Ethan POV

I gaze down at Grace, and every instinct screams at me to take what's mine.

Her flushed face. Her swollen lips. The way her chest rises and falls with each rapid breath.

'Mine. She's mine.'

But I force myself to stay still. To not move. To not give in.

Ellen surges forward in my mind. 'Mark her. Now. Claim our mate.'

The demand crashes through me like a physical blow. My canines extend involuntarily, aching to sink into the tender ...