Chapter 30
Kade
One month.
One month since the echo-beast. One month since deciding to stop fighting the mate bond. One month since Alanna brought a joy into my world that I thought I’d never feel again.
The den smells of her all the time now. Of us. It’s my favorite scent.
A small army of books has overtaken the den, claiming the spare corners and unattended countertops before finally spilling out onto the floor. Each time I look at her reading nook, somehow there are more. I really need to build her that set of bookshelves.
I watch her now, curled up in her chair, a book levitating in front of her.
She’s not just reading—she’s practicing, that adorable furrow of concentration across her brow as she turns the pages with a subtle flicker of iridescence from her fingertips.
She’s grown so much in her power, honing it with a confidence that makes my chest ache with pride. She is extraordinary.
And mine.
I thought if I embraced the mating bond, it would calm the raging boil in my blood to a simmer.
Instead, every time she smiles at me, every time I catch her scent as she walks past, every time I bury my cock deep inside her—especially then—the urge to complete the bond claws at my ribs.
I want to sink my teeth into her soft skin and mark her forever.
The instinct is getting stronger by the day, the wolf in me straining to break free and claim what is mine.
She’s thinking about it too. Last week, as we were tangled together in the furs after a long, slow session of me showing her just how much she means to me, I was about to drift off when she brought it up.
“The bite . . . what will it be like?”
All my sleepiness instantly transformed into pure desire, as all-encompassing as the shift from man to wolf. Still, I tensed, terrified that I might see fear on her face. But there was only curiosity.
After telling her what to expect physically, I confessed, “There’s something else.
It’s a very primal moment. My instincts—they’ll be close to the surface.
I might say things. Possessive things.” I watched her carefully as I spoke, my heart hammering.
“Dominating things. It would be intense. I need to know you’re okay with that. ”
She stared at me for a moment while a beautiful blush crept up her neck and over her cheeks. “Oh. Well. Actually.” She took a small breath, then met my eyes again, her own gaze a combination of shyness and daring. “I—I like it. When you’re like that.”
My blood heated, and my voice deepened involuntarily. Dangerously. “What?”
“I like when you, um, take charge,” she admitted. “When you say things like I’m yours. When you’re a bit—” She cleared her throat. “—rough. I think I might have . . . a bit of a kink.”
“Do you?” I purred. My cock gave a greedy pulse, waking up instantly despite being so recently sated. “I’ve been holding back. Didn’t want you to think I was more of a brute than you already do.”
I could smell it then, the shift in her scent, the sweet, intoxicating perfume of her arousal filling the air.
“No, I—I really like it.” Her voice was stronger then, her hazel eyes alight with something fiery. “I used to fantasize about it sometimes. Get myself off to it. But . . . I never felt comfortable enough with a partner to tell them.”
“But you are with me.” The wolf in me preened. My mate trusted me. She wanted all of me, even the parts I tried to hide. I brushed my lips against her ear as I whispered, “Good. Because I like it too.”
After that, we’d agreed on a safe word, and lost ourselves in each other once more.
Even now, the memory of her confession, of the wicked smile that touched her lips as she told me she didn’t just accept my primal side but actively craved it, sends a fresh jolt of heat through my veins.
But to bite—I wait. She’s not Lycan, and this is all new to her. She deserves time to make her choice, free from any pressure. And if she never wants to . . . Well, what we have is already more than I ever thought I deserved. Whatever she can give me, whatever she wants, I’ll take it happily.
I turn back to the laptop on the table, forcing myself to focus on the last piece of business from the festival. The final incident report. My eyes skim over the official narrative, the plausible lie that the Wardens have so expertly woven into the fabric of public reality.
“Catastrophic Installation Malfunction,” the heading reads. A proprietary holographic projector failing, a few safety devices deployed by “heroic organizers”. It’s a masterpiece of fiction. The witnesses have had their memories amended, the evidence confiscated, and the magic scrubbed.
The world has its neat technological explanation, and as always, it has accepted it over the inconceivably supernatural truth.
With great satisfaction, I also see that Alanna has officially been given the green light by the Wardens.
After her display at the festival, they finally acknowledged what I’ve known for weeks: her power isn’t a danger to be contained, but an asset.
The quiet threat of them wanting to bring her in for “observation” has vanished. Good.
I’m about to sign off on the report when a secure message notification flashes in the corner of my screen. My gut tightens. It’s from my superior in the Warden network.
The message is short, encrypted, and to the point.
West Coast, deep in Fae territory.
Reports of a powerful anomaly.
Tensions high, Seelie and Unseelie Courts unstable.
Unidentified human group also spotted in the area.
No actions at present but keep your ear to the ground.
I glare at the message, the wheels in my head turning slowly. “A powerful anomaly” is exactly how I described Alanna’s magic in my first report. Could it be another shard . . .?
I thought she was the only one. I thought the madness at the festival was a singular, twisted event that we had survived and buried.
But if there’s another one . . .
Fuck. We just found peace. I just found her. And now, the universe is already threatening to tear the world open again.
I’m still glaring at the screen, mind racing with the possibilities, when Alanna’s arms drape over my shoulders. Her soft lips press a kiss to the side of my neck, and the cryptic words on the screen blur into meaningless pixels.
Closing the laptop with a decisive click, I turn in my chair, tugging her around to stand between my legs.
My hands settle on her hips, and I make sure to keep them gentle, instead of mauling her like I always want to.
Still, I’m about to pull her into my lap and bury my face in her neck where her scent is the strongest, when I pause.
Her expression is determined and expectant, and I suddenly feel the atmosphere shift. My heart stumbles in my chest.
“I’m ready.”