Kai’s voice was silk over steel as he guided me across the dance floor. “You dance beautifully, Lady Leandra. ”
I forced myself to smile up at him, playing the blushing Omega despite how his touch made my skin crawl. “You’re too kind, my Lord.
”
His eyes trailed down my neck. “I’ve been watching you, you know. You’re quite enchanting. ”
The heat under my skin spiked, a wave of dizziness making the room tilt.
Focus. This is exactly what you wanted. Too special for my cousin, I thought. His hand slid lower on my back.
“You feel feverish, Kai’s hand slid up my bare back. “And you smell absolutely divine. ”
I swayed, my legs threatening to give out. His arms tightened around me, and even that simple touch was too much.
My skin practically sang with over-sensitivity. A whimper escaped before I could stop it. Everything felt wrong. The air too thick to breathe.
My clothes too constraining. My skin too tight. But worst of all was the growing ache deep in my core. A desperate emptiness that made me want to cry.
Where is Rafe? Why can’t I smell him anymore? “I… I don’t feel well. ” The words came out slurred, my thoughts growing foggy.
“Poor thing. ” Kai’s arm tightened around my waist. “Would you like some water? ”
I shook my head, letting my voice go breathy and weak.
“Please. I need to get away from here. It’s too hot. Too many people.
”
“Of course. ” His tone was solicitous, but his eyes gleamed with triumph. “Let me escort you somewhere private. ”
I caught Penny’s eye across the room as Kai led me out.
The corridor spun around me as we walked. When did it get so hot in here? “Where are we going? ” My voice came out shakier than I intended.
“Don’t worry. ” Kai’s fingers dug into my arm. “I’ll take very good care of you. ”
A cramp tore through my lower abdomen, and suddenly all I could think about was Rafe.
Why isn’t he here? I need his scent. His touch. His…
I stumbled, and Kai swept me into his arms.
“Poor thing. You’re in heat, aren’t you? ”
Terror spiked through the haze. Too soon.
He wasn’t supposed to guess yet. I forced myself to nuzzle closer, whimpering, and his arms tightened possessively. We entered a small sitting room, and he laid me on a couch, kneeling beside me. His fingers traced my cheek, and it took everything I had not to flinch away.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, and the word sounded like a threat. “Such a lovely treat. ”
“Please…” I wasn’t sure if I was begging him to come closer or get away. Everything hurt.
I was panting, my skin feeling like it was on fire. I need… I need… I need Rafe. The thought crashed through me with devastating clarity. My wolf howled for him, every cell in my body crying out for his touch, his scent, his presence.
The emptiness inside me felt like it was tearing me apart. This was a mistake. A terrible, terrible mistake. But Kai’s hand was sliding down my neck, across my collarbone, and I couldn’t even coordinate my muscles enough to push him away.
My skin crawled beneath his touch even as my treacherous body arched into it, seeking relief. He grinned. “And all for me. ”
His scent—white amber and frost—made bile rise in my throat.
It was all wrong. Everything about this was wrong. I needed wood smoke and warm oak. Needed strong hands and blue eyes and that rumbling growl that made my wolf want to submit.
Just a little longer, I told myself as another wave of heat crashed through me. Penny will bring help soon. She has to. He buried his face in my neck, inhaling deeply.
“How I’ve missed you, my gorgeous pet. ”
The endearment froze my blood. No. He couldn’t…
“I never thought I’d get to see you like this.
” His smile turned cruel. “Reminds me of all those nights you drank yourself stupid and threw yourself at me. Remember that, baby? How needy you were?
”
Terror clawed up my throat as memories surfaced. His hands on me in the dark. His voice crooning praise as I tried to push him away. The heat made everything sharper, more immediate, until I couldn’t tell past from present.
His fingers tangled in my hair, yanking hard enough to make my eyes water. “You’d pretend not to remember. Go running to my cousin like a cheap [__]. That was very, very bad of you, pet.
”
Tears blurred my vision as another cramp tore through me. Kai’s grip gentled, wiping away my tears with mock tenderness. His finger traced my bottom lip. “But no more.
Soon we’ll be together again. You’ll be good for me this time, won’t you, Arya? ”
My name on his lips stopped my heart. Understanding dawned in my heat-addled brain.
I’d walked right into his trap. And this time, there was no one coming to save me. Everything was wrong. Where was Rafe?
Why wasn’t he here? I need him to make this burning stop, to chase away the darkness that was clinging to me. But all I could smell was white amber and frost. All I could feel were hands that made my skin crawl.
Kai’s fingers trailed down my neck, lingering over my pulse point. “You smell divine like this, pet. So sweet. So vulnerable.
”
I tried to focus on the necklace at my throat, on the sedative that could end this nightmare. But his hands were everywhere, and my fingers felt clumsy and useless. “Do you need my help? ” His voice dropped lower, darker.
“Should I take care of you like old times? ”
Terror spiked through the heat haze. Old times. What old times?
More gaps in my memory. More nights I couldn’t quite remember. I needed the necklace. Needed to reach it, open it, drink before he… before he….
But he was watching my every move with those predator’s eyes, and my arms felt like lead. “Such a shame,” Kai murmured, stepping back. “I should go before I lose control. ” His smile turned cruel.
“We wouldn’t want that, would we, pet? ”
He left, calling for help. For a moment I just lay there, shaking. Is he really gone?
Doesn’t matter. I can’t stay here. Can’t let him come back. Can’t risk what he might do.
I forced myself onto my hands and knees, but the room tilted violently. The door. I need to get to the door, or the window. Anywhere but here.
My fingers scrabbled at the necklace, but the clasp refused to cooperrate, sliding through my sweat-slicked fingers. “Come on,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “Please. Come on.
”
The heat burned through me in waves, each one worse than the last. My arms gave out, and I collapsed back onto the couch, a sound somewhere between a whimper and a sob escaping my throat. The necklace felt impossibly heavy. My fingers were too weak to work its mechanism.
Even my wolf felt wrong, desperate and afraid in a way I’d never known before. What if Kai comes back before help arrives? What if the help he called for isn’t real at all? Black spots danced at the edges of my vision as panic clawed up my throat.
I can’t fight like this. Can’t run. Can’t even open a simple necklace clasp. Being in heat sucks.
Footsteps approached in the hallway. My heart nearly stopped. Is it Kai? Someone else?
My trembling fingers made one last attempt at the necklace, but it was no use. Everything hurt. The world blurred around me, reality dissolving into pure sensation. Then warm hands cupped my face, and that scent—wood smoke and warm oak—surrounded me.
“Alpha,” I breathed, relief flooding through me. Rafe caught my hands in his, pressing soft kisses to my palms. Suddenly I couldn’t remember why I wanted the necklace at all, or to move at all. Why would I go anywhere when he was here?
“What’s wrong? ” Rafe’s voice was tight with concern as he cupped my face. “You’re burning up. ”
I shuddered as his nose trailed along my throat, inhaling my scent.
His growl vibrated through my bones, a deep primal sound that made my body respond. I felt the moment he realied. His breath hitched. His hands tightened on me as though he was trying to anchor himself.
“You’re in heat,” he whispred, starting to pull back. His pupils dilared, and I could see the struggle in his eyes. “I should get the Healer. ”
“No!
