Chapter 21: Chapter 21

ERIK

The moment Jasmine entered my life, I knew she was going to be my downfall. The instant I considered us more than friends, I knew I was hers…

Our first meeting as children wasn’t some storybook love-at-first-sight scenario. It was something more profound, more instinctual. She pushed me in ways no one else could.

Her fiery spirit, her defiance—even as the alpha’s daughter—stirred something within me. A spark that set off a wild flame inside me. Our bond was immediate, explosive, a raw chemistry that tore down every barrier I’d erected.

But it was more than just that. Beneath her fiery exterior, there was a softness, a vulnerability she only revealed when we were alone. That’s when I understood it wasn’t just lust that tied us together.

It was love—a powerful, all-consuming love that made me want to shield her from the world. Even in the early days of…whatever we had, I knew I’d do anything for her. But I wasn’t the only one.

Aaron had her intellect, and Sebastian had her heart. And me? I had her body. Or so I convinced myself. But it was more than just that, wasn’t it?

Yes. I loved her in a way that made walking away impossible. The physical attraction between us might’ve been the strongest, but it was her—the way she looked at me, trusted me, made me feel like I was more than just a soldier—that made letting her go impossible.

I didn’t mind that she had other mates. In fact, it made me feel stronger, knowing I wasn’t alone in my love for her. But I knew I had to be the one to protect her—her, the pack, Aaron, Sebastian.

I had to be their shield, their protector from all the dangers looming. It was what I was made for. A guardian. A warrior.

But with Jasmine, it was more challenging. I couldn’t shield her from the bond drawing us together. I couldn’t resist what we had, even if I wanted to.

I turned away from the window, my gaze meeting her green eyes, and in that moment, everything else vanished. The war, the witches, the council—none of it mattered. She was all that mattered.

“Jasmine, you shouldn’t be here,” I said, my voice shaky. I could feel my self-control slipping, just like it always did when she was near. “I can’t trust myself around you.”

But that wasn’t entirely true. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust myself around her. It was that I wanted her so intensely it was painful—a deep, soul-wrenching pain. The raw, powerful need I felt for her terrified me, made me fear what would happen if I let it all out.

She moved closer, her eyes searching mine, and I saw it—the same need mirrored in her gaze.

“Why?” she whispered. “Because you think you’re protecting me by keeping your distance?”

My chest constricted. She was right, but it wasn’t just that. I wanted to shield her from me, from the tempest within me—the part of me that wanted to claim her so wholly it frightened me. But I also wanted to protect her from the world, from the war, from the impending pain.

I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling. “No…because I can’t trust myself when you’re this close.”

She was now just a few feet away, close enough for me to feel her warmth, to smell the sweet scent of jasmine and vanilla that clung to her skin. It was the most intoxicating scent I’d ever known, the scent that had been imprinted on my skin since she slept in my arms, the scent that was driving me insane.

I wanted to reach out, pull her into my arms, lose myself in her. But I couldn’t. Not yet.

“Erik, you don’t have to protect me from you,” she said softly, taking another step closer. “I’m not scared.”

In a heartbeat, I closed the gap between us, my hand gripping her waist, pulling her against me. Her body molded against mine perfectly, as it always did, as if it were meant to be. But it wasn’t just the physical connection—it was everything. Her warmth, her resilience, her love. She was my anchor, the one thing that kept me from falling apart.

“I’m trying to do what’s right,” I murmured, my words brushing against her ear. “I’m trying to keep it together, but every time I see you…touch you…I lose myself.”

I’d never been scared of losing control—except when it came to her. She was my rock, my anchor, but also my Achilles’ heel.

She cradled my face, her touch so tender it made my heart throb. “You don’t always have to be the strong one, Erik. You don’t have to bear the weight of the world. You can lean on me.”

My jaw tightened. Lean on her? The thought felt alien, as if I were the one who needed to shield her, to ensure her safety. But she didn’t see it that way. She never did. To her, we were equals, partners, soulmates.

“If I let go, Jasmine…” My voice wavered, and I rested my forehead against hers, trying to regain my composure. “If I let go, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to pull back.”

