Irina’s POV

The world was fire and fog.

Every nerve ending sparked. Alive. Desperate. Aching. Need burned me from the inside out. My skin felt too tight. Too hot. Cool air brushed me. Fleeting relief. Gone instantly. I gasped. The hard floor under me offered no comfort.

A sound sliced the haze. Deep. Rough. Nicolas.

My body recognized him first. A low moan tore from my throat. Pleading.

His scent flooded my senses. Overwhelming the sweet, cloying heat radiating from my own skin.

He crouched near me. Words reached me. Distant sounds. *Medical attention... stand...* Meaningless. Only the rumble of his voice mattered. Vibrating through the fog. I needed him *closer*. Needed the source of that scent pressed against this inferno.

My hand moved. Guided by strings. Fingers brushed the rough texture of his trousers. He caught my wrist. Firm grip. Stopping me. The contact – skin on skin – was electric. A circuit snapped closed. A jolt shot straight to my core. My hips jerked involuntarily.

I looked up. His face swam into focus. Sharp angles. Fierce green eyes. Grim jaw.

"Nicholas." My voice rasped. Unfamiliar. Thick with longing. "You’re here." Not a question. Relief. Vital as breathing.

He spoke again. Lost in the roaring static. I didn’t listen. The need took over. I pushed against the floor. Used his grip as leverage. Ignored trembling weakness. The blanket slipped away. I surged up towards him.

My free hand found the solid warmth of his neck. Fingers tangled in the short hair at his nape. The heat beneath my palm was intoxicating. Then my mouth found his.

His mouth was soft beneath my clumsy assault. Warm. Real. Against the fever. A muffled gasp escaped me. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The hand restraining my wrist released. His arm crushed me against him. Hauled me fully off the floor. My legs wrapped around his hips. Clinging. Seeking anchor. He was solid muscle. His hold was almost brutal. Fingers dug into my hip. My back. Claiming. Demanding. No gentleness. Only ferocity matching the storm inside me.

He broke the kiss. Only long enough to look down. His eyes blazed like emeralds trapped in fire. The intensity stole my breath.

"Fuck it," he snarled. Rough against my flushed skin. His grip tightened impossibly. Possessive. Bruising. His other hand slid lower. Palmed my bare ass. Lifted me higher against him.

The hard ridge of his arousal pressed against the heated core of me. Separated only by layers of fabric. Even that indirect pressure sent shockwaves of need through me.

I cried out. Pure, aching desperation. My body arched against his. Seeking friction. More contact. Anything to ease the molten pressure. My fingers clawed at his shoulders. At the taut muscles of his back beneath his shirt. Needing to feel him. Claim him back.

The growl rumbling in his chest vibrated through me. A palpable wave of dominance. My inner muscles clenched. Helpless. Dizzying response. He strode forward. Carrying me effortlessly.

My back hit the wall near the bed. A soft thud. Cool plaster a fleeting shock against overheated skin. He didn’t pin gently. His body slammed into mine. Pinned me. One hand tangled roughly in my hair. Tilted my head back. Bared my throat.

He pulled back from the kiss. Chest heaving. His gaze raked my face. Down my exposed throat. To where my breasts pressed against his chest. My nipples painfully tight. Aching for touch. "Look at me," he commanded. Voice gravelly.

My eyes, heavy-lidded, blurred with lust, found his. The raw hunger reflected there stole my breath.

"Say it," he demanded. Fingers tightening almost painfully in my hair. "Who do you belong to?"

The words should have choked me. But the fever. The overwhelming scent of Alpha. The desperate pounding need between my thighs... They stripped resistance. The truth clawed out. Raw. Guttural.

"You," I gasped. Barely audible. "I belong to you." The admission felt like relief. Like surrendering to an inevitable tide.

He didn’t waste time. His hand released my hair. Slid down my body with rough urgency. Gripped the waistband of my thin sleep shorts and the underwear beneath.

Cool air hit my slick core. I gasped. Shame tried to surface. Exposure. Vulnerability. Heat drowned it instantly. Replaced by desperate craving.

He positioned himself. The blunt, hot head of his cock pressed firmly against my entrance. Slick heat coated him instantly. My body betraying my fear. Welcoming him. I tensed instinctively. Bracing.

"Look at me," he growled again. Holding my gaze. Eyes fierce. Unrelenting. Anchoring me. "Feel me. Feel who you belong to."

Then he thrust.

Hard. Deep. Uncompromising.

Intense stretching. Burning. Cutting through the haze. Like being split open. My back arched off the wall. Fingers clawed his shoulders. Breath caught in ragged gasps. Tears pricked my eyes. Shocking intensity.

He pulled back almost immediately. Dragging himself almost out. Then slammed forward again. Deeper. The force drove me harder into the wall. I cried out again. Mix of pain and startled, overwhelming pleasure.

He began to move. Hard. Powerful thrusts. Driving air from my lungs with each impact. Held me pinned. Hips pistoning relentlessly. His mouth was on my neck. Not gentle. Teeth scraping sensitive skin. Sending jolts down my spine. He didn’t kiss. He claimed. Biting. Sucking. Marking skin over my pulse. Sharp pain mingled with deep, rhythmic ache inside. Creating terrifying, addictive spiral. My inner muscles clenched involuntarily around his invading length. Feeble resistance. Only made friction burn hotter. Intensifying confusion. Pain and burgeoning pleasure. My cries became ragged rhythm. Punctuating each thrust.

His hand slid down. Fingers found the swollen, sensitive nub above where we were joined. Pressed hard. Rubbing in rough, demanding circles.

Bolt of white-hot pleasure shot through my core. Obliterating lingering pain. My body convulsed violently. Back arching off the wall. Silent scream tore through me. Wave after wave of intense, uncontrollable spasms gripped my inner muscles. Milked his length deep inside. The world dissolved into pure sensation. Hard wall. Crushing weight. Relentless thrusting. Rough pressure on my clit. Shattering release. Ripping through every nerve ending.

He roared. Pure, savage triumph. Hips slammed into mine one final, devastating time. Burying himself impossibly deep. I felt him pulse. Hot, thick rush flooding my core. Marking me from the inside.