” I cried out, panic rising. “Don’t you dare leave me. ”
“I won’t. ” He wrapped me in his arms, but I could feel him fighting his instincts.
“It’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this. ”
Is he seriously planning to cuddle me through this? I sobed at the thought.
This won’t do. This won’t do at all. There was a gnawing ache inside me, a fire that burned to too hot, too fast. Without thinking, I arched my body against his, seeking relief.
“Rafe, I swear to God,” I snapped, my hands roaming over his chest. “If you don’t do something right now, I’ll…. ”
His control slipped just for a moment, and he growlled low in his throat. The sound made me shiver with want.
“You don’t know what you’re asking for. ”
“[__] you. I know what I need, and that’s you. ” I pressed closer, nuzzling into his throat.
“Make it stop hurting. Please. ”
His hands slid down my chest, to his abdomen. I felt the muscles tense under my touch.
“Leandra,” his voice trembled. “We’re not mated yet. I can’t…. ”
“I don’t care,” I snarled, lifting my chin to meet his gaze.
“I’m in [__] heat, and it hurts. I need you. ”
He shuddered under my touch. “Help me,” I wailled.
“Make it stop. Please. ”
There was a moment of tension, the air thick with both of our desires. Then he yanked me toward him, pressing our bodies together.
“[__],” he groaned. Through the haze, I heard him snarling at others, warning them back. The alpha aggression in his voice should have frightened me, but instead it made me feel safe. Protected.
Still, I tugged at his shirt, needing his attention back on me. His lips crashed onto mine, hungry and desperate. I could feel the fight in him was gone, swallowed up by the need we both shared. “I’m going to take care of you, sweetheart,” he murmured, nuzzling my temple.
The burning under my skin was getting worse. I couldn’t stop the desperate sounds escaping my throat. “Please,” I gasped against his mouth. “Rafe, I need….
”
“I know exactly what you need. ”
His lips found mine again, gentle at first, then not. Pure need overwhelmed us both. He pulled back just enough to shrug off his jacket, and I nearly sobed at the loss of contact.
“Just for a moment,” he soothed. “Need to feel your skin against mine. Can you be patient for me? ”
I nodded even as my hands reached for him.
He let me pull him closer, his hands slipping beneath the straps of my dress. I gasped as the fabric slid off my skin, leaving me exposed to him. His gaze swept over me, dark and ravenous. “Gorgeous,” he growlled.
“Absolutely [__] beautiful. How did I get so lucky? ”
I arched into him. “If I’m so gorgeous,” I whined, “do something about it.
”
His smirk became downright predtory. “As my lady commands. ” His voice was so rough it made me shiver. “Let me take care of you.
”
I nodded, throbbing. He slowly, finally trailed his mouth over my curves, kissing, licking, tasting. His hand slid down my waist. He pressed his lips against sensitive skin, and then… his finger moved lower, teasing.
I gasped, my back arching into him. It was everything—every brush of his thumb, every sharp jolt of pleasure. And yet not enough. Never enough.
My body cried out for my Alpha. “That’s it, darling,” he murmured against my ear, his lips finding my throat again, sucking gently as his thumb worked its magic. Slow, deliberate movements, circling and massaging. “So… so good.
”
Rafes voice guided me, coaxed me. His scent, his own need. I moaned, my toes curling as the pain, the ache, began to shift into something else. Something much better.
Something wonderful. “Rafe! ” I wailled, unable to stop myself. My pleasure built wave after wave.
I pulled on his hair, coaxing him, and his mouth moved lower, kissing the inside of my thighs. So soft and tender. And then I nearly came undne right then as his tongue flicked against me. God, this feeling.
His mouth. His hands. It was everything I’d ever needed. I cried out as the first wave of completion crashed over me.
The ache in my body became a relief so sweet I was crying with it, whimpering for more. I didn’t want it to stop. Luckly, neither did Rafe, who continued to kiss, lick, and worship every inch of my skin. He guided me slow and steady, coaxed me into another spiral of pleasure, and another, and another, until I couldn’t do anything but feel.
His hands. His mouth. They made everything right. He makes me feel like I’m everything.
Like I’m his. As the night stretched into day, then night again, I completely lost track of time and place and even identity. There was nothing but my mate, my Alpha, tending to me, never leaving my side. I woke slowly, muscles pleasantly sore, surrounded by warmth and contentment.
Rafe’s scent lingered on my skin, making my wolf purr with satisfaction. My body remembered every touch, every kiss, every gentle word he’d whispred against my skin. How he’d held me, never taking more than I could give, always putting my comfort first. Even when I’d begged him to claim me fully, he’d only smiled and kissed my forehead, promising to wait until we could both think clearly.
I’d never felt so safe. So cherished. Without opening my eyes, I reached for him. “My lady.
”
I jolted upright to find Penny hovering by my bedside and promptly yanked the sheets up to my chin. “What are you doing here? Go away. ”
As I moved, my fingers brushed against the silver necklace still fastened around my throat.
Another set of memories crashed through my pleasant haze. Kai’s hands on my skin. His cruel smile as I’d tried desperately to reach the sedative. How terrified I’d been.
Certain he would… certain he’d…. My fingers closed around the vial, drawing comfort from its presence. I’d been so desperate to open it, to escape into unconsciousness before he could. But then Rafe had come, and everything had been all right.
“Where’s Rafe? ” I looked around the room. My room, I realized with a sinking feeling. Not where I remembered being last.
Penny’s expression sofed. “Lord Raphael was called away by his father. He didn’t want to leave, but when…. ”
“When what?
”
“A few hours ago. You’ve been asleep for nearly two days. The Healer said it was normal after such an intense heat, but he was quite worried. ”
Two days.
My mind spun, trying to process everything. Rafe taking care of me, staying with me, carrying me back here. A smile tugged at my lips as I remembered his gentleness, his complete dedication to my comfort. He could have taken advantage.
Could have claimed me fully while I was desperate and willing. But instead he’d only…. Ice flooded my veins as another memory surfaced. Kai’s cruel smile, his words cutting through the heat haze.
“Soon we’ll be together again. You’ll be good for me this time, won’t you, Arya? ”
Oh Gods. He knows.
He knows who I am. My hands shook as I threw back the covers. “I need to find Rafe. Now.
”
“My lady, you should rest…. ”
“No time. ” I grabbed the first dress I saw. “Help me get dressed.
”
Has Kai told him already? Does Rafe know the Omega he cared for so tenderly is his enemy? The thought made me sick. He deserveed to hear it from me, not Kai.
Deserved to know the truth before deciding if he still wanted me as his mate. Not that he will. What Alpha would want Arya Storm as their Luna? I was barely educated, rough around the edges, more comfortable with weapons than politics.
Nothing like the refined Omega he deserved. But I had to tell him. Had to warn him about Kai’s plans before it was too late. “Lord Rafeael is in a meeting with his father,” one of his guards told me when I finally tracked him down.
“But I’ll let him know you’re looking for him as soon as he’s done. ”
I was heading back to my quarters, mind racing with how to tell Rafe the truth, when a familiar scent stopped me in my tracks. Forest pine and rain. A scent I’d know anywhere.
