I woke to the feel of his mouth on my skin.
Slow. Deliberate. Trailing down my neck, across my collarbone, lower. I was still half-asleep, caught in that dreamlike state where nothing feels quite real.
But this was real. His body, warm and solid against mine. His lips, leaving fire in their wake. His hands, learning every curve.
"Kael." His name came out broken. "What are you doing?"
"Worshiping my wife." His voice was rough, muffled against my stomach. "Is that allowed?"
I couldn't answer. His mouth had found a sensitive spot just below my ribs, and thought had become impossible.
The bond hummed between us, alive with his desire. I felt everything—his hunger, his reverence, his desperate need to make me feel good. It was overwhelming. Perfect.
He settled between my thighs, looked up at me. His eyes were pure gold in the morning light.
"Tell me you want this."
"I always want this." I reached for him. "I always want you."
He lowered his head.
The first touch of his tongue made me arch off the bed.
He was good at this. Devastatingly good. He knew exactly where to touch, how much pressure, when to slow down and when to speed up. And through the bond, I felt his pleasure too—the way my responses drove him wild, the way my moans made him harder, the way my hands fisting in his hair sent electricity through his veins.
"Kael—" I was already close. Embarrassingly close. "That's—I can't—"
"You can." His voice vibrated against me. "Come for me, Elena. Let me feel it."
I did.
The bond exploded with sensation—my pleasure, his satisfaction, the connection between us blazing brighter than ever. I cried out his name, and he drank it down like a man dying of thirst.
Before I could catch my breath, he was above me. Inside me. Moving.
"Look at me."
I did.
Gold eyes burning into mine. His body moving in perfect rhythm. The bond singing with every thrust.
"Mine," he growled.
"Yours."
"Say it again."
"Yours, Kael. Always yours."
He came with my name on his lips, and I followed him over the edge.
We lay tangled together afterward, sweaty and satisfied.
The sun was fully up now, streaming through the windows. Somewhere outside, birds sang. The forest was waking.
I traced patterns on his chest. "Is it always going to be like this?"
"Like what?"
"This. Us. The bond." I looked at him. "It's so intense. So—much."
"It'll settle. The first few weeks after the ceremony are always overwhelming." He kissed my forehead. "But no, it won't always be like this. Eventually, the bond fades into the background. You'll feel it, but it won't consume you."
"Good." I smiled. "Because if it was always like this, I'd never get anything done."
He laughed. "There are worse fates."
We finally got out of bed around noon.
Sasha was waiting on the porch with a tray of food and a knowing smile.
"Thought you might need this." She set the tray down. "Figured you'd be... occupied."
My face burned. "Sasha."
"What? I'm happy for you." She grinned. "Enjoying married life?"
"Very much."
"Good." She stood. "Take today. Rest. Tomorrow, the work starts."
"What work?"
"Luna work. Pack duties. Training." She patted my shoulder. "Enjoy your last day of freedom."
She disappeared into the forest.
I looked at Kael. "What did she mean?"
He pulled me close. "She means today is ours. Tomorrow, you start learning what it really means to be Luna."
"Am I ready?"
"You're ready." He kissed me. "But today, we don't think about that. Today is just us."
We spent the day in a haze of pleasure.
Afternoon in the moon pool, his hands on me under the water. Evening on the porch, watching the sunset, his mouth on my neck. Night in our bed, learning new ways to make each other feel good.
By the time we finally slept, I was exhausted, satisfied, and more in love than I'd ever thought possible.
The next morning, the work began.
Sasha arrived at dawn with lists and schedules and an energy that made my head spin.
"Today: meet with the elders. Learn pack history. Tour the territory. Meet the families." She ticked items off her fingers. "Tomorrow: training with Jax. Meeting with the healer. Another tour—different part of the territory."
"That's"
"A lot. I know." She squeezed my arm. "But you can do it. And I'll be with you every step."
Kael kissed me goodbye at the door. "You've got this."
"What if I don't?"
"Then you try again." He touched my face. "That's all any of us can do."
---
The day was overwhelming.
Elders with centuries of history. Families with generations of stories. Territory that stretched for miles, full of places I'd never seen.
But through it all, I felt the pack. Their curiosity, their hope, their tentative acceptance. And underneath that, the bond Kael's steady presence, his pride in me, his love.
By evening, I was exhausted.
But also full.
Sasha walked me home.
"How do you feel?"
"Tired. Happy. Terrified." I laughed. "All of it."
"That's normal." She stopped at the cabin door. "You did well today, Elena. Really well."
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being here. For helping. For—" I shook my head. "For everything."
She hugged me. "That's what pack does."
Kael was waiting inside.
Dinner on the table. Fire in the hearth. Him, shirtless and gorgeous, watching me with those gold eyes.
"Long day?"
"The longest." I collapsed onto the couch. "But good. Really good."
He sat beside me, pulled my feet into his lap. Started rubbing.
"Tell me about it."
I did. The elders, the families, the territory. The moments of connection, the moments of awkwardness, the moments when I felt like I might actually belong.
He listened. Asked questions. Made me feel heard.
When I finished, he pulled me into his arms.
"I'm proud of you."
"For what?"
"For showing up. For trying. For being exactly who you are." He kissed me. "That's all the pack needs."
"The pack needs a Luna who knows what she's doing."
"The pack needs a Luna who cares. Who shows up. Who loves them." He touched my face. "You do all of that. The rest will come."
I leaned into him.
"I love you."
"I love you too." He stood, pulled me up. "Now let's go to bed. Tomorrow's another long day."
"In bed?"
"In bed." He smiled. "Eventually sleeping."
That night, he made love to me slowly.
Gently. Reassuringly. Every touch a reminder that I was loved, that I was enough, that I belonged.
Afterward, I lay in his arms, listening to his heartbeat.
"What are you thinking?" he asked.
"That I never knew this was possible. Happiness. Safety. Love." I looked at him. "I spent so long just surviving. I forgot what living felt like."
"And now?"
"Now I remember." I kissed his chest. "Because of you."
"Because of us." He pulled me closer. "Because you chose to stay. Because you chose to trust. Because you chose to love."
"Best choice I ever made."
"Same."
We slept wrapped in each other, the bond humming softly between us, the future stretching ahead bright and