Chapter Twenty-Four
Seraphina
“The snow has stopped,” Kelly called from her post at the infirmary window.
Three months had passed since the battle with the Black Moons, and Kelly was back for the Yule holiday from Silver Moon University, working as one of the infirmary aides as usual. The infirmary, since Linda’s death, had become my domain.
Both Kelly and Laura were catching me up on the missing medical knowledge. But I had plenty of herbal and magical knowledge under my belt, making me a capable healer.
Not that we were working today. We’d vacated Tyler’s house to get ready here.
“Still time for one more prosecco potion,” Vivi said as she topped up mine and my friend’s glasses with fizz.
Vivian was one of the Black Moon Pack females who had sworn allegiance to our pack. There had been many Black Moon females and pups who had sworn their allegiance to our pack or to one of the other packs. Where the Black Moon females and pups had integrated, sadly, none of the males had shown any remorse, and they had been executed a month after the battle. But many like Vivi had integrated into our pack well, keen for the new chance at a happy, stable life, and it was heartening to see.
Tara was reclining on one of the beds, mussing up her short hair so that it was jagged, highlighting her delicate but angled features. My lips twitched. She seemed oblivious to the way she was creasing her bridesmaid dress. To be fair, I thought we’d have to wrestle her into the dress. It was a testament to our friendship that the warrior had agreed to it.
On the other hand, my maid of honor, Selina, looked flawless in her long peach dress, her golden hair flowing down her back in ringlets.
Tyler and I had decided to hold a formal mate bond ceremony, wanting to finally celebrate our bond with the entire pack. Deep winter was drawing in, and Nahachoh would likely soon be cut off from the rest of the packs. I’d wanted to hold our mate ceremony while our friends could still join us.
It was tradition for Silver Moon brides-to-be to wear the giak-adorned gowns that Igaluk’s handmaidens had supposedly worn. But, for me, those overly fussy gowns and official tunics would forever remind me of Linda and Elder Darius. So, I’d opted for an ivory gown, its color reminding me of the pristine snow that blanketed our beautiful lands.
“It’s time,” Selina said with a grin. “You ready?”
I nodded, taking a deep breath as I wandered to the door. The snow had been shoveled all the way up to the mansion’s gardens, and as Tara and Selina held my train, it only took us a few minutes before we arrived in the gardens.
During our planning, Tyler had been happy for it to take place elsewhere if I’d desired. The last thing he’d wanted was for thoughts of the past—of memories of watching him standing on this lawn with Linda—to spoil my happiness. But I wanted our mate ceremony to take place in the place that had long been home to us both.
Besides, the way the pack turned towards me, their eyes centering on me with joy and their faces lighting up as they watched me walk up the aisle, couldn’t be further from the past. I felt lit up from within as our pack shared in our night. I looked around at the faces and people I had come to know, not just as packmates but as friends and loved ones. Perhaps no more was that clearer than the man who stood next to Tyler. The dark-haired, earnest-eyed warrior, who was once my bully, looked at me now with the firmest friendship. I was reminded of a promise Logan had made to me—that when my parents’ names had been cleared, I could have friends here, that I could belong, and I felt how true that was.
Once Logan and I had severed our mate bond, what remained was a friendship I was thankful for every day.
Right now, Logan whispered something in Tyler’s ear, making my mate smile and bright blue eyes brighten. I was even more thankful that the two men had been brought closer by what had happened.
As the music started from the string quartet, Selina whispered, “That’s it, Mia, you can start. Nice and slow, baby.”
Mia, my little flower girl, walked ahead of me, smiling as she scattered yellow pomenta flowers, red spray lilies, and silvery kiva petals along the aisle, the colors commemorating all our allied packs who had helped us win the war against the Black Moons.
This victory had been possible because the Shadow Moon Alpha and Luna, along with the Moonlight Alpha, were attending a meeting in Matsuna—a town bordering our lands—on the night the Black Moons attacked. Tyler had alerted our allies to the invasion, and fate smiled upon us, positioning them nearby. The Alphas and Luna were traveling with large units of warriors, allowing them to swiftly come to our aid.
As I walked down the aisle, I smiled at the friends from our neighboring packs gathered here. Leah stood with Alpha Kyle, holding their newborn son, Jason, along with their daughter Lina. Alexis stood beside them, a huge grin on his face for once as he watched little Mia ahead of me.
My heart seemed to miss a beat as I looked up ahead at the dais, enshrined by torchlight. Alpha Tyler, looking commanding yet relaxed, waited for me in his tux, not a hair out of place. Elder Carl was overseeing our ceremony, looking quite at home before the big ceremonial book as I mounted the dais to take my place opposite Tyler.
