Chapter 6
Zoren
I hadn't planned for this to happen tonight. I'd intended to keep watching, gathering information, strategizing. It was supposed to be the natural course of events, after all. But when Lyrian's magic had flared an hour ago—a brilliant burst of power that had every supernatural being in a ten-mile radius looking toward the Howling Pine—I couldn't stay away.
Something had to be done, and it had to be done as soon as possible. I couldn't lose my window of opportunity.
I found him in the bar's storage room, surrounded by shattered bottles and crackling energy. His platinum hair was wild, eyes glowing with lunar power he couldn't contain anymore. The scent of distress and raw magic filled the surrounding air, making my wolf surge forward with the need to protect, to claim, to soothe. Maybe even more than that…
"Stay back," he warned, but his voice trembled. Another wave of power rolled off him, and I felt it resonate with my own magic. "I can't... I can't control it tonight. I'm not going to keep trying to do that. It's been hurting me."
"Because you've been suppressing it too long," I said, closing the door behind me. We needed privacy for this, and I was hoping that my actions were going to do most of the talking. I needed him to understand me and my reasons. "Fighting what you are. Fighting this." I gestured between us, acknowledging the mate bond that had been pulling us together since that first night.
He could feel it too. It was in the way he was looking at me. He had been suppressing the feeling for too long, but now, it was finally coming out.
His eyes met mine, defiant despite his vulnerability. "You don't understand what it's like, having to hide all the time, having to—" His words cut off as another surge hit him. This time, I moved forward, catching him before he could fall.
I didn't have to say it. I understood how he felt. I had to hide as well, but for different reasons.
The moment I touched him, our magics intertwined. The sensation was overwhelming—like diving into moonlight, like touching the rawest of all powers. My wolf howled in recognition, and I felt his omega respond even as he tried to pull away.
"Let me help you," I murmured, one hand cupping his face. His skin burned beneath my touch, fever-hot with contained power. Even if he kept fighting me, I didn't think I would stop. I wouldn't feel good if I did. "Stop fighting it, Lyrian. Stop fighting me."
"I don't need—" he started, but I could feel him leaning into my touch, his body betraying his words.
"You do," I said, sliding my hand to the nape of his neck, feeling the raised edges of his crescent mark. "And so do I. There's no point in pretending otherwise."
His eyes widened at the admission. I wasn't supposed to need anyone—I was Alpha Nightshade, leader of the most powerful shifter cartel in North America. But this moon-blessed omega had worked his way under my skin, past all my walls, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. He unearthed something in me I thought would never come out.
"Zoren," he breathed, and the sound of my name on his lips broke something loose inside me. The next surge of his power met no resistance—instead, it flowed into me, through me, amplified by my own magic before returning to him.
The feedback loop of power had us both gasping. I backed him against the shelves, aware of every point where our bodies touched, of how perfectly he fit against me. His hands fisted in my shirt, no longer pushing me away but pulling me closer. He wanted me so much.
"This is dangerous," he whispered, even as his head tilted back, exposing his throat in an unconscious gesture of submission that made my wolf growl with approval. He was behaving better than I thought he was going to be.
"Everything about you is dangerous," I replied, lowering my head to trace the line of his neck with my nose, scenting him. Under the magic and power, he smelled like moonlight and surrender, like everything I'd ever wanted. "But I'm not letting you run anymore. It's not good for you."
His pulse raced under my lips as I pressed a kiss to his throat. The small sound he made—half protest, half pleasure—nearly undid me. His magic flared again, but this time it felt different. Wanting. Needing. He ached for me.
"I should fight this," he said, but his hands were sliding up my chest, leaving trails of heat. "I should... Shouldn't be doing this."
I caught his mouth with mine, swallowing whatever protests remained. The kiss was like a thunderstorm, charged with both magic and desire. His lips parted on a gasp, and I took full advantage, deepening the kiss until he moaned into my mouth.
The mate bond between us sang, growing stronger with each passing second. I could feel him surrendering not just to me, but to what we could be together. He wanted to experience it, too.
His power no longer fought mine—instead, they danced together, creating something new and magnificent.
My hands found their way under his shirt, wanting to touch bare skin, needing to feel more of him. He arched into my touch, all resistance gone, replaced by a hunger that matched mine. The shelves rattled behind him as our magic continued to surge and merge.
We should be doing this, just not here, I thought, but at the same time, where would we go?
"Zoren," he gasped as I trailed kisses down his neck, finding that spot where his pulse raced beneath his delicate skin. "We can't... not here..."
I lifted my head to look at him—lips swollen from our kisses, eyes dark with desire, power radiating from every pore.
He looked beautiful, making me surer he was born for me.
"Then let me take you somewhere we can," I growled, sliding my hand into his hair and watching his eyes flutter closed at the contact...
His eyes fluttered open again, darkened with both desire and uncertainty. Despite everything, he was still not certain.
I kept my hand tangled in his hair, gentle but firm, watching the play of emotions across his face. Every small movement between us sparked another surge of combined magic, making the air heavier with power and want.
