Page 43

H azel

The room is drenched in moonlight, the golden glow of the fire casting flickering shadows against the stone walls. My body hums with satisfaction, my skin still warm from Kieran’s touch, but there’s something deeper pulsing beneath it—something raw and undeniable.

I turn my head against the pillow, my breath still uneven, and find him staring at me.

His silver eyes hold something unguarded, something I never thought I’d see from him—vulnerability.

His fingers trace the curve of my shoulder, slow and deliberate, like he’s memorizing me. “You’re quiet,” he murmurs.

I swallow, my throat tight. “I’m thinking.”

He smirks, but there’s a softness to it. “Dangerous.”

I huff a small laugh, but it dies quickly. My chest tightens as I shift to face him fully, lifting a hand to press my palm against his jaw.

“I love you.”

The words leave my lips before I can second-guess them.

Kieran stills.

His expression remains unreadable, but I feel the way his body tenses beneath me, how his breathing hitches just slightly .

Then his eyes darken—not with anger, not with doubt, but with something deep and all-consuming.

His fingers slide into my hair, tangling at the nape of my neck as he pulls me closer, until our noses brush.

“Say it again,” he whispers.

I don’t hesitate.

“I love you.”

His breath shudders, and then his lips crash into mine.

It’s not the kind of kiss that ignites a spark—it’s the kind that consumes. That devours. That leaves nothing behind but the truth of what we are.

His grip tightens as he shifts me beneath him, his body hovering over mine. But this time, it’s different. There’s no desperate urgency, no battle between dominance and control.

This time, there’s only us.

Only this bond that has fought through pain, betrayal, war—and survived.

He pulls back just slightly, his forehead pressing against mine. “I should have known.” His voice is hoarse. “I should have seen it the moment I laid eyes on you. I should never have let you go, and I will spend the rest of my life paying for that.”

A deep growl rumbles in his chest, vibrating against me. I close my eyes briefly, letting the weight of his words settle over me.

Then I inhale. It’s time to tell him. I’m ready.

“There’s something you need to know.”

He tenses. “What is it?”

I exhale slowly, shifting slightly so I can meet his gaze fully. “The seal. The only way to break it…” I trail off, biting my lip.

His grip on me tightens. “Tell me.” I know he’s been waiting for this moment.

I can feel it in the way his heart jumps that he’s been thinking about it.

My wolf has been needing to meet his, to feel his fur against her face, to feel his weight on her, to feel him knot her.

His wolf flashes in his eyes, and mine whines in need.

I swallow. “Only a Mate’s mark can break the seal and set my wolf free.”

A flash of realization crosses his face, followed by a dark, primal need that sends a shiver down my spine. That sends the memory of how he just fucked me flooding my senses again.

His hand slides down my body, fingers tracing the faint glow of the seal that still lingers on my shoulder, keeping my wolf trapped in a prison that she never deserved.

His jaw clenches. “I should have done this a long time ago.”

I nod, barely able to breathe past the anticipation thrumming in my veins. “We didn’t know. Magnus told me as we entered the estate gates,” I tell him.

He shifts above me, his lips brushing the spot where the seal rests. I wrap my arms around him, eager to feel his teeth sink into me, eager to feel the rush of pleasure that will flood me.

“Are you sure?” His voice is barely more than a growl. His wolf is eager too. They’ve been waiting for this for years.

I tangle my fingers in his hair, tilting my head to the side, offering myself to him completely. We are the most vulnerable with each other in this moment. And after this, nothing can separate us, ever again.

“Yes.”

That’s all he needs.

His canines elongate, and in one swift movement, he bites down.

Pain and pleasure explode through me in equal measure. A gasp rips from my throat, my back arching as the seal burns, the magic crackling and unraveling beneath his claim.

Then—

I feel it.

The bond.

It slams into me with the force of a thousand storms, wrapping around my soul, threading through every inch of me until I am his.

Until he is mine.

Kieran growls against my skin, his arms locking around me as if he’ll never let go.

I barely register the way my own canines ache, my instincts screaming for me to mark him back.

I move without thinking, flipping us so I straddle him, my chest rising and falling as the connection between us solidifies.

His lips are parted, his pupils blown wide as he stares at me with something raw, something utterly feral. My wolf surges in a way that she hasn’t before. My teeth elongate, my fangs aching to feel his flesh tear, eager to feel his blood fill my mouth.

