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This woman tasted like forever.

I lifted her, standing with her in my arms, her legs wrapping around me as I carried her to our tent.

The night hummed around us, the distant rustling of leaves a whisper compared to the wildfire burning between us. Every touch, every kiss, every breath bound us tighter.

Inside the tent, I laid her down gently, hovering over her, afraid to blink, afraid to breathe. I worried she’d slip away like the best dream of my life.

Beth cupped my face, drawing me closer until there was no space between us. “I adore you, Ruugar. Forever.”

A shuddering breath left me. “I am yours, mate. Always yours.”

And this time, when we kissed, we didn’t stop.

Chapter 30

Beth

Ilay back on the tumble of sleeping bag and blankets. Ruugar’s weight pressed into me, solid and warm, his lips trailing reverent kisses across my jaw. My breath hitched as his fingers traced the curve of my waist, pressing, learning me in ways I still hadn’t figured out yet.

Every touch sent heat skimming beneath my skin, a slow, aching burn that made my heart race.

I wanted him.

I needed him.

“Beth,” he said against my throat, his voice rich with tenderness. “I want you.”

The way he said it—like he would wait forever if I needed him to—unraveled me in a way nothing else ever could. A shiver trailed through me. I'd spent too long holding pieces of myself together, terrified to offer them to someone who might not understand. But with Ruugar, the cracks didn’t feel like weaknesses. They feltlike open doors, and for the first time, I wanted to step through them.

I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer. “Don’t stop.”

A growl rumbled through him, vibrating against my skin, and his lips were on mine again, kissing me hard.

Clothing slipped away, barriers falling as our bodies pressed flush. Skin to skin, heat meeting heat.

I gasped at the sensation, my hands roaming across his back, memorizing the strong lines, the warmth radiating from him. He was heat and strength and devotion wrapped in flesh, and every inch of him belonged to me. Not just in this moment, but always. My Ruugar. My mate. Mine. Not stolen. Not borrowed. Chosen. Every touch, every whispered breath between us felt like proof that I was finally feeling a love that wouldn’t vanish beneath my fingertips.

His forehead rested against mine for a breath, his hands framing my face as he stared into my eyes. “Mate,” he said with pure satisfaction.

I had never been so sure of anything in my life as I was about this male. “I'm yours.”

Everything else vanished into the night as he pulled me deeper into him, into us.

Soft murmurs, quiet gasps, the press of lips tracing awe and reverence over skin, all of it jumbled together into something unbearably sweet. Ruugar moved as if he had all the time in the world to show me how much I mattered to him. He kissed every bit of me, slowly making his way across my belly before he slippedbetween my thighs. As he ran his finger through my wetness, he growled again, and that grin on his face… He liked doing this for me, but he also enjoyed it himself.

His lips traced a whisper-soft path downward as he savored every inch of my skin. When he reached the warmth waiting for him, he exhaled, the heat of his breath teasing me, making me arch against him. He hummed, the sound vibrating through me before his mouth closed over me, his tongue boldly stroking. Every flick, every press of his mouth against my most sensitive place sent shockwaves up my spine. I curled my toes into the blankets.

He shuddered against me, his enjoyment entwining with mine as he buried himself deeper, drinking in the sounds I made as if they were the only thing that mattered. His hands pinned my thighs apart, not with force, but with possession, keeping me locked beneath his mouth as he brought out my moans and gasps.

My body had been claimed before, seen like territory, taken as possession, though not sexually. But this? Ruugar worshipped me as if loving me was a privilege, as if he would spend a lifetime proving I was worthy of giving him my heart.

I didn't think I could love him more than I did right now.

The golden glow of our mating marks shimmered in the dark, a quiet, pulsing promise.

He licked and sucked, his tongue flicking across my clit while his fingers pumped in and out of me. It drove me wild. Mad. To the brink and beyond.

Hegroaned as he tasted me, the sound sending tingles across my skin. Then, as if something inside him snapped, his mouth became ravenous. He feasted on me, alternating between deep, languid strokes and sharp flicks that sent piercing pleasure spiraling through my core. My body trembled, and I fisted my hands in his hair, but he didn’t ease up. He growled against my flesh, the vibrations tormenting me so much I thought I might shatter right there.