realize what I’m doing. My hands shake slightly as I press them against his massive chest. The Knight goespletely still. Even his breathing stops.


    Is he afraid of me?


    Or afraid he’s going to scare me?


    I can’t help butugh softly at the absurdity of it. This enormous killing machine, terrified of a tiny omega’s touch.


    ‘It’s okay,’ I murmur, running my hands over the nes of his chest. ‘I just want to try something.’


    A low sound rumbles through him, vibrating beneath my palms. The purr is such a normal alpha response that it catches me off guard. I let my hands drift lower, and the purr intensifies.


    ‘Maybe we can help each other,’ I whisper, taking a deep breath as I risk a nce up at his mangled face. He snarls again. I stop and look down.


    Take a deep breath, Cosima.


    Perhaps this isn’t just about getting through my heat. Maybe I can tame this beast, turn him from the nightmare that’s haunted me into something… else. Something that devours me in an entirely different way.


    He hasn’t actually done anything to me. He hasn’t attacked me, at least not outside my nightmares. And it isn’t his fault he’s terrifying. He can’t help being what he is or the way he looks.


    Yeah. We’re doing this.


    I tell myself it’s because I just need to get out of my damn heat, but I know the truth. The truth is… I want this. I want him. Hell, I’d rather it be him than Niki. At least the Knight doesn’t run his mouth.


    ‘You need to be gentle, though,’ I tell him warily. ‘And let me take the lead. Do you understand?’


    He just stares at me, as inscrutable as ever.


    Then, slowly but clearly, he nods.


    My hands tremble slightly as I run them over the Knight’s scarred chest, marveling at the contrast between smooth—albeit scarred—skin and the jagged metal that forms the foundation for his mechanical arm. Every inch of him is a testament to the cruelty he’s endured. But beneath it all, I feel the steady thrum of his heartbeat. A reminder that despite everything, he’s still human.


    I let my fingers trail lower, tracing the defined muscles of his abdomen and going lower, lower. Even through the tattered remains of his gray pants, heat radiates from his skin. My breath catches in my throat as my hand brushes against something substantial.


    Oh.


    Oh.


    I freeze, my eyes widening as I realize just how… proportionate the Knight is.


    Who am I kidding? His cock is like a fucking tree trunk. My fingers twitch involuntarily, and I have to resist the urge to attempt to wrap my hand around him fully to see if it’s even possible. I sincerely doubt it.


    He’s massive.


    Intimidatingly so.


    The thought sends fresh fear through me, but there’s a thrilling spike of heat, too. This is dangerous. Insanely dangerous. The omega in me is railing against the idea of allowing this alpha’s massive cock anywhere near my pussy, but there’s an entirely fucked up part of me that’s genuinely interested.


    And not just as a way of getting out of my heat.


    A low growl rumbles through the Knight’s chest, startling me out of my thoughts. I jerk my head up, half-expecting to see rage in those glowing blue eyes. But there’s only confusion there.


    And beneath that… hunger.


    He’s a typical alpha in that regard, at least.


    He doesn’t attack, though. Doesn’t move at all except for the rise and fall of his broad chest. Taking that as permission to continue, considering it’s not like he speaks, I slowly begin to rub him through the fabric of his gray pants.


    ‘I’m going to make you feel good,’ I murmur, trying to keep my voice steady despite the way my heart is pounding.


    The Knight makes a low sound somewhere between a growl and a moan. His hips buck involuntarily into my touch, seeking more friction. I almostugh. Here he is, this terrifying creature of my nightmares, and he’s reacting just like any other man would.


    But he’s still holding back.


    Afraid to hurt me.


    Afraid to touch me.


    ‘That’s it,’ I purr, using my free hand to gently push him back against the trunk of the tree holding up our shelter. ‘Just rx.’


    He goes willingly, allowing me to maneuver his massive frame. He’s so tense, like he can’t believe what’s happening. That makes two of us. If someone had told me yesterday that I’d be jerking off the monster from my nightmares, I’d haveughed in their face.


    But here we are.


    My hands tremble as I reach for the waistband of the Knight’s pants. Part of me still can’t believe I’m doing this. But my heat is in full force now, overriding any remaining hesitation.


    My fingers fumble with the worn fabric of his pants as I tug them down his hips. His cock springs free, and I can’t help the small gasp that escapes my lips.


    I knew he was big—I could feel it through his clothes—but seeing his cock is something else entirely. His massive knot is already swollen at the base, and I realize with equal parts awe and hesitation that I would need both hands just to wrap around itpletely. His shaft, too.