Elder Carl began the ceremony, his voice rich with joy and meaning.
“The mate bond is a sacred covenant in our pack and in all shifter society. But I defy any of you to present a couple who had displayed its sanctity better than the two people here tonight. Their love has proved that the mate bond is stronger even than death itself.”
My eyes shimmered with tears as I thought of how Tyler had come back to me. Gratitude and love swelled through my chest as the full fortune of how much the Moon goddess had blessed us with enveloped me.
Tyler took my hands, his warmth radiating through me as he gazed deeply into my eyes.
“Seraphina, I vow to be by your side, to protect you and cherish you through every trial and tribulation—to love you fiercely and support you unwaveringly.”
We’d decided to dispense with too much ceremony, and I grinned as Tyler finished his short but sweet vows, following with mine, “Tyler, I vow to stand by your side like the great twin peaks of Nuvuja. To be your strength in times of lightness and darkness.”
Elder Carl had promised to keep the ceremony brief, too, and now said, “By the power vested in me by Igaluk, I pronounce you mates.”
All the pounding, breathless anticipation that had filled me melted away as my lips met Tyler’s in a kiss, soft but electrifying.
Later, as we arrived back at the kitchen door, Tyler swept me into his arms, and I felt a thrill rush through me as he carried me over the threshold. The sight of our quaint kitchen glimmered with light, sending familiar warmth wrapping around me like the sweetest embrace.
He carried me over the threshold into the place that had always been the heart of our home. I grinned, my heart starting to skip as I caught sight of the kitchen table. There’d been many times in the last few months that we’d gotten cozy here again. For us, it was always our favorite place to be together. Baking sessions, just like in the early days we’d lived together, had become mandatory at the weekends.
“And there’s my Luna thinking about chocolate as usual,” Tyler joked again as he looked at my suggestive smile.
“Only if it’s chocolate-coated Tyler.” I licked my lips.
Tyler’s throat bobbed, and the dark desire in his eyes told me he was thinking of one of the many afternoons in which I’d drizzled chocolate over him, licking and kissing my way down his body.
But Tyler toed off his shoes, then walked me through the kitchen, mounting the stairs.
“I want you in our bed,” Tyler affirmed, the possessiveness in his deep, husky voice making my cheeks flush and heat pool between my legs instantly.
It was our bedroom these days. We’d turned “my” bedroom into my magic room. The altar, crystal, and herb preparation space was useful. I experimented with new herbs and ores there often before taking any with useful medicinal properties to the infirmary.
As Tyler carried me into our room, its cedar scent, once the most torturous form of temptation, was now the comfort and deliciousness it was allowed to be.
I eased off the flats I was wearing as Tyler laid me down on our king-sized bed.
His eyes skated over me with a mixture of hunger and awe as he shrugged out of his tux jacket. Breathing deeply, I looked up at him, feeling something different in his bright blue eyes.
He lowered himself over me, his lips meeting mine with a probing, almost questioning kiss.
“Seraphina,” he whispered against my mouth, reverence coating the word. “Are you finally really mine?” he asked, his gaze cascading over me, as if he still couldn’t believe it. It was the same look he’d given me when he’d gazed up at me when the Moon goddess had returned him to me.
The heady thrill that Tyler really was my mate now, that we’d stood and declared our love before our pack, sparked something deep within me, urgency twirling in my stomach.
“I am yours, and you are mine.” I breathed back, the weight of the moment unfurling around us until the heat in our gaze simmered like a pot boiling over. Our hands were suddenly greedy for one another.
Tyler pulled me up, dragging my dress’s zipper down. There was too much fabric, and as it pooled around my waist, I smiled, suddenly pleased I hadn’t gone for the dress with buttons.
“What’s funny?” he asked, so attuned to my body these days and the subtlest of movements.
“I almost went for buttons.”
He smiled into my neck, his big hands sweeping my bare shoulders and tracing the skin down my collarbone. A shudder of anticipation swept through me.
“You little tease,” he murmured, his lips at the swell of my breasts.
His hands skated down my curves, removing the dress completely, unveiling the silk ivory bra and knickers for this very moment. I’d imagined this so many times. But the fire in Tyler’s blue eyes was something none of my imaginings could ever do justice. His body pressed me deeper into the bed, his hardness through his trousers making my hips wiggle with want and impatience.
