Thirteen hours before the war:
Derek's thumb traced the curve of Aria's hip—a mindless action, almost, as if he simply needed to be touching her. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his shirt discarded, leaving miles of bare skin and sinewy muscle on display. The moon filtering through the window cast the room in a pale silvery light.
Aria can feel the shift in the cool night air, but being here with Derek, she swipe it away to the back of her head, because the night belongs to them.
Derek tilted his head slightly—wolf ears catching more than human senses ever could.
He felt it too.
The air… thinning. The silence between crickets, the way the trees held their breath.
But he didn't say anything.
Instead, he pulled Aria closer—her back pressing against his chest as she settled between his legs. His arms wrapped around her waist like steel vines, anchoring her to him. One hand drifted up to cradle her neck gently while the other rested low on her stomach.
"Tonight," he murmured into her hair, "we don't talk about war."
"No omens. No fate."
He pressed a kiss behind her ear, deep and lingering—like a brand.*
"Just you and me."
Aria tilted her head to the side—her pulse fluttering beneath his lips. She exhaled slowly, leaning further into him.
"Derek…"
Her voice was barely above a whisper, trembling with emotion. "I don't want this night to ever end."
"I'm afraid of what tomorrow carries in it's wake," she added softly.
Derek tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer against him. He rested his chin on her shoulder, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
"I know."
His breath was warm and damp against her skin. It sent tingles down her spine.
"I'm afraid, too."
He paused, eyes closing—inhaled a long, slow breath before he murmured,
"But whatever darkness comes... we'll face it together."
"Enough of that..." Aria inhaled sharply, she turn her head to look at him from over her shoulder. "Kiss me?"
Derek didn't need to be told twice. The hand that was resting on her neck slid up to her jaw, tilting her head back—his mouth finding hers. The kiss was gentle at first. Slow and unhurried, as if they had an eternity to lose themselves in each other.
But the fire that simmered just below the surface burned too hot for such restraint. Within moments, the kiss turned into a possessive claiming—deep, demanding.
Derek pulled her tighter against him, almost feral in his desperation.
Aria moaned submissively into the kiss as a clear pull tightened in the pit of her tummy.
The sound sent a jolt straight through him, awakening something primal. His fingers dug into her hip—a growl rumbling from his chest.
He nicked her lower lip, tongue tasting her—wanting, greedy. His free hand moved up to thread into her hair
"Mine," he muttered roughly, lips moving down the column of her throat.
"You're mine."
"I'm yours," Aria whispered as she threw her head to the side giving him more access, or as much as she can in their current position.
He took full advantage, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses along her throat. He could feel the way her pulse fluttered beneath his lips—a ragged, frantic rhythm that matched his own. His hand slid up from her hip, slipping beneath her shirt.
She scrapes together her last bit of self-control, and flipped herself around, the sudden movement caught Derek off guard as he falls back into the bed. Aria straddling him.
He landed with a soft 'oomph', eyes immediately darkening with desire. A smirk curved his lips as he looked up at her, hands sliding to her thighs to keep her in place.
"Someone's eager," he murmured, voice already rough with want.
Aria leans in closer, plastering soft kisses up his torso, then the neck and stopped by his earlobe, whispering: "You want it too."
Heat flared through Derek's blood at the words, his grip on her thighs tightening. He pressed his head back into the pillow, eyes fluttering shut for just a moment. His control was already beginning to fray.
"You have no idea what I want."
His hands shifted, fingers sliding beneath the edge of her shirt—skin on skin.
"This had already become routine," she said sassily, as her left hand gently squeezed his hard on through his pants. "Don't get shy on me now. Didn't you say that this night belongs to us?"
His breath hitched at the feel of her touch, and a low growl rumbled from his throat. His eyes flashed, a gleam of amber in the dark.
"I did."
He replied, voice thick with desire. In one swift motion, he flipped them—pinning her beneath him on the mattress. His mouth instantly found hers again, claiming hers in a fierce, possessive kiss.