    And I guess today is the day of giving in to all my intrusive thoughts, because I actually fucking do it.


    I wrap both hands around the Knight’s shaft. He gives a low, hungry growl even as the confusion in those blue eyes intensifies. My fingers barely meet as I encircle his girth. The heat radiating from him is incredible, like he has hot coals burning in his ribcage instead of the beating heart I just felt moments before.


    Curious, I trace the prominent vein along the underside, following its path up to the crown. Pre glistens at the tip, and as my fingers brush against it, the Knight’s entire body jerks. A strangled growl rumbles from his chest, his metal ws digging furrows into the earth.


    He’s still trying not to lose control, I realize with a start. Even now, with me touching him so intimately, he’s holding himself back. It’s oddly endearing, in a terrifying sort of way.


    My mouth waters as I stare at his cock, my heat raging through me with renewed intensity. Before I can talk myself out of it, I lean forward and flick my tongue against the tip, tasting him.


    The vor of him explodes across my tongue, salty and musky. A fresh surge of slick pools between my thighs and I find myself licking again, eager for more.


    He bucks his hips, a guttural moan tearing from his throat. His metal ws dig deeper into the ground, tearing up chunks of earth and grass.


    ‘Shh,’ I murmur, cing a steadying hand on his thigh. ‘Hold still.’


    To my surprise, he obeys, though I can see the tension thrumming through his massive frame. He’s trembling with the effort of restraining himself.


    I turn my attention back to his cock, realizing quickly that there’s no way I could fit even the crown in my mouth. He’s simply too big. Instead, I focus on licking long stripes up his length, using my hands to stroke what my mouth can’t reach.


    The Knight pants heavily above me, his chest heaving with each ragged breath. The feeling of having this much power over a beast so much stronger than me sends a rush straight to my head. Definitely not used to feeling like that. Usually, I’m the one alphas have power over.


    I redouble my efforts, alternating between long licks and gentle suction on the sensitive head of his cock. My heat builds as I pleasure him, slick now trickling down the insides of my thighs. Almost unconsciously, I reach down with one hand, slipping it beneath my tattered robe to touch myself. I’m so wet, my fingers gliding easily through my folds.


    Suddenly, the Knight goes rigid. He breathes in sharply and I realize he’s scented my arousal. Before I can react, his hand shoots out, grabbing my wrist. Fortunately, it isn’t the metal one, but panic still res in my chest.


    This is it, I think wildly.


    He’s going to devour me after all.


    But instead of attacking me, he brings my hand toward his face, inhaling deeply. He freezes and growls when he catches me staring up at him, and I look away immediately, but not before I get a glimpse of a long tongue slipping out from between his sharp teeth. Slowly, deliberately, he licks my arousal from my fingers.


    Even out of the corner of my eye, the sight is terrifying—those razor-sharp teeth so close to my skin—but it’s making me even hornier for some bizarre reason. My breath catches in my throat as he cleans every trace of my slick from my hand, his tongue hot against my skin.


    When he’s done, he releases my wrist, but the hungry look in his eyes remains. Startled by the intensity there, I fall back, my legs parting as Ind on the soft leaves covering the ground.


    The Knight’s eyes immediately lock onto my exposed pussy. I should close my legs. I should run. But instead, I find myself spreading them wider, offering him an unobstructed view of my most intimate parts.


    What the fuck am I doing?


    Those teeth are sharp.


    So. Fucking. Sharp.


    The more logical part of my mind is yelling at me to close my legs, kick him in the head, and run for my fucking life, heat be damned. I shouldn’t let this feral, monstrous alpha with jaws full of razor-sharp teeth designed for rending flesh from bone anywhere near my pussy.


    Near any part of me, actually.


    But that tongue…


    Memories of my nightmares sh through my mind. His teeth sinking into my flesh, tearing me apart. But the Knight before me now isn’t the same as the rabid, mindless monster from my dreams. He stares at me, hungry, yes, but also… reverent. Fascinated.


    Slowly, I bring my hand back between my legs. ‘Do you like my scent?’ I ask, my voice barely above a whisper as I start touching myself again.


    The Knight lets out a broken purr of approval, the sound rumbling through his chest. Other than when he nodded a few minutes ago, it’s the closest thing to verbalmunication I’ve seen from him.


    He draws closer as if he’s being drawn in by a trance, his massive frame looming over me. My heart races as he positions himself between my spread legs, his bone-white hair falling forward over his scarred face like a curtain, the tips of the strands brushing against my throbbing pussy. I can’t help but squirm.


