Page 67 of To Carve A Wolf

“You did,” he whispered, gently cupping my face in his palms. “Your instincts took over. Your wolf knew exactly what she wanted.”

His thumb brushed my cheek, softly, carefully, as if I might break. Then he groaned softly, eyes falling shut as his head dipped closer to mine.

“Fucking finally,” he growled, voice raw and broken, thick with pain and relief and need. Before I could answer, his mouth crashed onto mine.

This kiss wasn’t violent—it wasn’t angry. It was desperate, claiming, possessive in a way that reached down into my bones. For the first time, I didn’t protest, didn’t pull away.

I gave in.

My lips parted under his, inviting him deeper. My hands tangled in his hair, holding him close. For once, I didn’t fight him.

He kissed me again, slow this time. Tender. As if I was something precious that might break beneath his touch. It frightened me how much more terrifying this softness was than his rage had ever been. He pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against mine.

His thumb traced gentle circles along my cheek, wiping away tears I hadn’t even realized had fallen.

“Please, Lexa,” he whispered, his voice shaking slightly, vulnerable, in a way I never imagined an Alpha like him could sound. “Don't erase this beautiful part of yourself again. Don’t go to the witch. Don’t run. Stay with me.”

My chest tightened painfully, breath catching. I forced myself to hold his gaze.

“Why?” I whispered, voice trembling with confusion. “Why do you even care?”

“Because,” Andros murmured, brushing his lips against mine again, softly, carefully. “Deep down, I always knew we were meant to find each other. To be together.”

I tried to shake my head, but he gently cupped my chin, stopping me.

“And somewhere even deeper, beneath all your fear and anger and pain,” he continued softly, eyes warm and fierce with sincerity, “you knew it too. You didn’t travel two thousand miles across the continent just to escape, Lexa. You felt a pull. A call. Something you couldn’t name. And if you hadn’t silenced your wolf with runes and dark magic, maybe we would have met sooner.”

I swallowed hard, my heart racing wildly in my chest. “You don’t know if that’s true.”

His mouth curled into a small, gentle smile. “Maybe not. But I choose to believe it is. Now the question is, what will you choose? You—not the bond, not your wolf. You, Lexa.”

Slowly, I looked toward the cave entrance. Snow still fell steadily outside, thick and relentless, blanketing the world in white. Cold and harsh.

“It’s still horrible out there,” I murmured, my voice quiet. “I’m not going anywhere right now.”

His gaze brightened slightly with cautious hope.

I leaned in closer, pressing my mouth gently against his, tasting his warmth, his breath mingling with mine. Pulling back just enough to whisper against his lips, I smiled softly, finally letting the truth reach my eyes.

“Lucky for you, I have enough heat to keep us both warm.”

He smiled back at me then—real, beautiful, and utterlydevastating. And as I kissed him again, surrendering myself entirely, something inside me loosened.

This time, when we made love, it wasn’t about dominance, or power, or submission. It was about finally letting go. About giving into something I’d denied far too long. It was about choosing him.

Choosing myself.

Choosing us.

CHAPTER 21

Lexa

The morning was grey and merciless, the snow relentless as ever. My body ached with a hundred things—pleasure, exhaustion, the fading sting of the bond pulsing through every nerve—but for once, the ache wasn’t hollow. It wasn’t a void.

Andros rode close behind me as we followed the narrow trail down from the cave, our horses slow in the thickening drifts. We didn’t speak much. We didn’t need to. The silence between us felt full, settled. Not peace exactly, but… something like it.

The heat still simmered under my skin, but the worst of it had passed. I could sit upright, I could think clearly, though my limbs still felt heavy with sleep and fire and the weight of him.

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