Page 88 of Primal

He leans forward, fists braced on either side of my head, his heated torso pressed to mine.

Then he kisses me.

There’s no hesitation. His mouth claims mine, and when his tongue slides past my lips, it carries my own taste. My arousal. It’s filthy. Intimate. Possessive in a way that makes my stomach flip and inner omega prance.

When he pulls back, his voice is low and affectionate, but edged with dominance, like he’s a man who’s just gotten a taste of something he’s not ready walk away from. “See how sweet you are?” he breathes.

My heart stutters.

He doesn’t move right away. Just looks down at me, his expression tempering, concern flickering through the lingering heat. He’s watching me too closely, like he knows the regret won’t stay gone for long.

I’m not naive enough to not think it won’t hit me soon. I went into this knowing I’d be racked with regret when it was over. Selfishly, I just didn’t care. I just wanted to pretend for a little while that he was mine and I was his, and there wasn’t this gaping rift between us. Caused byhim.

“Are you okay?” he asks, the question barely louder than a rasp.

The genuine concern in his face and voice battles against the walls I’m trying to rebuild between us. Blocking out the longing I still have for him.

I nod, slow and silent.

It’s written all over his face. I know he wants to say something else, or ask a painfully stupid question like,What does this mean now?as if anything has really changed betweenus because we crossed this line. It was a line that led to a soul-shattering orgasm, but a line nonetheless.

Whatever lust-filled bubble we’ve slipped into is popped by the sound of commotion on the stairs leading to my attic bedroom. I react faster than he does, my hand flat against his chest, shoving him back so I can crawl out from under him. I push myself up and over the bed, scrambling across it and sliding off the opposite side with none of the grace I wish I had.

“Nick?” a voice calls out from the other side of my door, exasperated and all too familiar. “Would’ve texted to let you know we were here, but couldn’t. Since your dumb furry ass decided to run across state lines with nothing but your hopes and dreams and didn’t give us a heads-up. That was a very dramatic exit, by the way—you went through a window and everything—but next time, pleasedrive. And bring a damn phone, will you?”

Rhosyn.

And she saidwe. Which means Canaan is no doubt with her.

I glance at Rennick in silent question.

“I asked Seren to text them,” he mutters, sheepish. “Didn’t think you’d be up for driving me back.”

My brows lift, but then it clicks. Of course his only means of getting back to Idaho was either a very expensive Uber or to run back in wolf form, and I don’t see the latter happening so soon after he already did it.

Rhosyn doesn’t miss a beat, thanks to her shifter hearing. “Yeah, this wasn’t really how I wanted to spend my morning either, dude. I like Ashvale. I love Noa. But I left yesterday. A more forgiving turnaround time would be appreciated in the future.” She pauses. “You’re lucky this just ended up working in my favor.”

Neither of us knows what she means, and we don’t ask.

Rennick closes his eyes and drags a hand down his face like he’s holding back a growl—or maybe just a breakdown. Honestly, same.

“We’ll be downstairs in a minute,” he calls back, sighing through the words.

Her retreating steps are the cue I didn’t know I was waiting for. I spring into action, painfully aware I’m still not wearing pants, and his gaze is definitely lingering. I make it to my closet and yank the top drawer open, tugging on the first pair of sleep shorts I find.

When I turn back around, he’s still there. Watching. Not in the heated, hungry way he had earlier, but steady. Like he sees through the walls I’m scrambling to rebuild.

“Noa…” he starts.

I shake my head. “It was nice,” I say softly, forcing a sad smile. “Pretending for a minute that things aren’t broken between us. That I’m not—” I gesture to myself, starting at my chest that is deceptively not an aching pit right now. It’s because of him. His presence. It’s fueling me and masking the soul-deep ache, but know when he leaves, it will all return. “That I’m not damaged.”

His face falls.

“I know about the rejected mate syndrome.” His admission makes me freeze in place, turning into an ice sculpture of dread. “Rhosyn told me. That’s what made me lose control. What made my wolf take over and hunt you down. When I told you I was going to fix everything, Noa, I was including that.”

“Do you know how to fix it?” I force the words past the tightness in my throat, my chest too full of dread. Because if he says yes, if he’s known all along that his bite could save me, then maybe him coming here isn’t about wanting me back, like he said. Maybe it’s just guilt. Just duty.An obligation.

“No. Not yet.” His voice doesn’t waver, his determination clear. “But I’m going to find out. Because I won’t let you keep paying the price for my mistake.”

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