Chapter 28 Dance With Me
Dance With Me
Dom
Elora takes a step back, plants her hands on her hips, and studies the floral garland I’ve woven through the pergola alongside the fairy lights.
“It truly is breathtaking, Dominik,” she says, nodding her head in approval, it’s magical.”
Tall silver vases, captured in ethereal crimson moonlight, are the centerpiece for each table, which are filled with blue moon-lilies, lavender roses, blush peonies, and a few other pale blooms. Tonight’s full Blood Rose Moon transforms nightfall into something transcendent, a moment I know is a turning point between Jasmira and me.
As I descend the ladder, I can’t help but grin. “Thank you. Seeing our vision come to life—it turned out better than I imagined.”
I’m honored to be chosen for the spring feast this year and to celebrate with friends and family. All this creativity sparked something in me—I’m planning to make this floral theme a new bridal collection for next spring.
Elora and I haul the last of the totes while Oakley, her chocolate lab, weaves between our legs, nose twitching in the lush grass.
“Do you think we should add a special touch?” Elora asks, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and crosses her arms. “Perhaps, an offering to Kerathea and Sateathea?”
The fairy lights glow on her sepia skin, highlighting the flowers woven through her hair.
“Aaryn’s parents sent honey, since they couldn’t make it,” I say, lifting a heavy tote. “Milk and honey, with some edible blooms for a toast?”
Her face brightens. “That’s perfect.”
I finish with the totes as she walks around to double-check each carefully set table, which is aligned meticulously.
I thought of the bond when I created this. I thought of Jasmira. Love, hope, and a dreamy moonlit romance.
Jas will be speechless.
Guests are trickling in. Elora’s parents, Mayor and Lady Caraway arrive. Next, the guys and the girls, Ms. Vera, along with Flora, her family, and a few of her many great-grandchildren.
Everyone is dressed up, the decor is perfect, and the food and music are set.
“Dominik!” Seren screams, running towards me, wearing an adorable puffy gold dress with knitted cream tights underneath.
“You look beautiful, little Star.”
“Thank you,” she says, giving me a curtsy before running over to play with the other children.
My nostrils flare sharply as Jasmira’s scent reaches me.
She stands there like temptation itself, and my wolf himself is ready to kneel. “Well, aren’t you a vision.”
She glides over to me, a champagne-colored clutch held loosely in front of her, her hips swaying with a quiet confidence that draws my eye.
Her high-neck, olive-green long-sleeve crop top shows a sliver of her skin above the gold satin skirt with a high slit that climbs her thigh, revealing a smooth leg.
Her strappy sandals are laced up, and it’s like something pulled straight from a myth.
Her hair is swept in a high, curly ponytail, and a few tendrils of curls frame her face. Gold hoop earrings dangle in the light.
My wolf hums in my chest.
Mine.
He strains toward her, claws scraping against restraint, every instinct screaming the same command—claim, seal, protect. He wants her marked by us, wants the world to know she is ours.
“Hello, Dom,” she says softly. Her smile strikes me in my chest and makes my knees weak. I reach out, threading my fingers through hers for a brief, stolen moment.
“You look…” I whisper, watching her leg bend slightly, the slit of the skirt opening wider to expose her skin, “absolutely gorgeous.”
“You don’t look bad yourself, handsome,” she whispers, her thumb sweeping against my skin before letting go, heading in the direction of her friends.
The moon is still full—my wolf is impatient, anxious.
He’s howling through the powerful energy of the bond that is buzzing between our souls.
Every time I lie down to sleep, I close my eyes and dream of her.
With desire coursing through my body, hot and smooth like velvet, I force myself to act normal.
Very few people know what is happening between us, and nobody but her knows how badly I want her.
How she tastes, how her skin feels, listening to the sweet little sounds her body makes—that’s our secret.
Stay calm. You will not fuck this up. Be patient. Let her come to us.
I stand from the table and pick up my glass of milk and honey—decorated with an edible pink orchid—palming it between two hands. I was never good at public speaking. Unease coils low in my belly. I’m surrounded by my closest friends, my family, and I can feel the nerves setting in.