The only time his lips left hers, was to lift her nightgown over her head.
He stared down at her, eyes roaming over every inch of newly exposed skin like a man starving. His hands skimmed over her ribcage and down her stomach, tracing every curve and valley with a reverence that bordered on worship.
His voice was deep, ragged.
"You are so goddamn beautiful..."
"Mark me. I'm yours completely." Lust drips like honey from her lips.
Derek's eyes darkened impossibly at the words, a low guttural sound issuing from the back of his throat. He leaned down, pressing a fervent kiss to the pulse point at her throat.
"You have no idea what you do to me."
His hand moved, trailing along her collarbone—over her shoulder… down the length of her arm to the inside of her wrist.
"I'll mark you. I'll make damn sure everyone knows you're mine."
The fever behind his kiss made her arch her back. But the fabric of his pants hinders her.
With a growl, he tore at his own jeans—fingers ripping through fabric as if it offended him. In one swift motion, he discarded them, kicking them off the bed.
Now completely bare, he loomed over her—eyes blazing with need, muscles taut like coiled steel.
"Better?"
He murmured darkly, pressing himself against her—to leave no doubt what kind of answer she should give.
"Much" she whispered in a hoarse tone before wrapping her legs around his waist.
He groaned at the feel of her legs around him, the sound more animal than human. His hands moved to her hips, holding her fast as his mouth found her neck—nipping and licking a trail down to her collarbone. One hand slid up her side, fingers skimming over her skin like a flame.
His voice was low, gruff with need.
"Say it again. Tell me again."
"I need you, all of you..." she breathed out. Her eyes rolls back in her head as his hot lips fold around her areola.
Derek's growl vibrated against her skin, hot and deep as his lips pulled at her sensitive peak—sucking, teasing, biting just enough to make her cry out. One hand clamped over her thigh, holding her in place as the other slid between them, fingers brushing through the slick heat waiting for him.
He dragged a slow circle around her clit—once—twice—before murmuring against her breast, voice thick with hunger:
"Say it like you mean it. Tell me who you belong to."
Her answer came in the form of a moan, as his name slipped from her lips.
The sound of his name on her lips sent a white-hot jolt through Derek's already heated blood.
"Damn it, Aria…"
The sound went straight to his core, his hips bucking hard against hers as a curse escaped through his gritted teeth. His fingers started pumping her slowly, his thumb brushing over that sensitive bud with a pressure that sent sparks flashing behind her eyes.
Rewarding him with another moan.
That was all it took.
With a feral sound deep in his chest, Derek positioned himself—pressing the broad tip of his cock against her entrance. He held her gaze, eyes burning with amber fire as he pushed forward, slow at first—letting her feel every inch.
"Again," he growled, sinking deeper, filling her up completely. "Say my name again."
Each thrust was deliberate—deep, claiming. His hips snapped forward with a primal rhythm that echoed through the silent room. Aria's breath came in short gasps, her fingers digging into his back as he drove into her again and again.
He leaned down, mouth crashing against hers in a bruising kiss—tongue sweeping deep as if trying to devour her soul.
"You feel that?" he rasped, pulling back just enough to look at her, sweat-slicked and wild beneath him.
"This isn't just sex."
"This is a promise."
"A vow."
His voice dropped to a guttural whisper.
"I'm not letting go. Not now. Not ever."
Aria shuddered at the words, overwhelmed by the raw power of his emotions. She could feel it deep within—the connection that had grown between them, growing stronger with each touch, each moment they shared.
She knew that this wasn't just a physical union.
It's more than a simple soul bond
"Derek…" she gasped, fingers curling into his back, back arched—pleasure building to almost unbearable heights. "Please… don't stop... I'm at the edge..."
Derek's eyes burned with intensity—a flame that flickered and flared in the darkness.
