I wrap my arms around him and pull him closer. He slides into me with a slow, deep stroke that leaves us both gasping.
It’s not frantic. It’s not about urgency. It’s about devotion and rediscovery.
We move together in a rhythm that feels like something powerfully ancient, like something we’ve always known deep down in our bones. Every thrust is deep, slow, and aching with emotion. He brushes his fingers through my hair, strokes my cheek, kisses me between every whispered word. I feel more tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. It’s not from sadness, though, but from the overwhelming tenderness of it all. Rowan holds me like he never wants to let go again.
Another release builds gradually, pulled from me by his touch, his voice, and his love. When it finally crashes over me, it’s a quiet and shuddering thing, like a wave breaking against the shore in the dark. I have to bite into his shoulder to choke back the loud whimper that rips out of me, but he merely laughs. Then, with a muttered curse, Rowan follows me over the edge with a groan of my name, forehead pressed to mine like he’s anchoring himself to the world via my body.
We lie tangled together afterward, chests rising and falling in sync, bluebells crushed beneath us and fireflies swirling above like a slow, silent blessing.
He kisses my temple. “Promise me we’ll never be apart again.”
I close my eyes, my body still humming with heat of the blissful moment.
“Never,” I whisper.
As we lay together, panting for breath in the hush of the trees, I can feel it all.
The bond. The future. The love. It’s ours now.
Forever.
And we stay wrapped up in each for a while, forgetting the world beyond this little clearing.
We are all tangled limbs and deep breaths, our bodies pressed against the forest floor, skin still tingling from everything we’ve just shared. Moss cushions my back, pine needles tickle my calves, and Rowan’s arm is heavy and warm where it’s draped across my waist.
His head rests against my shoulder, face turned toward my neck like he’s afraid I might vanish if he lets go. His thumb draws lazy circles on my stomach, and I think-or rather, I know with absolute certainty-that I’ve never felt so content in my life.
The bond is quiet now. Not slumbering, but steady. It feels like a second heartbeat, low and constant as it thrums between us. My wolf hums in satisfaction, stretching inside me like she’s been asleep for a decade and finally has room to breathe again.
“I missed this,” Rowan murmurs, brushing his lips just below my collarbone.
I smile. “Sex?”
He huffs a laugh. “Well, yes. But I meant…this. You. The way it feels to just be near you. A decade is a long time, and I only had one night to cling onto in my memories.”
I don’t say anything for a minute. I just let my fingers comb through his thick hair, catching on a little leaf and flicking it away.
“I used to wonder if you ever thought about me,” I admit.
“Every day,” he replies without hesitation.
My throat tightens. “Even after you rejected the bond?”
He lifts his head, and the look in his eyes is so raw that it almost hurts to meet it with my own gaze. “Especially then.”
I press my hand to his cheek. He turns into it like he needs the contact as much as he needs air.
Eventually, though, reality creeps back in. We can’t stay out here forever, even if I’d like to.
“We should clean up before we go back,” I say, though I don’t bother moving just yet.
Rowan groans softly and flops onto his back beside me, arms spread like he’s trying to become one with the earth. “I forgot what it feels like to be blissfully sore. Worn out in a good way.”
I roll onto my side, propping my head up on my hand. “Careful, your age is showing. You’re approaching your thirties at a rapid pace, gorgeous.”
He shoots me a wicked grin, then grabs my hand and kisses the back of it. “Just wait until I show you what I can still do when I’m properly rested.”
“I already know what you can do.”
“That wasn’t even the start of it.”
Heat blooms in my cheeks, and I swat at his shoulder. “Down, Alpha.”
We eventually manage to get dressed again, but the process is slow and lazy thanks to the fact that we keep pausing to kiss or laugh or just breathe each other in. Eventually, we begin making our way back toward the heart of the territory, tracing the curve of the river with fingers laced and shoulders bumping.
The last rays of evening light have now faded, the bluish-golden glow of almost-night through the branches. Everything feels touched by magic.
Or maybe that’s just what the world feels like when the Mating bond is whole.
As we reach the footbridge that crosses back toward the main grounds, my phone buzzes.
I fish it out and swipe to unlock the screen. It’s a text from Zahra.
All’s well, Lina. Henry stepped down officially this morning. His nephew has already moved into the main house. He already mentioned he wants to meet with you and Rowan. Also…he made me a Beta. Long live the Whiteroses, forever friends of the Greenbriars.
I stop walking and read it again just to make sure I didn’t imagine it.
Rowan glances over. “What is it?”
I hand him the phone.
His brows lift as he reads. “Well, that’s good. It’s nice to know they tied up those loose ends on their own. Zahra deserves the promotion, too.”
“She really does.”
A rush of pride rises in my chest, mingled with relief. It’s over now. The power vacuum, the whispered mutiny, and the tension that’s been growing in the Whiterose territory like a slow-moving storm…it’s all finally resolved. There’s a new Alpha in place, and I’m sure Tim and all the others have been adequately and appropriately disposed of.
Plus, an official alliance between our packs is about to be reforged, with my best friend finally being given the authority she’s long deserved. Zahra has always been a gifted healer, working dutifully at her mother’s side, but I always had a feeling that she was destined for more.
Rowan pulls me close with an arm around my shoulders and presses a kiss to my temple. “Looks like we’ve got some diplomacy to prepare for.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.