I clear my throat and begin. “I’m glad you could all join us tonight for our annual Spring Feast. I am truly humbled that Elora would have me as co-host. As some of you know, this spring holds a special meaning for my pack with the rising of the Blood Rose Moon.
It is a rare beauty and means a lot to us werewolves.
I wish you all could see it. The arrangements you see on the tables give you a glimpse of its uniqueness.
This moon signifies new beginnings as well, such as spring.
The Moon Goddess, she’s a mischievous one. ”
That brings a low chuckle from Jas and her girls from around their table.
“But she knows what is true, what is meant to be. Like all of us, we have all come into each other’s lives at different times and for different reasons, but it was all meant to be.
This spring, let us celebrate the new beginnings and growth of Kerathea and the cleansing and awakening of Sateathea.
Let us celebrate our past while embracing what can be. Thank you, and I love you all.”
The fairy lights above create a dim, peaceful setting around us all. The food was delicious. I’m sure we all ate more than we should have. Seren fell asleep about an hour ago, exhausted and content from a full belly and playing with her friends.
Sylas take a swig of his beer, leaning back in his seat. "So, what's new with you guys?" He extends his long legs and crosses his ankles, eyes never straying from Raene. She’s sitting with Jasmira and the other girls, two tables away from us, sampling various desserts, laughing, and conversing.
Every few minutes, Jas meets my gaze, and my breath pauses, watching her spoon slide slowly from between her lips as she savors each bite of ice cream.
“Summer can’t come fast enough,” Garruk says, wiping his mouth between his tusks with the back of his hand.
“I hear you there. Finishing the apartment here at the farm was a pain in the ass at times with the rain,” Viktor bellows, wiping a hand across his broad square muzzle.
His nostrils flare subtly with each slow breath.
“I finally found someone to hire, though. He starts soon after he ties up loose ends before moving here from the city. With how busy my team and I are, I need the help—and a damn vacation.”
“Good for you, man,” I say, taking a sip of my drink. Condensation slicks my fingers where they grip the bottleneck. Viktor nods his thanks, rubbing a hand over his brown hair between his horns.
“I don’t mind it," I say, popping a shoulder. "I enjoy spring, the rain, and the flowers, of course.” With effort, I tear my gaze from Jasmira and try to focus on the conversation happening around me.
Garruk leans forward, his large arms resting on his knees. “You seem distracted.” He taps a finger to the beat of the music on the lip of the bottle that looks miniature compared to the size of his fist.
“I’m not.”
“Yeah, you seem to keep looking over at—” Sylas stops mid-sentence, his nose wrinkling.
“I’m not distracted.”
“Something’s going on,” Sylas mumbles, sipping his rum. “Your scent is different.”
Fucking fae senses.
“It’s nothing.”
I hear the sharp gasp from Jasmira before she whips around.
Thanks to her audible gasp, all the ladies at the table turned their heads in my direction as well.
Her eyes lock onto me like the Goddess of Death has come to claim my soul.
However, the look she’s giving me—that undeniable “this is something” look—has my heart on fire.
Fuck. I’m deep in this. She’s already confided in her friends about this. Maybe it’s time I did the same.
I take a drink and clear my throat. “Jasmira and I are mates.”
“Mates,” they all mumble, and I explain it to them. The moon, the bond—all of it.
“You’re joking,” Garruk says, crossing his arms, laughing. “You’re serious? I never would have—well, I can kind of see it now.”
Malik sits beside me, one ankle neatly draped over the knee of his pressed trousers. His sleeves rolled to his forearms, revealing more skin that is as pale as death. A glass of rum dangles loosely from his fingers. “She’s your beloved,” he murmurs.
“Yes,” I say. My wolf snarls, looking at the vampire like he knows exactly what we are feeling.
“How long have you known?” Sylas asks.
“Since the new moon.”
“And what does she think about all this? What about Seren?” Garruk questions, his brows furrowed.
“We are taking it one day at a time. That’s all we can do. It’s what the Goddess wants, and we’re trying our best to understand it. To work with it. As for Seren, she doesn’t know, and it’s something we’ll talk about when we’re ready." I drag a hand over my beard, thinking this through.
"Seren, she…uh…she called me dad. She said it, and I felt so damn happy, but I—”
Out the corner of my eye, I see Jas look over at me, her eyes glistening with tears. It appears the bond is strengthening. She has the ability to hear like my wolf.
