Coming Home

One week after the summit, I stood in the Blackthorn Pack training grounds, facing off against Ryker, Marcus, and three other top warriors.

All at once.

“Ready?” Ryker called, grinning like this was the best day of his life.

I dropped into a fighting stance, my wolf rising eagerly to the surface. “Bring it.”

They came at me as a coordinated unit, and the fight was glorious.

I moved like water, flowing between their attacks, using their strength against them, striking with precision and speed. My training with Elena, combined with my Celestial Wolf abilities, made me nearly untouchable.

Within five minutes, all five warriors were on the ground, panting and laughing.

“She’s a monster,” Marcus groaned, rubbing his ribs where I’d landed a particularly solid hit.

“She’s amazing,” Ryker corrected, accepting my hand to pull himself up. “Kade’s going to have his hands full with this one.”

“Kade already has his hands full,” the man himself said, walking onto the training grounds with a proud smile. “But I’m not complaining.”

The warriors dispersed, leaving us alone. Kade pulled me into his arms, not caring that I was sweaty and disheveled.

“You’re incredible,” he said. “A month ago, you couldn’t shift. Now you’re taking down five of my best fighters simultaneously.”

“Good teachers,” I said, leaning into him. “And good motivation.”

“Yeah? What’s your motivation?”

“Never being powerless again. Never being at someone’s mercy.” I looked up at him. “And being strong enough to stand beside you as an equal.”

“You already are my equal,” he said seriously. “You were the day you walked into my life. But I love watching you realize it for yourself.”

We walked back to the pack house together, and I was struck again by how much had changed in such a short time.

A month ago, I’d been broken, rejected, exiled. Now I was home, loved, powerful.

Now I was whole.

“There’s something I want to show you,” Kade said as we entered the building. He led me through corridors I’d never explored before, down to a lower level.

He stopped before an ornate door, carved with wolves and moons.

“This is the Luna suite,” he said quietly. “It’s been empty for ten years, since my mother died. I had it renovated last week.”

He opened the door.

The suite was breathtaking. Larger than the guest quarters I’d been using, with a bedroom, sitting area, private bathroom, and a balcony that overlooked the entire territory. Everything was decorated in shades of silver and blue, clearly chosen with me in mind.

“Kade, this is…”

“Yours. If you want it.” He moved to stand beside me. “I know you’re not ready to complete the mate bond yet. I respect that. But I wanted you to have a space that’s truly yours. Not a guest room, but a home.”

Tears stung my eyes. “You did this for me?”

“I’d do anything for you.” He cupped my face. “Aria, I know we’re taking things at your pace, and that’s right. But I want you to know: you’re not a guest here. You’re not temporary. You’re my mate, and this is your home. For as long as you want it to be.”

“Forever,” I whispered. “I want it to be forever.”

His eyes widened. “What?”

“I’ve been thinking. About us, about the bond, about everything.” I took his hands in mine. “I was scared because last time I trusted the mate bond, it destroyed me. But this isn’t last time. You’re not Damien. And I’m not that broken girl anymore.”

“Aria…”

“I love you,” I said firmly. “I trust you. And I’m ready. I want to complete the bond. I want to be your Luna, officially. I want everyone to know that I’m yours and you’re mine.”

The joy that broke across his face was brilliant. “Are you sure? Really sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

He kissed me, deep and passionate, and the mate bond surged between us, eager and excited.

“Tonight,” he said when we finally broke apart. “Under the full moon. With the pack as witnesses. I want to do this right.”

“Tonight,” I agreed.

The pack gathered in a clearing as the full moon rose, silvering everything in ethereal light.

I stood at the center in a simple white dress, barefoot on the cool grass. Kade stood across from me in traditional Alpha formal wear, looking devastatingly handsome.

Elder Margaret presided over the ceremony, her voice ringing out clear and strong.

“We gather tonight to witness the bonding of Alpha Kade Blackthorn and Aria Silvermoon, last heir of the royal bloodline, Celestial Wolf.” She looked at us both. “This bond is sacred, eternal, and unbreakable. Do you both enter into it freely and with full understanding?”

“I do,” Kade said, never taking his eyes off me.

“I do,” I echoed.

“Then step forward and declare your intentions.”

Kade moved first, taking my hands in his. “Aria Silvermoon, from the moment you walked into my life, my world changed. You are my mate, my equal, my partner in all things. I promise to protect you, support you, challenge you, and love you for all my days. I claim you as mine.”

His eyes flashed silver, and I felt his wolf reaching for mine.

Now it was my turn.

“Kade Blackthorn,” I said, my voice steady despite the tears streaming down my face. “You saved me when I was broken. You believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. You gave me a home, a family, and a love I never thought I deserved. I promise to stand beside you, to be your strength when you need it, to love you fiercely and without reservation. I claim you as mine.”

My wolf surged forward, meeting his in a burst of silver and blue light.

“Then complete the bond,” Margaret said.

Kade tilted his head, exposing the junction where his neck met his shoulder. I leaned forward, my canines extending, and bit down gently, marking him.

The taste of his blood on my tongue was cinnamon and power and home. The bond snapped into place fully, and I could feel everything he felt: his love, his pride, his absolute devotion.

Then he marked me in return, his teeth finding the same spot on my neck. The sensation was sharp, then pleasurable, then overwhelming as the bond completed fully.

We were one. Truly, completely one.

When we pulled back, both bleeding slightly, the pack erupted in howls of celebration.

“I present to you,” Margaret called over the noise, “Alpha Kade Blackthorn and Luna Aria Blackthorn, mated and bonded before the Moon!”

The pack howled again, and I felt their acceptance wash over me like a wave. I wasn’t just tolerated here. I was wanted. Loved. Home.

Kade pulled me into his arms and kissed me deeply, not caring about the watching crowd.

Mine, his wolf said possessively.

Ours,* my wolf corrected. *We’re ours.

The celebration went late into the night. Pack members came to offer congratulations, to touch my hand, to welcome me officially into the family.

Ryker hugged me so hard he lifted me off my feet. “Welcome to the family, Luna! We’re so glad you’re here!”

Nina kissed my cheek. “You’re exactly what this pack needed. What Kade needed.”

Elder Margaret simply smiled and said, “I knew from the moment I met you that you were meant for great things. I’m honored to witness the beginning.”

Finally, near midnight, Kade and I slipped away from the celebration. He led me back to the Luna suite, our suite now.

“How do you feel?” he asked as we stood on the balcony, looking out at the moonlit forest.

“Complete,” I said honestly. “For the first time in my life, I feel whole.”

“Good.” He wrapped his arms around me from behind, and I could feel his heart beating against my back. “Because you are whole. You always were. You just needed to realize it.”

I turned in his arms to face him. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He kissed me softly. “My Luna. My mate. My everything.”

We stood like that for a long time, just holding each other, feeling the bond pulse between us.

A month ago, I’d been rejected and exiled, told I was worthless.

Now I was Luna of one of the most powerful packs in the north, mated to an Alpha who loved me beyond reason, and discovering powers I’d never imagined.

The journey wasn’t over. There were still threats out there, still enemies who’d try to use me or hurt me. Still questions about my destiny and my role in the werewolf world.

But I wasn’t facing any of it alone.

I had Kade. I had Blackthorn Pack. I had allies and friends and family.

And I had myself: strong, capable, powerful.

I was Aria Blackthorn. Luna. Celestial Wolf. Queen of my own destiny.

And my story was just beginning.