Tessa POV The moment Dorian's lips returned to mine, everything else fell away. There was no thought, no restraint - just an overwhelming rush of sensation. Every inch of him felt like fire against my skin, and I could feel the storm of emotions swirling in the space between us. His hands were everywhere, exploring, claiming, and even though there was a part of me that knew this was a dangerous line to cross, I couldn’t stop myself.I needed him. No - more than that. I was starving for him, every part of me aching with a hunger I hadn’t realized existed until this very moment.Dorian’s hands roamed beneath the fabric of my dress, his touch leaving a trail of warmth in its wake. I could feel the shift in his energy as he moved over me, a predator claiming his prey, yet there was tenderness in the way his hands caressed my skin. His lips trailed down my neck, his breath scorching, sending shivers down my spine. His words were a low growl as he pulled away for a moment to look into my e
Tessa POVThe morning light filtered through the curtains, soft and golden, casting gentle shadows across the room. I woke slowly, disoriented for a moment, the lingering heat of the night before still in my veins.Dorian’s scent surrounded me. I could feel his warmth beside me, his chest rising and falling in slow, steady breaths. I could hear his heartbeat, steady and sure, like a reassuring promise that I belonged here, with him.My body still ached in places I didn’t know could ache, a beautiful reminder of everything we’d shared. It wasn’t just physical, though. It was a deeper kind of connection, one I hadn’t been prepared for. The bond was no longer something I could ignore or deny. It was real, as real as the air in my lungs, as deep as the roots of the trees that surrounded us.I shifted, my skin brushing against his, and he stirred, his arm pulling me closer, a possessive growl rumbling from his chest.“Morning,” his voice was rough with sleep, but the intensity of it sent
Dorian's POVThe morning passed in a blur of briefings, reports, and final preparations. While Tessa was tucked away with Elara, indulging in what my sister called a "beauty day," I was already fighting a different kind of battle - one made of alliances, threats, and promises.Today wasn’t just about Tessa taking her place as my Luna. It was about power.For years, I had built this pack into something stronger than any neighboring territory dared challenge. Ruthless when needed, strategic always. Fear was a tool, but it wasn’t enough. Fear could be overthrown. Loyalty, real loyalty - that was what lasted.Tonight, when I presented Tessa to the pack, I would also be sending a message to every Alpha watching: A new era was coming. And I wasn’t content to rule just my own land anymore.I stood by the wide window of my office, overlooking the sprawling grounds of the packhouse. Wolves and humans alike moved like ants below, preparing for the ceremony. Banners hung from the balconies,
Dorian POVThe war room felt colder when I left it. Or maybe it was me - colder, sharper, more focused than I had been even an hour ago.I walked to my quarters without a sound, my steps confident, deliberate. Tonight, appearance mattered almost as much as strength. The wolves I ruled would look at me and see not just their Alpha - but the Alpha of Alphas. The nightmare whispered about in rogue camps. The storm gathering in the east.I opened the heavy wardrobe that held my formal wear. Black, of course. Always black. But tonight’s shirt was something different. Something made for this night alone.It was custom-made - matte black, fitted perfectly to my body, with silver-thread embroidery so fine it was almost invisible unless you stood close enough to bleed. The embroidery wove the crest of my lineage across the chest and down one arm: a silver wolf wrapped in thorns. Strength and ruthlessness. Loyalty and death.I shrugged out of the loose training shirt I’d worn all day, th
Dorian POVThe collar of my shirt dipped slightly lower than I preferred, deliberately exposing the dark mark Tessa had left on my neck - a claiming no one in this room would be able to mistake. I caught my reflection for the last time in the mirror and allowed myself a rare smirk.I looked exactly as I needed to: dangerous, untouchable, powerful... but marked by something even greater.By her."She made you better," Kael murmured in the back of my mind, his voice low, approving. "She made us whole."I straightened my cuffs and rolled my shoulders back, feeling the strength coil and hum under my skin like a living thing. Tonight wasn’t just a ceremony. It was a declaration. A warning. A beginning.I would not be just an Alpha. I would be the Alpha. The one they whispered about. The one they feared. The one they would follow, whether they realized it yet or not.I moved through the corridors alone, my steps measured, unhurried. Wolves bowed their heads as I passed, the weight of my po
Dorian POVThe doors opened. And she stepped inside.The world stopped breathing. I stopped breathing.Tessa moved with a grace that stole the air from the room - every step deliberate, predatory, lethal in a way none of them were prepared for. She wasn’t dressed like a princess or a courtly bride. She looked like a goddess of war cloaked in elegance, her presence sharp enough to carve through the thick tension of the hall.Her gown clung to her like a second skin, black as a moonless night, cut to emphasize the strength of her body - the sleek lines of muscle beneath her curves, the raw, lethal beauty she carried so naturally. Silver embroidery chased along the edges of the fabric, catching the light with every subtle movement, as if lightning itself bowed to her.Her hair had been pulled high in a loose, regal style, the intricate twist at the crown giving way to wild, softened strands that tumbled freely down her back like a dark river. It made her look both royal and untamed - a