“We care about you both,” Viktor says. “You’re not alone. To Seren, you are her father, you’re all she knows."
I nod. “Yeah, thanks, man.”
Viktor smirks. “You better not screw it up.”
“I won’t.”
From across the yard, she looks up again, mid-conversation with her friends—and our eyes collide.
I think it's time I ask her for a dance.
JAS
He extends his hand.
“Dance with me?” he asks again. His voice doesn’t rise to meet the music. The words don’t compete. They weave through it and pulse with the melody as it belongs there. A simple invitation. Yes or no, but I don’t answer because everyone else answers for me.
“She says yes,” Raene answers for me, giving us a wink. She picks a berry off her chocolate cake and pops it in her mouth.
Poppy waves her fingers, giving us a coy smile. “Have fun!”
I take his hand, and the air pulses. His fingers curl around mine, guiding me into the grass, under the glowing lights.
My breath hitches when his fingers grip my hips, pulling me towards him and closing the distance between us.
The music moves slowly, unfolding with a deep, steady rhythm.
Each beat draws my body closer to his, our hips syncing in a gentle sway.
Heat blooms where we touch. I run my hands run up his chest, inhaling the scent of roses lingering on his skin.
“That’s it,” he drawls.
The words land differently now. They don’t soothe—they anchor—providing comfort and claim. I lean into him, locking my arms around his neck.
The world softens at the edges, sound and movement fading until there is no one, nothing but us.
Above, the full moon hangs low and impossibly large, drenched in a shimmery crimson glow. The light spills over Dominik’s shoulders, threads through his dark hair, and turns his eyes into something sharp and primal when he looks down at me. I’ve never seen him like this—so still and tightly wound.
“You feel that,” he says quietly.
I swallow, my heart stumbling. “Yes.”
His thumb brushes my skin, under my rib. The invisible string between us pulls taut, humming with tension, vibrating long after his hand falls away.
Being in his arms like this feels unreal. As if the world decided to take a pause. To hold its breath and listen. He guides me like the music belongs to him. Like I do.
“What do you want?” he asks quietly, his brow furrowing as he searches my face.
I can hear the restraint in his voice now—the careful way he’s holding himself back. "What do you mean?
“I’m asking you,” he continues, steadier now. "What do you want for us? You can’t downplay it.” His hand finds the small of my back, pressing me closer to him. “I know you want to dissect it. Analyze it. Overthink it until it makes sense. But this is something.”
My heart stutters.
“It means something special, right?” he asks.
The heat between us is undeniable, despite the cool night wrapping around us.
His fingers brush the skin over the small of my back. “I don’t want to lose you. I’ll wait for you when you’re ready. I—” He growls, lightly pushing me away from him.
He spins me, a smooth, practiced turn. The night air lifts my skirt, fabric fluttering around my legs, and laughter slips from me before I can stop it. My cheeks flush as I pant. When I face him again, his eyes are dark, almost pleading.
“I need to know,” he says, pausing, “if this means something to you. If I mean anything to you.” His jaw tightens. “I know it’s crazy. Fated mates, a full red moon—all of it. But strip everything away. Do I matter to you?”
“Dominik.” I reach up, taking his face with both hands, stroking the coarse hairs of his beard.
“I adore you,” I say, not hesitating. “I hope you feel that.” My thumb brushes his cheek. “Sometimes I think your wolf sees the primal parts of me first. The instinct. The hunger.”
He growls.
“But there’s another part,” I continue softly. “The one that sees you. A man of patience and kindness. The way you never rush me, you go at my speed.”
The music fades into a distant hum. “I like that we’ve taken this slow,” I whisper, my head resting on his chest. “It’s been…fun, exciting, and you make me feel happy...safe.” And other things.
His arms tighten a fraction.
“You know,” I say, “I’m curious...”
“About?” His fingers trail down my spine, my body arching slightly towards his.
“If I’m going to be obsessed with you,” I admit, my voice barely audible, “or if I already am.”
“Oh, love, the feeling is mutual,” he breathes on my lips before giving me a quick kiss. “When you’re ready, I’ll be waiting for you. You know where to find me.”