    “Do you want a taste?” The words slip out before I can think better of it.


    He lunges forward with a guttural snarl, but I manage to stop him, my foot pressing against his shoulder. He freezes, going still as a statue, and growls again. This time, it isn’t an aggressive growl. He sounds more confused than anything, like he isn’t sure what the fuck I want if it’s not ‘eat my pussy like a peach.’


    Well, okay, that is what I want.


    But not in the way he seems to think I was asking.


    ‘Wait,’ I gasp. ‘No teeth. Tongue only. Understand?’


    I’m not sure he does, but he rumbles with another growling purr, a sound that vibrates through my entire body. When I lower my foot shakily, he lowers himself fully between my legs.


    The first swipe of his long tongue along my slit sends shockwaves of insane pleasure through me. I cry out, my back arching as heps at me hungrily. His tongue is huge, rough, and so, so hot. It feels like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.


    His growling takes on a curious pitch as his tongue identally slips inside me. The slight pration makes me shudder, my heat ring even hotter.


    ‘Yes,’ I pant, tangling my fingers in his hair. ‘Fuck, more of that.’


    Taking my words as encouragement, he pushes his tongue deeper. The stretch is incredible. He’s so big, filling me in a way I never thought possible from a tongue. The cool metal remnants of the upper part of his mask press against my sensitive mound as his tongue delves deeper and heated rushes of breath coat my entrance with his ragged panting.


    It’s too much, too soon, and Ie with a startled cry, my body clenching around the writhing intrusion. My hips buck wildly as pleasure courses through me, and that long tongue withdraws, leaving me feeling empty and cold inside.


    When the aftershocks finally subside, I open my eyes to find the Knight has pulled back. There’s worry in his normally ferocious blue gaze. It’s surreal, seeing such human emotions on such a terrifying face that’s starred in more nightmares than I can count.


    I realize with a start that he thinks he’s hurt me.


    Any remaining inhibitions I had crumble in that moment.


    This supposed monster I’ve feared for so long is concerned about my well-being. It’s almost too much to process. I’m not used to this from alphas. Not used to this at all. Then again, should I really be that surprised? All the monsters I’ve ever encountered have appeared perfectly normal.


    ‘It’s… it’s okay,’ I murmur, reaching out to stroke his hair. ‘You didn’t hurt me. That felt… good.’


    His visible eye flutters shut at my touch and the blue glow marking the other behind what remains of his mask flickers, too. He leans into my hand like a giant cat seeking affection. A lion, maybe. I’m struck by how much he seems to crave this simple contact. Even more than the sexual touches from before.


    I continue petting him, marveling at the softness of his stark white hair. It’s such a contrast to the hard edges and ruinous scars that make up the rest of him.


    ‘Do you want to do more?’ I ask softly.


    He pulls back slightly, waiting for my lead just as I instructed earlier. Emboldened, I guide him onto his back. He follows through willingly, watching me as I straddle his muscr thighs. My hands roam over his body again, tracing the patchwork of scars and metal. When I wrap my fingers around his cock once more, he lets out a low moan that I feel more than hear.


    I lift myself up, positioning his massive length between my legs. The heat of him against my sensitive flesh makes me gasp. Slowly, I lower myself, pressing my thighs together around his cock.


    The Knight’s hips jerk upward, a strangled growl escaping him. I can feel every twitch, every pulse of his cock between my thighs. I start to move, rocking back and forth, his cock not quite prating me yet. His pre mingles with my own wetness as his massive handse to rest on my hips, steadying me as I ride him. They easily span my waist, both the human hand and the one with ws sharp enough to rend flesh from bone.


    Part of me still can’t believe this is happening. But as I look down at him—at the way he watches me with such reverence, such awe—I realize that maybe this was always meant to happen. Maybe we were always meant to find each other like this.


    The Knight matches my rhythm, his hips rising to meet mine with each downward stroke. I’m close again, thebination of friction and my heat pushing me rapidly toward the edge.


    But I want more.


    Need more.


    With trembling hands, I lift myself up. The Knight growls louder at the loss of contact, his hips chasing mine. But I have other ns.


    Slowly, carefully, I position myself fully over his cock. The crown presses hard against my entrance, and I have to bite back a moan at how good it feels to have something so huge brushing against my slick folds. He’s twice as big as anyone and anything I’ve ever taken, maybe more, and I’m not shy with my toys.


    But I hesitate, suddenly uncertain.


    He’s so big.


