Page 21

SIXTEEN

ORION

O rion watched the emotions play across Seraphina's face, feeling the subtle shifts through their nascent mate bond.

The tension in her shoulders had eased slightly, but her eyes still held a shadow of distrust. Fair enough.

He hadn't been entirely forthcoming about York's presence.

But he'd be damned if some human politician's lackey would take his Luna from him before he'd had the chance to show her what they could be together.

The pull between them was magnetic and visceral.

Four centuries of existence had not prepared him for the raw intensity of finding his true mate.

He allowed himself a moment to drink her in—the emerald dress hugging curves that his hands still remembered from their earlier intimate encounter, and the sapphire necklace he'd given her resting against her collarbone, catching the fading sunlight.

"This way," he insisted softly. He guided her with a light touch at her back, feeling a surge of satisfaction when she didn't pull away.

When they reached the observatory, he heard her soft gasp of surprise.

He'd instructed his staff to transform the space—a small table draped in white linen, two chairs positioned intimately close, and candlelight casting golden shadows across the stone walls.

Above them, the dome had been retracted, revealing a sky painted in fiery oranges and deep purples as the sun began its descent.

"You did all this? For me?" The wonder in her voice made his chest tighten.

"I wanted tonight to be special." He pulled out her chair. "Before you make any decisions tomorrow."

The wine was already breathing, a rich Cabernet he'd chosen personally from his cellar. He poured her a glass, then his own, before taking his seat across from her. Their knees touched beneath the small table.

"The seafood risotto is one of our chef's specialties," he explained as servers appeared with their first course. "The shellfish comes from our waters."

"It's delicious," she said after her first bite, genuine pleasure replacing some of the wariness in her expression.

Orion took a sip of his wine, gathering his thoughts. "I should've told you about York immediately. That was... a mistake." The admission felt foreign on his tongue. Kings didn't admit to errors in judgment.

"Yes, you should have." Her directness surprised a laugh out of him.

"Four hundred years of command, and I'm still learning." He held her gaze. "My instinct is to protect what's mine."

"I'm not yours, Orion."

"Aren't you?" The wolf inside him growled at her denial. He tempered it, forcing himself to speak calmly. "The bond between us says otherwise."

When she didn't respond, he decided to change course. "Let me tell you about my pack. About our history."

As they ate, he told her how he'd gathered his wolves from across three continents, offering sanctuary to those persecuted, hunted, or simply displaced by humanity's endless expansion.

How he'd secured this island as their haven and built a community that blended ancient traditions with enough modernity to survive in a changing world.

"Four centuries," she marveled. "I can barely imagine it."

"It hasn't always been easy." He found himself revealing more than he'd intended—the early struggles, the territorial wars with rival packs, the sacrifices made to ensure their continued safety. "Loyalty is everything to us. To me."

The candlelight caught the planes of her face, illuminating her expression as she listened intently. His wolf preened under her attention.

"And you think I could be part of this? Your Luna?"

"I know you could." He reached across the table, taking her hand in his. "My pack would adore you, Seraphina. They would protect you with their lives, as would I."

His thumb traced circles on her palm. "I've lived for a long time, ruled just as long, and never have I felt for anyone what I feel for you."

He hadn't planned to say it, hadn't even fully acknowledged it to himself until the words were hanging between them. "I've fallen in love with you. Completely."

Her eyes widened, lips parting in surprise.

"You are fierce and brilliant, worthy in every way to stand as my equal." His voice deepened, the wolf in him needing her to understand the depth of his claim. "I want nothing more than to have you by my side, ruling together."

His heart pounded against his ribs, an unfamiliar vulnerability coursing through him. In all his centuries, he'd never laid himself bare this way. His wolf bristled with impatience, wanting to claim what was his, but the man in him waited, watching her expression shift like shadows across the moon.

Seraphina's silence stretched between them. She traced the rim of her wine glass with a delicate finger, her brow furrowed in contemplation.

"I feel that way too," she finally admitted, her voice a whisper. "Back in your bedroom, I was going to tell you I wanted to stay with you."

Something hot and primal surged through him. His wolf howled with joy.

"But it's happening way too fast," she continued, cutting through his celebration. "I'm just not entirely sure what to do." She paused for a moment. "Though I can't deny this... bond, this connection between us."

Relief flooded Orion's system. She wasn't rejecting him outright. She felt it too—the unbreakable tie that bound them together as surely as the moon pulled the tides. He could work with uncertainty; he couldn't have taken outright refusal.

"That's all I ask," he said, squeezing her hand. "That you acknowledge what's between us. Time is something I have in abundance."

His instincts urged him to press his advantage. "Come," he commanded gently, rising to his feet and drawing her with him. "I want to show you something."

