2: Jayce

 His hand ran over the space beside him. He grudgingly opened his eyes to find his Mate missing from his bedside. He sat up and glanced around the open room. The gentle crash of the waves came in through the open balcony. Salt. Seaweed. Lilies. Tangled in with the mix of scents that drifted into their room, Jayce pushed himself out of bed to search for her.

 Ever since these strangers arrived, she had been quiet. Distant. He couldn't blame her. How could one fully comprehend the bombshell they dropped on her so suddenly? Without even knowing who she was?

 He stepped out onto the balcony after tossing on sweats to find Lily standing out on the beach. He sighed to himself as he silently admired her for a moment. The full moon shined brighter than usual this night. The scatter of stars that blanket the sky and no cloud in sight to block the view. Moonlight enveloped her in radiance. Her golden locks shined nearly a blinding white. Angelic.

 Jayce froze as he thought of that. After what they said earlier, he couldn't deny thinking things over. Her way of adapting to her new life. His people practically worship her. Even for a Human, she stood out in a crowd. No matter where he took her, Werewolves were drawn to her. He blamed it on her role as his Luna and Queen, yet something tickled the back of his mind. What if it was something else? Something more?

 He shook his head and turned to make his way down to her. This was his Mate. His Lily. As much as those admire her, she was partially clumsy. Hard-headed. Followed her heart even when her mental judgement screamed against it. Yet he loved her for it. All of it. It was what made her Lily. His Lily.

 Nigel stopped him at the door. "My King, the Queen seems rather off. Is what occurred earlier bothering her?" His bodyguard asked worriedly. Nigel was one of his best Werewolves and often looked after Lily and his children whenever he had to be away. So, there was no curtain between them of what they had disclosed earlier.

 "That's what I'm going to find out." He said. "Monitor the children and the guests. I don't need anyone interrupting."

 "Of course, sir." Nigel inclined his head before stepping back into the home. Jayce took a deep breath before following the grass and dirt covered path down to the beach.

 When he passed the row of trees and out into the open, he found himself awestruck again. She stood with her feet in the water. Adorned only in shorts and a tank top, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on.

 He moved in closer, his toes sinking into the cool sands. Her head lifted, and she peered over her shoulder at him. Jayce stopped mid-step when he noticed tears running down her face.

 "Lily?" He called to her as he closed in.

 "Jayce." Her voice trembled. His heart ached whenever she became emotional like this. Over something she had no control over.

 "Talk to me, my love." He stopped in front of her and wiped the tears from her face. Her eyelids fluttered as the shocking sensation licked across her skin from his touch.

 "Am I really so strange?" She asked him. "To have some strangers tell me I'm all these things? It makes me sound like some bizarre creature."

 "Strange, yes." He admitted. He cupped her cheek gently. "Strange as in, you lose yourself to your books. So much so that calling your name doesn't pull you out of whatever world you're exploring. Strange as in, you sometimes talk to the plants in the garden as if they're talking back." He lifted her chin with his thumb. "Strange as in, you talk endlessly about some... Manga or animation that you finished reading or watching." He brushed another tear away. "All of your strangeness has caused me to further fall in love with you. You are not a bizarre creature. You are my Mate. My Luna. My Queen." He turned her around to face their home. "You are the love of my life and the mother of our children. Whatever nonsense they tell you, you are still you."

 "You still have a way with words." She sniffled, but a smile finally settled on her lips. "Jayce, I want a serious answer." She took his hands. They felt so small compared to his.

 "I will give you one." He told her.

 "What if I am what they say I am?" she asked him. "What if I am a descendant of some Angel and Goddesses?" She peered up at him. "What if Karmina tracks us down again?"

 He could see the doubt and fear in her eyes to the unknown that was before her. These were the same questions that wracked his brain all evening. Even when he dozed off to sleep, they rolled around in his subconscious.

 Jayce peered down at the woman before him and got on his knees. The water licked along his legs as he kept her hands in his. "Then we will take it on together. As we always do." Lily leaned into his palm, fresh tears running down her face again.

