Dante's POV
Dante was going insane.
Three days. It had been three days since Serena arrived and he was losing his mind one second at a time. Every breath was torture. Every moment without touching her was like his wolf was clawing at his insides trying to break free.
Kael had made it clear. Space. They needed to give her space to adjust. Time to process. Time to understand what she was before they pushed the bond further.
Dante understood the logic.
He hated it.
He paced his room at dawn, his body vibrating with frustration. His wolf was so close to the surface he could feel teeth behind his lips. Could feel claws in his fingernails. The animal inside him didn't care about logic or space or Serena's emotional processing. It wanted to claim her. Mark her. Make sure every wolf in this pack knew she was taken.
He needed to get out. Needed to move. Needed to do something before he lost it completely.
The training room was empty at dawn. That was where he went.
Dante started with the heavy bag, hitting it hard enough that the chain creaked. Sweat poured down his chest. His wolf wanted violence and he gave it combat instead, throwing punches and kicks until his muscles screamed.
He didn't hear her come in.
But he smelled her.
Honeysuckle and wild rain. His entire body went rigid.
Serena stood at the other end of the training room in yoga pants and a sports bra, moving through combat stances that were completely wrong. Her weight was on her back foot. Her hands were too low. Her balance was completely off.
It was the cutest thing he'd ever seen.
She was concentrating hard, biting her lip as she executed some move she'd obviously learned from YouTube. Her body was tense and beautiful and completely unprepared for actual combat.
"You're telegraphing your punches," Dante said.
Serena jumped and spun around. Her eyes went wide when she saw him shirtless and sweating and barely holding his wolf together.
"I didn't see you there," she said quickly.
"Let me teach you." The words came out rough. "Real combat. Not YouTube moves."
She hesitated. He could feel her through the bond, could sense her uncertainty. But she nodded anyway.
"Okay," she said.
Dante stepped closer and had to lock his jaw to keep control. This close, he could see the small freckles across her shoulders. Could see the rise and fall of her breath. Could smell her fear mixed with something else. Something that smelled like interest.
"Show me your stance," he said.
She moved into position and it was all wrong. Dante came up behind her, his hands reaching for her waist to adjust her position. The moment his skin touched hers, heat exploded between them.
Serena gasped.
"Relax," he said, even though he was anything but relaxed. His hands on her waist were literally burning. "Your feet should be shoulder width apart. Like this."
He shifted her body slightly, keeping his hands right where they were. The excuse to touch her was intoxicating. He could feel her heartbeat racing through the bond. Could feel her trying to control her breathing.
She wanted this. She wanted him as much as he wanted her.
"Now your hands," he said. He reached up and adjusted her arms, positioning them properly for defense. His chest was against her back. His chin was inches from her neck. He could smell her skin and it was killing him.
For the next hour, they moved through combat basics. Every correction was an excuse to touch her. Every adjustment put his hands on her body. The mate bond was screaming at him to stop pretending and just claim her already.
But this was good too. This was intimate without being complete. This was learning her body in a different way.
She was learning fast.
By the time the sun was fully up, Serena was executing moves that actually made sense. Her confidence was building. Her body was moving with more power.
"Try to pin me," Dante said.
She looked skeptical. "I can't pin you. You're twice my size."
"Try anyway."
Serena lunged and he let her do it. Let her use the technique he'd taught her to flip him onto his back. She was on top of him before she realized what had happened, her hands pinning his shoulders to the mat.
Dante's breath caught.
Their faces were inches apart. Her hair had come loose from her braid and fell around them like a curtain. Her eyes were dark and her breathing was hard and her chest was heaving against his.
"You did it," she whispered.
Dante couldn't move. Wouldn't move. His hands were on her waist, under her sports bra, touching skin that was soft and warm and driving him crazy.
Her eyes dropped to his mouth.
The bond flared white hot between them.
"Serena," he said and his voice was a warning and a plea at the same time. "If you kiss me, I will not be able to stop."
She stared at him for one second that felt like forever.
Then she closed the distance.
Her mouth met his and the world exploded.
Dante's control shattered like glass. His hands slid up her back and pulled her closer as he kissed her like he was starving and she was the only thing that could save him. She tasted like honey and heat and home.
His wolf roared approval.
The kiss deepened and Dante felt the mate bond pulse with need. Every cell in his body was screaming to claim her right there on the training room mat. To mark her. To bind her to him completely.
Serena made a sound that was somewhere between a moan and a gasp and it nearly broke what little control he had left.
He was going to lose it. Was going to shift and mark her and complete the bond whether Kael approved or not.
Except he heard footsteps in the hallway.
Kael's scent hit him before his brother appeared in the doorway.
Dante pulled back from the kiss, breathing hard, his eyes still glowing amber.
And watched Kael's expression transform from confusion to absolute fury.