Page 52 of A Reign of Malice (Wolves of Lunara #3)

JULIAN

T he stars are high, the castle is quiet, and laughter still lingers in the halls as if it’s always been there.

I carry Sloane in my arms. Not because she needs me to, but because I need it. I need her .

Her fingers toy with the collar of my shirt, her head resting against my shoulder. She’s warm and soft and buzzing with joy from not only the evening we’ve just shared with our friends but the entire day.

Even still, underneath that elation, I feel the hum of something deeper that matches my own.

Desire and love and the bond we forged through fire and ash.

We’ve had a long day. Hell, we’ve had a long year. But that doesn’t mean I’m ready for bed.

By the time I reach our room, her lashes are heavy, but she’s still alert, watching me through the haze of candlelight as I set her down gently at the edge of the bed. Her fingers slip down my arm, holding on until the very last second like she can’t quite bear to let go.

I know the feeling .

“You didn’t have to carry me,” she murmurs, breathless. “I could’ve walked.”

“I know,” I whisper, leaning down to kiss her temple. “But I like carrying what’s mine.”

Her lips curl into that wicked smile that makes my pulse thrum. “Possessive much?”

“Only for you.”

She laughs softly, and I take my time easing her sweater from her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. My fingers move with reverence as I unlace the back of her dress, pulling at the ties one by one until the fabric slips free.

She lets it drop around her waist, never breaking eye contact.

Every scar, every curve, every inch of her has been carved into my soul. She’s a map I’ve studied and etched into memory by pain and devotion and a love that nearly never came to be. And yet…

It’s thrived .

She reaches for the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head. “You’re staring,” she says, voice barely above a whisper.

“How could I not?”

Her hands press against my chest, and for a moment, we don’t speak. We just breathe .

Her eyes shimmer with something I don’t quite have a name for. A mixture of awe, hunger, and need. It coils around me like a vow yet to be spoken.

I take her face in my hands, brushing my thumbs over the skin just beneath her eyes.

“You’re everything,” I tell her. “And I don’t just mean to me. I mean to this world. You’ve changed it, Sloane. For the better.”

“So have you,” she says softly, fingers curling around my wrists .

The pull between us deepens. Not just desire, but that gravitational force that says this— us —was always meant to be. That every detour and battle and loss only sharpened what we’d one day become.

Unstoppable.

“Get in this bed with me,” she whispers.

And I do.

Because there’s nowhere else I belong than with this incredible woman.

Now and for always.

Thank you so much for reading A Reign of Malice, the final book in the Wolves of Lunara series!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this world as much as I have!