<i>She is so beautiful</i>, he thought, unable to tear his gaze away from the she-wolf as she let her dress fall into a crumpled pile of fabric in the grass. Valko had seen many a stunning wolf during his relatively short lifespan, but none of them called to him as Ylva did, none of them pulled at the blood within his veins and in the marrow within his bones. It was as though the gods had sculpted them as one, two pieces intended to be broken apart and molded back together to complete the whole. However rough and violent the road the gods had paved to bring Ylva here, Valko believed now they had done so with intention. Ylva deserved none of the pain she had been forced to endure to get here, but he was intent on making it up to her. If the only way she could live a life of peace was to see the wolf who destroyed her family meet a grisly end, then so be it.<br/><br/>But there was no need to consider such grim prospects right now, not as the sun shone down and kissed at Ylva's skin, illuminating her with a tender glow.<br/><br/>The alpha opened his arms as she came to him, growling softly in appreciation as Ylva pressed her feminine form against his. His fingers lingered at her hips, pulling them close so she could feel the way his body ached for her beneath the fabric. "Ylva," he moaned, his voice a deep rumble against her plush mouth. "You are mine and I am yours. Now, and always." He kissed her again, tasting the sweetness of her tongue against his own. His fingers grew braver now, one hand moving to grip at the firm curve of her ass. The other hand, subtler, gentler, pressed between their tightly held bodies and moved with deliberate caution down her taut abdomen, caressing the dip of her navel before continuing down.<br/><br/>"You smell more wonderful than anyone else I have ever encountered," he husked, leaning down to affectionately nip at her throat as his fingers slid smoothly along her mound and settled between her legs. Though the alpha's hands were rough and calloused from years of hard physical work and even harder running and hunting as wolf, he treated his lover's body with a delicacy rare to most males. A single finger pressed between her lips, dampening the tip of his digit with her arousal before sliding back to stimulate her clit. He moved his finger in a slow circular motion, giving a consistent moderate pressure. He wanted to smell more of her, to lick and taste between her thighs, to pleasure her and mark her with his scent and teeth.<br/><br/>Touching her left him throbbing, his stiff sex ached with need to fill her. "Get these things off of me," he snarled playfully, planting kisses along the sharp, elegant line of her collarbone.