Page 54

The Wolf And The Lioness

SAVVINE

The family-owned pasticceria was a favorite that paid homage to the charm of a long-standing Italian tradition of hot, delicious beverages and desserts.

Its walls featured photos and holos of the old world’s magnificent architecture, beautiful landscapes, sumptuous cuisine, and ancient ruins.

Its furniture tried to imitate a Venetian cafe, from its curved alcoves lined with arboreal panels and antique Bianchi murals, to the striped chairs and tablecloths.

Its windows’ vista was of an atmospheric garden dome, where an artificial dawn painted the ferns and flowers in gentle golds, plus a few olive trees for authenticity.

The scent of clove syrup and steamed chicory hung in the air, mingled with the warmth of fresh flatbread and herb-whipped butter.

Savvine sat at a side booth with a steaming mug of amber kahawa between her hands, not trying to meet her friends’ eyes.

But she wasn’t fooling them, not in the least.

‘So,’ Abby said, leaning over the table, her grin devious, ‘is it true your new man is one of those sexy spectral wolves everyone is chatting about?’

Savvine shook her head. ‘Well, appears the mostro legend is no longer feared.’

Abby waggled her brows. ‘Ever since your father called open slather on metas and enhanced beings, all the singles on the ark ship have lost their minds trying to track one down for themselves. It’s the lure of the forbidden.

I gather they’re sensual as hell. Every unattached woman across the flotilla wants to fokk one. ’

Elegantly sipping her mist fruit tea, Laleh arched a sculpted brow. ‘Sounds like you’re on the prowl, Abby. Back to Savvine and her new man. So he carried you through open space. Cradled you like a goddess?’

Savvine blinked, setting down her mug. ‘Who’s talking all this shit?’

‘Sweetheart,’ Abby drawled, tossing a braid over her shoulder, ‘when your man single-handedly nukes a synth bot and saves an entire ark ship, the chat apps go wild.’

Savvine groaned, burying her face in her hands. ‘You’re impossible. I only came over to handle Leiko’s promotion and catch up with you two. Is this what I get? It’s an ambush!’

Unfazed, Laleh plucked a piece of her flatbread, dragging it through honeyed ricotta. ‘So, is he as lethal in bed as in battle?’

Savvine choked. ‘Laleh!’

‘What?’ Laleh said with a smirk. ‘You’ve got that hazy, eyes dilated blur on your face. The one that says he rearranged my spine and marked me .’

Abby whooped with laughter and slapped the table. ‘That’s it! Oh my void, I knew it. Care to explain your new ink?’

Savvine blushed so furiously her face scorched. ‘ Va bene ! We’re together, and yes, we’re cheesy like that with matching glyphs. It’s a star wolf claiming mark.’

Her friends gasped.

‘Oh my,’ Laleh breathed. ‘It’s even better than the gossip vines say it is.’

‘Stop,’ Savvine groaned. ‘I’m going to say this once and never again. Xander is amazing, kind, sweet, intense, and brooding, and the man for me, no doubt.’

Laleh leaned in, her smile softening. ‘Tell us more.’

Savvine glanced between them, two women who had stood by her through uprising and exile, and let herself melt a little.

‘He’s smart,’ she confessed. ‘Like, intelligent in ways that catch you off-guard. He’s also attentive.

He can dismantle a threat mid-flight, take note that you haven’t eaten, and then feed you.

He’s got fire in his blood, but he softens when we’re alone.

He’s a lycan warrior in battle, a sensual wolf in the bedroom, and a teddy bear at all other times. ’

Abby placed her chin on both hands, eyes sparkling. ‘Does he talk dirty in bed?’

Savvine narrowed her eyes. ‘Are you thirteen?’

‘If you’re referring to my emotional maturity, then, yes.’

Savvine rolled her eyes. ‘All you need to know is that we love each other and are marked, claimed, and knotted for eternity.’

Abby’s expression turned wistful. ‘That’s real, Savv. The kind of romance we only read about before the world fell apart. The sort of passion I dream of.’

Lelah smirked. ‘And he’s hot. Let’s not pretend that’s not half the appeal.’

Savvine sipped her kahawa , trying and failing to suppress the smile that curled her lips. ‘He’s soooo hot.’

They all laughed, voices blending with the mellow hum of music and conversation from the other tables. The café’s lights flickered as the dome adjusted for artificial sunset.

Laleh reached for her pastry, then paused. ‘What comes now?’

Savvine gazed out the window at a maintenance drone tending the garden paths. ‘I’ve taken charge of the Signet air force. I’m training the next gen of pilots and fighters, and we’re building a life together.’

‘What about babies?’ Abby asked with a mischievous glint.

Savvine threw a napkin at her.

Living with Xander wasn’t just easy; it was seamless, like slipping into a rhythm familiar to her soul.

She moved into his quarters in the executive wing of La última Sombra.

His private residence sat behind reinforced black glass walls and glowing access panels keyed to his biometric signature.

When she arrived, the place was unmistakably a bachelor’s pad, unadorned and straightforward.

Still, it had potential, with three spacious bedrooms connected by a generous hallway with burnished steel trim and matte charcoal floors.

She liked the open-plan lounge with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves packed with the best literature from old Earth.

Also, a kitchen that seemed stacked with the latest mod cons, a packed pantry and wine cooler, for Xander loved cooking, and a high-end kahawa bean roasting and brewing system. Heaven.

His bedroom was sunken and luxurious in a masculine way. It had sable-gray linens, obsidian roof inlays, and a bed immense enough for a family of five.

In her way and without ceremony, she made it hers too.

Her precious books appeared first, lined up on the shelves he cleared for her.

Then came her clothes, odd galaxy-print mugs.

She added her favourite weapons to his extensive armory rack in his private office, built into the wall beside a sliding stasis locker.