“Pete? ” I whispered, turning slowly. He stepped out from behind a column, that croaked grin I knew so well spreading across his face. “Hey there, demon wolf.
”
“Oh my gods. ” For a moment I forgot everything. All the betrayal. All the pain.
Because this was Pete, my battle brother, the one who’d always had my back, who made me laugh even on our darkest missions. Before I could stop myself, I threw my arms around him. He caught me with a laugh, spinning me around like he used to after successful raids. “Look at you,” he set me down, shaking his head in wonder.
“All dressed up like a proper lady. Though I have to say, being tiny suits you. ”
“Shut up. ” I punched his arm, grinning despite myself.
“What are you doing here? It’s dangerous. ”
His expression sobered. “I need to talk to you, Arya.
About what happened. About Zara’s plans. None of it makes sense. ”
My smile faded as reality crashed back.
“Pete, I can’t…. ”
“Please. ” He caught my hand, eyes earnrest. “Just talk to me.
That’s all I’m asking. I swear. ”
A guard rounded the corner, hand going to his weapon at the sight of us. “It’s fine,” I called out quickly.
“He’s… he’s with me. ”
Pete’s always been the level-headed one. The voice of reason. If anyone would understand, would help me stop whatever Kai was planning….
“All right,” I said finally. “But not here. ”
He led me to an empty sitting room, closing the door behind us. For a moment we just looked at each other, and I realized how much I’d missed him.
Missed having someone who knew the real me. He grinned, dropping onto a couch. “Omega, huh? Living the high life in the Alpha House.
Quite the upgrade from sleeping in caves. ”
But something felt off. Now that we were alone, the room suddenly seemed smaller. The air thicker.
“What do you want, Pete? ” I asked, staying by the door. His smile faded. “Kai sent me to bring you back.
”
My blood ran cold. “What? ”
“He needs you, Arya. Says there’s so much you don’t understand.
”
I backed toward the door. Gods, I was such an idiot. Following him blindly just because he smiled at me, falling right back into old patterns of trust like the past few weeks had never happened. Of course Kai sent him.
How else would Pete even know I was Arya? “Pete,” I began slowly, “you don’t understand what Kai did. He murdered me. ”
“He had his reasons.
Just let him explain…. ”
I bolted for the door, but Pete was faster. His arm locked around my waist as something sharp pricked my neck. “I’m sorry,” he whispred as darkness crept in.
“He said this was the only way. ”
The last thing I felt was my heart breaking all over again as another friend betrayed me. Then the world went black. I woke to fingers trailing down my cheek.
“I’ve misssed you so much, pet. ”
That voice. That scent. White amber and frost.
My eyes snapped open to find Kai sitting beside me on a bed, smiling down at me like nothing was wrong. Like he hadn’t murdered me. Like we were still what we used to be. I lunged forward, teeth sinking into his hand hard enough to draw blood.
When he jerced back, I slammed my forehead into his nose with a satisfying crunch. He laughed. Blood dripping down his chin, he actually laughed, gathering me into his arms despite my struggles. “Gods, I’ve missed this fire.
Missed you. ”
I thrashed against him, rage burning through my veins. “You murdered me! You double-crossing, two-faced psychopath!
”
I hit every part of him I could reach, screaming out weeks of betrayal and grief. He let me, taking the blows with that same infuriating smile, until my arms started to shake. “Enough, pet. ” He caught my wrists easily.
“You’ll hurt yourself. You’re so delicate now. ”
“And whose fault is that? ” I snarled, voice cracking.
“You did this. You killed me. ”
“If by some miracle I hadn’t ended up in this body…. ”
“And who do you think made that miracle happen, pet?
”
The words stopped my heart. “What are you saying? ”
He squeezed my hands, eyes fever-bright. “I’m sorry, Arya.
I hadn’t anticipated we’d be apart for so long. I thought I’d get a chance to explain everything earlier, but… but that idiot cousin of mine has had his eyes on me the entire time. ”
“Shut up. ” My head spun.
“You’re not making any sense. ”
“Then let me make sense. ” His voice took on that familiar tone, the one he’d use whenever he wanted me to really listen. “I want to tell you everything.
Will you hear me out? ”
I didn’t want to. Gods, I didn’t want to hear anything he had to say. But I was tied up and trapped.
And maybe if I let him monologue, I’d find a way out of this. I nodded. “Unlike you,” he began, “I’ve always known what my mother was. A liar.
A manipulator hungry for power. She doesn’t love me, Arya. She never cared for you or any of the pack. She’s just very good at making everyone feel special and powerful.
That’s how she got my father to mate with her. ”
“Wyaitt? ” I asked. Micah’s brother.
He nodded, expression darkening. “She turned him against Micah, convinced him no one could be trusted but her. Uncle Micah killed my father because he had no choice. ”
The world tilted sideways.
“Are you saying Micah is the good guy? ”
“There are no good guys. ” His lip curled. “Just people.
People with agendas and wants. We’re all selfish beings on this earth, Arya. ”
I thought of Rafe, of his kindness, his honor. But I kept that to myself.
“I’m selfish. ” Kai’s fingers dug into my skin. “Mother always wanted me to save myself for a noble marriage, make a good alliance. But I didn’t care about that.
” His hand cupped my cheek, and I was too stunned to move. “I wanted you. Us. ”
“There is no us.
There never was. ” I’d only ever seen him as a brother. Never felt any attraction. But the way he was looking at me now… there was something dark there.
Something hungry I’d never noticed before. “You have no idea how many nights I had to stop myself from claiming you. ” His voice turned feverish. “I knew it wasn’t the right time, but Gods, the way you’d look at me.
Touch me. You really loved me, didn’t you, baby? For real? ”
He yanked my hair, making me gasp.
“You could be so cruel sometimes. Punishing me for holding back. Remember all those nights at the border taverns? How you’d get so drunk, dancing with other wolves, letting them touch you, crawling into my bed after begging for attention?
” His fingers dug into my arms. “Or those parties where you’d deliberately flirt with my warriors, knowing I was watching, making me crazy with jealousy while pretending you had no idea what you were doing. ”
“I don’t remember any of that. ”
There were a few casual flings, sure.
Some nights of drinking to forget the blood on my hands. Oh Gods. The blackouts. Those mornings I’d wake up feeling wrong, telling myself I must have had fun because why else would I…?
“And then my cousin. ” Kai snapped, his grip turning bruising. “Jesus, Arya. You really went too far with that one.
”
“But I wasn’t trying to do anything with Rafe! ” The words burst out before I could stop them. “I just… I’d had feelings for him for so long without even realizing it. I’d been such a [__] fool.
”
“I knew the day would come when you’d be mine. ” His eyes gleamed with possession. “I’d become Alpha instead of Rafe, and I’d be free from Zara’s hold. Free to have you.
” His expression darkened. “But then she came to me. Told me about a pact she’d made on my behalf. A binding one, without even consulting me.
”
“A pact? ”
“A wish. ” He met my eyes, deadly serious. “With a dark magician.
”
It sounded insane. But then again, what else could explain my waking up in another body? “Mother worried we were growing too weak to overthrow Micah directly. She needed a way to do it covertly.
”
My mind raced. “Did she make a wish for me to take over Leandra’s body? To help destroy the pack from inside? ”
“No.
