life. Now, their bond seemed like the most natural thing in the world.
"And—and I am," she said in a rush. "I'm ready to fight for you, Knox. You're the future that I want. The only future."
The shift in Knox was so slight that if Josie hadn't come to know him so well, she would have missed it: the softening of the light in his eyes, the swell of his chest as he breathed deeply of her scent.
She raised her trembling hand near his face, and the intensity of his gaze shifted again, becoming hungry, possessive, needful.
Then she touched him.
Josie gasped the instant her hand made contact with his skin. A wave of energy traveled from his body to hers, filling her with a sense of peace so complete and perfect that she knew she would never be the same.
All the control Knox had been holding onto so tightly fell instantly away. He leaned back his head and roared, the colossal sound shaking the snow from the trees.
Then he pulled Josie into his arms and kissed her.
It was everything a kiss could be, full of passion and heat and promise, each of them spurring the other on with their hunger for more.
As the kiss deepened, Knox lifted Josie off the ground and cradled her against his chest. He continued to kiss her as he hurried through the darkening woods, guided by his instinctive knowledge of his land back to his cabin.
If anyone else had tried to carry her at such speed while blindly navigating massive boulders and felled trees, Josie would have been terrified…but this was Knox. Her alpha.
He would always protect her, would allow no harm to come to her ever again. The thought only deepened the heat emanating from low in her belly, the craving to take him inside her.
Josie needed more of Knox, and she needed it now. She pounded at his shoulders with her fists, unable to tear her mouth from his long enough to beg. Was this her new omega nature surfacing? Or just the fulfillment of so many nights spent dreaming of and yearning for him? Josie had no idea…and it didn't matter.
By the time they reached the cabin, she was trembling all over, making desperate mewling cries with every breath she took. The heat between her legs had reached a feverish level, and when a sudden hot torrent gushed from her pussy, Knox threw back his head and howled again. In the next breath, he bounded up the steps and kicked the door open.
Josie barely glanced at the old wooden board still nailed over the broken window, but she couldn't avoid taking in the mess that seemed to fill every corner of the room. Knox had been suffering too, she realized with bittersweet joy. He had been no better off without her than she'd been without him.
They couldn't survive without each other. Their bond was fated, and it could never be severed.
The realization shredded the last threads of Josie's reserve. She'd die if she didn't have Knox that second. Robbed of the ability to speak by her overwhelming lust, she tore herself away from his kiss and clawed at his shirt, desperate to touch every part of him.
Knox laughed darkly as he carried her to the bedroom and laid her on the bed. All traces of uncertainty had vanished, his every movement confident, assured. He ripped off his shirt and tossed it on top of a pile of dirty clothes next to the bed, then stood over her with his powerful arms tensed.
Josie gaped up at his bare chest. She'd seen it from across the room, of course, and it had fueled many of her fantasies, but now he was so close she could finally touch it.
She scrambled to her knees to run her fingertips over his hard pecs, shivering at the combination of satiny, warm skin and the firm muscle underneath. Still, she needed more. She pressed her lips where her fingers had explored, then kissed and licked her way across.
Dear God, Knox tasted heavenly.
A low vibration stirred in Josie's own chest as she tongued the warm, smooth skin—and she realized she was purring, her new omega instincts having commandeered her voice. She teased his hard nipples with her tongue, earning a throaty growl, and felt an answering stirring deep inside her.
She continued to lick and taste, following a path over the ridges of his abs and down to his waistband. Her fingers fumbled at his zipper, hungry for the prize that she'd