Xander gave no protest.

On the contrary, he emptied half the drawers and installed a fresh vanity console in the ensuite with a shrug. ‘I figured you might want space for your freakin’ hair serums and body lotions.’

With throw blankets, soft rugs, and green trailing plants, her touch crept in like starlight over a velvet sky.

With each addition, the place grew warmer, more ‘ them ’.

Xander, on the other hand, reveled in her company.

‘I adore coming home to you, mi cielo , my fierce lioness. Especially after a day of fokkin ’ security breaches, cartel shit, mob boss spats, ransomware vulnerabilities, malware, hackers, and supply chain attacks.’

He showed his appreciation with his gliding touches.

She adored it, only adding to his sheer magnetic presence.

He couldn’t walk past her without brushing her waist or running a knuckle along her spine. He toyed with the hem of her tops, tugged at her earrings, and traced the line of her jaw as if committing it to memory.

Sometimes while curled up on his couch reading, he’d absentmindedly slide a hand under her hair and massage the base of her skull while she spoke.

At breakfast, he’d pull her into slow dances across the kitchen floor, still shirtless, their mugs of kahawa forgotten.

She’d melt into him, floating along as his lips brushed her temple.

Outside their quarters, she took full command of the Signet Air Force with carte blanche.

She and Miral upgraded the entire aerial fleet using the newest Sable Group protocols.

They interfaced all engines with new xentium manifolds, enhanced shield matrices, and recalibrated battle drones with layered phasing.

She began handpicking elite pilots, men and women who could fly as if born in a vacuum.

The days were long but gratifying.

Better still, their nights were magic, blessed with their lovemaking, for they couldn’t seem to get enough of each other, surrounded by purpose, relative peace, and family, both found and blood.

One evening while lying in bed, Xander’s timbre, rough and hoarse against the back of Savvine’s neck, carried more heft than usual.

‘ Mi reina , been thinking.’

‘Oh no,’ she murmured.

He curled a hand around her jaw, pushing his nose in her nape. ‘Remember our chat about children, baby. I’ve been thinking, what if our DNA isn’t compatible? What if we can’t make any?’

Savvine turned, her palm on his cheek, brushing her thumb over a jagged scar near his jaw. ‘We’ll be fine, my love. Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it. Together.’

Still, she caught the emotion in his eyes: He wasn’t worried about failure; he was afraid of hope.

‘If you’re concerned, honey, let’s make sure.’

He grunted his approval at her suggestion.

The next morning, the pair stood side by side in Miral’s lab aboard the Sombra , hands intertwined like they were preparing for battle instead of a bio-scan.

The lab was sterile and humming, cold lights throwing silver halos over the glinting equipment.

Miral tapped a few commands into her console, chewing on a protein bar and smirking like a Cheshire cat.

‘You two look like you’re about to be sentenced,’ she said. ‘Relax. I’m not testing for criminal tendencies. Though,’ she flicked her eyes to Xander, ‘You might still set off a few alarms.’

Savvine rolled her eyes. ‘Can we just get to it, or are you planning to narrate our entire genetic history?’

‘I like an audience,’ Miral replied. ‘Now sit. Blood sample first.’

Xander bared his arm, silent and stoic as ever, though Savvine didn’t miss the subtle flex in his bicep when the needle pricked skin. Show-off.

Savvine followed suit, and the tests began to run.

Then came the wait.

Miral, of course, dragged it out like a holo drama. ‘Hmmm,’ she muttered, squinting at the screen.

Savvine arched a brow. ‘What?’

Miral sucked her teeth. ‘Nothing. Just enjoying this power trip. You should see your faces. You look like I’m about to tell you your future babies will grow gills.’

‘Miral,’ Xander warned, the growl barely concealed.

‘Fine, fine,’ she sighed in dramatic fashion. ‘Congratulations, your DNA compatibility score is off the charts. Like weirdly good. Like nature’s rooting for you two.’

Savvine exhaled. Xander’s grip on her hand tightened.

Miral grinned. ‘If you wanted children, they’d inherit the best of you both. Enhanced cognitive mapping from Savvine’s side, regenerative immunity markers from Xander. Oh, and of course -’

She swiveled in her chair, swinging one leg over the other. ‘Xander’s dominant lycan gene complex will likely express in all your offspring. So, yep. Expect mini shifters with smart minds and lethal fangs.’

Xander blinked. ‘Wait, so they’d be like -.’

‘Adorable spectral furry rebels and assassins,’ Miral said with a sweet grin. ‘Helena Bianchi might combust when she finds out.’

Savvine smirked. ‘When it happens, we should send her a birth announcement.’

‘With glitter,’ Miral added. ‘And a wolf pup plushie dipped in gold.’

‘She’d declare war.’

‘She already has from her cell.’ Miral spun her chair back to the console. ‘You just keep winning it by existing.’

Xander finally cracked a smile, soft and stunned as he gazed at Savvine.

Savvine leaned into him, brushing her shoulder against his. ‘Told you we’d be fine, honey.’

He lowered his mouth to hers, his eyes glinting with hope.

Life on the Sombra became even more poignant after they discovered how compatible they were.

They hosted weekly dinners with the Signet strong guard, rowdy meals with Santi trying to out-cook Kaal, and Miral teasing Savvine about her ‘domestic goddess nesting era.’

On weekends, Savvine and Xander retreated to his lakeside cabin, just the two of them.

There were strolls along the lake’s edge, Xander’s hand warm against her hip as fireflies flitted and flashed over its still waters.

They fished, built fires, raced skimmers across his private beach, and made love naked until they collapsed breathless in the sand.

In that intermedial world between galaxies, meteors, and stars, Savvine thought that maybe, just maybe, this was what eternal bliss looked like.