Chapter 114: Chapter 114 Sanctuary
Victoria
The SUV wound its way along the coastal road until the sea spread out before us—an endless expanse of blue framed by jagged cliffs and golden sands. The villa appeared like something out of a dream: whitewashed walls, sprawling terraces, balconies draped with bougainvillea. The late afternoon sun turned the windows into sheets of molten gold while waves whispered against the private cove below.
My breath caught. "Leo... it’s stunning. Like something from a fairytale."
He leaned back, pleased with himself. "Not just a house. A private estate—five acres, our own beach, complete privacy." His voice dropped into a husky growl that made my pulse skip. "Perfect for a Luna who likes to run wild under the full moon."
Heat flared across my cheeks. "Leo, I—I don’t even know what to say. It’s too much."
His smugness softened. He cupped my face, thumbs brushing tenderly across my skin. "Nothing is too much for you. For too long, you’ve been given too little. Let me give you the world, Victoria. Let me spoil you the way you deserve."
Tears pricked despite my best effort to hold them back. "I don’t need villas or gifts. Just you."
"You already have me," he vowed, fierce and unshakable. "Body, heart, soul—every part is yours. But indulge me in this. This place is for us, a sanctuary away from politics, away from responsibility."
The word sanctuary tugged at something inside me. I’d never realized how badly I wanted a place untouched by the past, untouched by duty. Slowly, I nodded. "On one condition."
He arched a brow. "Name it."
"That you don’t just call it your villa. It’s ours. And if you’re serious about spoiling me..." My lips curved into a teasing smile. "...then hand over the deed."
Leo’s laugh rolled out, low and rich. "Done. Tomorrow I’ll sign it over. Consider it a wedding gift."
My chest tightened. "You’d really just give this to me?"
"Correction," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I’m giving it to us. But it will have your name on the papers. No arguments."
Relief and joy tangled in my chest, and before I could thank him, another thought burst out. "Emma gets her own room when she visits. With soundproofing."
Leo threw back his head and laughed, the sound filling the car. "Already arranged. Though between us, I think she’ll prefer to sneak into Tiny’s quarters."
I smacked his chest playfully. "Don’t tease her. She’s mortified enough about that crush."
"It’s mutual," he confided, his hand tracing idle patterns on my arm. "Tiny nearly ripped Carson’s throat out for saying humans were inferior. He’s protective of her already."
Warmth filled me. Emma deserved happiness, and Tiny’s steady strength might be exactly what she needed. "Just imagine—we might be planning another mating ceremony soon."
"One thing at a time," Leo rumbled, nuzzling my hair. "First, I need two uninterrupted weeks with my mate."
I tilted my face up to his. "And what exactly do you plan to do with two weeks?"
The wicked gleam in his eyes sent heat curling low in my belly. "First, carry you over the threshold. Then make love to you in every room—starting with the master suite overlooking the Aegean."
I gasped, half scandalized, half thrilled. "That’s ambitious."
"I’m a very determined wolf," he growled, nipping my bottom lip.
Before I could kiss him properly, the SUV slowed, turning onto a private drive shaded by ancient olive trees. At the top of the slope, the villa revealed itself fully, elegant and sprawling against the hillside, terraces melting into the natural landscape.
"Oh, Leo," I breathed. "It’s beautiful."
Pride radiated from him. "Wait until you see inside."
Stavros pulled to a stop in the circular drive. Leo stepped out, then surprised me by scooping me up into his arms before I could take his hand.
"Leo! What are you doing?"
"Carrying my mate over the threshold," he said with mock solemnity, eyes glinting with mischief. "It’s tradition."
"That’s a human custom," I pointed out, looping my arms around his neck.
"I’m making an Alpha decision to adopt it." He nodded at Stavros, who hurried to open the massive door.
The entryway opened into a soaring great room with floor-to-ceiling windows framing the endless Aegean. My breath hitched.
"Welcome home, Luna," Leo murmured, setting me down but keeping me within his arms.
"Our home," I whispered back, kissing him softly.
The kiss deepened instantly, heat sparking between us. His hands slid lower, lifting me against him. My legs wrapped around his waist instinctively.
