Chapter 20
TWENTY
KORRAN
Later that night, the estate felt strangely hollow despite their victory.
Korran stood in his private chambers, freshly showered and dressed in simple dark jeans and a charcoal sweater, but his mind refused to settle.
The adrenaline from the battle had faded, leaving behind a bone-deep exhaustion that sleep couldn’t touch.
His mother was safe now, resting in her chambers under Gabrielle’s watchful care. The kidnapping ordeal had shaken her more than she’d admit, though her composure remained intact even in the face of near-death.
She’s stronger than any bear shifter, he thought, guilt twisting in his chest. And I spent years believing she was the weakness in our clan.
The revelation of Malvek’s manipulation burned through him like acid.
Every conversation, every council meeting, every moment of self-doubt about his hybrid nature—all orchestrated by a man who’d wanted to control the throne through him.
The bastard had played on Korran’s deepest insecurities, weaponizing his mixed heritage against him.
You were so desperate to prove you belonged that you rejected half of who you are.
His bear rumbled restlessly, still processing the violence of their victory.
Malvek and Varix were dead, their corruption finally exposed after a decade of lies.
The clan would need time to heal from the betrayal, but at least the truth was out.
No more poison masquerading as medicine.
No more propaganda about human weakness.
Tess proved them all wrong. She saved everything.
The thought of his mate sent heat spiraling through him. She’d been fearless in that cabin, creating the distraction that allowed them to rescue his mother. Her quick thinking and courage had turned the tide, proving she already possessed every quality a queen needed.
But would she want to stay? The question gnawed at him as he moved toward his door. After everything she’d witnessed—the violence, the political corruption, the danger that seemed to follow his family—would she choose this complicated life over the safety of Earth?
I have to tell her everything. How I feel, what she means to me, why I need her to stay.
His hand was reaching for the door handle when a soft knock echoed through his chambers.
Tess.
He opened the door to find her standing in the hallway, and the sight nearly drove him to his knees.
She’d changed into fitted black leggings that hugged her curves and a soft cream sweater that made her green eyes luminous.
Her long brown hair fell in damp waves around her shoulders, and she looked every inch the beautiful, brilliant woman who’d claimed his heart.
“I was just about to come find you,” he said, his voice roughened.
She shifted nervously, her hands clasped in front of her. “Can I come in? I have something to tell you.”
Ice flooded his veins. The formal tone, the way she wouldn’t quite meet his eyes—she was leaving. After everything they’d shared, everything they’d fought for together, she was going back to Earth.
Of course she is. Why would she want this chaos?
“Come in,” he managed, stepping aside to let her pass.
She entered his sitting area but remained standing, her posture rigid with tension. The distance she maintained between them felt like a chasm, and his bear whined at the separation.
She’s going to reject us. Reject the bond.
“Before you say anything,” he said quickly, desperation making his voice sharp, “I need you to know something.”
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise, but she nodded for him to continue.
“I was wrong.” The words came out in a rush, years of conditioning crumbling as truth finally broke free.
“Wrong about humans being weak, wrong about the mate bond being harmful. I had evidence my entire life that none of it was true—my mother’s strength, my parents’ love story—but I let fear and manipulation blind me to what was right in front of me. ”
He took a step closer, his hands clenching at his sides to keep from reaching for her.
“Tess, what you did today—the way you kept me focused, helped me save my mother, stood up to corruption and violence—it proves you’re already more of a queen than you realize. You’re brave and brilliant and stronger than any shifter I know.”
His voice dropped to a rough whisper. “If you’ll have me, I want to complete our mate bond. I want you to stay here with me, rule beside me, help me rebuild this kingdom on truth instead of lies.”
The silence stretched, and he braced himself for rejection. For her to tell him she belonged on Earth, that this world was too dangerous, too complicated—
“That’s what I came here to tell you.”
His head snapped up, hope flaring so bright it nearly blinded him.
She stepped closer, her green eyes blazing with determination. “I want to stay here. I want to be with you, accept this bond between us—whatever it entails. I want to protect your family, this place, if you’ll have me.”
The words hit him like lightning. In two powerful strides, he closed the distance between them, his large hands cupping her face with reverent care.
“Of course I’ll have you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “You’re everything I never knew I needed.”
Then his mouth was on hers, pouring all his gratitude, love, and desperate hope into the kiss.
She melted against him, her arms winding around his neck as she kissed him back with equal intensity.
The mate bond sang between them, stronger than ever, promising a future built on truth and chosen love.
Tess pulled back from the kiss just enough to look directly into his eyes. Her hands came up to frame his face, her thumbs brushing along his jaw. The intensity in her green gaze held him completely captive.
“I choose you,” she said, each word deliberate and clear. “Now, and forever. I want to complete our mate bond.”
For a heartbeat, Korran couldn’t breathe. Joy, sharp and brilliant, speared through his chest, followed immediately by a possessive, consuming desire that made his bear roar in triumph.
Ours. Finally. Forever.
He didn’t speak. Words felt too small for the magnitude of what she was offering.
Instead, he slid his hands down her body and lifted her.