    Too big, maybe.


    What if this is a mistake?


    As if sensing my sudden fear, the Knight goespletely still beneath me. I don’t have to risk another nce at him—he clearly hates that—to feel his patient confusion through whatever strange bond is building between us.


    He understands what we’re doing, even though I have no idea what level of experience he has. Maybe even none. He might be going on pure alpha instinct. But he’s still not sure why I’m doing this. I’ve never sensed this hesitation from any other alpha.


    It’s not just that he isn’t sure why I want him to fuck me.


    He isn’t sure why I’d want him at all.


    The thought bothers me more than it should.


    He’s waiting for me. Giving me the choice. After all these years pursuing me in my dreams, he isn’t just taking what he could so easily take. He’s letting me decide what I want from him.


    Taking a deep breath, I start to lower myself onto him.


    The stretch is immediate and intense. I gasp from the sharp pain when his crown seals itself inside me and I have to stop there. I lift myself off him immediately and fall back against his muscr thighs, realizing it’s still too much, too fast, no matter how aroused I am. No matter what his tongue was already doing to me.


    And yet, I still feel that familiar ache deep in my core. The throbbing emptiness begging to be filled.


    This position isn’t going to work.


    But maybe…


    ‘Wait,’ I murmur, gently pushing against his chest. ‘Let’s try something else.’


    The Knight goes still immediately.


    I take a deep breath, steeling myself. ‘I’m going to lie down,’ I tell him, keeping my voice steady. ‘And you’re going to be on top. But you have to be gentle, okay? Very, very gentle. You could really hurt me. I mean it.’


    A low rumble builds in his chest. It’s not quite a growl or a purr, more like… acknowledgment? I hope so, anyway. I don’t think he can otherwise verballymunicate that he understands. He’s more or lesspletely feral, and it can’t be easy to make words with those jaws.


    Slowly, I lower myself onto my back, the leaves beneath me crackling with the movement. I spread my legs, my heart pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat.


    And yet, as the Knight moves over me, his massive frame blocking out what little light filters through our crude shelter, I can’t bring myself to stop. My heat rages through me, every nerve ending on fire.


    I need this.


    Need to be fucked by him specifically.


    Gods help me.


    He positions himself carefully between my legs, his movements slow and deliberate. His cock hangs heavy between his thighs, the crown glistening with the pre dripping onto the leaves beneath us.


    ‘Okay,’ I breathe, forcing myself to rx. ‘Just… just rub against me for now. Don’t try to enter yet.’


    The Knight lets out a soft purr, the sound vibrating through his entire body as heplies. It’s strangely soothing even though it sounds like a damn enginepared to the purrs I’ve heard from the far more normal alphas I’ve been with.


    It’s as much a test to see what he understands as anything, and it turns out he understands me perfectly. He lowers his hips, the hot length of his cock pressing against my slick folds, but not actually prating me. The contact sends a jolt through me, and I can’t hold back the moan that’s been building in my throat.


    He starts to move, sliding himself along my slit in a slow, torturous rhythm. Each pass of his shaft over my clit sends sparks of sensation shooting through me. I arch into him, my body begging for more even as my mind races with doubt.


    Can I really do this?


    Can I actually take him?


    The thought of being knotted by him is terrifying and thrilling in equal measure. But right now, with the heated friction of his cock against me, it’s hard to think of anything else.


    I’m afraid to look at him and make him freeze up or panic again, so I try to get a glimpse through my eyshes without setting him off. The brief sliver of his face I manage to catch in my line of sight tells me everything. He’s watching me carefully, gauging my reactions, trying to figure out what I like.


    Augh bubbles up from my chest, surprising us both. The Knight pauses, his growl lifting slightly, almost like he’s asking me what the fuck I’mughing about.


    ‘Sorry,’ I say, reaching up to stroke his hair. He goes rigid again before rxing slightly and leaning into my palm, letting me caress the white strands. “It’s just… you’re a better lover than most alphas. And that’s, um, kind of surprising.”


    He just stares at me.


    ‘Ignore me,’ I tell him, shaking my head. ‘Unless I’m telling you to slow down. Then definitely don’t ignore that.’


    He presses his forehead against my hand with a low sigh, the gesture surprisingly tender. It’s such a contrast to his fearsome appearance that it makes my chest ache. What did they do to him? How much of the man is left beneath the monster they tried to create?


    More than I thought, apparently.


    I push the thoughts aside. Now isn’t the time for the philosophical bullshit I usually distract myself with when I’m nervous. Now is the time for… well, for fucking my brains out with the giant cock of my own personal guardian demon.


