Her voice trailed off, swallowed by the thickening tension. Minutes stretched out like hours, and I remained motionless, a statue carved from indecision.

"You've been obsessive about keeping your cock inside of me ever since you came. The behavior is boarding on a breeding obsession."

A cold stillness took hold of me. There was a war of indecision inside of me as I considered the possibility. She tried to move, to see me better, but I refused to give in when she pushed against me.

"Are you... okay?" The question came soft, tentative, as if she feared the very act of speaking might provoke a tempest.

My voice shattered the silence, low and lethal, a growl that vibrated through my chest. "If you're right about your blood, then we find another way to ensnare Lucien. You won't go near him."

"I can't believe you don't see the opportunity we have." She dared to argue, her words like sparks against my darkening mood. "I can't believe we're arguing like this."

My control snapped, and primal rage surged within me. I flipped her the rest of the way onto her stomach, pressing her into the plushness of the bed, spreading her legs further with mine as I pulled out and reentered her without warning or gentleness.

"Never speak of risking yourself again," I barked, each word punctuated by a hard thrust that forced muffled cries from her lips.

Gripping strands of her hair, I yanked her head back, exposing the vulnerable line of her throat. I would make a declaration of possession, one she would never forget. I was relentless, driven by a possessiveness that bordered on madness. She was mine to claim, mine to protect, mine in a way no other had ever been.

"Mine," I hissed into her ear, my hands branding her skin. "You're my property, my fucking mate."

Her body responded to my every demand, her voice rising in a symphony of pleasure and surrender. With each expletive that tumbled from my lips, she shuddered beneath me, her own cries matching the intensity of my claims.

"Only I will breed you," I declared, slamming into her with enough force that the bed trembled suspiciously. Her screams echoed in the room.

Everything she was, everything she'd become since that fateful night she stumbled into my world… It all crystallized at this moment. She would carry my mark, my seed, my lineage. And as her body yielded to my onslaught, there was no doubt left. She was irrevocably, undeniably mine.

"Please," she begged, each plea punctuated by the rhythm I set, "I need you to breed me."

The words spilling from her lips were a litany of desire, encouraging me to take her harder. The ferocity of my thrusts intensified as the bed creaked beneath us.

"I've never met anyone like you. Someone who wanted me, who ever gave a shit whether I lived or died."

Her admission, raw and vulnerable, struck a chord within me. She confessed that no one had ever shielded her from the dangers of this dark world, no one but me. A snarl tore from my throat as I vowed through gritted teeth, "You will never lack for anything again."

My hand slid under her, circling her clit with an intensity that mirrored my own hunger for dominance. "Come for me," I demanded. "Take all of me inside you. I'm going to fill your womb until there's no doubt you're carrying my child."

She arched beneath me, a scream tearing from her throat as her body convulsed in orgasm. The warmth of her release drenched the sheets. Her inner muscles clamped down on me, and I urged her on. "That's it, squeeze me tight. Milk me for every drop I can give you."

A primeval roar escaped me as I spilled into her, the pulsing of my release unrelenting as I claimed every inch of her. My teeth found the tender skin of her back and shoulder, marking her as mine with nips that would fade but never truly disappear.

"My beautiful little mouse." With each touch, I praised her, my voice gentle now.

As her body went limp beneath me, I carefully maneuvered her, turning her to drape over my chest. For the first time since I'd first entered her, I pulled my cock fully from her. There was a tenderness to my actions as I gathered my seed as it ran out of her, ensuring not a drop was wasted.

Diligently, I pushed every bit of my releases back into her. She looked up at me, holding my gaze as I gripped my cock and entered her again. Under no circumstances would I let my seed escape her again. Not after the earlier revelation.

"You can't stay inside of me forever." The words barely left her lips, but I only tightened my hold.

"You're not going anywhere," I rumbled against the crown of her head, my voice a low growl resonating through the room. "Don't even mention it."

"Shower," she insisted weakly. "I'm a mess."

"A beautiful mess. You smell like mine."

Ivy grunted. "I feel sticky."

"Compromise or nothing."

"How do we compromise on this? I can't stand or walk with you buried in me."