But as I gazed into her eyes, I had a revelation. I didn’t need to pull back. I didn’t need to restrain myself. She was mine, just as much as I was hers. And no matter what happened—no matter how many soulmates she had—I would always be her guardian. I would always be the one standing beside her.

Her lips grazed mine, so gentle, so perfect. “Then don’t pull back,” she breathed, her warm breath caressing my skin. “Don’t restrain yourself with me.”

And just like that, everything inside me shattered.

Her lips stayed on mine, soft yet persistent, like a whisper that held more power than any words could. My heartbeat quickened, the heat between us escalating with every breath. I could feel her hands gliding up my chest, her touch searing through the thin fabric of my shirt, and I knew I was losing the last bit of control I had.

My hands, already encircling her waist, tightened their grip as I drew her closer until there wasn’t even a whisper of space between us. I could feel the rapid throb of her heart, the warmth radiating from her body, and it drove me wild. The overpowering need to possess her, to claim her, blazed through me like a forest fire.

But I couldn’t just surrender—not yet.

I pulled my lips from hers, though it took all my willpower not to plunge back into the kiss. Her green eyes, darkened with desire, met mine, and I could see it—the same flame burning in her, the same need. It mirrored my own, and it made it even harder to restrain myself.

“Erik…,” she murmured, her voice breathless, pleading.

My name on her lips sent a shockwave through my body, and I was already leaning back into her before I could stop myself. I captured her mouth in another kiss, this one fiercer, deeper, more insistent. I wasn’t just kissing her anymore—I was consuming her, succumbing to the hunger that had been gnawing at me since the moment we first touched.

Her hands tangled in my hair, pulling me closer, spurring me on, and I groaned against her lips as I pushed her back against the wall. My body pressed into hers, the heat of her skin driving me insane. The bulge in my pants was growing to a point where it was painful.

Every inch of her beckoned me, every soft moan that slipped from her lips fueled the fire raging within me.

I broke the kiss again, this time letting my lips wander down her neck, savoring the skin that had been tantalizing me all night. Her breath hitched, and I felt her body tremble under mine as I nipped at the sensitive spot just below her ear.

The sound of her soft gasp, the way her hands clenched in my hair, sent a wave of satisfaction through me.

I wanted to lose myself in her, to claim every part of her until nothing else existed, but I forced myself to slow down. I didn’t want to rush this. Not with her. She deserved more than that.

“Erik,” she sighed, her hands sliding down to grip my shoulders, trying to draw me closer.

I groaned again, my control slipping with every passing moment. Her body was like a flame against mine, and I was burning in it, consumed by the need to touch her, to feel her, to take everything she was offering.

But even as I surrendered to the desire, there was something more—a tenderness, a deep connection that went beyond just the physical. I craved her in every possible way, but it wasn’t just about the sizzling chemistry between us. It was about who she was, about the bond we had.

In that moment, I realized I could never let her go, not now, not ever.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” I murmured against her skin, my lips tracing her collarbone. “For you.”

Her breath hitched, coming out in soft gasps as her fingers clung to my shoulders.

“Then have me,” she whispered back, her voice shaking with desire.

I wanted to. I was ready to. But I hesitated, my lips just a breath away from her skin.

“Are you sure?”

Her eyes locked with mine, blazing with resolve.

“I’ve never been more certain.”

That was all the confirmation I needed.

In a heartbeat, I had her pressed against the wall, my hands exploring her body, committing every curve, every inch of her that I’d yearned for to memory. Her body molded into mine, and her soft moan only spurred me on—the tension between us escalating with every caress.

It was like we were a match and gasoline—each touch, each kiss, igniting the fire until all that was left was the heat between us, threatening to engulf everything in its path. And I wanted it all. I wanted to burn with her, to let the fire consume us.

But it wasn’t just the lust that was intensifying—it was the love, the overpowering need to be everything she needed, everything she desired. I wasn’t just claiming her body; I was offering her every part of me, everything I had to give.

And then, as her lips sought mine again, the kiss deepened, and I knew there was no turning back. The world outside ceased to exist. The only thing that mattered was her—Jasmine, my mate, my everything.