The knot eased, finally. Lucien didn’t speak when I pulled out, but the sound he made—broken, guttural—was something I felt in my c**k all over again. He didn’t move right away. Just stayed in the dirt, panting, his skin flushed and marked with my scent, my teeth, my come. The bond between us throbbed like a pulse. And I wasn’t done. I backed off just enough to watch him rise. Muscles taut, thighs shaking. He turned slowly, and the look in his eyes wasn’t submission anymore—it was rage, and heat, and hungry. Then I saw it. The shimmer in his eyes. His wolf. Lucien shifted without warning. Bones cracked. Fur burst across his skin. And in moments, the Alpha I'd just wrecked stood before me on strong legs, breathing hard, hackles raised, his massive frame glistening with sweat and com