There it was again, that rich flavor on his lips, the feel of her body undulating against his own in powerful, rhythmic waves as beautiful and terrifying as the ocean. The alpha growled against her lips, possessive and eager, never before wanting someone as desperately as he wanted her. Here. Now. The instinct to mark her, to pierce her flesh with his teeth and leave his scent on her was all he could feel beyond the overwhelming euphoria pulsing from his groin. Snarls of appreciation sounded from his lips as Ylva dug her fingernails into his chest. Neither an excessively gentle nor violent lover, Valko had always seemed to straddle the line between sweet and rough, satisfying his partners without leaving them too bruised. But he liked this little pain she inflicted upon him and would not argue if she felt the need to do more. It made him want to take her, to claim her, to make her his as she was making him hers.<br/><br/>"Ylva..." he groaned, but his words were eaten up by ravenous lips. He wrapped his arms around her lithe form, massaging the tense muscles in her back as he continued to pump up into her. Time passed by them like water through the cracks between fingers, slippery and fleeting. He did not know how long he lay there beneath her, hips thrusting upward until his entire lower body began to burn like fire. The pain in his muscles worried him little; he would fuck her until he collapsed from exhaustion if he could, but his body had other plans.<br/><br/>At the base of his shaft, the alpha's hefty knot began to grow, firm and determined. In the past, Valko would have pulled away from his lovers at this point, not wanting to risk getting them pregnant by interlocking their bodies and producing a bastard pup with a female he wasn't particularly attached to. Never before had the animal inside of him been able to overcome his higher consciousness, but never before had he created a mate bond, and the possibility of pulling away from Ylva in this moment wasn't even something the wolf could comprehend. Flashes of language burst into his mind, but they were abrupt and succinct, only demanding he do what instinct decreed.<i>Fuck. Bite. Mark. </i>That was all there was. All that was important, necessary, and the wolf would have nothing less.<br/><br/>Valko cradled her close, holding onto her tightly as he re-positioned their huddled bodies, pausing in his thrusting just long enough to lay her back down beneath him on the bed. His fingers reached down between her legs to touch where they were connected, feeling the warmth emanating from her womanhood, his cock wet and slick. If he were going to do it, he had to do it now before the knot was too big to fit inside of her. If he were going to claim her as his own, the wolf growled, he had to do it now. Now.<i>Now.</i><br/><br/>Gasping from the effort, his cock sensitive to the touch, the alpha slipped his finger in alongside his rigid shaft, pressing gently against her walls and easing his swelling knot into her. The nerves around the bulb seemed to explode with pleasure, elated to finally be serving their purpose. With his knot in place, Valko slowly removed his fingers, bringing his hand to his lips and smiling as he licked her wetness from his skin. Even here she was sweet.<br/><br/>He leaned down over her, taking a handful of wet hair into his fingers and pressing his mouth against hers, still tasting of her arousal. "You are so beautiful," he muttered, words shuddering from his mouth as he began to once again move inside of her, hips pressing down with a needy, desperate desire to fill her. "I do not understand why the gods brought you to me, but I am grateful." Hungry lips pressed along the length of her throat, so delicate and lovely. He quickened his pace, icy eyes flashing with flecks of gold as the wolf claimed him once more.