Page 41

K ieran

I shouldn’t be nervous.

I have led warriors into war. Torn down enemies with my bare hands. Brought packs to their knees.

And yet, standing in my chambers, waiting for Hazel, my palms are clammy.

Pathetic.

I run a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly. Everything is prepared—dim lighting, a fire crackling in the hearth, a feast of her favorite foods laid out on the table. Sylva ensured it was perfect, but I still can’t shake this gnawing feeling in my chest.

Because this isn’t just about dinner.

It’s about her.

About us.

And about making things right.

The fears seep into me. What if she’s not ready yet? What if her heart has not fully let go of the past?

I would give her time to heal. She has called me her Mate.

She has fought battles beside me. She has led my people to victory.

There is little else that she can do to prove to my pack that she is now one of us, loyal to us, dedicated to our well-being.

But beyond the pack, she has effortlessly proved that she is Luna, even when I doubted it when it was right under my nose.

And even if she is not ready to accept me today, I can try another day.

The door creaks open.

I turn sharply, breath catching in my throat.

Hazel steps inside, her presence stealing the air from the room.

She wears a deep emerald dress, the silk clinging to her curves, highlighting every inch of her that I have craved for years. Her wild dark curls are free, spilling over her shoulders, and her green eyes are sharper than ever, assessing me, watching me.

Stunning.

I swallow, forcing my body to stay rooted in place.

I am taken aback by her beauty. I see her every day.

I’ve seen her in different phases. And even though we didn’t get to know each other in the best of ways, it feels like we’ve grown together.

We’ve been through so much, that it feels like we’ve lived several lifetimes already.

And through all of it, she still looks mouthwateringly sexy, even with the purpling bruise on her arm and the small cut on her forehead. I want to skip the niceties and fast forward to the part where I make her moan in pleasure, where she is in my arms and the world melts away.

But I have to wait. It’s the little things that matter to her, and I have to take things in her stride.

She closes the door behind her, arching a brow. “You’re staring.”

I smirk, but it’s weak. “Can you blame me?”

Her lips twitch, as if she’s trying to hold back a smile.

I gesture toward the table. “I figured we should start over.”

She walks past me, her scent—wild, fierce, intoxicating—curling around me, making my wolf stir.

I reach for her, taking her hand in mine and leading her to her chair.

“Imagine we are meeting for the first time. I’m seeing you enter the room for the first time.” I turn her around and admire her some more. “I could look at you like this for the rest of my life and not get bored. You are enchanting and everything about you entices me.”

Her cheeks tinge a shade of red under her light makeup. “Well, that’s a lot of words, Kieran, are you sure you know what they all mean?” she teases, a smile stretching her lips and rounding her cheeks.

“Well, this is the opportunity for you to teach me.” I pull her into me and cup her face. She wraps her arms around me, looking up at me with those bottomless eyes of hers.

“You’re a horrid student. You’d drive me nuts.” She looks away, trying to hide her smile.

“Well, it’s not news I’m crazy in love with you already.”

Her smile is wide now, and I see the girl in her, young, full of life.

For a moment, her smile erases the years of pain and torture that she has had to endure.

And she is just Hazel again. I kiss her forehead, but she pulls me in to her lips, capturing mine in her soft ones, teasing mine apart and lending me her tongue. She tastes of berries and honey.

Her taste saturates my tongue, and it feels like my body has come alive. I want to press into her, hold her so close she merges with me. I never want to lose her again. I never want to look for her and find out that she is nowhere to be found.

She pulls back, a little out of breath, her breathing labored from the intensity of our kiss.

“Well…don’t keep me waiting, Mr. Romantic.” She nudges me, and I shake my head, drawing myself back to the present.

“Yes, of course, my angel.”

My wolf is wagging his tail furiously, and I feel hers is excited as well. I can’t wait for our wolves to play together. I can’t wait for us to find a way to break the seal that Magnus put on her.

When she reaches the table, she trails her fingers along the edge, glancing at the setup. “You really went all out.” She admires the trim on the tablecloth.

“It belonged to my mother. I wanted to feel a piece of them here, so you can meet them somehow. I wanted it to be perfect.”

