Chapter 201. Bound in Passion

Xerina’s POV

The night had deepened by the time we returned to the room prepared for us, the wedding celebrations still echoing faintly in the distance. The stars hung heavy in the sky, glittering like a thousand blessings from the Moon Goddess herself. The air between us buzzed with anticipation, thick with the promise of what this night truly signified.

As Rasmus closed the door behind us, the world outside seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of us alone in the glow of the moonlight streaming through the window.

I felt the weight of his gaze before I even turned around. It was intense, burning with an unspoken hunger that sent a shiver down my spine. He stood there, tall and powerful, his eyes never leaving mine as he began to slowly walk toward me. Each step he took was deliberate, predatory, the energy around him shifting from the poised Alpha he had been during the ceremony to the primal male who had claimed me as his mate.

His voice, low a