Chapter 18
Bronc
Iwoke before sunrise and watched Juliet sleep, her golden hair a tangled mass on her pillow. Tracing the warmth of her face with gentle fingertips, I admired her peaceful form before heading downstairs to prepare breakfast.
Methodically, I arranged a carton of eggs, bread, and all the fixings on the counter while coffee dripped steadily into the carafe.
I’d just set the iron skillet on the stove as the sound of small, bare feet pattered behind me.
Juliet appeared in the doorway, her oversized shirt hanging just low enough to stir the wolf in me.
She wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned her head against my back.
“Morning, handsome.”
“Morning, yourself,” I replied, turning to face her, feeling the heat of her against me. In one swift motion, I lifted her onto the kitchen island, her legs draping naturally around my hips.
She pulled me closer, and we shared a long, tender kiss. I tasted her lips like a man deprived. Damn, it’d been too long.
“How’s my girl feeling?” I asked, my voice rough with all the need I’d held back.
“Better than ever.” She smiled, with that fire lighting her eyes, no trace of the weakness or feverishness that had plagued her over the last few days. Her shifter blood was coming on stronger than I’d expected.
“That’s fucking music to my ears.” I couldn’t hold back any longer, not when she was right there in front of me, looking like she was made of golden light.
Her shirt came off in a hurry, my hands tracing every inch of skin beneath it.
We’d already baptized this island with her cum once.
Nothing was gonna stop me from doing it again right now.
Our kiss deepened, a sweet heat rising between us.
I hadn’t been intimate with her in days because of the effects of her oncoming shift.
I remedied that with eager fingertips that dragged a steady path between her thighs.
She let out a breathless gasp as I slipped them inside her already wet warmth. “I’ve missed this,” she whispered, and I could feel her pulse quicken.
“Missed you more,” I spoke, the words against her neck, then licked my way down her collarbone. I took my time, savoring every inch of her skin with lips and tongue.
When I reached her breasts, her fingers tangled in my hair, willing me closer.
She arched her back, pressing against me, and the sound of her moans wrapped around us like the steamy air of the kitchen.
Her skin was flushed with heat, and I could feel the change in her; the strength, the untapped power that came with her shifter blood.
It made her wilder, and I loved every bit of it.
Lowering myself to my knees, I took her with my mouth, the intensity of her response igniting me. I’d let her believe she was in charge, at least for now. But I wouldn’t stop until she screamed my name.
Her hands were in my hair again, tugging with a fierceness that only made me hungrier for her.
Her taste had become more smoky, more intoxicating, more everything Juliet.
She shuddered, every muscle tense as I drove her higher.
I added two fingers deep inside her as my tongue continued its assault on her swollen clit.
She threw her head back, her body leaned on her hands so she could thrust her hips toward me, wanting everything I could give her.
She cried out my name as her juices coated my tongue.
The sweetest taste, the sweetest sounds.
As I leaned back, I licked my way up her thighs and stomach, all the way up to her waiting mouth.
She drank herself off my tongue, her arms wrapped tightly around my neck.
I pulled her hips until she was seated fully around my aching erection, holding her still as I moved in and out of her.
She raised her head, exposing her beautiful neck to me. I’d eased her further off the island, so I had more leverage. My thrusts became harder as my knot expanded.
“Nothing feels so good as your pussy wrapped around me, Little Wolf.” I growled into her neck as I nipped and licked.
Her moaned reply was the only answer offered.
My knot swelled and held her in place as my thrusts shortened, and her body quaked. “I need you to come for me now, Juliet.”
I bit her on my claiming mark, feeling her blood splash across my tongue. I came with a roar as Juliet’s hips bucked as much as they could, up from the island. Her entire body shook from the power of her release as I lapped the small amount of blood that trickled from her bite mark.
She looked up at me with such immense emotion and love that it almost buckled my knees. This woman—my mate—had changed everything.
I cleaned her, and the kitchen countertop once my knot softened. Then I settled her at the dining table while I finished making breakfast. It was vital that she had hearty meals today filled with lots of protein and calories to prepare for her shift tonight.