” His smile turned cruel. “I made that wish for you. ”
I stared at him. “After… after mother ordered me to kill you.
”
The casual way he said it—like my death was somehow harder for him than me—made me want to scream. “And why would she want me dead? ”
“To help me infiltrate the pack. Gain Rafe and Micah’s trust.
You were our best warrior, Arya. Everyone knew of our bond. Mother argued you were the best candidate. ” His thumb traced my lip.
“She wasn’t wrong. ”
Bile rose in my throat. “Obviously, I wasn’t going to let her take you from me. ” He said it like this made him noble.
“I knew about the magician and his power. Mother had made a similar wish on my behalf. So I went to him and asked for your soul to enter Leandra’s body upon her death. ” His jaw clenced.
“And I was going to tell you, but that idiot Omega had to go drink poison before I had the chance. Thank Gods Willa caught on and warned me. Leandra was seconds from death. I didn’t have time to explain.
”
“For your soul to enter hers, you both had to die at the same time. That was the condition. ” He paused. “Well, one of them.
The other was giving up what I loved most. ”
My head spun with questions. Where did Zara find this magician? What other conditions were there?
What did Kai mean about what he loved most? But one question burned brighter than the rest. “Then what did your mother wish for? ”
“I told you.
” His smile widened. “Almost the same thing I did. It’s how I got the idea in the first place. ”
“Meaning…?
” I whispered. “Meaning she wished for my soul to enter my dear old cousin’s… when he dies. ” Kai gloated. “Well, when we both die, that is.
Though as you’ve gathered, only Rafe’s death will be permanent. ”
Horror crept up my spine as Kai’s smile turned triumphant. “And you, Arya,” he concludeded, “are going to help me kill him. ”
“You’re going to help me kill him.
”
The words echoed in my head as horror spread through my veins like ice. Rafe. Kai wanted to kill Rafe. Wanted to steal his body, destroy everything he was, everything that made him him.
My chest constricted so tight I could barely breathe. The thought of Rafe dying. Of his warmth, his honor, his gentle heart being erased and replaced by Kai’s darkness. It was unbearable.
And the packs. Both packs would fall under Kai’s control. He’d have Rafe’s position, Rafe’s power, wearing Rafe’s face while he destroyed everything Rafe had worked to build. They had to die at the same time for this twisted wish to work.
And somehow Kai wanted me to help. Wanted me to participate in destroying the man who showed me what real kindness looked like. What real strength meant. I studied his face.
The absolute confidence in his expression. The way he was watching me like my cooperation was already guaranteed. After everything he’d done—murdering me, treating me like property, orchestrating this whole nightmare—he really expected me to just fall in line. Wait.
Wait. The realization hit like lightning. He wasn’t just confident. He was certain.
Even now, telling me his plan to murder my… to murder Rafe, Kai showed zero doubt that I’d obey. He truly believed I belonged to him. That I’d always choose him. That [__] idiot.
I could use this. Play into his delusion. Make him think he’d won. And then… then I’d show him exactly what this pet could do.
I just needed to know what he had planned. How. I let my voice waver. “How am I supposed to help you?
This body can’t fight anymore, Kai. ”
His eyes gleamed with triumph. “Gods, you have no idea how Alpha work, do you, pet? Rafe just shared your heat with you.
I guarantee he’s wrapped around your little finger now. ” His face contorted with rage. “Why do you think I let it happen, if not to get rid of him for good? ”
Let it happen.
I nearly snorted. As if he’d had any choice in the matter. His hand wrapped around my throat before I could stop myself from rolling my eyes. “I wasn’t going to let him live before.
But after he’s had you? ” His grip tightened. “Not a chance, baby. He’s going to die, and it’s going to hurt.
”
“He fancies himself in love. ”
“He never said he was in love! ” The words burst out before I could stop them, my heart twisting. “If he isn’t, then he’s in lust, and won’t see it coming.
That’s what matters. ”
His gaze turned dark with possession as his fingers traced my lips, pushing into my mouth. Every instinct screamed to bite down, but I forced myself still. Everything depended on this.
He had to believe I was his loyal pet again, or he’d use me against Rafe anyway. I needed to keep some kind of advantage when this all went down. “You’ve been such a [__] pain to get to, pet. ” His smirk made my skin crawl.
“But you’ll make it up to me, won’t you? After this is over. When you’re my Luna. ”
When he kissed me, it took everything I had not to vomit.
I went somewhere else in my mind, like I used to during the worst battles. Outside my body. Away from the wrongness of his touch. His hand cupped my breast.
No. There were limits to what I could fake. “If you want me to keep Rafe’s trust,” I forced my voice light, cocky like my old self, “it might help if I don’t show up smelling like another. ”
He hesitted, clearly wanting to argue.
“We’ll have all the time in the world when this is over. ” I met his eyes, then kicked him in the shin, playful the way I used to. “But if you think for a second you’re not the one who’s going to make it up to me, Alpha…. ”
His eyes lit up as he pulled me close.
“There she is. Welcome back, pet. ”
Another kiss. I pictured him bleeding out slowly.
“So what’s the plan? ” I asked, mimicking my pre-battle excitement. “Simple. ” He retrieved a small glass vial from a nearby desk.
“You’re going to get him alone for dinner. And then you’re going to get him to drink this. ”
“What is it? ”
“Nightshade.
”
My heart stopped. Nightshade. Fatal within minutes. The image of Rafe choking and dying while I watched made me want to scream.
To cry. To tear Kai apart with my bare hands. I saw Rafe’s gentle smile. Felt the careful way he’d held me during my heat.
Remembered how he’d honored even his enemy’s death with dignity. And the thought of that light being snuffed out, being replaced by Kai’s cruelty…. No. I won’t let it happen.
I can’t let it happen. The mere possibility of failing, of losing Rafe forever, made me feel like I was being torn apart from the inside. But I couldn’t break. Not now.
His life depended on me playing this perfectly. No matter how much it hurt. And not just his life. The whole pack’s future hung on this.
They’d all been conditioned like I was. Like Pete. Blind loyalty to monsters wearing friendly faces. I had to end this.
“All right. ” I nodded. “Nightshade in his drink. ”
My mind raced through possibilities.
I could tell Rafe. Have him arrest Kai. But would anyone believe me? And even if Rafe did, there was no guarantee we’d catch Kai if he escaped.
“And what will you do? ” I kept my voice carefully curious. “How will you know when it’s done? ”
His smile widened.
“Oh, I’ll see it with my own eyes. I’ll be having dinner with you, of course. ”
Of course. He wasn’t stupid enough to leave this to chance.
He only got one shot at taking Rafe’s body. He wouldn’t risk me warning him. I might still find a moment to signal Rafe somehow. But the risk….
If Kai got away, he could just find another magician. Make another wish. Have Rafe taken and killed before I could stop him. I needed backup plans.
Multiple ones. And I needed them fast. “Wait. ” Kai moved to a desk, retrieving an ornate silver ring.
It was beautiful, delicate filigree wrapping around what looked like… a hidden compartment. “I had this made for you. ” He carefully poured the Nightshade into the ring’s secret chamber. “Consider it your first lesson in Omega warfare.