    When did this be my life?


    Taking a deep breath, I reach between us. My fingers brush against his length, and he lets out a low growl that I feel more than hear. ‘It’s okay,’ I murmur. ‘I’m just going to guide you in.’


    I position the head of his cock at my entrance, trying to rx as much as possible. ‘Okay,’ I say, my voice barely above a whisper. ‘Push in. Slowly.’


    He obeys, pressing forward with agonizing gentleness. The pressure builds, my body resisting the intrusion. For a moment, I think it’s not going to work, that he’s simply too big. But then, with a sudden give, the head of his cock pops inside me.


    I gasp, my back arching at the intense stretch. The Knight freezes above me, not even daring to breathe. His entire body is trembling with the effort of holding still.


    ‘It’s okay,’ I pant, reaching up to stroke his ravaged cheek. ‘You’re doing good. Just… give me a minute.’


    He jerks away from my touch with a much angrier growl than anything I’ve heard from him so far, and I wince, expecting pain. But somehow, he managed to only turn his face and not his entire body.


    Thank fuck, because this is the most precarious position I’ve ever been in.


    I focus on breathing instead of pissing off the feral alpha attached to the monster cock stretching me open. As I rx around the thick intrusion, it burns, but not as badly as I feared. My body is producing slick at an almost rming rate, easing the way.


    Slowly, the difort fades, reced by a deep, throbbing ache. I need more. Need all of him.


    ‘Okay,’ I say, spreading my legs wider. ‘A little more. Slowly.’


    He pushes in further, and I have to bite my lip to keep from screaming and bing a beacon for every horny alpha in the wastnd. The stretch is intense, almost agonizingly painful, but there’s pleasure there too. A deep, primal satisfaction as my body yields to him.


    I try not to think about where exactly his cock is inside me, but it’s hard to ignore. I can feel him so deep, pressing against ces I didn’t even know existed. At first, I think it’s just my imagination, but no. My stomach actually bulges slightly with each gradual thrust.


    And because I’m fucking nuts, apparently, the sight of how my body is being affected by the sheer size of this alpha turns me on even more.


    ‘Stop,’ I gasp when I feel the beginning swell of his knot pressing against me. ‘Not yet. Not the knot.’


    He stills immediately, another questioning rumble vibrating through him.


    ‘It’s okay,’ I assure him, running my hand down his massive muscr shoulder. ‘You can move. Just… not the knot yet.’ I freeze when I realize he probably doesn’t even know what I’m talking about. I doubt wherever he came from taught him much about anatomy, even though he clearly has more natural instinct about how to please an omega than virtually any other alpha on the.


    I reach between us, my fingers brushing over the swollen knot at the base of his cock and give it a light squeeze. ‘This is the knot. Don’t push that into me yet.’


    I’m going to need him to if I want to get all the way out of my heat, but that’s a problem for Future Cosima.


    He gives me another jerky nod, like he isn’t used tomunicating that way. Ormunicating at all. He starts to thrust, shallow at first, then deeper as I adjust to his size. The feeling is indescribable. I’ve never been so full, sopletely and utterly imed. Each movement sends shockwaves of pleasure through me, building and building until I’m trembling on the edge.


    ‘Harder,’ I moan, my nails digging into his shoulders. ‘Please, harder!’


    He obliges, his hips snapping forward with more force. The change in angle has him dragging against my spot with every thrust, and it’s too much. Ie with a scream I just barely manage to muffle in time by biting my palm, my body clenching around him in rhythmic pulses.


    The Knight lets out a satisfied snarl, clearly enjoying the sensation of my climax now that he knows I’m not dying. He doesn’t stop moving, fucking me through the aftershocks until I’m a quivering mess beneath him.


    ‘Fuck,’ I pant when I can finally form words again, my limbs and spine boneless beneath him. ‘That was… intense. You’ve got good endurance,’ I tell him with a breathlessugh, carding my fingers through his hair. It looks like moonlight, too. ‘Most alphas would have popped their knot by now.’


    He lets out a rough, harsh growl that sounds sort of like his own kind ofugh, but I’m not really sure. It should freak me out that his knot is bumping insistently against my entrance as he continues to move inside me, building me toward another peak, but I find I don’t really care.


    All that matters is this moment.


    This connection.


    The heat between us, the way our bodies fit together like we were made for each other. Okay, more like I’m about half a dozen sizes too small for him, but close enough.