While we ate, we discussed tonight’s ceremony one more time. I wanted to make certain I had answered any lingering questions she may have had concerning what to expect. There was no room for fear.
Her eyes shone with resolve. “I’m ready,” she said, taking my hand in hers, sealing her confidence with the touch of her skin on mine.
After all she’d already faced in her life, I knew this woman could take on the world. In just a few hours, we’d see if the world was ready for her.
We spent the day as peacefully as possible. A few visitors popped in and out. Ma dropped off a bounty of food for lunch and dinner. The men had stopped by to offer more encouragement. But mostly Juliet and I rested and talked.
Night had fallen, and we’d prepared for the ceremony.
I gave Juliet privacy as she showered and readied herself in the bathroom.
I’d dressed in a pair of white satin pants with the red heart and silver wolf Iron Valor MC Pack emblem embroidered on the leg.
Sitting in the lounge chair in our room, I watched the door, anticipating her entrance.
Juliet emerged from the bathroom dressed in a white satin robe that fell gracefully to the floor.
She looked like a fucking angel. The long sleeves had a soft ruffle at the wrists.
A wide red belt tied in a bow cinched the robe at her small waist. The Iron Valor red heart and silver wolf emblem was embroidered on the left side of the robe over her heart.
Her golden waves trailed down almost to her waist. Her face was free of makeup, full lips naturally pink and those damn adorable little freckles dotted across her nose and cheeks.
I rose to meet her, cupping her face in my hands.
“You are the most exquisite woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on, mate.” I whispered, kissing her with reverence.
Her voice was small. “Thank you, Bronc, mate, love.”
I guided us out of the cabin and onto the open plains, the grass soft under our bare feet.
This was as much a declaration as it was a celebration, marking Juliet’s transformation and our first full moon as a mated couple. My pack stood in formation, rows and rows of pack members. The ancient songs of our people rose into the night sky, an unbroken chant of loyalty and strength.
We walked arm in arm into the front of the clearing, and as we faced our pack, the chants quieted. More than a hundred pairs of eyes looked to the ground as they gave us space.
I stood rooted in the damp grass as Big Papa moved to address us all, his ceremonial robes sweeping through moonlit clover.
His gravelly deep voice rolled across our gathered pack like distant thunder—respectful yet impossible to ignore.
We turned to face him. My pulse quickened when he turned those knowing eyes toward Juliet beside me.
“The Moon Goddess paints tonight’s sky for more than ceremony,” he rumbled, gesturing toward silver light that fractured through storm clouds.
Every syllable carried generations of tradition.
Her first shift, I thought fiercely, my mate’s trembling fingers tightening around mine.
“She blesses not just warriors’ strength tonight.
” A warm huff left my chest as his beard lifted in a knowing smile directed at us both. “Our Luna’s awakening.”
Heat climbed my neck when murmurs of approval rippled through the wolf-kind ranks behind us. My gaze never left Juliet’s profile—the determined set of her jaw beneath falling platinum and gold curls that suddenly seemed to glow with its own light. Our light.
Papa's tone gentled as fireflies began winking awake around us.
“When stars crown midnight,” his palm pressed over his heart, “Bronc will guide his Luna beyond watchful eyes.” Pride swelled beneath my ribs even as anticipation coiled tighter.
“Let sacred solitude cradle this becoming.” His wink flashed white in the shadows when nervous laughter broke from Juliet, musical notes swallowed by cricket song.
The ancient blessing came then—Old Tongue words flowing over us like warm oil. I barely registered my own claws pricking palms until Juliet’s scent sharpened, ginger and sugar cutting through pine resin. Her shoulder pressed harder against mine as JT’s final syllables vibrated in shared marrow.
Soon, I promised wordlessly as our pack began howling approval.
Soon we’d disappear into black pines until moonlight carved beasts from our skin.
Soon we’d return blazing twin trails through forest loam, our people running thunderous at our heels.
But this next breath? This quicksilver moment before becoming?
This was ours alone.