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The first few days after discovering the wetlands felt almost euphoric.

Once the stomach cramps, bloating, and nausea from overeating had passed, and our bodies adjusted to the increased food intake, we could finally enjoy the feeling of being full.

We did as Winter suggested, brought supplies back to the cave, and spent the next two days recovering, regaining our strength. We boiled young fern shoots and cattail roots for fiber and ate clam and mussel meat, also fried eggs, cooking them on a hot stone.

It felt almost surreal, as if we were in a trance, barely able to believe that our luck had finally changed.

Sometimes we were just sitting next to the fire pit, staring at the shrimps frying and just… yeah. Staring! Waiting, salivating.

Two days later, we had eaten through our supplies. But now, we were much stronger. We returned to the wetlands to restock.

This time, we collected eggs again but were far more cautious. Winter even managed to catch a few small fish that had carelessly wandered into a shallow branch of the stream. I found two freshwater snails—another small way to diversify our diet.

With our regained strength, we could finally stomp out a proper ‘HELP’ sign in the snow-covered grass on the volcano’s slope. What was interesting was that Winter didn’t ask how it was possible I was suddenly walking without an issue, my leg healthy again.

It was just one of those things we didn’t talk about, both of us quietly avoiding the conversation . I already knew the answer, but for some reason, I wasn’t in any rush to get there. It had taken on a strange kind of charm, like a secret I wasn’t quite ready to uncover.

We walked everywhere together, which was beneficial because we could collect more branches and logs to build bigger fires. All day long, we grilled mussels, clams, snails and fish, then stared at the food—then ate it—and then went right back into prep mode, almost like in a trance.

Crazy, crazy, euphoric days.

One might think we were overdoing it with the joy, but we allowed ourselves some leniency after everything we’d been through.

It seemed almost miraculous that just in a few days our situation had changed so drastically.

Fortunately, those ten days of starvation hadn’t done permanent damage to our bodies, and after about four days of eating again, we felt significantly better. Our normal energy returned.

Since our food was mostly lean protein, with only small amounts of fish fat, we didn’t gain much weight. We were both wiry and sharp-edged, but no longer starving.

Those days were unlike anything I had ever experienced.

Sometimes, we’d just lay out our supplies in front of us, double-checking, triple-checking, that we had enough to last the day. Counting mussels, clams, shrimp, even cattail roots! Almost obsessively.

Then we’d sit by the fire, savoring every bite, boiled seafood, eggs cooked in repurposed peanut cans, young fern stems, and seaweed salads made from the plants we found in the warm pools.

We didn’t have salt, but we didn’t care. We just sat there, chewing, appreciating every mouthful, basking in the simple joy of eating.

Of fullness .

Of knowing that tomorrow would bring the same.

***

It was our fourth night after discovering the wetlands. Winter and I lay down to sleep on our makeshift mattresses, our bodies warm and relaxed from a bath.

As I settled beside him and caught his sweet scent, something in me shifted, a subtle but distinct change.

His Allure … it wasn't like that of a beta anymore. It was intense and seductive, easy to catch now that I was without my suppressants. It whispered to me on every level, saying, "It's HIM, you found HIM!", but I kept my mouth shut, basking in the mysterious atmosphere, knowing and feeling excited about it, but leaving it as a secret.

As I lay there, something new happened. My mind finally moved on from its obsession with food, and another, almost forgotten need began to surface.

Leisurely, I reached out and ran my fingers lightly down his back, feeling him shiver.

Winter didn’t stop me as my hand slowly moved lower, brushing over the curve of his ass, my fingertips lightly grazing his intimate entrance.

We slept naked. The cave continued to keep us warm, and under the blankets, it was very comfortable.

"I want you…" The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Winter turned his head toward me, and our eyes met.

Since my heat, we hadn’t had sex, our bodies had been in survival mode. But with the returning strength, the desire was back.

It felt exciting to find myself again in that old mindset, craving the intimacy we’d once shared.

"Yes," Winter said simply.

As I drew closer, the scent of lavender surrounded me. Winter lay on his stomach, and I trailed my lips along his spine, leaving gentle kisses on each vertebra before moving down to his ass cheeks. I gently parted them, revealing his pearly entrance, and when my mouth made contact, Winter let out a soft gasp of pleasure.

"Yesss."

I knew he loved these light, teasing caresses around his rim, and he trembled as I continued, his breathing quickening. My heart rate accelerated too, as I savored the moment. Slowly, I slipped my tongue inside, and was surprised to find a hint of wetness. The taste was slightly sweet. Could he be producing a small amount of slick? Had our Bond —the secret between us—already changed his body that much?

When I slid my fingers inside, the wetness was still there, good news, since it would reduce the friction. I began to press rhythmically on his prostate, and his sounds told me he loved it. But I was also getting more and more excited by the minute, wanting to plunge into him so badly. My movements were impatient as I positioned myself over him, my cock pressing lightly against his entrance, making small strokes, smearing my pre-cum.

"I want to be inside," I breathed out.

"Yes…" Winter's raspy response was just above a whisper, but it was all the encouragement I needed.