These little tricks will serve you well as my Luna. ”
The words made my skin crawl. But then I felt the weight of the old necklace still around my throat. The necklace containing a sedative so potent it mimced death.
The necklace Kai didn’t know about. I can use this somehow. Hope flickered in my chest. Kai thinks he’s teaching me Omega tricks.
But Isolda already showed me this game. And she played it better. “Letun get you back to your fiance, pet. ” Kai’s fingers grazed my cheek.
“I’m sure he must be wondering where his little Omega has gone. ”
As he led me out, my mind raced. How do you outmaneuver someone who’d been planning this for months? Someone who thought he knew you better than you knew yourself?
But then I remembered. He didn’t know me at all. He knew the pet he’d created. The soldier he’d shaped.
But that wasn’t who I was anymore. I was something new. Warrior and Omega both. Combining Arya’s strength with Leandra’s cunning.
And he was about to learn that the hard way. The firelight cast shifting shadows across Kai’s face as he lounged in my reception room like he owned it. Like he owned me. “You look beautiful tonight, pet.
” His eyes never left me. Hadn’t left me since we arrived. I forced myself to smile, to play my part. But my fingers itched to touch the necklace at my throat.
I could feel its weight against my skin, but somehow that wasn’t enough. I needed to check it was still there. Still sealed. Still my one chance at saving Rafe.
Penny moved around the table, arranging place settings for three with sharp, angry movements. When she caught Kai watching me, her hands clenced around a crystal wine glass hard enough that I worried it might shatter. Half-formed plans spun through my mind, each more desperate than the last. I needed to get the sedative into Kai’s drink somehow.
Needed to take him out before he could hurt Rafe. But how? I’d been a warrior all my life. Direct.
Straightforward. Meeting threats head-on. Two weeks as an Omega hadn’t exactly prepared me for subtle warfare and secret poisons. And Rafe’s life hung in the balance.
One wrong move. One mistake…. “Is he coming? ” I asked Penny, hating how small my voice sounded.
“Did you tell him? ”
“He’ll be here shortly, my lady. ” Her eyes flashed with protective fury as she glared at Kai. “Very shortly.
”
Kai just smiled wider, reaching for my hand like he was trying to comfort me. Once, I would have believed that gesture. Now I saw it for what it was. Another reminder of his control.
His ownership. My fingers curled into fists in my lap. If nothing else worked, if I couldn’t figure out how to outmaneuver him, I’d tell Rafe to run. I’d find some way to warn him.
To get him away from here. I clung to that thought like a lifeline. A knock at the door made my heart stop. Rafe entered, and the sight of him stole my breath.
Tension radiated from his broad shoulders, his scent sharp with concern. The moment his eyes found me, something in my chest unclenced. I rose without thinking, drawn to him like a magnet. His whole body seemed to lean toward me in response.
One step. That was all it would take to be in his arms. To feel safe again. To….
“Hello, cousin. ” Kai’s voice cut through the moment like a blade. He hasn’t moved from his chair, legs crossed casually, but his smile promised violence. “So glad you could join us.
”
“Why is he here, Leandra? ” Rafe’s voice was careful and measured, not angry, though I noted with surprise. Wary. Like he was trying to piece something together.
The words I had to say next felt like broken glass in my throat. “I invited him. ”
His eyes, stormy blue and beautiful, searched my face. “You told me before you were tired of this ever-lasting war between your people, remember?
” I reached for his hands, needing him to understand something I couldn’t say. “Your cousin told me the same thing. ”
I forced myself to turn to Kai and give him a brief nod. “Lady Leandra speaks the truth, cousin.
” Kai’s voice was honey over poison. “I came to your father, to you, to end this war. I know you don’t trust me, but you and I share the same goal. ”
“Even if that were true…” Rafe’s face closed off, eyes going winter cold.
“Even if we did serve a similar cause, it’s clear our approaches aren’t the same. ”
“And how would you know? ” Kai crossed his legs, resting his chin on his knuckles with perfect ease. “You barely let me speak in those meetings with your father.
You have no idea what I…. ”
“I know you killed Arya Storm to get where you are now. And she was your friend. ” Rafe’s voice crackled with barely contained fury.
“She believed in you. She trusted you. And you betrayed that trust. ”
My heart threatened to burst from my chest, but I forced my breathing steady.
Even now, he was defending me. The real me. “Ah, so this is about Arya, then. ” Kai’s laugh was sharp.
“This is about how you treat your people,” Rafe snarled. “Like they’re fodder. Disposable. ”
“Please.
” I laid my hand on Rafe’s arm, feeling him subtly relax at my touch. “Let us sit down and talk it over like civilized people. Arguing isn’t going to solve anything. ”
“I think we all agree on that.
” Kai smiled and noded encouragingly. Rafe’s jaw clenced, but he didn’t protest. “I’ll pour the wine. ” I moved toward the table, hands steady through sheer force of will.
“I think everyone could use a bit of cooling off. ”
I poured two glasses. One for each of them. This was it.
My chance. I reached for my necklace. “Thank you, pet. ” Kai’s breath ghosted across my neck as his hand wrapped around mine on his glass.
He took a long sip before moving away, and my heart sank. “I heard you gave Arya a proper burial, Rafe. ” He positioned himself between us, blocking my view. Our agreed-upon diversion.
My moment to poison Rafe’s drink. My fingers played nervously with the ring as Rafe’s voice turned to ice. “So you care about how the friend you murdered was buried. ”
“Of course I do.
I didn’t want to kill her. ” Kai’s eyes snapped to me. A clear signal. Do it now.
“But I had no choice. I knew it was the only way your father would listen. ”
He kept Rafe’s attention focused on him. “And Arya understood that.
”
Rafe went pale. “She understood that? ”
“Of course she did. She was loyal to the cause.
Loyal to me. ” Another glance my way as I fidged with the ring. Now or never. But I couldn’t.
Rafe kept looking at me. I couldn’t. “She gladly died at my hand. ” Kai’s voice dropped lower, crueler.
“Her last words were ones of love, you see, Rafe. ” His eyes glinted with malice. “Arya and I weren’t just friends. She was my lover.
”
My hands shook around Rafe’s wine glass. “She’d come to me every night,” Kai’s voice turned vicious with intimacy, “begging for me. You should have heard the sounds she’d make, cousin. The way she’d whimper my name….
She was insatiable. Would do anything I asked. ”
“Please, Kai,” he mimicked in a high voice. “I need you.
I’m yours. Only yours. ”
The crack of Rafe’s fist connecting with Kai’s jaw was beautiful. In the chaos, I finally managed to open the vial, pouring its contents into the glass with trembling fingers.
“How dare you speak of her like this! ” Rafe radiated fury. I hurried between them, wine glass still in hand. “I knew it.
” Kai laughed through bloody teeth. “You loved her, didn’t you? You loved Arya. This is why you won’t give me a chance.
”
I froze, breath caught in my lungs, and met Rafe’s eyes. His rage softened into something else entirely. “Yes. ” His voice was achingly gentle as he looked at me.
Really looked at me. “It’s true. I did love her. ”
I shook my head in confusion.
What did he just say? It… it can’t be. Rafe can’t possibly have loved Arya. Warrior Arya who’d fought him tooth and nail, who challenged him, defied him, and made his life hell.