He led her to the massive central telescope, positioned perfectly beneath the open dome. The night had deepened to velvet black, and stars blazed overhead with an intensity only found far from the pollution of human cities.

"Look," he urged, positioning her at the eyepiece.

Orion stood behind her, close enough to breathe in her intoxicating scent. His hands rested lightly on her hips, a possessive gesture he couldn't help.

Just as she bent to the telescope, the heavens erupted in brilliant streaks of light—meteors burning across the darkness in a celestial dance.

Seraphina gasped, jerking away from the telescope to stare at the open sky. "I saw this! This is exactly what I saw in my vision today when we were on the beach practicing!" Her voice trembled with wonder. "The exact same pattern, the exact same moment."

Triumph blazed through him. "This is undeniable proof that you are our Luna," he said, his voice certain. His hands tightened on her waist, turning her to face him. "There should be no doubt in your mind anymore."

She stared up at him, the meteor shower reflected in her emerald eyes. "I can't deny it," she whispered, then shook her head slightly. "But I don't fully accept it either. Not yet."

It was enough. For now.

Orion lifted one hand to cup her face. "You will," he promised.

He claimed her lips then, pouring all of his longing and newfound love into a kiss that demanded surrender. His wolf surged forward, demanding more, urging him to claim her completely, and this time, he didn't rein in the beast.

His hands moved with precision, unzipping her dress in one swift motion, the fabric pooling at her feet.

The sight of her in lace panties sent a primal surge through him, but her hands were already on his shirt, fumbling with the buttons.

Her eagerness matched his own, and the thought that this might be their last night together only fueled the fire coursing through his veins.

He wasted no time. Her bra and panties were gone in a flash, tossed aside as he helped her remove his slacks and boxers.

The cool air of the observatory was nothing compared to the heat radiating between them.

Orion turned her so she faced the massive central telescope, her hands gripping the cool metal.

He stepped behind her, his strong hands gripping her hips as he positioned himself at her entrance.

The sight of her bare, curved body against the backdrop of the meteor shower above them was almost too much to bear.

He pushed into her slowly at first, savoring the way she gasped at the intrusion.

But restraint was not in his nature, not with her, not tonight.

His thrusts quickly grew deep and hard, each one driving a desperate moan from her lips.

Her body met his with equal intensity, her hips rolling back to meet each thrust. The sound of skin against skin echoed in the cavernous room, the primal rhythm of their coupling drowning out all else.

"God, Orion," she cried, her voice trembling with need. "More. Please."

He obliged, his hands sliding up her sides to cup her breasts, his thumbs brushing her nipples in teasing circles.

She arched into his touch, her moans growing louder.

His wolf reveled in her pleasure, in the way her body responded to him.

He was her alpha, her mate, and he would leave no doubt in her mind about that.

But it wasn't enough. He wanted her to shatter, to feel every ounce of pleasure he could give her.

One hand trailed down her abdomen, his fingers finding the sensitive bundle of nerves between her legs.

He worked her with expert precision, his fingers moving in time with his thrusts.

Her breath hitched, her body stiffening as she teetered on the edge.

"That's it, Seraphina," he murmured softly against her ear, his voice rough and commanding. "Come for me."

She did. Her orgasm crashed over her like a tidal wave, her body trembling as she cried out.

The sound of her pleasure was the sweetest music to his ears, and the way her walls clenched around him pushed him over the edge.

With one final, deep thrust, he shuddered, his release flooding her in hot, pulsing waves.

He buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent as the world around them faded into nothingness.

For a moment, they stood there, still connected, their bodies entwined as the meteor shower danced above them. Orion's heart pounded in his chest, and for the first time in his long life, he felt truly complete. She was his Luna, his mate, and no power on earth could take her from him.

"Stay with me," he pleaded again, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

She turned her head to look at him, her eyes soft but filled with determination. "I want to. But Orion, this... is pretty overwhelming. I need time to think."

He reluctantly pulled out of her and turned her to face him. "Take the time you need. But know this—you are mine, and I’m not letting you go."

She gave him a small smile, though her eyes still held uncertainty. "You're not exactly giving me a choice then, are you?"

He grinned, the alpha in him rising to the surface. "When it comes to you, Seraphina, there is no other choice. You're my Luna. You'll see that soon enough."

She laughed softly, the sound like a balm to his soul. "You're impossible."

"And you're perfect," he replied, his voice fierce with conviction.

He kissed her again, this time with a tenderness that belied the intensity of their coupling. When he pulled away, they stood there for a while, wrapped in each other's arms. For Orion, there was no one else, and no other place he would rather be.