"I won't force you," I murmured, even as my wolf howled for more of him. It wasn't satisfied with what it had at the moment. "But I need you to understand what's happening between us. What you're doing to me. You need to understand everything."
It was a bit strange how everything was happening so quickly. One moment, we were just strangers. But that was the beauty of finding your true mate, wasn’t it? I just knew he was the one, and I couldn't imagine living without him now that I realized he was meant to be mine.
Lyrian's breath hitched as I traced my thumb along his lower lip. His power flickered like moonlight on water, responding to my fingers in ways his conscious mind still resisted. The mate bond hummed between us, growing stronger with each passing moment.
"Show me," he whispered, and the challenge in his voice made both my wolf and my magic surge. It wasn't as strong as his, but it was there.
Lyrian wasn't submitting; he was daring me to prove myself worthy, and I wasn't going to back down.
I growled, claiming his mouth again but this time with deliberate slowness. The slower speed was necessary to enhance the pleasure of this moment.
His magic sparked against mine, testing, probing for weakness. I let him feel my strength without trying to dominate his power, showing him that I could match him without breaking him. His trust in me was paying off.
"You're different," he gasped when I finally released his lips. His hands had found their way under my shirt, tracing patterns that left trails of tingling magic on my skin. "Most alphas try to..."
"To control you?" I finished, nipping at his neck. The sound he made—somewhere between a whimper and a moan—sent heat coursing through my veins. "I don't want to control you, Lyrian. I want to complete you just like I'm meant to."
His power flared at my words, and this time I let mine rise to meet it. The sensation was extraordinary—like diving into pure moonlight, like touching the essence of magic itself. Every point where our bodies connected became a conduit for this energy between us.
"Zoren," he breathed, his head falling back as I traced the line of his throat with my lips. His pulse raced beneath my touch, his scent growing richer with arousal and need. But there was something else there too, and it was the trust he gave me.
I slid my hand down his spine, pulling him closer until our bodies aligned. He fit against me like no other omega would. The thought made my wolf purr with pure satisfaction.
His fingers dug into my shoulders as another wave of power washed through us. This time, when his magic reached for mine, I opened myself completely, letting him feel everything—my desire, my recognition of him, my need to protect and cherish rather than possess.
"Oh," he gasped, his eyes going wide as he felt the truth of my intentions through our growing bond. "You really mean it. You want..."
"All of you," I continued for him, cradling his face in my hands. "Your power, your strength, your defiance. Everything that makes you who you are. I don't want to change you, Lyrian. I want to give you a place where you can be yourself."
Tears glimmered in his eyes, but his smile was radiant. His next kiss took me by surprise—fierce, passionate, full of centuries of loneliness and hope. I never expected him to take the initiative and kiss me like that.
His magic surged into me without reservation, showing me his own truth—his fear of being used, his desperate need to feel connected with someone, and his growing recognition of what we could be together.
I growled in pure approval, letting my hands roam over his body, memorizing every curve and plane because it was what I needed. Each touch drew new sounds from him, each caress strengthened our bond. His own hands weren't idle, exploring me with equal fervor, leaving trails of tingling magic that made my wolf want to howl with pleasure.
"I've never," he panted between kisses, "felt anything like this. Like you."
"Because we're meant for each other," I murmured against his skin. "Feel it, Lyrian. Feel how right this is."
And he did feel it—I could sense his awareness growing through this moment, which we both didn't want to ruin. The way our magics molded together, the perfect synchronization of our bodies, the deepening bond that made every touch more intense, more meaningful.
His resistance wasn't gone entirely—I could still feel him holding something back, protecting some final piece of himself. But that was right too. I didn't want blind submission; I wanted him as he was, fierce and independent and magnificent.
"I'm not running this time," he whispered, and the promise in those words meant more than any submission could have. "Not from this. Not from you. I'm done running and always arriving at the same place."
I rewarded him with another feverish kiss, pouring all my approval and desire into it. His power sang in response, wrapping around us both like a blanket of starlight. This was what the old stories meant about moon-blessed omegas—not just their power, but their capacity for this kind of connection, this perfect blending of strength and allowing someone into his life.
When we broke apart minutes later, both breathing with difficulty, his eyes had changed—still wary, but now with an underlying certainty. He understood now what we could be together, and that knowledge had transformed his fear into something else.
It was scary, yes—more than that, in fact—but there was no denying that he wanted it. He longed to experience what he had been denying himself all this time.
"I never thought I'd say this, and it still kind of doesn't make sense, but… take me home, Zoren," he said, and the trust in those words made my heart clench. "Show me what it means to belong somewhere. To belong to someone without losing myself."
And then, we would get to know each other better. I couldn't live with him without understanding the kind of person he was. He was meant to be mine, yes, but that didn't replace the need to know what made him tick.
I pressed my forehead to his, feeling our magic pulse in perfect harmony. "Yes," I growled, already imagining all the ways I would prove myself worthy of that trust. "Let me show you everything, little moon. Let me show you what we can be together."