Kael carried Aria through the long corridors of the stronghold, his strides purposeful yet careful. She rested against his chest, every breath an ache from the bruises Toran had left behind. But she didn't complain. Not when his touch soothed the sting. Not when his presence ignited a fire beneath her skin.
"I'm fine," she murmured, though her ribs throbbed.
Kael glanced down at her, his amber eyes sharp and shadowed with concern. "You collapsed. You're not fine."
"I won," she whispered, a wry smile tugging at her lips.
He didn't smile back. "You almost died."
"But I didn't," she shot back, pressing her forehead lightly against his chest. "And you didn't step in."
"I couldn't. Council rules," he said, his voice tight. "I wanted to rip Toran's throat out. But you didn't need me to."
That admission surprised her. She wasn't used to being seen as capable. Not in her old life. Not by anyone but herself.
"Did I really use… power?" she asked softly, once he laid her gently down on a bed in a chamber she hadn't seen before — smaller, but filled with warmth and sunlight spilling in through wide windows.
Kael knelt beside her, brushing damp hair from her face. "More than power. You channeled the bond. You bent a dominant wolf to your will. That's not just rare — it's unheard of."
She stared at him. "Then what does that make me?"
He smiled now, slow and dark. "Mine."
The room buzzed with tension, electric and charged. She was suddenly aware of how close he was — the way his hands lingered on her hip, the way his gaze dropped to her lips.
"I want to complete the ritual," she whispered. "Tonight. No more delays."
His eyes flared gold. "Aria—"
"I'm not asking," she said, lifting her chin. "I want this. I want you."
Kael rose, pulling her up with him until they stood toe-to-toe. His hands slid around her waist, drawing her flush against him.
"You don't know what that means," he growled, though his voice was husky. "Once the ritual is complete, you'll feel everything I feel. My rage. My need. My darkness."
She placed her hand over his heart. "Then I want all of you. Not just the parts that are easy."
His control slipped. The moment shattered — and he kissed her.
It wasn't gentle.
It was the kiss of a wolf who'd held himself back for too long. Their mouths collided, hungry and wild. Aria gasped as Kael lifted her again, carrying her through another door and into a chamber bathed in silver moonlight.
Candles flickered along the edges, and petals lined the floor in a spiral leading to a dais in the center. The air thrummed with ancient magic. This wasn't just a bed. This was a sacred place. A claiming chamber.
Kael placed her gently atop the center furs, his fingers trembling slightly as he touched the edge of her tunic.
"I'll stop if you ask," he murmured, voice hoarse. "But if we begin… there's no going back."
"I don't want to go back," she whispered.
Their clothes fell away, piece by piece, like petals torn by the wind. Every inch of her skin that met his sparked with heat. He worshipped her like a goddess, mapping her body with his hands and mouth, memorizing every sound she made.
She responded in kind, running her hands along the planes of his back, down the curve of his spine, savoring the shudder that ran through him.
When he finally pressed into her, it was like being torn open and filled all at once. They moved together, driven by rhythm and need, moans swallowed by kisses and tangled limbs. The air shimmered with the power of the ritual — a bond forged in flesh and magic.
As they reached the edge together, Kael bit into her shoulder — not to hurt, but to mark.
To claim.
A surge of power roared through them both, shaking the room. The moon outside burst through the clouds, bathing them in silver light.
The ritual was complete.
And now, they were truly bound.
---
Aria woke hours later to the sound of drums in the distance — rhythmic, low, and ancient. Kael lay beside her, arm draped protectively over her waist, eyes still closed.
But she felt him wake a second later, just as she stirred.
"You're glowing again," he murmured, brushing his nose against her temple.
"I feel… everything," she whispered. "Your heart. Your thoughts. Even your pain."
He nodded, lips brushing her shoulder. "And I feel yours."
She rolled onto her side, facing him. "What happens now?"
"We rule," he said simply. "Together."
She smiled — and then froze.
A pulse of icy fear gripped her chest. But it wasn't hers.
Kael's eyes snapped open. "You felt that too?"
Before either could speak, a knock slammed against the outer doors — fast, frantic, and desperate.
Riven burst in a second later, face pale.
"The Council is gone," he said, breath ragged. "They vanished. And someone left this…"
He held out a single strip of cloth — red, soaked in fresh blood.
Wrapped around a wolf fang.
Kael cursed.
Aria's pulse roared in her ears.
The ritual had made her Luna.
But something darker had just begun and they had no idea what it was.