Tessa POVThe roaring of the pack filled the great hall, a living tide of sound and power that pressed against my skin like a second heartbeat.I clung to Dorian for one long, anchoring moment - his forehead resting against mine, his strength flooding through me - before he drew back slightly and turned to face the crowd.He lifted our joined hands into the air, a silent declaration. The hall erupted again, voices raised not just in celebration but in submission, in devotion.I could feel it - a thousand threads connecting me to them now, warm and buzzing through my veins like liquid fire.Dorian’s voice cut through the noise, sharp and commanding."Let the celebrations begin."A thunder of approval answered him, and then music swelled - the first haunting notes of the traditional Luna’s Dance.He turned back to me, a wicked smile tugging at the corner of his mouth."Shall we, my queen?"I laughed, breathless, still reeling from the storm raging inside me, but I nodded."Try to keep u
Tessa POVThe rest of the night blurred into a symphony of congratulations, glances, whispered words, and shifting alliances.After Marcus withdrew, more guests approached - some bold, others hesitant - offering their formal words of respect, layered with hidden questions.Dorian received them all with a polished, dangerous grace. Sharp when he needed to be. Cordial, but never warm. He shook hands, set appointments, dropped promises of future meetings like baited hooks into hungry waters.I stayed at his side, my fingers brushing his, always connected. And every time a stranger’s gaze lingered too long, every time a lesser Alpha looked at me with too much interest, I felt Dorian’s subtle shift - a tightening of his hand, a slight roll of power under his skin, a silent warning that made most look away quickly."They should fear," Sable whispered, satisfied. "They will learn respect."I found myself smiling - not coldly, but with the serene confidence that came from knowing exactly who
Tessa’s POVThe door clicked shut behind Marcus, leaving only silence and the distant whisper of wind against the stone walls. I didn’t move at first. Neither did Dorian.My chest rose and fell in a rhythm I couldn’t quite control, like my body was still catching up to what had just been said - what had been confirmed. I wasn’t just different. I was legacy. Power. A thread in a tapestry that spanned generations.And Dorian… he wasn’t just my mate. He was part of the same story. The other half of a design that had been written before either of us were born.My gaze drifted to him, and when our eyes met, the current between us ignited again—unspoken, electric, heavy with things we hadn’t said yet.“You okay?” he asked quietly.“No,” I admitted, voice hoarse. “But I will be. I just... ”He nodded once, as if that was enough. As if that small promise held the weight of an oath.“I’m not sure what scares me more,” I whispered, “that someone gave up everything to hide me, or that I might be
Tessa POVThe scent of pine and morning chill still clung to my skin as I walked beside Dorian through the hallway, the distant hum of voices and training sessions fading behind us. My muscles thrummed with power - alive, tingling, as if every nerve had been awakened and flooded with something wild and ancient. This morning’s training had proven what I already suspected.I was stronger. Faster. Sharper.And not just physically. Sable had moved with fluid grace and precision I hadn’t felt before - our connection was clearer, her instincts more confident. We didn’t stumble over each other like we used to. We were finally in sync.The other wolves had noticed too. Some had watched me with open curiosity. Others, with quiet reverence.But there wasn’t time to bask in any of that. The letter burned in the back of my mind, the name Seraphine Vael like a song I couldn’t stop humming.We stepped into the study where Alpha Marcus already waited, standing near a tall window with a thick leather
Tessa POVThe morning air was crisp, sharp enough to sting my lungs in the first breath as I stepped outside. Dew clung to the grass, and a thin mist curled across the training grounds like smoke trailing from an unseen fire. My bare feet pressed into the cool earth, grounding me. The moment I exhaled, Sable stirred beneath my skin, more alert than ever.“I feel it,” she whispered.So did I.Power no longer flickered at the edge of awareness like a candle too shy to burn. It coursed through me now, liquid heat and lightning under my skin, vibrant and real. I could feel every heartbeat, every subtle shift in the wind, every breath Dorian took as he approached from across the field.He looked like he'd already been training. His shirt clung to him, dark with sweat at the collar and along the sculpted lines of his chest. But his eyes… they were locked on me, intense, proud, and hungry in a way that made my stomach flutter.“You’re early,” he said, voice low, approving.“I couldn’t sleep,
