Chapter 15
🌘Ryker's POV
The room was quiet except for the faint crackle of the fireplace, but my mind was anything but calm. Aria's challenge echoed in my head, gnawing at me. I'd declared Kate as my Luna, my mate, and yet… she'd agreed to fight. Not because she had to, but because she wanted to. That fire in her — it burned brighter than anything I'd seen in another wolf.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her fingers brushing over the delicate embroidery of the blanket. Her hair, pale as snow, shimmered in the firelight, and her green eyes flicked up to mine when she noticed I was staring.
"You're quiet," she said softly, tilting her head. "That's not usually like you."
I stepped closer, my hands sliding into my pockets to keep from grabbing her right away. "I'm thinking about the duel. About you." My voice was low, rougher than I intended. "You shouldn't have to prove yourself to anyone, Kate. You're mine. That should be enough."
Her lips curved slightly — not a smile, but something gentler. "If I don't stand my ground now, they'll never stop testing me."
That stubborn strength… Spirits help me, I wanted her even more for it.
I moved before my self-control could stop me, kneeling down in front of her so we were eye-level. I reached up and brushed a loose strand of her hair back, letting my fingers linger along her jaw. "You're going to be the death of me, little wolf," I murmured, the endearment slipping out naturally.
Her breath caught, her eyes widening slightly, but she didn't pull away.
The bond tugged hard — that magnetic, unstoppable force between mates — and this time, I didn't fight it. I leaned in and captured her lips with mine. The kiss started slow, almost hesitant, but the moment she sighed into me, control shattered. My hands moved to cradle her face, deepening the kiss, and she melted against me like she'd been waiting for this as much as I had.
She was warm, soft, and perfect in my arms. The taste of her — sweet, addictive — made my chest ache with want. I shifted, pressing her gently back onto the bed, my weight braced above hers as my mouth traced the line of her jaw to her neck.
Her pulse raced under my lips. I felt her hands slide up my chest, curling into my shirt as though to anchor herself.
"You have no idea what you do to me," I whispered against her skin, my voice husky.
"Maybe I do," she replied, her tone teasing but breathless.
That was it — the last thread of restraint snapped. My mouth claimed hers again, deeper this time, and my hands roamed with purpose. She was mine, my mate, and every part of me needed her to know it.
When my teeth grazed the spot where her neck met her shoulder, I felt the mate bond surge — electric, undeniable. She gasped softly, and that sound alone nearly undid me. My wolf pushed forward, urging me to mark her, to seal what the Moon Goddess had started.
"Kate," I growled, voice trembling with need. "I can't… I don't want to wait."
Her eyes searched mine, and whatever she saw there made her nod once. "Then don't."
That was all the permission I needed. I sank my teeth gently into her skin, careful but firm enough to let my scent mix with hers. The mate spark exploded — heat, light, and a rush of connection so intense it made my knees weak. She shuddered under me, clutching at my shoulders as though the bond had hit her just as hard.
I pulled back enough to see the mark blooming on her neck, pride and possession swelling in my chest. "Mine," I murmured.
"Yours," she breathed, and then, almost shyly, she tilted her head and nipped at my neck. The answering rush of energy was unlike anything I'd ever felt. She'd marked me back.
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🌘Kate's POV
I didn't know how to breathe. My skin felt alive, tingling from every place he'd touched me, kissed me. The mark on my neck pulsed in time with my heartbeat, like a new rhythm we shared.
When I'd said yes to him, I hadn't fully understood what it would mean. Now I did. The mate bond wasn't just a pull — it was a tether, binding us in ways words couldn't capture.
Ryker's hands were still on me, warm and sure, sliding along my sides as though to memorize me. His eyes, bright as a summer sky, searched mine like he was trying to read my soul.
"I'll protect you from everything," he said, voice rough with sincerity. "But you have to promise me you'll protect yourself too. No holding back."
There was something in the way he said it that made my heart twist. No holding back. If only he knew what I was holding in…
But then his lips were on mine again, and thought dissolved into pure sensation. The world narrowed to the feel of him — his scent, his heat, the strength in the arms that held me like I was both precious and necessary.
Somewhere deep inside, my wolf stirred, brushing against my consciousness. Her voice was faint but warm, curling through me like a whisper. He's ours.
The bond pulsed again, almost too much to bear, and I knew — without a doubt — that Ryker felt it too. His kiss slowed, but the intensity didn't fade; it deepened, shifting from desperate to reverent.
When we finally broke apart, we stayed close, foreheads touching, breaths mingling. My chest rose and fell rapidly, but not from fear.
He looked at me like he wanted to say something — to ask something — but then he just brushed his thumb over my mark instead. "Rest, little wolf. Tomorrow will come too soon."
I nodded, but as I curled into his warmth, my mind was anything but restful. Because my wolf… my wolf was no longer silent. And that meant tomorrow might change everything.
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