Awake My Soul

Caedes' eyes darkened intensely, emeralds shifting between understanding and something inherently primal. His paw froze against her intricately marked cheek, the rough pads unmoving as he searched her gaze; restraint waning as her words made her desire clear. She had a way of beckoning from him the best and worst, he inwardly mused. The vulnerability in her tone was not foreign to him—it was a need he understood, one he could satisfy in ways words never could.

The corners of his mouth twitched into something that wasn’t quite a smile—too sharp, too fleeting. His touch shifted, sliding down to press against her chest, over her heart. “If,” he murmured, voice dropping into a rough growl that rumbled deep within his chest. “That is what your heart craves.” His muzzle tilted, brushing against hers for a moment, before claiming her lips in a heated kiss—one of comfort and hunger in equal parts.

The scarred brute’s body pressed firmly against hers as he moved closer, unwilling to break away for breath. His other paw found her hip, his grip pressing just enough to ground her in place against him. There was no hesitation, no room for doubt in the way he moved, his actions spoke of absolute devotion. Every motion done with instinctual certainty, as though he had long resolved to banish her emptiness with the fire he was ready to ignite and stoke.