"The luggage, Alpha?" Stavros’s voice intruded delicately from the door.
Leo broke away only long enough to snarl, "Leave it here. We’ll sort it later."
"The pantry is stocked. Shall we return tomorrow or maintain privacy longer?"
"Two days," Leo answered without glancing away from me.
The door shut quietly, leaving us alone.
"Two days?" I teased, breathless. "What are you planning, Alpha?"
His growl vibrated through me as he carried me deeper into the villa. "To worship you until you forget your own name. And then start again."
The master suite was breathtaking: a vast bed dressed in white linens, glass walls opening onto a terrace where an infinity pool seemed to melt into the sea itself.
"Paradise," I whispered.
"It is now that you’re here," Leo said, his eyes glowing faintly with his wolf as he laid me down on the bed.
Leo’s hands framed my face as he knelt above me on the bed, his powerful body caging mine against the crisp white sheets. The intensity in his gaze made my breath catch.
"I want to see you," he commanded, fingers finding the hem of my sundress. "All of you."
With one swift movement, he pulled the dress over my head, leaving me in nothing but a delicate lace bra and matching panties. His eyes darkened as they swept over my body, possessive and hungry.
"Fucking perfect," he muttered, hands spanning my waist. "Every inch of you belongs to me."
"Then claim it," I challenged, feeling bolder than I ever had before. "Claim what’s yours, Alpha."
A primal sound rumbled from his chest as he tore my bra clean off, the expensive lace ripping like tissue paper. Before I could protest the destruction, his mouth closed over one nipple, sending a bolt of pleasure straight to my core.
"Leo!" I gasped, arching into the wet heat of his mouth.
"So responsive," he praised, teeth grazing the sensitive peak. "So fucking wet for me already."
His hand slid between my thighs, confirming his words as his fingers pushed aside the thin barrier of my panties to stroke through my slickness.
"Please," I whimpered, hips bucking against his touch.
"Please what?" he demanded, circling my entrance teasingly. "Tell me what you need, Victoria. Be explicit."
My cheeks burned, but I was beyond caring about modesty. "Your fingers. Inside me. Now."
"Good girl," he purred, sliding two thick digits into me without hesitation. "Christ, you’re soaked."
I moaned as he curled his fingers, finding that spot that made my vision blur. His thumb pressed against my clit as he worked me, building a relentless rhythm that had me clutching at his shoulders.
"That’s it," he encouraged, watching my face with fierce concentration. "Let go for me. Show me how good I make you feel."
The coil of tension wound tighter and tighter until it snapped, pleasure crashing through me in waves. I cried out his name as I came, walls clenching around his fingers.
Before I could recover, Leo was tearing off his own clothes, his massive erection springing free.
"Spread your legs wider," he ordered, positioning himself between my thighs. "I need to be inside you now."
He tore my ruined panties away with one brutal yank, then lined himself up at my entrance. With one powerful thrust, he buried himself to the hilt, the delicious stretch making both of us groan.
"Fuck," he swore, muscles trembling with the effort to hold still. "So tight. So perfect."
I wrapped my legs around his waist, urging him deeper. "Move, Leo. I need you to move."
Something wild flickered in his eyes. "Hold on to me," he warned, then withdrew almost completely before slamming back in with a force that made the headboard bang against the wall.
Each thrust was harder than the last, the controlled Alpha giving way to something more primal as he claimed me. His hands pinned mine above my head, his teeth nipped at my throat, my breasts, leaving marks that would bloom purple by morning.
"Mine," he snarled against my skin. "Say it."
"Yours," I gasped as he hit a spot that made stars burst behind my eyelids. "I’m yours, Leo."
"And I’m yours," he growled, pace becoming erratic as he neared his peak. "Only yours. Forever yours."
His hand slipped between our bodies, fingers finding my clit again. "Come with me," he demanded. "Now, Victoria."
The dual stimulation sent me over the edge instantly, my second orgasm even more powerful than the first. I screamed his name as my body convulsed around him, triggering his own release. He buried himself deep with a final thrust, his hot seed filling me as he roared his completion.