Page 40 of Sun's Roar

Helena turned, her hazel eyes widening briefly before narrowing. “Yes. Home. Where I belong.”

“You belong here.” His fists clenched at his sides. “With your pack. With me.”

“I never agreed to that.”

Sol prowled closer, the distance between them charged with electricity. “You think you can just walk away? After everything I’ve told you? After what we’ve shared?”

“I can, and I am.” Her chin lifted in defiance.

“Perhaps I should throw you in the dungeon until you come to your senses.” The words escaped before he could trap them, his temper flaring hot and bright.

Helena’s laugh was sharp as broken glass. “Right, because imprisonment is definitely the way to a woman’s heart. Very romantic.”

Sol could feel her anger building, the mate bond thrumming with the heat of her emotions. Yet, remarkably, no flames burst forth. She was controlling her fire, containing it through sheer force of will. Despite his fury, pride bloomed in his chest.

“Throwing me in a dungeon would only prove my point,” she continued, stepping toward him with fearless determination. “You’re controlling. You think you can dictate my life without my input. I won’t live that way, Sol. I won’t surrender my choices or my power over my own life—not to you, not to anyone.”

“This isn’t about control,” Sol growled, closing the short distance between them until he could see the golden flecks in her eyes. “This is about keeping you safe. I told you earlier in the forest that if you leave right now without my mate mark, you’re vulnerable. There are bad people out there who would use you, hurt you, even kill you for the power you possess.”

Helena’s eyes flashed, the gold flecks blazing like the fires she commanded. “Is that what this is really about? My powers?” She took a step back, creating a chasm between them that felt wider than any physical distance. “Maybe you just want me around to be a better and stronger alpha. Maybe this is all about your ego, which is pretty damn big already.”

The accusation hit Sol like a slap to his face. His wolf howled in protest desperate to break free and prove their devotion. For centuries, he’d ruled with strength and justice, never once using his position for personal gain. That she would think him capable of such manipulation cut deeper than any blade.

“You think I want to use you?” His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. His hands trembled with the need to touch her, to make her understand. “After all these centuries, you truly believe I’d manipulate my own mate for power?”

Sol turned away, running his large hand through his dark hair. When he faced her again, he allowed her to see everything—all the raw vulnerability he’d never shown anyone in hundreds of years of existence.

“The only thing I care about is you, Helena. Just you.” He thumped his chest where his heart thundered against his ribs.“I’m upset because I can’t bear the thought of losing you or seeing you hurt.”

He moved closer, careful not to crowd her but unable to maintain the distance. “I’ve waited my entire life to meet my true mate. Centuries of existence, watching others find their other halves while I ruled alone.” His voice cracked with emotion he’d never allowed himself to show. “But I never imagined how intense these feelings would be until I met you.”

Sol reached out, his fingers stopping just short of touching her face. “You’re unlike anything I could have dreamed of. Your strength, your spirit—even your stubbornness.” A broken laugh escaped him. “I can’t imagine life without you now. I don’t want to live it if you’re not in it.”

His wolf pushed against his control, demanding he claim her properly, protect her, and never let her go. But Sol held back, understanding that this was her choice to make.

“I need you like I need oxygen, Helena. Not your power. You.”

Something shifted in Helena’s eyes—doubt giving way to something softer. Sol watched as unshed tears gathered, turning those hazel depths luminous. She didn’t speak, but her silence lacked the brittle anger of before. Her lips parted slightly as though words hovered there, waiting to be spoken. His wolf sensed the change, howling with renewed hope.

Sol’s control snapped. The raw vulnerability in Helena’s eyes, the soft parting of her lips—it was too much. His wolf surged forward, primal and insistent, demanding he claim her and make her irrevocably his. He pulled her flush against his body and captured her mouth in a searing kiss.

Her lips were soft and yielding, and the taste of her—sweet and warm—ignited something feral within him. He pressed her body flush against his, his other arm wrapping around her waistto pull her closer. Her gasp of surprise only deepened the kiss, her hands instinctively rising to clutch at his shoulders.

“Mine,” he growled against her mouth, the word more a declaration than a question. His wolf howled in triumph, urging him to take, to claim, and to possess. But he held back, just enough to give her the choice even as his body screamed for more.

Helena’s fingers dug into his shoulders, her nails grazing his skin through the fabric of his shirt. She kissed him back with equal fervor, her fire sparking against his, their powers tangling in a heady rush of heat. Sol’s hands roamed her curves, tracing the flare of her hips, the dip of her waist, and the swell of her breasts. Every touch stoked the fire between them, their bond humming with intensity.

“Sol,” she murmured, her voice breathless. His name on her lips sent a jolt of desire straight to his core. He needed more—needed all of her.

Without breaking the kiss, he lifted her, her legs wrapping instinctively around his waist. Her laughter was a breathy sound against his skin, and it only fueled his hunger. He carried her to the bed, dropping her gently onto the soft covers before climbing over her, caging her with his body.

“Tell me you want this,” he demanded, his voice rough with need. He cupped her face, his thumb brushing her cheek as he searched her eyes.

Helena’s breath hitched, her hazel eyes darkening with desire. “I want you,” she whispered, the words sending a surge of triumph through him.

His hands moved with purpose, stripping away the barriers between them—her dress, his shirt, everything discarded in a frenzy of need. Her skin was warm beneath his touch, soft and inviting, and he couldn’t resist tasting her. His lips trailed down her neck, nipping at the sensitive spot just below her ear beforemoving lower, lavishing attention on the curve of her breast. Her moan was music to his ears, her fingers tightening in his hair as she arched into his touch.

“Sol,” she gasped, her voice trembling. “Please.”

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