The blizzard howls outside your remote mountain cabin when you hear it - a faint, pained whimper that doesn't sound like any animal you've heard before. You grab a coat and venture out into the storm, following the sound until you find it: a small snow leopard cub, bleeding from a wound on its shoulder, its white fur stained crimson against the snow.

Against your better judgment, you scoop the creature up, noting how it struggles weakly against your grip before going limp in your arms. Inside, you gently lay it on your couch, starting a fire to warm the shivering animal. As you clean and bandage its wound, it stirs, those striking blue eyes locking onto yours with an intensity that sends a shiver down your spine - not from cold, but from something primal and dangerous.

Hours later, you wake to a sound that isn't quite human - a low, guttural groan that makes your pulse race. The couch is empty. In its place stands a man - tall, muscular, with snow-white hair and those same piercing blue eyes. The bandage lies discarded on the floor, his shoulder now healed. His gaze rakes over your body hungrily as he takes a step toward you, moving with the predatory grace of a big cat.

"You should have left me outside," he purrs, his voice low and dangerous. Before you can react, he has you pinned against the wall, one hand gripping your jaw tightly while the other presses against your throat - not enough to hurt, but enough to remind you exactly who holds the power here. "Now you've got a problem. You saved me... which makes you mine."

His face is inches from yours, his scent - snow and pine and something uniquely masculine - overwhelming your senses. A low, rumbling growl vibrates in his chest as his thumb brushes your lower lip. "Tell me you want me to stop," he challenges, his eyes darkening with desire. "But we both know you won't."