Page 26 of Furever Bound (Hollow Oak Mates #7)
MADDOX
T he morning after their intimate connection, Maddox woke with Sera curled against his side, her strawberry blonde hair spread across his chest and her breathing deep with the kind of peaceful sleep that suggested she felt completely safe in his arms. The sunlight streaming through his bedroom windows caught the copper highlights in her hair, and he found himself memorizing details about this moment—the weight of her hand on his heart, the vanilla scent that seemed to cling to her skin, the way she unconsciously moved closer to his warmth even in sleep.
Their physical joining the night before had been everything his wolf had craved—passionate, generous, absolutely right in ways that transcended supernatural recognition. But it had also made the incomplete nature of their bond more obvious, highlighting what they still needed to build together.
"Good morning," Sera murmured against his chest, her voice husky with sleep and satisfaction that made his pulse quicken with renewed desire.
"Good morning," he replied, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head while his hands traced the elegant line of her spine. "How are you feeling?"
"Different," she admitted with honesty that made his chest warm with protective tenderness. "More connected to you, to this place, to my own abilities. Like something that was sleeping finally woke up."
"The mate bond recognition growing," he explained, though his rational mind struggled with how to address what came next. "Physical intimacy strengthens supernatural connections, makes them more stable and accessible."
"But not complete," she observed.
Her intuitive understanding of bond dynamics proved her psychic development was accelerating beyond anything he'd expected, but it also meant he needed to explain claiming procedures that involved permanent supernatural commitment most humans couldn't comprehend.
"The final stage of mate bonding involves a marking process that creates unbreakable supernatural connection between partners."
"Unbreakable how?" she asked, propping herself up on her elbow to give him her full attention.
"Spiritual, emotional, and physical connection that transcends death," he said, watching her reaction to information that challenged every assumption about relationship commitment she'd learned in human society.
"Not just enhanced intimacy or emotional attachment, but actual soul bonding that makes separation impossible. "
"Literal soul bonding. That sounds... permanent in ways that human marriage vows can't match."
"Completely permanent," he confirmed with gentle honesty. "Claimed mates share consciousness to some degree, experience each other's emotions, can sense each other's wellbeing across distances. It's beautiful and profound, but it's also irreversible."
"And the marking process?"
"Physical scratch from partially shifting that leaves a permanent mark and creates the supernatural connection," he explained. "For wolves, the traditional placement is the hip—intimate enough to be private, positioned to be felt during physical connection."
"A claw mark," she said, her hand moving unconsciously to her hip as she processed the implications. "That would be visible proof of supernatural bonding."
"Proof that you belong to me and I belong to you," he said, studying her expression for signs of anxiety or uncertainty.
Instead of fear, he saw fascination mixed with something that looked suspiciously like anticipation.
"Would I be able to sense your emotions the way you'd sense mine?" she asked with practical curiosity that proved she was considering acceptance rather than rejection.
"Completely mutual connection," he confirmed. "No supernatural dominance or control, just shared awareness and emotional resonance that deepens over time."
"And if something happened to one of us?"
"The surviving mate would know immediately and experience the loss on levels that human grief can't match," he said honestly, because explaining supernatural bonding required acknowledging both the beauty and the cost. "But they'd also carry part of their mate's essence permanently, so death wouldn't mean complete separation. "
The weight of what he was describing settled around them, and Sera went quiet for several minutes while processing information that would reshape her understanding of what commitment could mean.
"When you say unbreakable," she said finally, "you mean even if we wanted to end the relationship, we couldn't?"
"The supernatural connection would remain regardless of conscious choice," he admitted reluctantly.
"Claimed mates who try to separate experience psychological and physical distress until they reunite.
It's not imprisonment, but it is permanent partnership in ways that human relationships never achieve. "
"That's terrifying," she said quietly.
"And beautiful," he added, reaching up to cup her face with hands that trembled slightly from the intensity of his own feelings. "When you find the right person, permanent connection becomes a gift rather than a burden."
"And you think I'm the right person?" she asked, vulnerability bleeding through her confident exterior.
"I know you're the right person," he replied without hesitation, the certainty in his voice making her breath catch.
"My wolf recognized you from the first touch, but my heart chose you through every conversation, every shared laugh, every moment of intellectual sparring that made me remember why connections matter. "
"Even knowing what claiming me would mean for your safety, your freedom, your ability to change your mind if I disappoint you?"
"Especially knowing that," he said, leaning up to kiss her with tender intensity that made his point better than words could.
"Sera, I've spent five years living in careful isolation, convinced that emotional connections were complications I didn't need.
You made me remember that the best parts of life require risk. "
"Risk," she said with a small smile that suggested she was thinking of more than just supernatural bonding. "Like tomorrow night's plan to communicate directly with Grimjaw?"
"That's a different kind of risk entirely," he said, his protective instincts flaring at the reminder of her dangerous proposal. "One I'm still not convinced is worth taking."
"But one that might be necessary regardless of our personal comfort level," she pointed out with the problem-solving determination that made her invaluable during crisis situations.
Before he could argue about manifestation communication safety protocols, the sharp crack of breaking glass from downstairs sent them both bolt upright with alarmt.
"That came from the study," Sera said, already reaching for clothes with efficiency that proved she was adapting to supernatural community life faster than he'd expected.
"Stay behind me," Maddox said, pulling on jeans while his enhanced hearing picked up sounds of deliberate movement through his house rather than random break-in activity.
As they crept down the stairs toward whatever threat had violated their temporary sanctuary, he realized that explaining claiming procedures would have to wait until they dealt with whatever new crisis had arrived to complicate their developing bond.