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"Not always," he murmured, his gaze dropping to her lips. "Not yet."

SIXTEEN

ORION

Orion watched the emotions play across Seraphina's face, feeling the subtle shifts through their nascent mate bond. The tension in her shoulders had eased slightly, but her eyes still held a shadow of distrust. Fair enough. He hadn't been entirely forthcoming about York's presence. But he'd be damned if some human politician's lackey would take his Luna from him before he'd had the chance to show her what they could be together.

The pull between them was magnetic and visceral. Four centuries of existence had not prepared him for the raw intensity of finding his true mate. He allowed himself a moment to drink her in—the emerald dress hugging curves that his hands still remembered from their earlier intimate encounter, and the sapphire necklace he'd given her resting against her collarbone, catching the fading sunlight.

"This way," he insisted softly. He guided her with a light touch at her back, feeling a surge of satisfaction when she didn't pull away.

When they reached the observatory, he heard her soft gasp of surprise. He'd instructed his staff to transform the space—a small table draped in white linen, two chairs positionedintimately close, and candlelight casting golden shadows across the stone walls. Above them, the dome had been retracted, revealing a sky painted in fiery oranges and deep purples as the sun began its descent.

"You did all this? For me?" The wonder in her voice made his chest tighten.

"I wanted tonight to be special." He pulled out her chair. "Before you make any decisions tomorrow."

The wine was already breathing, a rich Cabernet he'd chosen personally from his cellar. He poured her a glass, then his own, before taking his seat across from her. Their knees touched beneath the small table.

"The seafood risotto is one of our chef's specialties," he explained as servers appeared with their first course. "The shellfish comes from our waters."

"It's delicious," she said after her first bite, genuine pleasure replacing some of the wariness in her expression.

Orion took a sip of his wine, gathering his thoughts. "I should've told you about York immediately. That was... a mistake." The admission felt foreign on his tongue. Kings didn't admit to errors in judgment.

"Yes, you should have." Her directness surprised a laugh out of him.

"Four hundred years of command, and I'm still learning." He held her gaze. "My instinct is to protect what's mine."

"I'm not yours, Orion."

"Aren't you?" The wolf inside him growled at her denial. He tempered it, forcing himself to speak calmly. "The bond between us says otherwise."

When she didn't respond, he decided to change course. "Let me tell you about my pack. About our history."

As they ate, he told her how he'd gathered his wolves from across three continents, offering sanctuary to thosepersecuted, hunted, or simply displaced by humanity's endless expansion. How he'd secured this island as their haven and built a community that blended ancient traditions with enough modernity to survive in a changing world.

"Four centuries," she marveled. "I can barely imagine it."

"It hasn't always been easy." He found himself revealing more than he'd intended—the early struggles, the territorial wars with rival packs, the sacrifices made to ensure their continued safety. "Loyalty is everything to us. To me."

The candlelight caught the planes of her face, illuminating her expression as she listened intently. His wolf preened under her attention.

"And you think I could be part of this? Your Luna?"

"I know you could." He reached across the table, taking her hand in his. "My pack would adore you, Seraphina. They would protect you with their lives, as would I."

His thumb traced circles on her palm. "I've lived for a long time, ruled just as long, and never have I felt for anyone what I feel for you."

He hadn't planned to say it, hadn't even fully acknowledged it to himself until the words were hanging between them. "I've fallen in love with you. Completely."

Her eyes widened, lips parting in surprise.

"You are fierce and brilliant, worthy in every way to stand as my equal." His voice deepened, the wolf in him needing her to understand the depth of his claim. "I want nothing more than to have you by my side, ruling together."

His heart pounded against his ribs, an unfamiliar vulnerability coursing through him. In all his centuries, he'd never laid himself bare this way. His wolf bristled with impatience, wanting to claim what was his, but the man in him waited, watching her expression shift like shadows across the moon.

Seraphina's silence stretched between them. She traced the rim of her wine glass with a delicate finger, her brow furrowed in contemplation.