That was the thing. I wasn’t the tease, Tyler was. In the same way he liked to savor whatever we baked, he liked to savor me . With soft caresses and brushes of his lips, he set my skin ablaze. Time seemed to slow as his hands explored my body, touching me with familiarity and yet still with that same sense of wonder.
But he surprised me again. “I can’t wait any longer,” he murmured, his voice thick with desire.
The way I was looking at him must have spurred him on as his fingers flew deftly over the buttons of his trousers. I helped him, my hands tearing at the buttons of his shirt, needing the heat of his skin against mine. Soon, his chest was bare, and I ran my fingernails down his chest, drinking in the sight of him, loving his rippling muscle, the hardness above me, straining taught like a bowstring.
It was only his boxers now. My breath caught in my throat, anticipation curling within me as he wrenched the fabric away. Just the sight of him made my desire thrum louder. He leaned closer, his skin warm against mine, the cedar scent of him heady. I could see the pulse in his neck, a rhythm that matched the wild thumping rhythm of my heart. When he pressed himself against me, the hardness of him nestled against my thigh and sent a jolt of want through my core.
His lips trailed down my neck, exploring the tender place just below my ear, sending waves of shivers cascading down my spine. I leaned back into the plush comfort of the bed, offering him my skin and craving more of his. His mouth traveled lower, moving with reverence and urgency, tasting every inch of my bare skin.
The softness of my silk bra contrasted against the heat of his hands as he traced its delicate edges. He hovered there for an agonizing heartbeat, leaving me breathless with anticipation before finally unhooking it with a flick of his fingers. It fell away, and his mouth lingered over my breasts. I let out a soft moan of approval as his tongue and then his teeth tasted my nipple.
“Tyler...” The plea hung in the air, hanging between us like a promise and compelling him forward. I wanted his tongue and teeth down there, something he knew with just the way my hips rolled. I loved that he knew my body so well these days.
He nosed the hem of my underwear, his fingers slipping beneath it to splay possessively over my lower belly. His movements sent electric thrills coursing through me, heightening my anticipation as he fought my knickers downward.
With a thrust of my hips, I responded to his touch, welcoming his fingers deep inside me, chasing our rhythm. But Tyler pulled away, hovering above me with a teasing warmth that left me breathless as his breath ghosted along my collarbone, his fangs brushing my neck.
“Yes,” I said, cravingly, my voice sounding husky and full of want.
With every calculated flick of his tongue against my skin, desire unfurled. I tilted my neck, urging him to forever cement the connection we had always been destined to share.
The moment his fangs pierced the surface, an exquisite rush flooded through me. It was as if the world erupted in flames—raw and electric, drawing us closer into one another.
With that bite, a wave of bliss surged within me, ecstasy overwhelming my senses as heat spread from my neck, igniting a fire that blossomed in the pit of my belly. Tyler crooked a finger and touched me between my legs again, and the feeling built. I cried out, pleasure washing over me like a tide, leaving me breathless as waves of bliss crested and crashed, echoing the strength of our bond.
Tyler held me as my body was racked by pleasure, and then, as he licked my neck, he nudged my thighs apart, burying himself in me. Each time he thrust, I rose to meet him, our need building as we chased our bliss and then found it together.
That night, we found our bliss many times, and having worked up an appetite, some of those times were in the kitchen. It was in a pleasure-hazed sleep that we finally fell asleep in each other’s arms. But the Moon goddess had one final gift for me.
Five years later, I gazed upon the sprawling grounds of Nahachoh in the summer. Golden sunlight spilled over the horizon, bathing the dewy grass and illuminating the shiny, snow-dusted apples hanging heavy on the branches. Meanwhile, our children’s laughter filled the air, mingling with the warmth of the summer sun and the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers.
The goddess’s pool showed me our two children—twins like the twin peaks of the Nuvuja Mountains, a symbol and blessing for the deep devotion and love that Tyler and I held for one another.
Our boy, with my green eyes, and our girl, with Tyler’s tousled dark hair, chased one another. The girl wore a crown of flowers, her eyes flaring with determination—a reflection of her father’s spirit, while the boy’s were wide with wonder as if he were looking beyond the waking world.
Their laughter filled our home as they made it over the threshold. I saw a slightly older Tyler launch into a fighting pose, a smile edging his lips as he mirrored our daughter, who mimicked one of the training poses of the Silver Moon warriors.
I felt my heart swell with pride as I watched our little ones, knowing we’d raise them to lead our pack into a future fortified by strength and compassion and to stand together just as Tyler and I did, partners and leaders in everything we did. As I drifted deeper into slumber, the dreams settled like warm embers of a fire, illuminating the future with fullness and certainty.