Chapter 33
THIRTY-THREE
NAVIRA
Navira wrapped the towel around her tighter as she drifted toward the expansive windows of Thalric’s private chambers.
Her bare feet whispered across the polished stone as each step carried her closer to the view that had captivated her since the moment she’d arrived on Nova Aurora.
The pink ocean stretched endlessly beneath the twin suns, its surface shimmering with an otherworldly beauty that made her chest tight with emotion.
This is home now.
The thought settled into her bones with startling certainty.
Sure, she still needed to make the calls—her father would need an explanation that wouldn’t send him into cardiac arrest, her friends would demand details she wasn’t sure she could articulate, and Dean Morris would require a formal resignation that felt both terrifying and liberating.
But those were logistics. The mechanics of untangling one life to fully embrace another.
What mattered was the profound rightness thrumming through her veins. This beautiful planet, this perfect man, this intense mate bond that pulsed between them like a living thing—all of it was hers now.
The magnitude of it made her dizzy.
Through the completed bond, Thalric’s emotions flowed into her consciousness with breathtaking clarity.
His satisfaction radiated warm and golden, mingling with a possessive contentment that made her skin flush.
But beneath that lay something deeper—a fierce, protective love so intense it threatened to buckle her knees.
She could feel his wolf’s absolute certainty that she belonged to him, with him, in every way.
When he’d spoken directly into her mind through their new telepathic connection, when those words I love you came rushing in—the intimacy of it had been staggering.
No other man had ever been able to access her like this, to know her thoughts and feelings with such precision, and she had never been able to access a man on this profound level until now.
No wonder it never worked out with anyone else, she mused, her fingers tracing the glass. I was waiting for this level of closeness. I was waiting for this life as Luna.
The title sent a thrill through her that had everything to do with her newfound purpose. Luna. Partner. Equal. The woman who would stand beside Nova Aurora’s most powerful sea wolf Alpha and help him lead their people through whatever storms lay ahead.
Strong arms encircled her waist from behind, and she melted back against Thalric’s solid chest. His scent—salt and cedar and something uniquely him—wrapped around her like a cocoon. Through the bond, she felt his contentment deepen, his wolf’s satisfaction at having her in his arms again.
“Everything feels exactly how it’s supposed to be,” she murmured, her head falling back against his shoulder.
His lips brushed her temple. “Yes,” he agreed, his voice rough with emotion. “Everything feels perfect.”
For a moment, they simply stood there, watching the pink ocean that called to her soul. Navira let herself bask in the completeness, the sense that every choice she’d ever made had been leading her to this moment, this man, this life.
Then reality crashed over them like a cold wave.
The sharp trill of Thalric’s communicator cut through their peaceful bubble. Navira felt his body tense behind her, his alertness spiking through the bond with jarring intensity. The sudden shift from contentment to battle-ready focus made her pulse quicken.
“I have to take this,” he said, his voice already shifting into Alpha mode.
She nodded, watching his reflection in the window as he moved to the nightstand. The communicator’s insistent ringing seemed to mock the serenity they’d just shared. War didn’t pause for mated bliss, apparently.
“Thalric speaking,” he answered, his tone clipped and professional.
Through the bond, Navira felt his tension ratchet higher with each passing second. Whatever the person was telling him on the other end of that call was serious—and dangerous. Her newly awakened Luna instincts prickled with unease.
“I’ll be right there,” Thalric said finally, his jaw tight as he ended the call.
He moved to his wardrobe with swift efficiency, pulling out clothes with the practiced ease of a man accustomed to sudden emergencies. Navira turned from the window, her towel still clutched around her.
“What’s going on?”
“Sylar called from the ship docks.” His movements were sharp and controlled. “Pirates hit our supply vessels. They’re trying to come on land.”
Something cold slithered down Navira’s spine. This felt wrong—too perfectly orchestrated. Sylar’s bitter comments during training surfaced unbidden.
Thalric’s blinded by the mate bond. Making choices that’ll get us all killed. A human female leading us? Ridiculous.
“I’m coming with you,” she said, moving toward the dresser where she’d been gradually moving her belongings over the past few days.
Thalric’s hands stilled on his shirt. “You need to stay here and focus on your recovery.”
“I’m fine.” She pulled out dark jeans and a fitted blouse, her movements decisive. “I’m perfectly capable of going to the docks.”
“Navira—”
“I’m Luna now,” she interrupted, meeting his storm-grey eyes with unwavering determination. “I stand beside you in all things. I won’t just stay back here while you handle all the territory’s business and problems—they’re my problems now too.”
What she didn’t mention aloud was the fear gnawing at her gut.
The cove attack had felt orchestrated too, that hidden eel a perfectly timed assassination attempt that would have succeeded if she hadn’t intervened.
The idea of Thalric walking into another potential trap without her made her stomach clench with dread.
His expression softened slightly, but his Alpha authority remained firmly in place. “It could be dangerous.”
“Everything about this world is dangerous.” She pulled on her jeans with quick, efficient movements. “That’s not going to change just because we completed the bond.”
Through their connection, she felt his frustration warring with reluctant adNaviration. He was realizing, perhaps for the first time, that having her as a mate meant having a true partner—someone who wouldn’t be controlled or kept safely locked away.
“Fine,” he said finally, his voice carrying that Alpha edge. “But you follow my lead and stay close to me. If anything goes sideways—”
“I’ll follow your lead,” she promised, pulling her blouse over her head. “But if I notice something, I’m going to point it out.”
He sighed, a sound caught between exasperation and affection. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”