Page 39 of Primal Snow

I deserve to die.

So I stop fighting.

The water has no mercy. The moment I surrender, it drags me under like it’s been waiting for this. The freezing depths wrap around me, punching the air from my lungs, stealing the last of my warmth. It’s a different kind of pain—one that comes with relief.

I remember how alive I felt just days ago. The laughter, the love, the safety of a world that no longer exists—not for me, at least.

Now… there’s only silence.

Only darkness.

Then, I feel it—his claws.

They clamp tightly around my arm, sharp and unrelenting, yanking me back above the surface like a hooked fish. The water that was swallowing me whole is suddenly gone, replaced by the bitter sting of air, of life I no longer wanted.

This motherfucker won’t even let me die in peace.

Everything has to be on his terms. Of course it does.

I choke, coughing up freezing water as my body betrays me, gasping, heaving, fighting for breath I neverwanted to take. My limbs are useless, heavy with exhaustion, with defeat as he drags me back to the reality I was so ready to leave.

I don’t have the strength to resist.

Maybe I never did.

I tried everything. I have no more in me. There’s nothing left but to submit to the beast.

I gasp as we hit the tiniest strip of sand, my frozen fingers clawing at his thick fur, seeking warmth without even thinking.

It’s just raw instinct, I tell myself.

For some reason, however, that warmth—the steady rise and fall of his chest, the beating of his heart under my fingertips—is more comforting than it should be. And while I’m freezing, he’s the only thing keeping me warm.

Ineedhim. That’s the part that scares me the most.

I hate that.

I hate myself for feeling it.

But my body clings to the heat anyway. Despite everything, it’s almost…soothing. That realization repulses me, but his warmth seeps into me. Slow at first, then all at once, like stepping into a burning room after being lost in the snow.

Like coming back home.

I’m so confused. He can be cruel when I disobey. Ruthless, even. Just yesterday, he showed me no mercy as he punished me. He looks after me, though, doesn’t he?

I wouldn’t survive five seconds out here without him. I lost count of how many times he’s saved me. Is that why he feels like my whole world now?

God, I don’t want this. Ican’twant this.

Him.

But when his dark gaze locks onto mine, something inside me cracks. For a moment, those wild eyes seem human, or perhaps it’s just my loneliness playing fucking tricks on me. Yet, as his massive body looms over me, there’s something almost playful in the way he watches me shiver—I’m not sure if it’s still from cold or…

Damn him, he probably knows me better than I know myself. He’s the one who shattered me, after all. He understands the pieces, rearranging them back together however he wishes.

As much as it disgusts me, my hands roam freely across his firm pecs, gliding gently around the ripped skin before moving lower onto those powerful, chiseled abs. They contract met with my touch, and he hums at the caress. I can feel the growing bulge of his cock against my thigh. I angle my hips, letting him closer, as my hands slide over his carved back, ruffling his fur until they reach his neck.

He lowers his head, and his ribbed tongue flicks out, tasting the skin along my throat.

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