Page 27

Gabriel POV

*Six months later*

“We look pretty good, don’t we, Dad?” Grayson said as he struck a silly pose in the floor-length mirror.

I laughed and crouched down to fix his lopsided light-blue bowtie.

“We do, buddy,” I said and stood up. “Are you ready to perform your very important job today?”

Grayson stood up straight and patted the pocket of his gray dress pants.

“I am,” my son assured me.

“Your mother and I can’t get married without the rings in your pocket. Make sure to keep them safe.”

“I’ll guard them with my life. If any dragon tries to steal them, I’ll turn their fire into ice. Just like George,” Grayson said.

I laughed and smoothed down the back of his hair.

“We should head down. It’s almost time.”

My son and I walked down the stairs of our home in Brindle Creek. Our three-bedroom home was nothing like my old house at my compound, which was now being used specifically to house families whose loved ones were being treated at the hospital. I still went to my compound every weekday to work at my cybersecurity company, but Summer and I wanted to live in WaterLock’s territory. Brindle Creek was the place we wanted Grayson to spend the rest of his childhood—just like we had done.

My compound was still open to anyone in our kingdom—or our surrounding kingdoms—who needed refuge or medical treatment from the Rogue wolves. Their army was less of a threat now, but they were still out there. But the Rogues' numbers had dwindled because of the shifter army engaging in battles with them.

And the fact that their man on the inside—King Ezekiel—had been dethroned a month ago, thanks to the evidence my team and I had gathered. The more we looked into the king’s crimes, the more we found. I couldn’t believe that we had found evidence of Olivia being complicit in helping the Rogues, too. Father and daughter fled the kingdom before they could be arrested. I hired a team of shifter bounty hunters to find them.

Now, my team and I were trying to find evidence that King Montgomery of the Pyregate Kingdom and King Zachary from the Tideridge Kingdom had been helping the Rogue army, too. If I could present evidence to get them dethroned as well, it would be that much easier to completely eradicate the dangerous Rogue army.

My son and I walked into our big backyard and stopped at the end of the aisle to appreciate the decorations. The sun was setting, creating a glow over the aisle that was lined with white and pale pink roses. The rows of white benches were filled with WaterLock pack members and close friends from my compound. At the end of the aisle stood my father, who was going to officiate. Summer and I would be married under a white and pink flower arch.

As Grayson and I made our way down the aisle, we passed by Healer Aja, Healer Elijah, and my mother. My mom started tearing up when she grasped Grayson’s hand as we walked by. Summer’s mom and aunt were next to my mom. Goose was sitting patiently at the women’s feet, his tail wagging when he saw Grayson.

When I took my place on my father’s side, we shared a smile.

“You got the rings, buddy?” my dad whispered to Grayson, who was standing behind me.

My son nodded and patted his pocket.

“If a dragon tries to take them, I’m gonna turn their fire into ice,” Grayson said with a serious expression.

My dad and I shared a look.

“George the wizard?” he asked.

I nodded, my lips twitching.

Then, I turned to wait for my bride—it only took a few moments for her to appear.

The moment I saw her, my heart stopped beating.

She is absolutely radiant.

Summer’s long black hair was woven into a braid down her back. Her white satin dress was elegantly beautiful. The dress was made for her classic features with long, sheer sleeves that were buttoned at her wrists and a square neckline.

As she walked closer, her stunning blue eyes met mine, and my throat became thick with emotion.

I’m so lucky.

Summer’s father was next to her, their arms looped together. He had woken up from his coma a week after the Rogues broke into my compound, and he was doing well in physical therapy. I was so happy that he could be here for Summer. I knew how much her father meant to her.

My stomach swooped with anticipation when they drew closer.

I was about to marry the love of my life.

Summer and I beamed at each other. Our faces were shining with joy.

Then, a flicker of gold flashed between me and Summer. It happened so fast. It could have been a trick of light.

But my Mate and I were the only ones who knew what it was.

***

“Love? Are you in the bedroom?” I called up the stairs.

“Yes!” Summer yelled. “Come here, I want to show you something.”

It was the morning after our wedding, and we had just said goodbye to Grayson. He was leaving for a week-long vacation to Mia’s farm along with Summer’s mom and dad. Although being without my son for seven days would be difficult, it was going to be nice to have the house to ourselves for a week.

After our honeymoon, our lives were going to become even busier. I was going to be named Alpha of our pack in a month, and Summer’s father was training her to take over as Delta. Ever since I revealed the shifter army to my dad, he seemed to truly see my abilities as a leader, my commitment to the WaterLock Pack, and my dedication to ensuring the safety of all shifters against the Rogues. Summer’s father wanted to focus on his recovery and spend more time with his wife, Summer, and Grayson.

I ran up the stairs, excited to see my Mate even though I’d just seen her five minutes ago. No matter how long we were apart, I always missed her when she wasn’t by my side.

When I walked into our room, my mouth dropped open.

Summer was sitting on her knees in the middle of our bed, wearing a blush pink lingerie set. Her bra was completely sheer—just like the sleeves of her wedding dress had been—and I could see her hard nipples.

“Summer…” I trailed off, at a loss for words.

My dick jerked in my jeans.