My cock slid in easily, as I pushed forward, and his rim stretched around my shaft. The moment I did it, I felt a sudden shift, like the air around us had become charged with electricity. Some small sparks flowing around! Even with my eyes partially closed, I caught a faint glow around us, as a wave of intense pleasure washed over me. Shuddering, gasping, unable to hold back… I climaxed immediately!

The sensation was overwhelming and sweet at the same time, even though I also felt a flush of embarrassment at my lack of control. But something else caught my attention: Winter's passage clenched around me, gripping my cock like a vise. So… he'd climaxed too!

The same thing had happened to us before; we both orgasmed at the initial thrust when we had sex for the first time. But there hadn’t even been a faint glow around us then. The idea came to my mind: maybe our bodies hadn’t been able to fully close the ‘circuit’ before, due to my strong suppressants, but now they were making another attempt.

With all those chaotic thoughts swirling in my head, I remained still. It took me a minute or so to calm down, my forehead resting on his nape, my lips nibbling on it leisurely, but my mind was reeling as I tried to process it all.

I was aware that even with the use of suppressants or protection, the energy coil between fated mates would still close, just much more gradually. Along with it, a semi-telepathic link could begin to form, in addition to the ability to heal and rejuvenate each other that would activate during the Joining .

Since my leg had healed after Winter and I merged (following my weird request that night), it was a pretty convincing sign that it had already begun.

Even if the Bond wasn’t as immediate or dramatic as it might be between an alpha and an omega, I still believed we’d already established a solid foundation for it.

Eventually, I decided I’d thought about it enough and began rocking back and forth inside him. His passage was so hot and slippery; I was just drowning in him, forgetting everything, riding on the waves of pleasure, every move sending little pulses of bliss throughout my nervous system, Winter’s raspy breaths serenading me, and incredibly stimulating.

At that moment, I wasn't sure of anything, except that being with Winter was the best, most ecstatic feeling in the world.

"You feel so incredibly good," I whispered into his ear, the desire to bite him again growing. For now, only one of his glands bore my mark, and the other—untouched—tempted me, almost begging to be claimed.

A hunger filled me. A fierce, wild desire to mark it too so that everyone would know… Winter was mine. Because he was.

I intertwined my fingers with his, our hands resting on either side of his head.

Suddenly, this intense feeling filled me and I just blurted it out,

"I'm so happy to be here with you, Winter! No matter how terrible it’s been, you’re the brightest star in my sky."

Winter was quiet for a moment, and I sensed something like shyness in him. Then, in a soft whisper, he said, "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

My tempo sped up, my hips working more intensely, pressure building, and finally, it was too much; my gums were tingling like crazy.

Then, the mating call escaped my throat, the one asking for consent to mark him…

And Winter responded!

But this time, it wasn’t just a crude attempt at a receptive sound—the kind any omega could produce effortlessly, but was nearly impossible for a beta to mimic. Now, Winter did it flawlessly, as if he had been born an omega himself. Surprising? Not so much anymore.

My fangs shot out and pierced his neck gland, and bliss exploded… but I kept moving inside him as the sweet culmination tore through my body, shaking me to my core.

He was swept up in the ecstasy too.

Even then, I didn’t stop. I knew I could go on, the magic was already happening between us, the fated mates’ libido rising and solidifying.

And Winter took me beautifully, smoothly, perfectly, my cock fitting into him like it was made for him. Just a few minutes later, we both orgasmed again.

Yep. Another sign that the Bond was real.

Climaxing for the third time would normally be difficult outside of heat, but we were now beyond normal limits.

Immersed in him, I had a vivid sense that Winter was thinking about it too, but he seemed afraid to talk about it. For me, it was almost like a fun game, but for him… there was this hint of fear, of ‘what if it’s still some coincidence?’ So I had simply respected that he wasn’t ready. I was fine leaving it alone for now, just seeing how things unfolded.

Eventually, I slid off his body and settled beside him, keeping one hand resting on his back.

"Now that we have food," I murmured, "we can afford to use some energy on other things." I sent him a playful wink.

"Couldn’t agree more," Winter answered, smirking. "There’ll be more laundry, but I’m not worried about it. Now, a trip up the volcano slope won’t cost me an entire day’s worth of calories." His voice was laced with sarcasm.

"You always think about all these little details no one else does." I smiled, then leaned in and brushed my lips over his.

Afterward, I stretched out on my back, resting my hands behind my head and staring up at the ceiling.

"I'm so happy the worst is over, Winter," I admitted. "Sometimes it's still hard to believe. The only question is… will anyone ever come to this island? Will we ever be found?"

Winter sighed. "I saw some bottles washed up farther up the beach. I think, from time to time, some tourist ships must come near here, probably in the summer. People looking to get a close-up view of the volcano."

"You think we’ll be here that long?"

"I don’t know. But I do know that in spring, there’ll be even more food. Nesting season will start, and we’ll have eggs. Warmer waters near the coast should bring more shrimp, too. I think we’ll manage."

I lowered my hand and found his in the dim light, gently squeezing.

"With you…" I exhaled softly, "I’m not afraid of anything."

And there it was again—that strange, shy energy in him. But almost as if to contradict it, his fingers tightened around my hand. Then he leaned in to kiss me.

Soon we were at it again…