Elena’s POV

I didn’t mean to bite him. It happened before I could think.

His face was too close, the air too warm, and something inside me snapped. My wolf reacted first — a sharp warning instead of words. My teeth grazed the place on his neck where I’d marked him once before.

For a second I expected anger, maybe even pain, but Damien didn’t flinch. He only exhaled, slow and steady, the tension in the room breaking like a held breath finally released.

A faint line of red appeared ...