Every part of her screamed to be closer to him, to lose herself in the kiss. She kissed him back with equal fervor, unable to hold back the need that surged through her. Her hands curled into his shirt, gripping him tightly as she pressed herself closer. The sensation of his lips on hers, his body against hers, felt so right, so familiar. She realized, with an ache in her chest, just how much she had missed him.
She had no idea how long they stayed like that—his mouth claiming hers, his hands gripping her hair, their bodies moving against each other in perfect rhythm. But then, just as suddenly as it began, it was over.
Luke stepped back, his chest rising and falling heavily as he stared at her. His eyes were almost black with desire, darkened by the intensity of the Bond.
Bella stood frozen, her breathing uneven, her lips tingling from the kiss. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything, her mind spinning from the overwhelming emotions flooding through her.
Luke’s voice broke the silence, low and hoarse. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
And with that, he turned and left the room, leaving Bella standing there, her heart racing and her thoughts a whirlwind.
Bella stood frozen, confused as to why Luke had stepped back and pulled away from their kiss. His breathing was heavy, and his dark, desire-filled eyes locked onto hers.
“I want you, Bella,” he said, his voice strained but firm. “Don’t ever doubt that. But you should leave now—before I lose control, before I mark and mate you when you’re not ready. I want you to want it, to want us completely and without hesitation. So I’ll wait. But you need to leave this room before I lose all restraint.”
Bella stared at him, hearing every word he said. Tyler was shouting at her to stay, to let him mark and mate her now, and she wondered if Maddis was doing the same to Luke, urging him to claim her. She knew he could have done it—right here, right now—and she wouldn’t have stopped him.
“Thank you,” she said softly, her voice almost trembling. “For knowing I’m not ready yet.” She nodded slowly, turned on her heels, and walked out of the room, feeling dazed.
Luke seemed to have more self-awareness than she did, more self-control, too. She was certain he knew he could have claimed her then and there, marking and mating her without resistance. His kiss had been her undoing, leaving no room for rejection. How could she reject him when she felt this way?
He truly did want her. The realization made her bite her lip as she made her way back to the Alpha Suite. She let herself in to find all four of their parents sitting together, chatting quietly. Their conversation halted as they turned to look at her—no, stared at her. Her mother raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Bella said nothing in return, brushing past them silently and heading down the hallway to where the children were sleeping. She still felt out of sorts, her mind spinning. The Mate Bond was strong, stronger than she’d imagined. In less than a day, she knew she would be his—it was no longer a question of if but when.
She checked on each of the children, ensuring they were settled and sound asleep. Then, she found an empty room at the end of the hall and stepped inside. Bella caught sight of herself in the bathroom mirror and understood why everyone had been staring at her.
Her hair was a complete mess, loose and tousled where Luke’s hands had been. At some point, he’d undone her braid entirely, leaving her dark locks hanging wildly around her face. Her lipstick was gone, her lips slightly swollen from the intensity of their kiss, and her face was flushed. It was obvious to anyone who saw her—they’d gotten hot and heavy during what was supposed to be dinner.
Maddis, she imagined, was livid. He’d wanted to claim her right there in the private dining room, and she could feel the frustration radiating from him. But Luke had held back. He truly meant it when he said he wanted her to choose them wholeheartedly. As much as his wolf’s primal instincts raged against his restraint, Luke’s desire to wait for her decision won out.
Her reaction to his kiss had said everything, though. She’d wanted him as much as he wanted her. The only reason he had kissed her was because he thought she might say something that would break him—words like “I can’t decide yet.”
Those words had hurt him deeply, even though they weren’t a rejection. They were a reminder that she still wasn’t ready to fully accept him. Dinner had been emotionally draining, and hearing her say she’d felt lonely and unwanted had cut him to the core.
He knew he was the one who had caused her to feel that way, and it killed him to think about it. But he also knew that the only way forward was to give her the space and time she needed to come to him on her own.
Luke had kissed Bella not out of impulse, but out of a need to show her just how much he wanted her—that he would always want her. She’d kissed him back, and in that moment, he’d taken advantage of her vulnerability, of her longing to feel loved and cherished.
Even as he kissed her with a passion that burned through his very being, he’d known this wasn’t the answer. This wasn’t the way to fix what had been broken between them. She might regret it afterward, and so, with immense effort, he had pulled his heated, aroused body away from hers. He’d done it before things escalated to the point where he couldn’t stop himself from taking what he wanted—whether she’d regret it or not.