My chest felt too tight. I saw flashes of every clash, every battle, wondering how many of those moments he’d looked at me and felt… felt…. “I love you, Arya. ” Rafe murmured, metering my eyes.
The world stopped. Because he wasn’t speaking of the past. He was looking right at me. At this body.
At who I am now. With such raw tenderness it stole my breath. His eyes held mine like… like he knew. I felt faint.
“I love you. ” He repeated, reaching for my hand. “How? ” The word came out broken, desperate.
A hundred questions in one. How did you know? How could you love who I was? How can you still want me now?
His smile. Gods, his smile. It held every chase across territory lines, every breathless fight, every moment we thought we were enemies but were really falling in love. His hand reached for my face with such yearning it made my heart ache.
Then an arm locked around my throat, steel pressing against my skin. “Don’t move,” Kai’s voice was vicious. “Don’t make a sound, or I cut her throat. ”
Rafe’s eyes turned molten gold as he snarled.
But Kai just pulled me closer, pressing the blade until I felt warm trickle down my neck. “Put the glass down. ”
I set it carefully on the floor. “Don’t move.
” Kai’s voice was silk over steel as he addressed Rafe. “And don’t even think of calling for your people. ”
The knife bit deeper, pulling a gasp from my throat. “Pick it up.
” Kai commanded. Rafe knelt slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. I wanted to scream at him to run, to call his guards, to do anything but what Kai wanted. But if I warned him, if Kai realied I’d betrayed him….
“Don’t you dare call for help. ” Kai’s grip tightened. “Just drink the glass. ”
“You won’t kill her.
” Rafe’s voice was steady. “You love her too. ”
The blade pressed harder. “I’d rather see her dead than let you have her.
”
The raw truth in Kai’s voice made me shiver. “Try anything, and she’ll be dead before your men can apprehend me. ”
Rafe lifted the glass with excruciating slowness. Every movement careful not to provoke Kai.
“Drink. ” Kai snapped. “What is it? ” Rafe asked.
But he wasn’t asking Kai. His eyes found mine. “What did you put in my drink, Arya? ”
Tears blurred my vision as I forced out the words.
“Nightshade. ”
Kai drove the blade deeper, drawing more blood. “Drink it now, or she goes,” he growlled. Rafe looked at me.
At Kai. Then back at me. I silently begged him to call the guards. To fight.
To do anything. But he drank. Every drop. A scream built in my throat.
Why? Why would he do this, knowing it was poison? Kai’s triumphant laugh filled the room as he released me, spinning me into a violent kiss. “Well done, pet.
You did so well. You were perfect. ”
He turned to Rafe with a sneer. “You’re such a fool, cousin.
To die willingly for a woman who doesn’t even love you. ”
Rafe blinked, his face going pale, gaze growing unfocused. “I told you. ” Kai circled him like a predator, his hand wrapping around Rafe’s throat.
“I told you she was mine. I warned you. Did you think because she shared her heat with you, it meant she changed her mind about me? Arya loves me.
You’re nothing to her. ”
Rafe’s eyes found mine one last time. But they were empty now. A groan escaped him as his head rolled back.
When Kai kicked him, he didn’t even react. Just crumpled to the ground. Kai dropped his knife and knelt beside him, checking his pulse with a dark chuckle. “Now….
”
I grabbed the knife Kai had dropped. In one fluid motion, I drove it deep into his neck. He gasped, hands still on Rafe’s throat. “You’re right,” he gurgled through the blood.
“No time to waste. Thank you, pet. ”
“You’re welcome. ” I stabbed him again.
And again. And again. I couldn’t look at Rafe. If I did, I’d drop the knife.
And I couldn’t risk that. Not yet. So I kept stabbing. One thrust for each time he’d stabbed me in that forest.
When he started to fall, I eased him down, meeting his eyes as he bled out. His bloody fingers brushed my cheek. “I’ll be seeing you soon. ”
I smiled, then spat in his face.
“You’ll be seeing me never, you piece of [__]. ”
His eyes widened despite his weakness, blood bubling from his lips. “Rafe is fine. ” I twisted the knife.
“You won’t be taking over his body. Oh, and by the way. ” Another stab. “I’m not your pet.
” Stab. “You disgust me. ” Stab. “And you’re an idiot.
I never loved you. Never. ” Stab. “What I feel for Rafe has nothing to do with you.
From now on, no part of my life will have anything to do with you. ”
One final thrust, and I watched the light fade from his eyes. I dropped the knife and scrambled to Rafe. My hands shook as I cradled his face, pulled him into my lap.
He was so still. So pale. His heartbeat was so faint. I was terrified I’d made a mistake.
Grabbed the wrong vial. Switched the wrong drinks. “Rafe. ” I shook him gently.
But he remained limp and lifeless. So peaceful in his slumber. He could be sobbing. I tore open his shirt and pressed my ear to his chest, desperately listening for his heartbeat.
That’s how the guards found me when they burst in. Penny and Hudson in the lead, me clutching Rafe’s seemingly lifeless body beside Kai’s very dead one. “What is the meaning of this? ” Hudson’s hand went to his weapon.
I didn’t want to move. Didn’t want to stop touching Rafe. Stop counting each precious heartbeat. But I had to.
Rising slowly, I met Hudson’s eyes. “Kai tried to kill us. Lord Raphael is alive. ”
“Alive?
” Hudson advanced, reaching for me. “He sure as hell doesn’t look…. ”
“He’s asleep. ” My voice cracked like a whip as I stood.
“And don’t you dare put your hands on me, Captain Hudson. I am Rafe’s mate, and the future Luna of this pack. ” I lifted my chin. “Remember your place.
”
Penny squealed beside the guards, while Hudson gaped, fury warring with doubt. And underneath it all… respect. “Excuse me, but you’re not mated to him yet,” a guard started. “Silence.
” I interrupted. They all lowered their eyes. “As you must know, I was in heat days ago. Rafe stayed with me during that time.
That makes me his. ”
I let the implication hang in the air. Not quite lying about a mark that didn’t exist. “Go find a Healer and Alpha Micah.
Let him know I need to tell him what transpired here. ” I commanded Hudson. Then I gestured to Penny and another guard. “You two.
Help me move my mate to bed. He’ll be sleeping for a while. ”
As they lifted him carefully, I brushed the hair from his forehead. I’ll be the Luna he needs until he wakes.
Protecting him. Leading in his stead. And then… then I’ll accept whatever punishment he decides I deserve. I sat beside Rafe’s bed as dawn broke, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest.
The Healers had confirmed twice now that Kai was dead and Rafe was merely sleeping. But my hands still shook every time I checked his pulse. A little color had returned to his cheeks. At least he no longer looked like he did in those terrifying moments after drinking what he believed was poison.
Moments when I thought I’d lost him forever. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. How he’d drunk that glass knowing exactly what he thought was in it, just to protect me. The memory made my chest ache.
Why would he do that? Why would anyone think I was worth such a sacrifice? Dawn broke outside the window as I kept my vigil. By some miracle, the guards had let me stay with him.
Probably because I’d been playing the part of their future Luna so convincingly. Fake it till you make it, as they say. But anxiety clawed at my chest because it’d been so long. And he still hasn’t woken.
I leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, silent apologies running through my mind. When I pulled back, blurry blue eyes were looking up at me. Our gazes locked for just a moment before I grabbed the knife hidden under my chair and pressed it to his throat. “Six months ago, I slipped off that cliff edge in the Northern Territory,” I said, voice shaking slightly.
“And you caught me. Do you remember? ”
His eyes slowly focused, searching my face with furrowed brows. My heart plummated.
Isolda had warned the sedative would give the impression of death. But what if that had been enough? What if somehow Kai had managed to take over Rafe’s body in those crucial moments? The thought made my hand shake where I held the blade.
“Do you remember? ” I pressed the knife harder against his throat, desperate for some sign that it was really him. He noded slowly, those storm-blue eyes never leaving mine. Even now, half-drugged and at knife point, he was beautiful enough to make my chest ache.
“What did I say before I ran? ” The words came out rough with fear. He frowned slightly. “Arya…” He started to shift away, but I couldn’t let him.
Couldn’t risk being wrong about this. In one fluid motion, I was on top of him, pinning him down with my body weight, knife steady at his throat. My heart pounded so hard I could barely hear my own voice. “What did I say?
” I repeated. And then, oh Gods, that familiar smirk curved his lips. “You said you wished things were different. ”
Rellief hit me so hard I felt dizzy.
The knife clattered to the floor as memories flooded back. That cliff edge. His arms catching me. The way he’d looked at me then.
“Obviously,” he added, eyes gleaming, “because you desperately wanted me to kiss you. ”
Heat flooded my cheeks as I punched his arm. “Shut up. ”
I tried to scramble off his lap, but his hands caught my waist, holding me in place.
The casual strength in his grip made my skin tingle. “What happened? ” He glanced around, confusion clouding his features. The morning light caught his face, highlighting the sharp line of his jaw, the sweep of his lashes.
“A whole lot of things. ” My voice came out shakier than intended, throat tight with emotion. Because it was really him. My Rafe.
Alive and safe. While Kai lay cold and dead. “You didn’t kill me,” he observed, meeting my eyes. I was at a loss for words.
I just shook my head. “Did you think I would? ” I finally murmured, holding back my tears. Because I didn’t deserve to cry when he was the one who’d thought I might kill him.
His hands rubbed circles against my waist, warm and pleasant. It soothed me. “Where’s Kai? ” He asked carefully.
Just hearing that name made me grimace. “Not sure what they did with his body,” I admitted. “But he’s dead. ”
Rafe nodded slowly, processing.
Right. He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for your…. ”
“I’m the one who killed him.
” I interrupted, the words sharp and fast. “So you really don’t have to be sorry, Rafe. I’m not. ”
This time, when I moved away, he let me go, somehow sensing the tension coiling through my shoulders.
“I’m only sorry that I wanted to kill him myself so badly that I let you get hurt in the process. ” I confessed, shame burning in my chest. “I should have acted sooner. Should have found another way.
I told myself I wanted to save you, and I did. But I also wanted revenge, and I… I’m sorry, Rafe. ”
His large hand wrapped around mine, but I couldn’t meet his eyes. Couldn’t bear to see judgment or disappointment there.
“So it really is you,” he murmured, his voice soft with wonder. Oh. My head snapped up at his tone, and the warmth in his expression—like he was genuinely happy to see me, to know who I really was—stole my breath. “Yes.
” The words tangled in my throat. After so long hiding behind Leandra’s face, speaking to him as myself felt both liberating and terrifying. She’d been a shield between us, letting me start fresh. But now that shield was gone.
And I felt raw. Exposed. “I’m sorry about Leandra,” I managed finally. “She’s gone.
”
His expression shifted, and I rushed to add. “We didn’t kill her, I mean. Kai was planning to, but I’d never even heard of her. In the end…” I swallowed hard.
“From what I gathered, she took her own life. ”
Rafe noded, troubled shadows crossing his face. “Yes. I know.
” His fingers tightened around mine. “I didn’t know her well. But her family… well, she came from a very traditional pack. Being my mate wasn’t her choice.
She couldn’t say no. It never sat right with me. ”
I nodded, thinking of Isolda. Her cold discipline.
Her obsession with perfection. “But what I still don’t understand is how you ended up in her body,” he said softly. The whole story spilled out then. Kai’s wish.
The dark magician. Zara’s plans. His face darkened when I explained how they’d ploted to take his body, but brightened when I assured him he was safe now that Kai was dead. “Though perhaps we should try to find that dark magician, just to make sure,” I added.
He noded thoughtfully. As I admitted I’d only found out about all this yesterday, my voice caught. “There’s more I need to say. Truths that have been burning inside me.
”
“I’m so sorry. ” I whispered. “I should have told you the truth from the beginning. I was just… I was scared.
I thought you were the enemy. I didn’t know how to trust you. ” Shame burned in my cheeks. “I realize now I’ve been conditioned my whole life to trust no one but Zara, and to some extent Kai.
And it’s not just me. My entire pack—they’re all being lied to. They need help. ”
“I know.
” Rafe’s hand squeezed mine, his touch anchoring me. “We’ll help them. I promise. ”
Hope fluttered in my chest.
“Well, yes. It will be much easier to Rally Zara’s people with your help. You were one of them, after all. ” His smile brightened.
“Right? ”
I nodded, feeling oddly disappointed for some reason. “Of course. ”
“Besides,” he added casually, “as my Luna and equal, I expect you to particate in such matters.
”
“As your Luna? ” The words came out small and stunned. Rafe’s expression shifted from playful to uncertain, doubt clouding his features. “Oh.
Well, unless you’d rather not, of course. ”
“No! ” Heat flared in my chest. “It’s not about what I want at all.
It’s not…. ”
He looked genuinely confused, brows drawn together. “Then what…? ”
“No, you idiot.
” The words burst out. “It’s about me being perfectly unfit for the role. I can’t be a Luna. Least of all yours.
”
He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off, all my insecurities spilling out in a rush. “I know what being Luna entails now. I’ve seen it up close. And I’m nowhere near qualified.
I’m coarse. Uneducated. All I know how to do is fight. I’m not worthy of the position.
I’m not…” My voice crackled. “I’m not good enough. ”
Before I could spiral further, Rafe pulled me toward him, his large hand cradling my face with a gentleness that stunned me into silence. “Don’t.
” He commanded softly, his thumb cressing my cheek with deliberate, soothing strokes. “I don’t ever want to hear you speak like this about my mate again. ”
Tears spilled over, tracing warm paths down my cheeks as he gazed at me. His look was intense.
Adoring. As if I was the most precious treasure he’d ever beheld. “You don’t understand,” I whispered, voice trembling. “You’re an Alpha.
Noble. But more than that, you’re good. Kind. Wise.
You’re perfect, Rafe. You deserve better than me. You deserve everything. ”
His response was swift.
A kiss that cut off my protests, stealing my breath away. His lips claimed mine with a passion that overwhelmed, pulling me back onto the bed and pinng me gently beneath his strong frame. The weight of him, protective and warm, cocconed me in a world where I was wanted. Cherished.