 "I just wanted to be your wife." Her voice hiccuped. "Just wanted to be a wonderful mom to our kids, and a good Queen to your people."

 "You are." He said firmly, seeing the insecurities rise within her. "No matter the outcome, you will always be my wife. That will never change." He placed her hands on his chest. "Lily, I've sworn to you on our wedding day and times before then. My love for you is unwavering. Even if we were never Mates, I believe you are still the woman for me."

 "You are still a charmer all these years later." She smiled at him. Lily let out a slow breath and nodded slowly. "Thank you. I really needed to hear that."

 "Of course. I'm sure Nox gave you a similar speech." He teased. He had grown accustom to his Mate's and his Wolf Spirit's bond.

 Lily frowned slightly. "Actually, he has said little since earlier." She lowered her gaze. "I even tried to visit him, but he just shut me out."

 Jayce rose to his feet. "He may have been taken aback by all of this as well. Give him time. He'll come around." He reached down and grabbed her hand. "Come, I'm not going back to bed without you." He gently tugged on her hand and led her back to the path towards the house.

 "Jayce?" Her small voice reached his ears.

 "Mm?"

 "Do you... want to try for a fourth?" She asked shyly. Jayce stopped in his tracks and glanced back at her. Even with the canopy of the trees blocking out the moonlight, he could vaguely see the blush on her face. His chest tightened and his cock stiffened. Within moments, his lips were on hers and his hands were on her body. Lily pressed herself against him and his arms encircled her. A hungry growl vibrated in his chest and she moaned in response to it. Jayce reached down and tugged off the shorts she had worn and tossed them aside. He felt her hands on his sweats, but he grabbed her hands and held them above her head. Their lips pulled apart, and they stared at one another hungrily.

 "Think you can keep your voice down?" His breath came in pants as he asked.

 "We didn't have all that practice in the laundry room for nothing." She replied. Jayce smirked as he lowered his sweats enough to let his cock free. He released her hands and hoisted her up by her thighs to pin her against a tree trunk. Her legs wrapped around his waist and they met gazes again. Everything in the world faded away. No crazy ideas of Goddesses and Supernatural beings. No chaotic children running around. Just the two of them.

 He lowered her hips until the tip of his cock breached her sex. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he thrusted a few inches in at first. Lily bit down on her lip to restrain her voice from escaping. He kept the pace slow and steady while the beast within him growled pleasantly. Her fingers toyed with his hair. His lips fell onto her throat as he thrusted another few inches deeper. Her legs squeezed his waist. Her soft moans in his ear drove him.

 "Lily." His moan muffled into her neck. He increased the power in his thrusts, driving his cock deep into her core. Lily tilted her head back, gritting her teeth as a scream threatened to escape.

 "Jayce..." She moaned his name a little too loudly. His lips locked with hers to silence her. But even then, that was a struggle. His hands slowly shifted into claws that dug into her skin. His fangs pressed against her lips. Ten years. Ten whole years, and he still couldn't get enough of her. Her smooth skin against his calloused hands. Silky hair between his fingers. Her soft lips on his. The way her sex and body molded with his like the perfect puzzle piece. Lily was perfect for him in every way.

 As he pulled his lips away and held her gaze, love shined in her eyes. He couldn't get enough of seeing it. It fueled him daily.

 "Jayce..." Her voice pitched higher. Her sex squeezed him. She was close, but so was he.

 "Cum for me, my Queen." He growled softly. He felt her nails on his back. Her moans came faster as she pressed her face into his shoulder. The closeness filled his heart. He thrusted once more, burying his cock deep inside of her. He felt her sex tremble around his shaft as she climaxed with him. His hot cum mingled with her juices.

 Her body trembled in his arms, but he held her firmly against him.

 "Lily." He said her name softly. She pulled her head back to look at him. "No matter what happens, I am always at your side." He sealed that promise with a kiss. Their hearts synced in rhythm and as the waves in the distance crashed against the cool sands, nothing else in that moment mattered to him more than her.