    My next orgasm crashes over me unexpectedly, leaving me gasping and wing at his back. Metal and skin. This time, when I feel his knot pressing against me, I don’t tell him to stop.


    ‘Please,’ I whimper, trying to angle my hips to take him deeper. ‘I need it. I need your knot.’


    He growls, the sound primal and hungry. His thrusts be more forceful, each one bringing his knot closer to breaching me. The pressure is intense, almost too much to handle, but I need it too much to tap out now.


    And it isn’t even just about getting out of my damn heat anymore.


    The Knight’s eyes light with an intensity I haven’t seen since he was chasing me through the forests in my dreams. The fiercest growl yet builds in his chest.


    For a moment, I’m terrified all over again.


    But instead of attacking me, his human handes to rest on my lower stomach, pinning my hips to the ground with surprising gentleness.


    I whimper at the pressure of his palm pressing down on my stomach, suddenly hyper-aware of just how deep he is inside me. It feels like he’s rearranging my insides, like I can feel him all the way up in my throat even though I know that’s impossible.


    ‘Oh fuck,’ I gasp, squirming despite his restraining hand.


    He lets out a low, approving growl, his hips rocking forward in tiny, controlled movements. Each one brings his knot closer to locking inside me, stretching me wider than I thought possible.


    I’m torn between the desperate need to be filled and the very real fear that he might actually split me in two. If I panic and squirm, I’m pretty sure that fear could be a reality. But with his hand on my stomach, holding me still, I realize I’m not really in control anymore.


    He is.


    And that’s probably the only reason I didn’t split myself open earlier in my desperation to take a knot and end this damned heat.


    The thought should make me panic.


    But instead, I feel… safe. Protected. Cherished, even.


    His knot presses against me with each thrust, swelling more by the second. The pressure borders on unbearable. I pant, trying to rx, to open myself up to him. If I don’t take him now, before his knot swells to its full girth, I won’t be able to take him at all.


    And then I’ll be at the mercy of unbridled heat.


    ‘Please,’ I whimper.


    With a final, powerful thrust, his knot breaches me fully. I scream, my back arching off the ground as much as I can beneath the pressure of his massive palm as my body struggles to amodate his girth.


    And then, just when I think I can’t take anymore, something inside me gives way. His knot locks in ce and a tidal wave crashes over me. Ie harder than I ever have in my life, my vision whiting out as my body convulses around him. Slick—and probably a decent amount of blood—trickles down the insides of my thighs as heat surges in my core, peaking like mes licking at all my nerve endings all at once.


    Through the haze of my orgasm, I feel him start to move again. Short, sharp thrusts that have his knot tugging at my entrance with each movement. The sensation is indescribable and I start spiraling into another orgasm immediately.


    I’m stilling when I feel him swell evenrger inside me. A roar tears from his throat as he starts toe, too. The flood of his seed is hot and copious, filling me so much, I swear it’s warming me from the inside.


    The pressure, the fullness, the rhythmic pulses of his cock inside me… it’s too much. Ie again, each wave bleeding into the next until I lose all sense of time and self. There’s nothing but ecstasy, nothing but the two of us joined together in the most primal way possible.


    I don’t know how long we stay locked together. It could be minutes, it could be hours. All I know is that when I finallye back to myself, I’m trembling and covered in a fine sheen of sweat.


    The Knight is still inside me, his knot keeping us joined. He’s lowered himself carefully onto his elbows, his massive frame curled protectively around me without crushing me under the weight of his solid body. His face is buried in the crook of my neck, soft purrs rumbling through his chest.


    And those teeth… those impossibly sharp teeth are resting so delicately against my neck, my jugr, where they’ve been a thousand times over in my dreams.


    One wrong move is all it would take, and yet…


    I reach up with shaking hands, stroking his hair. ‘That… that was…’ I trail off, unable to find words adequate to describe what just happened.


    He lifts his head slightly, just enough for those blue eyes to meet mine. Carefully, so I can’t see the rest of his scarred face. There’s something different in his gaze now. Something softer, almost… worshipful. The rage and animalistic hunger is gone.


    He looks so human like this.


    ‘Thank you,’ I whisper, surprising myself with the sincerity of the words. ‘For being so gentle.’


    At least, as gentle as an eight-foot-tall monster alpha with an equally monster-sized cock can be.


    He nuzzles against my throat with a contented, sighing purr that reverberates through my entire body. It’s not quite words, but I swear I can almost understand him.


    Almost hear him saying, ‘Mine.’


    And right now, I can’t think of a reason to argue.