Page 41 of Sun's Roar

He didn’t need further encouragement. His hands settled on her hips, guiding her onto her stomach before pulling her up onto her knees. The position was primal and possessive, and his wolf reveled in it. He leaned over her, his chest pressed to her back, his lips brushing the shell of her ear.

“You feel that?” he murmured, his voice a husky growl. “That’s us. That’s our bond. It’s never going to break.”

Her answering whimper was all the affirmation he needed. He claimed her then, his hands gripping her hips as he moved with slow, deliberate strokes. The sensation was electric, their connection humming with each thrust. Helena’s head lifted, her hair cascading down her back as she matched his rhythm, her soft cries driving him mad.

“Mine,” he growled again, the word a mantra and a vow. His hand slipped around her hip, finding her most sensitive spot, making her gasp and writhe against him. “Say it, Helena. Say you’re mine.”

“Yours,” she cried, her voice breaking as she came undone, her inner walls tightening around him.

Her climax ignited his own, his body shuddering as he buried himself deep, the world narrowing to just the two of them. For a moment, there was nothing else—no pack, no power, and no past. Just Helena, warm and trembling in his arms, her fire entwined with his.

When the storm of passion subsided, he gathered her to his chest, her body fitting perfectly against his. His lips brushed her hair, his breathing still ragged. Satisfaction radiated through him as he closed his eyes, inhaling her scent—cinnamon and fireand something uniquely her. The wolf inside him purred with contentment.

“You’re magnificent,” he murmured against her temple. “I knew from the moment I saw you that we were meant for this.”

He felt her stir in his arms, her warmth shifting against him. For a moment, he thought she might be settling in closer, but instead, she gently disentangled herself from his embrace. His eyes snapped open, watching as she stood and reached for the green sundress that had been discarded on the floor.

“What are you doing?” The question came out sharper than he intended, his wolf suddenly alert.

Helena slipped the dress over her head, the soft fabric falling around her curves. “I’m getting dressed.”

“I can see that.” Sol sat up, the sheets pooling around his waist. “But why?”

She turned to him, her expression apologetic but resolute. “I have to go, Sol. The restaurant needs me.”

The words hit him like a physical blow. His mind struggled to process what she was saying. After what they had just shared—after he had bared not just his body but his soul to her—she was still leaving?

“You’re joking.” His voice was low and dangerous. “Tell me this is a joke.”

Helena sighed, pushing her fiery hair back from her face. “I’m sorry, but I really do have to go. I have obligations to fulfill.” She straightened her dress, smoothing down the wrinkles. “You should understand that, being a leader yourself. Don’t you have obligations to your pack?”

Sol couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Did she just compare running a restaurant to leading a centuries-old pack of wolf shifters? Did she just equate cooking food with protecting lives?

“That’s not the same thing.” He rose from the bed, not bothering to cover his nakedness. Let her see what she was walking away from. “The pack is my life. My purpose. What you’re talking about is just a job.”

“It’s not just a job to me.” Her chin lifted in that stubborn way he was beginning to recognize. “These people aremypack. They depend onme. I can’t just abandon them because I’ve discovered I have some magical fire powers and a destined mate.”

How could she be so casual about this? How could she dismiss their bond—their destiny—so easily? His wolf howled in pain.

“You’re my Luna,” he said, his voice rough with raw emotion. “My true mate. I just told you I can’t live without you, Helena.”

She had the grace to look pained. “I know.”

Sol stood frozen, unable to process the enormity of her rejection. He had ruled a pack for centuries, commanded respect from the most powerful supernatural beings on the continent, and yet this human woman had brought him to his knees with nothing but her indifference.

“So you’re just going to fuck me and leave?” The crude words felt foreign on his tongue, but the pain demanded expression. “After everything I’ve shared with you?”

“That’s not fair.” A flush crept up her neck. “What happened between us was beautiful, but it doesn’t change the fact that I have responsibilities.”

Sol laughed, a hollow sound devoid of humor. “Clearly, I don’t rank high among those responsibilities.”

“You don’t need me to take care of you, Sol. Other do.” Helena moved toward the door, pausing with her hand on the ornate door handle. “I’m sorry, Sol. I really am.”

Then she was gone, the door closing softly behind her.

Sol stood naked in the center of the room, the scent of their lovemaking still heavy in the air. His wolf raged and howled,demanding he chase after her, claim her properly, and force her to stay. But his body refused to move, locked in place by shock and hurt too profound for action.

For the first time in centuries, Sol Cadoret, Alpha Prince of the Sunflare pack, felt utterly powerless. His mate—his Luna, his other half—had walked away from him as if he were nothing more than a pleasant diversion. Not the center of her universe as she was of his.

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