She wrapped her legs around his waist instinctively, her arms locking around his neck, holding on as if she’d never let go.
Then he carried her across his chambers, through the archway into his private bedroom.
The fire in the hearth cast dancing shadows across the massive four-poster bed as he laid her down in the center of the dark furs with a reverence that belied the raw hunger coursing through him. His bear pressed against his skin, desperate to claim, to mark, to complete the bond now.
No.
Korran reined the instinct in with an iron will. This wasn’t just a claiming. This was the beginning of everything. He would savor every second this moment deserved.
He knelt on the bed beside her, his gaze devouring her. “I’ve waited my whole life for you,” he said, his voice a low rasp.
He started with her sweater, lifting the soft fabric up and over her head, letting it fall to the floor.
Her bra followed, and he drank in the sight of her bare breasts, the peaks already tight and begging for his attention.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the rapid pulse at the base of her throat, then to the hollow between her collarbones.
“So perfect,” he murmured against her skin, his hands sliding down her sides to the waistband of her leggings.
He hooked his fingers in the material and drew them down her legs, along with the scrap of lace beneath. Then she was gloriously, completely bare for him, and the sight made his cock throb painfully against the confines of his jeans.
He let his hands map the territory he was about to claim forever—the elegant line of her hip, the soft curve of her stomach, the powerful muscles of her thighs.
He kissed her again, a deep, languid exploration of her mouth, before trailing his lips down her neck.
He took his time at her breasts, lavishing first one taut peak, then the other, with his tongue and teeth until her back arched off the bed and breathless little sounds escaped her.
“Korran…”
“I know,” he whispered, moving lower. He kissed a path down her quivering stomach, nuzzling the delicate skin of her navel.
Then he moved lower and settled between her thighs, the scent of her arousal flooding his senses like a drug. He looked up the length of her body, meeting her heavy-lidded gaze. “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Then he lowered his head and tasted her.
Her whole body jolted at the first slow, deliberate stroke of his tongue and a ragged moan tore from her throat, her fingers fisting in his hair.
He explored her with unhurried devotion, learning every fold, every sensitive spot that made her gasp.
He licked and suckled, building her pleasure with a precision that had her trembling on the edge.
The mate bond pulsed so intensely between them, a live wire humming with shared sensation.
Korran could feel her pleasure coiling tight, a gathering storm, and his own desire spiked in response.
He was trying to drive her over that edge, to give her this first gift, when her hands suddenly stopped him.
“No,” she gasped, her voice strained with need. “I need you inside me. Now.”
The raw demand in her tone shattered the last of his control.
He pulled back, his own breathing harsh, and stood beside the bed, his eyes never leaving hers as he made quick work of his clothes.
His sweater and jeans joined hers on the floor.
When he stood before her fully naked, his erection thick and straining, he saw the hunger in her eyes mirror his own.
He lay back on the bed. “Then take what you need,” he commanded, his voice rough.
She moved with a grace that stole his breath, straddling his hips and her hands settling on his chest, her touch branding him.
She reached between them, her fingers wrapping around his hard length, guiding him to her entrance.
The head of his cock pressed against her slick heat, and they both groaned.
“Look at me,” he growled.
Her green eyes locked onto his as she sank down, taking him inside inch by devastating inch. The tight, wet clutch of her body was paradise. When she was fully seated, she stilled, her inner muscles fluttering around him as they both adjusted to the overwhelming fullness.
“You feel…” she breathed, unable to finish.
“I know.” He gripped her hips, his thumbs stroking her skin.
She began to rock, a slow, sensual rhythm that had fire licking up his spine. He met each movement with an upward thrust of his own, angling to hit that deep, perfect spot inside her. He could feel her pleasure through the bond, a rising wave of sensation that crashed against his own.
Her pace soon quickened, her movements growing more urgent and wild.
The sight of her riding him, lost in pleasure, was the most potent thing he’d ever known.
His thrusts became primal, driving into her with a force that shook the bed.
He could feel his release building, a tidal wave at the base of his spine.
The need to mark her, to complete the bond, became an unbearable pressure.
“Tess,” he ground out, his hands tightening on her. “I’m going to mark you now.”
Her eyes flew open, blazing with love and absolute trust. “Mark me, Korran,” she demanded, her voice a breathless, hungry plea.
As her climax broke, crashing over her with a cry that was pure music, he let the change ripple through just one hand.
His claws extended, sharp and dark. At the exact moment his own orgasm ripped through him, as he spilled his seed deep inside her, he dragged his claws lightly over the smooth skin of her left hip.
She cried out again—a mix of pleasure and sharp sensation—and her inner walls clenched around him in a second, rippling orgasm that milked him utterly dry.
And then he felt it.
The mate bond snapped into place with the force of inevitability.
It wasn’t just a connection anymore; it was a fusion.
Her fierce love, her brilliance, her unwavering strength flooded into him.
Her human essence didn’t dilute his power; it amplified it.
He felt stronger, more alive than he ever had in his life.
Any lingering doubt was burned away by the undeniable truth: her humanness didn’t make him weak.
It made him whole.