Page 45 of Fated (The Bonded Legacy #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

LENA

L ena stood in her walk-in closet, holding up her third outfit option, frowning at her reflection.

She was going for casual but a little sexy.

She wanted to have an effect on him without looking like she was trying too hard because this wasn’t just another evening together. She had a date. A real one.

With her mate .

While ceremony planning had consumed her days this past week, her evenings had belonged to Kai.

Late dinners after long hours of work had become their ritual.

She smiled as she sifted through her clothes, remembering how they’d progressed from sitting across from each other to side by side, how she’d nearly stabbed him with a fork when he kept stealing food off her plate with an infuriating grin.

Tonight would be different. Lena was unable to suppress the flutter in her stomach as she thought about waking to find the note he’d slipped under her door:

Fire and beers tonight with the warriors. Be my date?

She’d scribbled back:

YES! Pick me up at 9.

and signed her name with a heart before slipping it under his door, pulse racing like a teenager with her first crush.

The day had felt like it took forever to pass. Now Kai would be here in thirty minutes, and she couldn’t decide what to wear.

Behind her, Ryker sprawled across her bed with theatrical drama, one arm flung over his eyes. “This is so unfair,” he groaned. “ I should be invited to warrior bonfires. I’m practically one of them.”

“You’re a few weeks from being one of their bosses,” Lena reminded him, pulling out another option and holding it up in front of the mirror. “Unless you want to start extending invitations to our dads whenever you have kickbacks, you’re going to have to suffer through your FOMO.”

“But why do you get to go? And with him ? He’s not even a pack member!”

Jace snorted from his spot in her reading chair. “Poor Ryker, having to deal with the reality of rank and not being the center of attention.”

“Suck it, Jace.” Ryker threw a pillow at him. “At least you get to hang out with the elites tomorrow while I’m stuck at some boring council meeting.”

Jace threw the pillow back. “I’m not ‘hanging out’ with them. I’m observing patrols and assessing who might be a good fit for Cian’s detail. You know, training . Just like you are for the jobs we’re about to take on.”

Lena stepped out of the closet, adjusting the buffalo-print flannel she’d left unbuttoned over her longline, tan, lace bralette and black leggings. She tugged on her fur-lined ankle boots and turned to face her friends.

“Enough about that.” She did a little spin. “How do I look?”

Ryker’s jaw dropped, his playful complaints forgotten. “Holy shit, Thing 1! You look absolutely biteable.”

She giggled, heat creeping up her neck. “That good?”

“Damn.” Jace adjusted himself. “Bloodstone should take a number and get in line.”

Lena rolled her eyes. “We’ll see about that.” She moved to her vanity, fingers trembling as she started working her hair into a messy top knot, pulling tendrils out to frame her face.

“How have things been going?” Jace’s voice turned more serious. “With him, I mean.”

Lena met his eyes in the mirror. “Good. Really good.” She picked out a tube of lipstick—the umber shade she’d worn the night of the summit opening reception. “Being with Kai, especially here, it’s as easy as breathing.”

“That’s awesome. How it should be.” Ryker perked up. “And Kai seems to be settling in well here too. Full sentences, less broody, smiles—sometimes even with teeth—it’s like watching someone come alive.”

“Yeah. He’s been showing up to warrior training every day. Has gotten in good with the elites,” Jace added.

Lena quirked a brow, lipstick pausing before it touched her mouth. “How does he measure up?” She’d always wanted a strong mate, someone she could fight alongside.

“He’s brilliant actually. He’ll definitely be a fighting alpha.” Jace paused with a smirk. “Though he did lose his first sparring match yesterday.”

Lena gaped. “Really? Who?”

“Holden. Kai was too busy staring at you across the courtyard with fucking hearts in his eyes when you were walking with Nerina,” Jace snickered. “It was all the opening Holden needed.”

She couldn’t help the smile that formed on her face as she dabbed lipstick across her mouth.

“That’s actually adorable,” Ryker said. “So...do you think tonight’s the night? Mating and marking?”

Lena’s hand stilled. “Goddess, no. We’re definitely not ready for marks.

It’s still new, and there’s so much uncertainty.

I need to know this isn’t temporary. That I’m the one he wants— forever —before I could even think about bearing his mark or giving him mine.

” She set down the lipstick and turned to face them.

“But the tension between us is...” She fanned herself dramatically, then stood up, unable to sit still.

“Palpable. I really like him. Like, even if he wasn’t my fated, I think I’d still be completely smitten. ”

She paced, words tumbling out faster as her excitement built.

“Having dinner with him has become the best part of my day. I learn something new about him each time—how his mind works, what makes him laugh, the way his whole face changes when he talks about something he’s passionate about.

” She paused, pressing a hand to her chest. “And he listens to me. Really listens. Not like he’s waiting for his turn to talk, but like every word I say matters to him.

“He asks about my day, what I think about pack politics. And when I tell him about the frustrating parts—dealing with vendors or the pressure of being a female first-born—he doesn’t try to fix it or dismiss it.

He just...gets it.” She spun to face them, eyes bright, body vibrating.

“I find myself craving that closeness, that connection.”

“We need to meet his wolf,” Elara interjected, voice eager. “Ask him to run with us.”

The thought sparked something wild in Lena’s chest. She’d never seen Kai’s wolf, had only felt Orion’s presence when they were close.

What does he look like? Are those emerald eyes even more striking in wolf form?

The idea of running alongside him, of experiencing that primal connection, sent a thrill through her.

Ryker grinned. “Now look who has fucking hearts in their eyes.”

“I know!” She flopped back down on the bed beside him. “It’s terrifying and amazing. I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

“And?” Jace prompted.

