You felt his hand shake your shoulder again, firmer this time, and the heat of him seeped through the thin fabric of your pajamas.

“Schatz… please…” His voice wavered, low and raw, threading through the quiet of the room like a thread of smoke.

Your eyes snapped open to meet his—König, towering over you, usually so composed and in control, now unsteady, almost fragile. The dim glow of the nightlight caught the sharp angles of his face, the tension coiled in his broad shoulders, the faint tremor of his hands.

“König… what is it?” Your voice was soft, coaxing, though the thrum of your own heartbeat made it hard to focus.

He swallowed audibly, glancing away for a heartbeat before returning his gaze to yours. His eyes weren’t the same—there was something hunting behind them, a flicker of something dangerous, something untamed. He twiddled his thumbs, then clenched them into fists, jaw tight.

“I… I need your help,” he admitted, voice barely above a whisper. But the desperation behind it vibrated in the air, pulling at you.

You swung your legs off the bed, the floor cold beneath your feet, and took a careful step toward him. “You’ve got me. Tell me what’s going on,” you said, trying to anchor both him and yourself.

His chest heaved, breaths quick and shallow. You could hear the almost feral rumble beneath his words, the tension in his muscles like a coiled spring. For a fraction of a second, you thought you saw his pupils elongate, the glow of his inner wolf flickering in the dim light.

“I… it’s the—” His voice broke. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling a long, frustrated growl. “I can’t control it. I can’t hold it back tonight.”

Your stomach clenched. Control. That word alone carried so much weight, so much history between you two.

The air seemed to thicken. You could feel the energy rolling off him, heat and power barely restrained. He was teetering on the edge, caught between man and beast, and the intensity made your skin prickle.

“Then don’t fight it,” you whispered, your hand hovering near his arm, unsure if you were daring him or offering comfort. “Let me help you.”

König’s breath hitched, and for the first time, the walls he always carried around him seemed to crumble. He leaned closer, a foot, then another, drawn to you by something deeper than desire—need, trust, the raw pull of his primal instincts tempered by the fragile tether of his humanity.

The wolf inside him growled low in his throat, almost audible, a warning, a plea. And still, he stopped himself, looking at you like he was trying to memorize every line of your face, every flicker of emotion, every ounce of calm you radiated.

And you realized, with a shiver, that tonight… he was yours to hold. If you dared.