Tessa POV I held the letter in my shaking hand and read it second time... This can't be .. real .My dearest Tessa,If this letter has reached you, then the threads of fate I so desperately tried to shield you from have begun to tighten. Forgive me. There is much I cannot say outright. I bound myself with oaths and blood to keep certain truths hidden - for your safety, and for reasons that may soon reveal themselves.You were never meant to be ordinary, little star. You were born of two worlds, and in you, something ancient sleeps - something that frightened even those who swore to protect it. I had to give you away, though it broke me in ways I never recovered from. I know the day will come when your power will return to you. You will feel it, burning like wildfire through your bones, washing away the veil I was forced to place over you. Please forgive me for that. I did it to keep you alive. The moment you were born, you became a target.The seal was not meant to break until you w
Tessa POVI stood at the edge of the packhouse balcony, the morning air crisp against my skin. The sky above was painted in soft blues and golds, the sun rising like it had something to prove. Much like me, I thought with a faint smile. There was a strange stillness in the world today - one that hummed just beneath my skin.My reflection in the tall window panes startled me at first. I looked... different. My features were sharper, more radiant. My eyes glowed faintly, gold flecks flickering like embers in a deep forest. My hair - gods, even my hair seemed fuller, darker, shimmering with strands of silver and shadow. Power hummed through me like a current I hadn’t felt before.“You see it too,” Sable whispered, her voice a soft rumble at the back of my mind. “You are more. This is what we were meant to be.”“I feel like I’ve changed overnight, again.” I whispered, fingertips brushing against the slight glow beneath my skin.“Because you have. The bond unlocked something buried. Somet
Dorian POVThe morning sun hadn’t yet crested the distant ridges when I stood at the tall window of my private study, watching the mist curl through the trees like pale fingers. The room was quiet - too quiet - and my wolf didn’t like it.Kael stirred beneath my skin, restless. "She's different now."I nodded to the silent room, though the reflection in the glass answered me - tall, sharp lines in a black shirt, collar open just enough to reveal the mark Tessa had left on my throat. The claiming."More than different," I murmured back. "She’s magnificent."Kael hummed, almost reverent. "You knew she was strong, but not this strong."He was right. I had known Tessa was special - had known it the moment I first caught her scent in the Silver Creek territory. But even then, I hadn’t imagined… this.Her transformation after the Luna ceremony had been nothing short of breathtaking. Strength hummed from her in quiet pulses, radiating in the air around her like heat from the sun. Her eyes, o
Tessa POVI woke up slowly, the sunlight filtering through the curtains, bathing the room in a soft glow. The bed beneath me felt different, as if I were lying on a cloud. Everything about this morning felt different, but it wasn’t until I stretched, feeling the stretch of muscles that hadn’t felt quite so… powerful before, that I realized something had changed. I didn’t know exactly what, but there was a difference. A subtle shift that I couldn’t ignore.Sable was awake the moment my eyes opened, her presence a comforting hum in the back of my mind. She was still, just watching, waiting for me to recognize what had happened. And when I did, she purred softly, a ripple of approval running through our bond.“You feel it too, don’t you?” I asked quietly, my voice still thick with the remnants of sleep."I do", Sable replied, her voice steady, yet tinged with awe. "Something has been unlocked. Something… powerful."I pushed myself up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. My feet hi
Tessa POVThe sky was painted in ink and silver by the time we slipped away. Stars shimmered like scattered dust over the dark forest line, and the wind whispered secrets in a tongue only the wolves could truly understand. I leaned against the cool stone railing of the balcony outside our private quarters, a crystal glass of deep red wine held loosely in my fingers.Below, the estate grounds were hushed. The fire pits still glowed softly, casting flickering light across the stone pathways. Most of the guests had retired. The official meetings were done, and the mask of diplomacy had slipped from Dorian's face the moment the doors to our suite had closed behind us.Now, with just the two of us, the night felt like it finally belonged to something real.Dorian emerged from inside, two fingers holding the stem of his own glass, the rest of him bare from the waist up. The soft moonlight carved lines across his chest and shoulders - each scar a story I hadn’t yet heard, but a few I already
Dorian POVThe first strikes of sunlight cut across the floor like a blade, but Dorian was already awake.He stood by the tall windows, bare-chested, the cool morning air brushing against his skin as he sipped from a glass of dark coffee. The city beyond the trees stirred to life in the distance, unaware that history had shifted the night before.She was still asleep.He didn’t turn to look at her - not yet. He could feel her presence in the room like a second heartbeat, tethered to him through the mark she wore, the bond they'd completed in body and blood. Tessa had fallen asleep curled in the sheets after the second time he’d taken her. Possessive, wild, animal. Kael had been dangerously close to the surface, and for once, Dorian had let his wolf have a say.He was different this morning. Lighter and heavier at once. More himself. Kael paced lazily in the back of his mind, still sated, still sharp.“She’s ours now,” his wolf murmured.“She’s always been,” Dorian replied in silence,