“Do not speak about my mate this way,” he repeated, his breath hot against my flesh. “Rafe. ” My protest died on my lips as his hands explored, mapping the curves of my body with a reverence that sent shivers through me. His touch was both a question and an answer, leaving no room for doubt in his desire.
He pulled back to lock his gaze with mine. “Do you love me? ” Storm-blue eyes, intense and searching. The question stole my breath.
I thought of everything. All our battles. How he’d consumed my thoughts between each clash. How I fell asleep picturing those storm-blue eyes.
How I’d memorized all his little habits—the way he absently ran his hand through his hair when he was thinking, how his jaw ticked when he was holding back a smile. I knew I’d love discovering a thousand more such details about him. “But I’m not Leandra,” I whispered, feeling exposed and vulnerable. “I may look like her, and smell like her….
”
“Arya. ” His hand cupped my cheek. “It’s not Leandra I love. ”
The kiss he gave me was reverent.
Like he was worshiping me with each gentle press of his lips. His hands roamed tenderly over me, each inch caressed as if to memorize, to cherish. Fresh tears welled up in my eyes. Not from sorrow, but from the overwhelming sensation of being so deeply loved.
“Do you love me? ” He insisted against my lips. “Yes. ” The word was a broken moan, filled with all the love I felt and all the fears I faced.
“God, Rafe. Of course I…. ”
His smile pressed against my mouth. “Yeah.
” He nodded. “I thought so. ”
His hand cupped my cheek again. “Look at me.
” He coaxed, his touch so gentle, so encouraging, that I couldn’t help but obey. His thumb brushed away my tears as our eyes met. “Will you be mine? ”
“You, Arya Storm.
” I nodded, letting the tears fall freely now. And then we were kissing again. Deep and slow and perfect. Like we had all the time in the world.
Like this was exactly where we were meant to be. “My fierce warrior,” he murmured. “My beautiful, brave mate. ”
Each touch made me feel cherished in a way I’d never known before.
This wasn’t the desperate need of my heat. This was something deeper. “I’ve loved you for so long,” he confessed between kisses. “Even when we were enemies.
Maybe especially then. ” His lips found my throat, making me gasp. “The way you’d fight me with everything you had. Never backing down.
”
“I used to dream about you,” I admitted, my voice shaky as his hands explored. He pulled back just enough to smirk at me. “And what happened in these dreams? ”
Heat flooded my cheeks.
“I think you know,” I whispered. His eyes danced with challenge. “Perhaps you should show me. ”
His smile.
Gods, his smile. It held all the warmth of summer sunshine. All the promise of forever. When he kissed me again, slow and deep and perfect, I knew with absolute certainty that this was where I belonged.
Three years after Kai’s death, I stood before our combined packs wearing my own face. The path here hadn’t been easy. Every step was a battle, not just with others but with myself. The first months were the hardest.
My new body felt like a prison sometimes. Weaker. Smaller. Ruled by instincts I didn’t understand.
During Council meetings, I’d find myself wanting to bear my throat when Rafe spoke in his Alpha voice. In training, my muscles would fail me when my mind knew exactly what to do. More than once, I’d fled to my chambers in frustrated tears. “Your strength isn’t gone,” Penny would remind me, helping me up after yet another failed sparring match.
“It’s just different now. ”
She was right. I learned to use my Omega instincts as advantages. To read emotions.
To sense intentions. To command through influence rather than force. But Gods, the adjustment nearly broke me some days. Then there were the whispers.
Former Rogues who couldn’t believe their fierce warrior had become an Omega. Nobles who thought I wasn’t refined enough to be Luna. Every raised eyebrow, every doubtful glance, fed the voice in my head that said I didn’t belong here. Rafe never doubted me though.
He’d find me training at dawn, determined to rebuild my strength. And instead of offering help, he’d just kiss me and say, “Show them all who you are. ”
But the hardest struggle was with my own heart. Every time he looked at me with such love, every time he touched me with such reverence, I’d want to run.
How could someone like him want someone like me? I felt like I was robbing him of his chance to be happy. To find someone worthy of him. Even after we defeated Zara together.
Even after uniting the packs. Even after proving myself as Luna. That doubt lingered. I’d wake from nightmares where he’d leave after finally seeing me as I saw myself.
Damaged. Unworthy. Stained by years of being used. “I adore you,” he’d whisper on those nights, hugging me tight.
“Please. Just let me love you. ”
But I couldn’t. Not fully.
Not until I learned to love myself first. It took years of healing. Of facing my past. Of learning that being Omega didn’t make me weak, that being a warrior didn’t make me unworthy of tenderness.
Of accepting that the things done to me weren’t my fault. Only then did I finally feel ready to accept his mark. To truly believe I deserved the love I saw in his eyes. His kisses trailed down my throat, each touch reverent, claiming.
For the first time, I found myself melting into the sensation completely. With no reservations. No voice in my head whispering that I was just a weapon, a pawn to be used. There was only Rafe.
His hands on my skin. His scent surrounding me. His love radiating through every careful touch. “You’re everything,” he murmured against my collarbone.
“I love you so much. ”
And for once, I believed him. Because I wasn’t just a shield or a soldier anymore. I was a person.
Whole. Real. And profoundly loved by the most incredible man I’d ever known. Tonight, when his mouth claimed mine with an urgency that seared, his hands exploring my body with exquisite care, each touch ignited a slow burn that melted every last bit of my resistance.
Drawing out soft sounds from my throat that would have embarrassed me once. But now I let them come freely. Let my moans and sighs weave into the air between us, wanting him to know exactly how he made me feel. The heat that built between us was slow and sweet, yet it transcended mere physical need.
It was a soul-deep yearning to be entirely his. To entwine our destinies and souls in the most intimate way possible. “Mark me,” I gasped against his lips, the words barely a whisper but laden with all the desire coursing through me. He pulled back just enough to search my eyes, a flicker of surprise and awe in his gaze.
“What did you just say? ”
I laughed softly, the sound tinged with need, and traced my tongue lightly along his throat, tasting the salt of his skin. “You heard me. ”
His groan was deep, resonating against my lips, filled with longing and hesition.
“Are you sure? ” He asked, his voice rough with emotion. “I have never been more sure of anything. ” My fingers tangled in his hair, gently pulling his head back as I bore my throat to him.
An offering. When he bit down, the sensation catapulted beyond pain into pure ecstasy. Pleasure and profound connection surged through me, radiating from the mark, making me cry out his name as our bond snapped vibrantly into place. Suddenly I was awash in his emotions.
His overwhelming love. His fierce desire. His exultant joy at finally being bonded. It was overwhelming.
Beautiful. A cascade of feeling that brought tears of happiness to my eyes. “My turn,” I whispered against his skin, already craving the intoxicating connection that now bound us. My teeth found the tender skin of his throat, and as I marked him, the bond deepened.
Weaving our essences together in a tapestry of shared souls and destinies. After that, it was pure magic. When he finally took me, it felt as though our very essences were merging. Passion and love spiraling into an exquisite crescendo that lifted us beyond the confines of our bodies.
We explored each other and the new dimension of sensation our bond offered, reveling in the perfect unity we’d discovered. Through it all, I was enveloped in joy. In rightness. In the absolute certainty that I was exactly where I was meant to be.
In his arms. In his heart. In his soul.
Forever.