“Happy honeymoon,” she breathed out and crooked one finger, beckoning me over.

I tore off my shirt and then my jeans, taking my underwear off at the same time.

When I was naked, Summer’s eyes greedily studied every inch of my body—just like I was doing to her.

I joined her in our bed and grabbed her hips, pulling her onto me so that she was straddling my lap.

“You’re so sexy, Summer,” I said, grabbed the back of her head, and kissed her pretty pink lips.

At first, our kiss was gentle and sweet. I just wanted to enjoy the moment with my new bride.

“I love you, Summer. I’m so happy that we were able to find our way back to each other,” I murmured as I pressed my mouth against her neck. My hands were gently stroking her warm back.

“I love you, Gabriel. I can’t wait to spend forever with you.”

She let out a low groan when I bit down gently on her earlobe.

The sound sent a shiver of pleasure down my spine.

Her hips bucked, and her warm center pressed into my hard length.

“Make love to me, Gabriel,” Summer breathed out, her blue eyes full of desire.

Our mouths crashed together, and there was nothing gentle about this kiss.

My Mate’s lips were demanding, and her tongue shot out to meet mine. Her hands ran down my stomach, and without warning, she gripped the base of my hard dick.

“Summer!” I yelled out and then groaned when she stroked me.

“I want you,” she said and pumped me again. “I want to make love to my husband.”

“Your wish is my command, love.”

I kissed the spot on her neck that drove her crazy and slid one finger past her thong.

We moaned simultaneously when my finger entered her soft, warm pussy.

“You’re always so wet for me,” I whispered in her ear while I pumped slowly inside of her.

“Don’t stop,” was her only reply.

Summer’s eyes fluttered closed, and she bit her plump bottom lip. Her small hand continued to pump me.

Her citrus scent filled our room, arousing me even more.

When I rubbed my thumb over her clit, Summer screamed my name so loud I was worried the neighbors might hear her.

“I need you, Gabriel.”

“Ride me, baby,” I said, gripping her ass and positioning her pretty pussy over my dick.

Summer pushed her thong to the side and then lowered herself inch by inch onto my hard length.

“Oh, yes!” she loudly moaned and threw her head back when I was fully inside of her.

She put her hands on my shoulders for leverage and began to ride my dick.

The feeling of her warm center around me was indescribable. And the fact that she was officially my Luna somehow made everything more pleasurable.

Mine.

The overwhelming need to mark her, to claim her as my Mate, my Luna, overtook me. I didn’t want to mark her in the small way that we marked each other the first time we made love. No, I wanted to truly mark her. For shifters, bites from another shifter didn’t heal. I knew that Summer hated the scars on her shoulder and arm that Axel and that Rogue wolf had given her.

Maybe she would want a mark that reminded her that she would always be unconditionally loved.

And I wanted her to mark me, too.

“Summer,” I groaned as she lowered herself onto my dick again. “Can I mark you, baby? Can I put my lips on the smooth skin of your neck and leave a Mate Mark on you?”

Her eyes sparked with excitement at my suggestion.

“Yes,” she whispered. “But only if I can mark you, too.”

My dick jerked inside of her and she let out a loud moan.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” I gripped her hips and lowered my mouth to her neck. “Let’s do it at the same time, love.”

Summer moved her head to my neck, and when I felt her warm breath on my skin, I shuddered with pleasure.

My hard length was still deep inside of her, which only made this moment more erotic.

“Are you ready, baby?” I murmured and kissed her skin.

“Yes,” she whispered with anticipation in her tone.

I allowed my wolf’s magic to transform only my canine teeth, lengthening and sharpening them.

At the same time, my Mate and I leaned down and our sharp teeth lightly pierced each other’s skin.

Oh…oh!

The gratification of marking my Mate—and her marking me— while being inside of her was almost too much for me to take. My hands fisted at her hips and my heart beat frantically against my ribs.

Summer’s nails dug into my back, increasing my pleasure.

When we pulled away, there was a small red mark on the side of her neck. By the way Summer was staring with satisfaction at the place her mouth had been, I was certain I had a small mark to match hers.

Seeing my mark on her skin made me wild with need. I used my hands on her hips to move her until my dick was pounding hard inside of her.

“Yes, Gabriel! That feels so good, love!”

Summer’s lips trembled and her pussy clenched hard around me.

Soon, our breathing became labored, and I knew neither of us would last much longer.

My stomach tightened, and my legs began to tingle.

When I reached down to play with her hard bundle of nerves, Summer’s forehead fell to my shoulder.

“I’m already close,” she moaned and pressed her lips against my neck —the same place where she had left her mark on my skin.

I groaned when her tongue shot out to taste me.

“Me too, love.”

Our heated gazes locked, and that was enough to send us over the edge.

We came at the same time, our names on each other's lips.

For a long time, we stayed in the same position, our foreheads touching, trying to catch our breath.

When I finally regained the ability to speak, I pressed a soft kiss to the mark I’d left on her neck and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

“You’re my everything, love. I can’t wait to spend my life with you,” I whispered.

“I love you, Gabriel.”

Summer laid her head on my chest, and I wrapped my arms tightly around her.

I knew that she was listening to my heartbeat since it would always beat for her.