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"Trust me."

Two simple words hanging between us with unexpected weight. She studies my face—the scars she once flinched away from, the golden eyes with their predator pupils, all the features that once made her skin crawl.

Then, deliberately, she tilts her head to expose my claiming mark. "Show me."

My chest tightens at this simple gesture of trust.

I move closer, bringing my face to hers. Our previous times together had none of this closeness—no kissing, no real connection beyond what our bodies demanded. Those things seemed pointless during what I saw as just biology at work.

My mouth hovers just above hers, giving her one last chance to pull away. She doesn't. Instead, her eyes hold mine with a steady resolve I've come to respect. When I finally close that last inch between us, it creates a feeling entirely different from anything we've shared before.

My lips are firmer than a human's, slightly textured in a way she'll notice immediately. The scent glands near my mouth—ones she can't even see but that every feline has—activate at the contact, instinctively marking her with my scent in a way no human could detect but any Prime would recognize instantly.

She gasps against my mouth but doesn't pull away. Instead, her hand rises hesitantly to my face, fingers tracing the three long scars that run from my temple to my jaw—battle wounds that once made her cringe now explored with gentle curiosity.

I deepen the kiss, letting her feel the slight rasp of my tongue—rougher than a human's, perfect for both grooming and pleasure. When my longer canines gently graze her bottom lip, she makes a little sound of surprise that quickly shifts into something else entirely.

Feline kissing isn't just about mouths. I nuzzle against her cheek, my jaw brushing lightly against hers in an instinctivemarking behavior I've never shared with a human mate. The subtle exchange of scent reinforces my claim in ways more primal than words could ever express.

She responds with surprising instinct, tilting her head to expose more of her throat and face. That willing vulnerability from a human to a predator's mouth shows a trust I've done nothing to earn but suddenly find myself desperate to deserve.

When my tongue traces her lips before dipping deeper to taste her, she opens to me eagerly. The flavor of her—sweet with hints of the berry tea she likes—mixes with her natural taste to create a connection I hadn't anticipated.

"Felines take our time," I murmur against her skin. "Not like humans. Definitely not like dragons."

That earns me a soft laugh that quickly melts into a moan as I nip gently at her earlobe. "I'm starting to see the benefits."

With deliberate slowness, I pull away the thin shift covering her body, truly seeing her for the first time. The strong, athletic build unusual for an omega. The power in her limbs from years of actual work rather than protected existence. The small scars and calluses that tell of a life lived on the edges of this broken world.

Beautiful, in a way I never let myself notice before.

I shed my own clothes next, letting her look her fill. Her eyes trace over the scars mapping my body, evidence of decades of fighting, lingering on the fresh wounds from our recent battle that haven't fully healed. When her gaze reaches my cock—already much larger than any human's and showing the first signs of the ridges that will become barbs inside her—I catch a spike of nervousness in her scent.

"I won't hurt you," I promise, then correct myself with honesty she deserves. "Not more than I have to."

The qualifier gets me another laugh. "Honesty from the monster. That's new."

Monster. The word doesn't sound like a curse anymore. Almost... affectionate.

"There'll be some discomfort," I admit, guiding her back onto the bed. "My body isn't built for humans. But yours has already started adapting. And this time, I'll make it good for you first."

I keep that promise by focusing entirely on her pleasure. My tongue—with that same roughness that surprised her during our kiss—now traces down her body toward more sensitive territory. The scent of her slick hits me like a physical blow, rich and sweet with the unmistakable notes of omega fertility. My pupils shrink to thin slits as I breathe her in deeply, burning this specific scent that's hers alone into my memory.

I push her thighs apart, exposing her completely to my gaze. She's already wet and glistening, her body getting ready for claiming despite any hesitation in her mind. The sight triggers a deep, rumbling purr in my chest that I don't even try to hold back.

"Already so wet for me," I growl, letting her hear how much that pleases me. "Your body knows exactly who it belongs to."

Her cheeks flush darker, but she doesn't deny it. That's progress.

I lower my face between her legs, and my first taste of her nearly breaks me. Sweet, tangy, with undertones of her unique scent—something no human alpha could truly appreciate. My senses pick up the subtle changes in her body chemistry that signal perfect fertility, triggering instincts that scream at me to claim her immediately. I push them down, determined to make this different.

My rough tongue drags against her sensitive flesh, making her cry out and arch off the bed. What's designed for grooming fur turns out to work devastatingly well on human skin, especially here where every nerve ending seems concentrated.Each stroke gathers more of her taste, the flavor growing stronger as her excitement builds.

"Fritz," she gasps, her voice higher than I've ever heard it, strained with pleasure she can't hide. "That's—that feels?—"

"I know exactly how it feels," I murmur against her, letting the vibration of my voice add to the sensation. "Your scent tells me everything. Every. Little. Thing."

I emphasize each word with a careful stroke that has her writhing beneath me, her thighs trembling around my head. My hands grip her hips with controlled pressure, claws just slightly extended—enough to remind her of what I am without actually marking her skin.