“I think he feels it too. The way he looks at me like I’m the most fascinating person in the room. How his scent changes when I’m around. How his wolf’s presence grows when we get closer. But he hasn’t made a move.” She pounded her fists into the mattress. “And it’s driving me crazy .”

“Define ‘crazy’?” Jace asked.

Lena groaned, covering her face with her hands. “I’m embarrassed to admit how much I’ve had to charge my vibrator this week.”

“Lena!” Ryker gasped, clutching imaginary pearls. “Masturbation? How unbecoming of a future luna.” He rolled on top of her, eyebrows waggling. “Tell me everything! Did you imagine his fingers? His mouth? Taking his alpha knot?”

“Shut up!” She sat up, throwing him off and smacking him with a pillow before falling back onto the bed in frustration. “I’m desperate to feel him inside me—to have a non-battery or manually operated orgasm—but right now I’d settle for a kiss. A real one that isn’t on the cheek.”

A knock at the door made all three of them freeze.

“That’s him,” she whispered, bolting upright and making her way to the door before pausing. “How’s my hair? My lipstick?”

“Perfect,” both males said in unison.

Lena took a deep breath and opened the door.

The sight of Kai standing there stole the breath from her lungs.

When she’d first met him, there had been a coolness to him—like a filter that washed out the vibrancy of his aura, dimming his presence to something manageable.

Since he’d come to Moonshadow though, it was like color was bleeding through.

Now he stood at her door wearing brand new jeans and a forest-green henley that brought out his eyes, a plush blanket folded over one arm and a six pack of beer in the other hand.

He was in full technicolor—like Dorothy opening the door when she landed in Oz.

“Hi,” he said softly. She caught the nervous edge in his voice as his eyes roamed her from head to toe. “Ready?”

Jace chimed in before she had a chance to respond. “Look at them, Ryker. All spiffed up for their first group date.”

“These pups just grow up too fast nowadays.” Ryker mimed wiping away tears. “Next thing you know, they’ll be having a litter of their own.”

Kai blinked, looking between them. “Are you guys...coming too?”

Ryker responded with a grumpy snort. “ We weren’t invited. Just keeping Lena company while she got ready.”

Jace stood, kissed Lena’s head, and clapped Kai on the shoulder as he left. “Have a good time, you two.”

As Ryker brushed past Kai on his way out, he leaned in close and whispered something too low for Lena to hear. Whatever he said sent a rush of crimson racing up Kai’s neck to the tips of his ears.

“Uh-huh,” was all Kai managed, eyes locking on Lena as he swallowed hard.

Shaking her head, Lena closed the door behind her and grabbed the blanket from him. “Let’s go.”

The walk to the bonfire was easy, comfortable. Their hands brushed as they walked, and when she hooked her pinky around his, he squeezed back in response.

The fire was already roaring when they arrived, casting dancing shadows across the faces of a dozen Moonshadow warriors. The scent of burning cedar and pine mingled with the crisp night air. Holden raised his beer in greeting, and several others called out welcomes.

Kai spread the blanket on the ground and settled beside her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. When he handed her a beer, their fingers lingered together longer than necessary.

“Hey, Bloodstone,” Holden called out, breaking the moment. “We were just talking about how the scales have finally tipped in my daily matches with you.”

Kai chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest in a way that made Lena’s pulse quicken. She could feel the rumble of it where their bodies touched, almost synchronizing their heartbeats—like being tuned to the same frequency as someone else’s joy.

“Don’t get too cocky,” Kai replied. “I was distracted.”

“By what?” Holden pressed with a knowing grin.

“Something worth being distracted by.”

Lena could feel Kai’s eyes on her, heat pooling low in her belly at the roughness in his voice.

“Speaking of which,” Holden continued, “Lena, when are you getting back in the ring? I hope all that time at the summit and ceremony planning hasn’t dulled your edge.”

Lena squared her shoulders, competitive fire sparking. “Trust me, I didn’t go soft.”

“She wiped the floor with most of the heirs and betas at the summit,” Kai said, pride clear in his voice. “You should have seen her.”

Lena turned to stare at him. “You heard about that?”

“I saw it.” His voice dropped in register. “I spent my afternoon breaks on the balcony watching you train. You’re a marvel in the ring, Lena.”

The praise, the intimacy of his tone, sent heat flooding through her core.

She knew he scented the spike in her arousal when he sucked in a breath.

Embarrassment started to creep in until she felt his arm drape over her shoulders, pulling her closer.

She leaned back, settling into the crook of his arm like she belonged there.

“I’d love to see you two square up,” Holden remarked, earning a chorus of agreement from the other warriors.

Kai leaned down, his lips grazing her ear. “How about it, Lena? Want a shot at trying to put me on my back?”

She knew he was talking about sparring, but the timber in his voice conjured a completely different image: her straddling his naked body, hands braced against his chest as she rode his cock until he yielded beneath her.

He stared at her intently, waiting for her response, and it took every bit of willpower not to pounce on him right there.

“You’re on,” she managed.

“Show him our strength,” Elara purred with satisfaction. “Let him see what he gets to claim.”

“Can’t wait.” He pulled her back against him, tucking her head under his chin.

Conversation flowed around them, but Lena was lost in the sensation of being held by him. The way his thumb traced lazy circles on her shoulder. How every so often she’d feel his lips brush the top of her head as he nuzzled her.

Kiss me, she found herself thinking, almost like a prayer whispered through their bond. Spend the night with me. I don’t want this to end.

She didn’t know when she fell asleep, but she was vaguely aware of strong arms lifting her, of being settled gently on her bed.

She felt him removing her boots, tucking the covers around her, pushing her hair back from her face with gentle fingers that carried his signature orange and nutmeg scent, now richened by the smoky essence of the bonfire.

“Goodnight, mate,” he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

Just as sleep pulled her back under, she heard him lean close to her ear.

“Dream of me.”