I pull out a seat for her, then sit across from her. I push a button in the center of the table, and the dinner service begins .

“We will have our own private celebrations. I know you must be tired from everything and will need to breathe away from the pack.”

She smiles. She appreciates the gesture and she expresses that much with a nod.

My Mate is hard to please. Such independence and autonomy, combined with her fierce energy that burns like a furnace, draws me to her like a moth to flame.

She hums, running her fingers over the stem of a wine glass before finally lifting her gaze to mine. “Why did we have to have a separate dinner? I would have wanted to spend time with you with or without them, either way, Kieran.”

The question catches me off guard.

Why? Why?

Because I have wronged her in ways I don’t know how to fix.

Because she deserves something good. Something soft.

Because the thought of losing her again is something I cannot bear.

But none of those words leave my mouth.

Instead, I exhale, stepping closer. “Because I owe you that much.”

She watches me, something flickering in her expression before she picks up a spoon. “Then let’s eat.”

The tension eases slightly as we settle in, the flickering candlelight casting shadows on her face. We talk—lightly at first. About Moonfang’s rebuilding efforts, about the Omegas she’s been working with. I find myself captivated by the way she speaks, the way she cares.

“We need to do something about Nightclaw. They do not have an Alpha. They are exposed and vulnerable.” She takes a breath after saying this. It's not easy to think of the people that have hurt her with empathy. But she does. As a Luna should.

“We will annex, like Elara said.” I see her eyes light up. There's nothing I desire more than to see her pleased.

She nods with a smile.

For the first time in a long time, I feel at ease.

But the weight between us remains.

And as I refill her glass, I know I can’t avoid it forever.

I set the bottle down, my fingers tightening slightly. “Hazel…”

She tenses .

I inhale deeply. “I need to say this.”

She shakes her head, lifting a hand. “Kieran—”

“No.” I lean forward, my voice firm but quiet. “Please. Let me.”

She hesitates, her jaw tightening, but she nods.

I hold her gaze. “I was a fool…”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” she says with amusement sparkling in her eyes as she sips from her glass of wine.

I chuckle before I continue. “When I rejected you, I thought I was protecting my pack. But I was wrong.” My voice lowers, rough.

“The truth is…I was protecting myself. From you. From how much I wanted you. From how much I needed you.”

Her breath hitches.

I reach across the table for her hand, slowly, cautiously. She doesn’t pull away.

“I am not a perfect Alpha. I will make mistakes. But I will never make the mistake of letting you go again.” My words are a vow. “If you’ll let me, Hazel…I want to spend the rest of my life making this right.”

Silence.

A long, aching silence.

And then—

She exhales sharply, stands up, and rounds the table.

I follow her movements with my eyes, my pulse pounding, unsure what she will do next. She could fight me, scream at me, reject me so that we are even. As horrible as it all sounds, I am prepared for it all. I deserve whatever she gives me.

She stops right in front of me.

Then she lifts a hand and presses a single finger against my lips.

“Shut up,” she murmurs.

Before I can process what’s happening, she grabs my collar and pulls me in.

And then, she kisses me.

It’s not gentle. It’s not hesitant.

It’s hungry. Desperate. Fierce.

I groan into her mouth, my hands gripping her waist, pulling her against me. Her body molds against mine, her heat intoxicating. My wolf roars, demanding I take, I claim.

But I fight it.

Because this moment is hers.

I let her take control, let her set the pace.

She nips my bottom lip, her fingers tangling in my hair, and I nearly lose it.

I pull her flush against me, lifting her slightly so she’s forced to wrap her legs around my waist.

She gasps against my mouth, but she doesn’t stop me.

“Don’t stop,” she moans.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” I say before I seize her lips in mine, kissing her with all the fervor my wolf has craved, with all the passion we have lost to the years, with all the intensity that we have stored in our bodies. It all breaks loose in that kiss.

I carry her to the bed, lowering her onto the soft sheets. I pull back and look at her. Her face is flushed and her hair is messy. Her eyes are hooded and darkened with her need for me. Her wolf flashes amber in her eyes, and my wolf responds with a growl, needing her, seeing her.

But we must be patient.