He leaned down again, capturing her lips with a passion that left her breathless. His hands roamed over her body like a man possessed—as if he wanted to touch her everywhere. Every inch. All at the same time.
His body covered hers completely—hot skin on hot skin.
His hands slid up to cradle her face gently but firmly.
"I've got you. Let go."
Her walls clench around his cock, milking him for every drop of white liquid. Her own orgasm is thumbing through her body like raw electricity through her veins.
Derek groaned.
"Fuck... Derek..." a curse full of lust flew from her lips.
A small, ragged sound caught in his throat.
He couldn't keep his hands still anymore—fingers tracing patterns along her hips, her thighs, her back, her neck. He buried his face into the curve of her shoulder, pressing a gentle kiss against her skin—a stark contrast to the ferocity of before.
He moved his lips to her ear, voice deep and rough with desire.
"My god… I love the sound of my name when you say it like that."
Aria shivered, her body still humming with the aftermath of her orgasm.
She tangled her fingers into his dark hair, feeling the silkiness against her skin, and tugged gently so he would look at her.
A lazy, satisfied smile tugging at her lips.
"You like that, huh? Knowing I'm yours?"
She teased, her thumb tracing the line of his jaw, the stubble tickling her fingertip.
"You still need to coat me."
He leaned into her touch, eyes drifting shut for a moment, enjoying the feeling of her touch on his skin. When he opened them again, they were dark and heavy with desire.
He rolled them over, so she was straddling him—his hands sliding up her thighs, over her hips, to grip her waist.
"Oh… I'm planning on it."
He murmured, eyes roaming over her body.
"I'm gonna mark you so good, you'll smell like me for weeks."
Aria slide down on his cock, and slowly started moving. Her breasts dancing with each thrust.
Derek groaned low and deep, his head falling back as she took control—her heat, her rhythm, her power over him undeniable. His hands clamped down on her hips, guiding her just slightly—urging her to move faster.
His eyes rolled up to meet hers—dark with lust and something deeper… something raw and unspoken.
"Look at you…" he rasped, voice thick with admiration. "So beautiful riding me like you own me."
He lifted one hand to cup a breast, thumb brushing over a hardened peak.
"But we both know the truth."
He thrust up into her sharply, making her gasp.
"I'm the one who's yours."
Aria gains momentum, now full out riding him like a stallion. The sound of skin against skin mingles with labored breathing and moans. The smell of sex intoxicated.
The scent was like a drug, driving him wild—his wolf howling deep, desperate, claiming. The sounds that fell from his lips were less and less human—a language of need, of desire that echoed in his bones.
He leaned forward, capturing her mouth with his in a brutal, desperate kiss. The kiss was wet, messy—the taste of her skin, her lips, her areola; is driving him insane. He flipped her around, having her on all fours. Plunging his dick into her heat from behind.
A deep hoarse moan spilled from her lips.
Derek's hands gripped her hips—fingers pressing into soft skin as he drove into her with a relentless rhythm. Each thrust was deeper than the last, harder, more urgent. His breath came in short, ragged gasps against her back.
"Look at me."
His voice was rough—commanding.
Aria turned slightly, eyes glazed with pleasure, lips parted on another moan.
And when she did—he bit down.
Not hard enough to break skin… but enough to mark. To claim. A low growl rumbled from his chest as he felt her walls tighten around him again.
"You feel that?" he panted, pressing his forehead between her shoulder blades. "That's you… that's us."
"I'm close… I'm so fucking close…"
She dug her fingers into the softness of the mattress. Overwhelmed with pleasure, as another orgasm wash over her, even more intense than the previous.
Derek groaned at the sight of her falling apart beneath him.
He bottled himself out inside her, burying his juices inside her womb.
He collapsed on top of her, breathing hard. His whole body was thrumming—raw, exhausted, sated. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder—gentle, almost reverent—as he wrapped an arm around her waist, rolling to his side, bringing her with him.
His hand skimmed over her hip, a gentle caress that spoke volumes of how he felt.