I pull back just enough to look at him. He’s breathing so hard, that massive chest moving up and down with every powerful breath. His eyes are dark and full of heat. His jaw is clenched tight as his lustful eyes roam down my body.
“We have to stop,” he says, closing his eyes and holding himself back like the restraint is causing him genuine physical pain.
“Why?” I ask, shocked by how raspy and throaty my voice is. I can’t even hide my want and need. “We’re mates. You said it yourself.”
He shakes his head, still not trusting himself to open his eyes. “There are rules.”
“Rules? Whose rules?”
Fuck the rules. I’m a female captain of a ship. I don’t give a shit about rules.
“The Gods,” he says, finally opening his eyes. The look of pain on his face gives me a stabbing sensation in my heart. “We can’t defy them.”
I’m all for defying the Gods if it means I can straddle that sexy body and feel himthrustingdeep inside me.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
He squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his jaw.
“Yes,” he gasps. “Sit over there.Please.”
My whole body is aching with lust as I force myself off the bed and slump into the chair.
“Let me explain,” he says in a pained voice. “Please.”
I sit back, folding my arms and trying to get my body to calm down. It is not interested in what I’m asking of it. “Go ahead.”
“Us wolves must wait until the Lunaris Vinculum,” he says as my needy pussy pulses with heat. “It’s the sacred night of the binding and it only takes place when there’s a full moon in the night sky. We mark our mates, which seals the bond, and then we’re free to… you know.”
“So, no mating,” I say, glancing down at the long thick outline in his shorts. My mouth waters when I see how big and ready it is. “What else can we do?”
I can wait until a full moon for the grand finale, but I’m desperate for some sort of relief, and I know he’s feeling the same.
“Nothing,” he says with a heavy breath. “Just kissing.”
My hope drops like a steel trap. Just kissing? I mean, it feels good, but it’s like a tease when my body is craving so much more.
“After the ceremony takes place under a full moon,” he continues, “we’ll be free to engage in anything we desire.”
“What happens if we don’t wait?”
He shakes his head with a sad look on his face. “If we break the sacred law, the Gods can deny the mark entirely. I won’t risk that, Calista. Not for anything.”
I drop my head, willing my arousal to abate, but it only grows stronger and hotter in this tiny room. I feel like I’m going to explode.
“When is the next full moon?” I ask with a swallow.
He looks like he’s calculating the days in his mind. “About a week,” he says.
“A week?” I repeat, wanting to cry. But I need it now…
This can’t be easy on him either. I have to be mature about this. I have to be respectful of his customs, as frustrating and ludicrous as they are.
“Okay,” I say, taking a deep breath. “We’ll wait a week. Until the ceremony.”
He looks at me for a long moment and then runs his hand down his face.
“There’s something I haven’t told you,” he says carefully. “About who I am.”
