Her breath caught sharply when his rough, calloused hand slid around her throat, firm enough to command her attention as he forced her to meet his gaze.
God, he loved those silver flecks swirling in her ocean-deep eyes. The sight of them her wolf stirring, answering him sent a dark thrill straight through him.
"Charlotte."
The way he said her name low, deliberate told her everything.
This was no passing moment. He was serious.
His dark eyes, laced with molten gold, searched her face, probing for hesitation, for doubt. But he would find none. Because there was none to find.
She wanted this.
She wanted him.
"Once I mark you… you'll be mine, Charlotte," he murmured, his voice rough, heavy with promise as he looked down at her.
"All mine," he added, tightening his hold on her throat just slightly, enough to emphasize the claim.
