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It burns away into something hotter, heavier.

Something undeniable.

His muzzle presses against my ear, the warmth of his breath spilling over my skin as he growls?—

"Found you, little red."

A shudder rips through me.

My red ribbons.

I picked them.

I tied them, knowing exactly what they meant.

And now?

Now, he’s claiming them.

Claiming me.

I twist in his grip, grab at the thick fur of his chest, dragging his face toward mine.

And then?—

I kiss him.

Hard.

He meets me with a hungry snarl, his arms tightening, his claws digging into my hips as his mouth devours mine, sharp and searing, all teeth and heat.

I want more.

I want all of him.

He rips away from the kiss, panting, his golden eyes burning through me, his restraint hanging by a thread.

“We’ll do this right.”

His voice is raw, thick with a promise.

I barely have time to breathe before he grabs my wrists, pulling the ribbons from his belt?—

And tying them around me.

A slow, deliberate binding, each knot a claim, each pull a promise.

His claws skim down my arms, over my sides, until he spins me, pressing me against a tree, my chest against the bark, his massive body caging me in from behind.

I gasp, his heat swallowing me whole, my ribbons tangled around my wrists—his ribbons now.

A deep rumble vibrates through his chest, reverberating through my spine.

“You smell like mine.”

His hands trail lower, spreading my legs with a deliberate nudge of his knee.

And then?—