Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
A WILD THING, CLAIMED
Maya
I’m a wanderer, a wild thing never meant to stay.
The road has always been my constant, the only thing I’ve ever truly trusted, my only promise to myself.
But here, in the hush of the snow-dusted forest, wrapped in Ronan’s warmth, something tilts inside me.
His amber eyes lock onto mine, intense, unwavering, like I’m something precious.
Something his.
He’s not just looking.
He’s asking.
Waiting.
Claiming.
The world outside is silent, snow drifting lazily past the windows, the forest holding its breath?—
Waiting.
Just like him.
My heart pounds against my ribs, trying to find a rhythm that matches his—steady, certain, grounding.
His scent curls around me, wrapping me in something more than warmth.
Woodsmoke.
Pine.
Something wild and unshaken—a silent vow whispered against my skin.
He holds me close, his heat a palpable thing in the cold night.
His fingers trace my skin, slow and reverent, soft touches that make my breath hitch, make my pulse thrum.
"Stay," he murmurs, the word barely more than a breath.
But it tethers me in place.
I shiver, but not from the cold.
I’ve spent my whole life chasing the horizon, convinced that settling meant losing myself.
But now?—
Now, I am held by a wulver who watches me like I’m his entire world, like I’m the only thing that matters.
And I wonder?—
If home isn’t a place.
It’s a person.
The thought snaps something inside me.
I don’t hesitate.
I don’t overthink.
I launch myself at him, hands gripping his furred shoulders, body pressing flush against his, a desperate, reckless need spilling from me.
He catches me, a low, surprised growl rumbling in his chest, but he recovers fast, his arms locking around me, securing me in place.
I crush my mouth to his, kissing him fiercely, yielding to him while feeling utterly free in his embrace.
He’s solid, unshakable, the one thing I never knew I needed.
His hands roam, his touch possessive, like he’s memorizing every inch of me.
Like he’s making sure I know exactly who I belong to.
And for the first time in my restless, wandering life,
I don’t want to be anywhere else.