And then I bite.

My teeth sink into his shoulder, my body trembling as my mark sears into his flesh, binding us together in a way that nothing—no one—can break.

He lets out a guttural sound, his grip on me bruising as he holds me there, as if he wants the pain, as if he needs it.

I pull back, my lips stained red, my body shaking from the intensity of the moment.

Then suddenly a sharp, searing heat erupts through me.

I gasp, my limbs locking, my vision blurring as something ancient, something primal awakens inside me.

I feel her, in her full strength now. My wolf surging through me.

Kieran moves fast, catching me before I collapse, his arms strong and steady around me.

But I barely hear him, see him, feel him.

Because my body is changing. The pain is white hot as it tears through me.

I didn’t get the chance to meet my wolf before she was sealed away.

So, the pain is unfamiliar, as is the way my bones break and give way to hers.

The way I feel my face stretching to accommodate her, the way my skin thickens and sprouts her fur, it’s all new.

I feel myself receding into her consciousness.

I see her with my mind’s eye, and she is glorious.

Her paws are strong as she stretches them through my hands.

She is strong.

Before I can process it, one more wave of pain flashes through me, and it is as if I pass out. And when I open my eyes again, I am no longer in human form.

I am a wolf.

A deep, earth-shaking howl erupts from my chest, reverberating through the room, through the walls, through every fiber of my being.

I feel everything.

The bond. The power. The undeniable truth of who I am.

Who I was always meant to be .

I turn to Kieran, my wolf’s vision sharp, the golden glow of my eyes reflecting in his.

And in that moment, I know.

I am finally free.

The moon calls to me, wild and insistent.

The wild calls to my paws. I need to feel the dirt beneath my paws, I need to be flooded with the senses of the forest. Without thinking, I run to the window and jump out of it, landing a bit awkwardly on the estate grounds.

I turn back and I see Kieran’s wolf as stunning and as magnificent as the first day I laid eyes on him, his blue eyes glowing in the dark of the night.

He comes to join me, and our wolves play with each other, prancing and nipping at each other, rubbing against each other, sniffing and pawing at each other.

I’d never felt euphoria in my life until this moment.

And then, the urge to run fills me. Kieran knows exactly what I need, and he leads the way, running ahead of me into the woods.

I follow, my wolf running behind his, feeling the rush in my veins, the air in our lungs.

Everything is crisp and clear. We stop at a cliff, overlooking the vast expanse of land that belongs to the Moonfang.

And we howl, in unison, as the Mates that we were made to be.

I feel all of the stress, all of the pain, all of the suffering that I have gone through seep into my howls.

I am free.

I am free.

That is the only thought in my mind.

I am free.

The evening sun filters through the open balcony doors, casting a golden glow over my room. The air is thick with the scent of fresh flowers, incense, and the distant hum of celebration as the new Moonfang and Nightclaw together prepare for mine and Kieran’s Mating ceremony.

The merging of both packs will be completed on the next full moon after our Mating ceremony is complete. Kieran and I agreed to name our new, fully- merged pack, Moonclaw.

The Omegas bustle around me, their hands soft and gentle as they braid my hair, pin delicate ornaments into place, and dust my skin with fragrant oils. Their excitement crackles in the air, their whispered words of admiration and joy wrapping around me like a warm embrace.

“You look radiant, Luna,” one of them murmurs, smoothing the intricate embroidery of my deep crimson ceremonial robe.

Luna.

I never thought I’d hear anyone call me that with reverence, with respect.

But today, everything has changed.

I catch my reflection in the mirror—the fierce green of my eyes, the confidence in my posture, the way the rich fabric of my attire clings to me like I was born to wear it.

I was always meant to stand here. Beside my Mate. Beside my pack.

The thought fills me with a quiet kind of warmth.

Then the door swings open.

Ayana strides in, her presence as electric as ever. She takes one look at me and lets out a dramatic sigh. “Well, damn. You actually clean up nice.”

I smirk. “Don’t sound so surprised. You know I do.”

She plops onto the edge of the bed, kicking off her shoes, clearly unbothered by the swarm of Omegas still perfecting my look. “I mean, I knew you’d end up here eventually. Fate and all that. But I have to say, I kind of miss the feral, brooding Hazel who was ready to set the world on fire.”

I roll my eyes. “She’s still in here, Hazel. Even more now that the seal is broken.”

Her eyes widen. “No way. What?”