Bond Confirmation.

The next day, Alpha Lucan remains in bed longer than he ever has in his entire life, unable to tear his eyes away from the peaceful figure curled up beside him.

Kyle sleeps soundly, his chest rising and falling in a slow, even rhythm that feels almost sacred to watch.

Even as the midday sun stretches high into the sky, painting golden beams across the room, Kyle remains dead asleep, completely unaware of the havoc he has wrecked upon Lucan's heart.

A knock pounds on the door, again. It's the twentieth time since morning.

Lucan finally tears himself away from the sight of Kyle's slumber to open it, an irritated growl vibrating low in his chest.

"Harris, you are really getting on my nerves now," he mutters, his voice so low and careful it almost sounds like a whisper, as if terrified the smallest sound might disturb his precious mate.

Harris, his Beta and longtime friend, wastes no time yanking him into the hallway by the arm.

"Okay! I get that you're excited," Harris huffs, exasperation clear on his face, "you probably want to spend every second with her, but don't forget who you are! You called for a welcoming ceremony! People have been gathered outside since dawn, waiting, because you said so! What now, Lucan? Are we supposed to keep stalling forever?"

Lucan blinks, feeling every bit like the fool he must look like. His mind, heart, and soul have been wholly consumed by the soft figure still sleeping inside.

"She's still sleeping," he says.

Harris throws his hands up. "Then wake her up!"

Lucan groans, rubbing his face in frustration. "You don't get it, she's been through too much, this must be the reason why, maybe her body needs more rest that she even knew herself."

He pulls out his phone, he tapping the screen lazily, and a soft, genuine smile blooms on his face, so natural, so bright, it startles Harris.

"What?" Harris asks suspiciously, snatching the phone from him before Lucan can hide it.

Harris's eyes bug out of his head. "You're insane," he breathes, staring at the lock screen, Kyle's sleeping face, tender and vulnerable, immortalized on the screen. "Seriously, this is beyond creepy! She's going to freak out when she sees this. Seriously, you're obsessed!"

Lucan snatches his phone back with a huff. "Creepy? Why? She belongs to me! And I..." he pauses, smiling foolishly, "...belong to her."

The possessiveness in his voice sends a shiver down Harris's spine.

Harris squints, suspicious. "Wait. Why are her lips swollen? Did you already ma...?"

"No!" Lucan cuts him off. "I'm not as perverted as you. It was just a kiss." His voice drops, a note of despair threading through. "A kiss that almost broke me. I barely held myself back. Harris, I've never felt this helpless before. And the worst part?" His eyes darken, tortured. "She fears me. I can feel it."

Harris's mouth opens, ready with some sharp remark, but both of them freeze at the sudden deep voice from down the hallway.

"Luc..."

They turn sharply to find the old Alpha, Elias, approaching.

"Father? You came?" Lucan says, straightening automatically, some instincts never fading even after Elias had passed down the title and left the pack house to give his son space.

"Of course I came," Old Alpha Elias says, his booming voice light with mirth. "I'm here to see my son's bride. We waited long enough for her to come in your life. And now that she is here, are you still going to keep us waiting?"

Lucan flushes, cheeks burning for reasons he can't explain.

"Well, well, isn't the great Alpha of Moonvale getting shy?" His father teases.

Lucan mumbles something about being ready soon and slips back into the room.

Inside, Kyle still sleeps, looking heartbreakingly small against the vastness of the bed.

His exhaustion clings to him, every line of his body relaxed in a way that only true safety could allow.

Lucan crouches by the bedside, brushing his knuckles gently against Kyle's cheek.

He whispers, trying to wake him up.

After a while, Kyle stirs, blinking slowly, disoriented at first. His gaze darts around the unfamiliar room before everything crashes back into him_ the chaos, the loss of his parents, the mate who doesn't know his true Identity.

Panic gnaws at his insides, tightening his chest before he ruthlessly shoves it down.

"Everyone's waiting outside to meet you," Lucan says, his voice a low, coaxing melody.

Kyle forces a nervous chuckle and nods, playing along. He disappears into the bathroom and freshens up in minutes, stepping back out looking almost ethereal in his simplicity.

Lucan reaches for him immediately, their fingers intertwining in a hold that feels sacred.

As they walk together toward the waiting crowd, Lucan's thumb draws lazy circles on the back of Kyle's hand, grounding him, and yet, making his heart race painfully in his chest.

The moment the two step outside, silence falls.

The crowd parts like a sea, heads turning, eyes widening.

They stare at their Alpha, at his radiant Luna, at the impossible tenderness on Lucan's face.

The man known for his iron fist, now wears an unguarded, beaming smile for the entire world to see.

They walk forward to the special seats reserved for them, Kyle's legs trembling with every step. They sit beside Lucan's parents, who lean in with undisguised curiosity.

Lucan's mother brushes Kyle's cheek with a featherlight touch, her fingers cool against the sudden fire burning in his skin.

"What an adorable, moon-blessed Luna," she coos. "But very young."

Lucan's head snaps toward her. "Mother. The moon goddess herself gave her to me. You do not get to say anything that isn't positive about her."

The crowd laughs, warm, genuine, except for a few women whose hearts shatter quietly at the sight.

The older woman chuckles too, unoffended. "That wasn't negative, my son. Everyone loves to be called young, right, Luna?"

Kyle nods with a forced smile, even as panic chews deeper into his gut.

What if someone recognizes him? What if the truth about his identity leaks? He feels the familiar, traitorous prickling at the base of his chest, the mark. The mark that sometimes glows.

He shoves it down. Hard.

"Okay," Old Alpha Elias announces. "Time for the bond confirmation ritual."

The words hit Kyle like a hammer.

The confirmation ritual, the sacred shift before the moon goddess's invisible gaze. If the bond is true, they shift together, their wolves embracing as one. If it is false... they fail.

It has always been the safeguard for Alphas and their Lunas.

Lucan smiles down at Kyle, the picture of absolute certainty, radiating the unshakeable belief that nothing could ever part them.

Kyle, meanwhile, feels like he's dying inside.

What if he shifts and his eyes blaze red instead of the golden hue of a natural wolf?

The panic is a living, breathing thing inside him, clawing at his insides.