Although Violet searched for an escape, she knew deep down there was no outrunning this. The fever had already sunk its claws into her, clouding her thoughts, leaving her lightheaded and painfully aware of every inch of her body that ached for her mate.

But not like this. Not when Wraith had taken the reins. If he caught her like this, there would be no restraint, just raw, consuming need —and that was exactly what Thalia, her crazy wolf, wanted.

Sure, Violet was into rough sex, but she sure as hell wasn’t about to let her mate reduce her to nothing but something to be claimed. At least, not without a fight.

Violet finally made it down the stairs, but she could feel him right behind her, closing in fast. Asher’s breath ghosted against the back of her neck, so close that if she faltered for even a second, he would have her.

With unnatural speed, she vaulted onto the balustrade in one seamless motion and launched herself off it, using the drop to gain distance as she glided down to the floor below, Asher’s hand swiping at empty air.

Violet landed smoothly in the living room, proud of herself. She then glanced up to see Asher’s nostrils flare, his gaze dark, heated, and locked entirely on her.

A slow, daring smirk curved her lips.

But that was a bad move.

Because the next second, Asher threw himself over the railing, landing hard on the floor below with a thud before stalking toward her without pause.

Fuck her life.

Violet turned to run again, but she had underestimated what Thalia had unleashed. The hunt had taken hold of Asher, his blood thrumming with a primal thrill as old as time itself.

He caught her in seconds, slamming into her from behind and driving them both to the living room floor, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs.

Somewhere behind them, fire crackled in the hearth, casting shadows across the walls where portraits of ancient Fae watched in silence.

But Violet couldn’t focus on any of that, not when he was on her, pinning her down. His skin against hers was like gasoline poured onto an open flame, heat pooling low in her belly. His intoxicating scent filled her lungs, dizzying, overwhelming, and though she tried to fight him off, a dark, traitorous thrill coiled inside her when he grabbed both her wrists and pinned them above her head.

Then he snarled in her face. "You’re mine, now. All mine."

Goddess.

Violet felt wetness pool between her thighs, her body betraying her completely. She was already aching, already burning, and when he lowered his head, nuzzling into her neck, his breath hot against her skin, she arched into him without thinking, silently begging for his teeth.

She wanted him to claim her. To mark her.

But Asher had already lost patience, swallowed whole by the mating haze. All Violet heard was the sharp tear of fabric. Before she could look to see what that was, he pried her thighs open and then plunged right into her hot wetness, the both of them moaning and gasping at the feeling.

Goddess above. Violet was instantly swept away as her back arched off the floor. Asher hadn’t even given her any warning or let her adjust to the sweet stretch of his cock inside her. All he did was wrap her legs around him, locking her tightly around him, and thrusting into her with the pace of a madman.

"Mine. Mine. Mine." He gritted his teeth, fucking her harder.

"Yes... yours," Violet breathed, her voice breaking into a moan as she gave in, relishing the rough, desperate control he had over her.

Snarling and moaning, Asher, or rather Wraith was rutting her like the animal he was right now and Violet loved every bit of it.

"My purple queen," he said with such reverence in his voice, slamming into her with quick, deep strokes like he intended to worship her this way.

The sensation was so overwhelming Violet didn’t even feel it coming until it crashed over her, a cry ripping from her throat as she clung to him like her life depended on it, completely lost to the mind-blurring pleasure.

Asher stared down at his mate, mesmerized by the way her lips parted slightly, the flush on her cheeks, and the soft moans that slipped from her as she shuddered beneath him. Then his teeth tingled, those sharp canines descending.

He couldn’t help it, no, it was pure instinct when his canines sank into the space between her neck and shoulder.

"Asher!" Violet screamed as the sharp edge of pain laced through the pleasure, and then she came again, shuddering and cursing beneath her breath.

He felt the gush of wetness, her nails digging into his back deeply enough to draw blood. The sting of pain and the way she gripped him tighter made him go rougher, stripping away what little control he had left.

"Asher!" Violet was practically chanting at this point as he pounded harder into her. "Oh my god, Asher!"

Yes, he was her god. He agreed with wraith at this point as they fucked her with careless abandon. They had dreamt for this moment for so long they would make every inch of it count.

So when Violet clenched around him hard, it set him off. Asher groaned, nearly blacking out from the force of it, his body spasming as release surged through him.

He slumped against her, winded, until Violet bit into his neck, and then he cursed as he lost control again, release hitting him for a second time in record time.

Goddess above. She was going to be the death of him.

No, she already was.

For a moment, it was just the two of them, Violet nipping and sucking at his neck while his hands roamed her body, memorizing every inch he could reach.

Asher leaned in, cupped her chin, and kissed her. Violet met him with the same ferocity, feeling him stir inside her. Oh yeah, he was still inside her.

Not that she was complaining. He could stay like that forever, and she would never tire.

His tongue slid in, teasing, claiming, while she tangled her fingers into his hair, and it was that movement that caught her attention through her half-lidded gaze.

She pulled away from the kiss, breathless.

"Holy fuck."

Asher’s eyes snapped open, instantly alert. For a second, he thought something was wrong, a growl already rising in his throat at the thought of anyone intruding on them until he saw it too.

The mating rune.

"What the—"

He pulled out of her abruptly, his breath hitching as his gaze locked onto the mark, stunned into stillness.

Their mating rune was etched at the center of their hands. Not just that, it was identical in every way, as though one had been perfectly mirrored onto the other.

The mark itself was a geometric symbol with a straight vertical line through the center, a diamond shape in the middle, and two angled shapes at the bottom. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

But what truly made it impossible to ignore was the color. Black and purple. They were not layered or separate, instead the two hues bled into each other seamlessly, flowing side by side, as if they were meant to exist as one.

"Impossible," Asher muttered, his breath stuttering as he stared at their joined hands. He had never seen anything like this before.

Beside him, Violet was just as stunned, her gaze fixed on the mark like it might disappear if she blinked.

"Have you ever seen something like this before?" she asked, her voice laced with disbelief.

Asher shook his head. "Not as far as I know. This is the first time I’m seeing something this unique....and breathtaking."

His fingers tightened around hers, almost reverently. "Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that we’re bound together. Your breath is mine. Your life is mine."

Violet let out a chuckle, though her eyes remained glued to the rune. "The goddess sure has a twisted sense of humor," she murmured, fascinated.

Asher intertwined their fingers fully, lifting their joined hands. The mark stood out starkly against their skin, impossible to ignore.

"The others are going to lose their minds over this," Violet said, a hint of amusement slipping into her voice. "Roman especially."

She could already imagine it. If he could, the South cardinal Alpha would have her in low-cut shirts all the time just to flaunt their mating rune to the world.

But Asher’s mark didn’t need help with broadcasting its existence. Unless she wore gloves—and she had no intention of doing that—their rune would be on display for all to see.

"Good for him," Asher said with satisfaction. "I’ll punish him twice for every time he tormented me with the bond."

His gaze darkened as it shifted back to her. "Now, shall we continue?"

Before Violet could ask what he meant, he had already lifted her off the ground.

"Let’s take it to the bed properly. Like a queen deserves, don’t you think?"

Violet flushed, her breath catching as Asher turned and stalked toward the room they had once ran from.