Chapter 104

Chapter 104
Nephele's POV

I watched Gregory take Zara's hand with careful precision, like he was handling something precious that might break if he wasn't gentle enough.

The guitar music drifted across the training ground, soft and intimate, and around the fire couples had begun swaying together in the kind of easy intimacy that came naturally to people who'd just shared something extraordinary.

Gregory looked nervous as hell, but he was trying. And Zara... Zara was patient, guiding him with small movements and encouraging smiles that made something warm unfurl in my chest.

My brother deserved this. Deserved someone who saw his worth and chose him anyway.

"They look good together," Kaedan said quietly beside me, his voice carrying approval mixed with something that sounded almost protective.

I leaned against his shoulder, enjoying the solid warmth of him as we watched Gregory slowly relax into the dance. "She's been interested in him for a while. I could smell it on her during training sessions."

"Smart woman. She saw what he was capable of before anyone else did."

Through the firelight, I could see Gregory's shoulders losing their tension as Zara moved closer, her hand settling more confidently on his chest. The careful distance he'd maintained was shrinking, and something in his expression was shifting from nervous to... genuinely interested.

A cool breeze swept across the training ground, carrying the scent of pine and woodsmoke. But underneath it, something else made my wolf stir restlessly.

Beside me, Kaedan's hand had slipped to the small of my back, his fingers tracing slow, deliberate patterns just above the waistband of my jeans. The touch was intimate, possessive in a way that would normally make him self-conscious in front of the pack.

But tonight he seemed completely unbothered by who might notice, his thumb brushing under the hem of my shirt to find bare skin.

That wasn't like him at all. Kaedan was always careful about propriety in front of pack members, always the composed Alpha who kept intimate touches strictly private.

His fingers pressed more firmly against my spine, sending a jolt of sensation through me that made my back arch instinctively. The movement tilted my head back, and that's when I saw it—

Full moon.

Silver-bright and enormous, hanging just above the treeline like a massive pearl against black velvet. The sight of it sent an immediate pulse of heat through my veins, and in my mind Hati stretched and purred with satisfaction.

"Oh," I breathed, understanding flooding through me as my wolf responded to the lunar pull. That explained everything—his possessive touch, the way he'd been less careful about public displays tonight.

"What?" Kaedan asked, but his voice had already changed—rougher.

"Look up."

I felt him go still beside me as he followed my gaze. Through our mate bond, his shock hit me first, followed immediately by a surge of raw need that made my breath catch. His fingers tightened against my back, and I could feel his careful control starting to crack.

"Shit," he said quietly. "No wonder tonight feels..."

"Different," I finished.

Around the fire, I could see the subtle changes beginning in the other wolves. Couples were moving closer to their partners, touches becoming more possessive, conversations growing quieter and more intimate. The easy celebration was taking on an undercurrent of something more primal.

But my attention was drawn back to Gregory and Zara, who seemed completely absorbed in each other.

Zara had guided him into a slower rhythm, her body pressed close enough now that there was no mistaking the intimacy of it. And Gregory—my shy, careful brother—was responding to her boldness with growing confidence, like her certainty was giving him permission to want this.

His hand had settled at the small of her back, fingers spread wide but tentative. His eyes hadn't left her face, and there was something in his expression that looked like amazement—like he couldn't quite believe this was happening.

But Zara... she was changing under the moon's influence. Her movements were becoming more fluid, more deliberately sensual. The lunar pull was bringing her wolf closer to the surface, and that primal confidence was emboldening Gregory in a way I'd never seen before.

"He's never looked at anyone like that before," I said softly.

"Neither has she," Kaedan replied, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "Look at her eyes."

I followed his gaze and felt my breath catch. Zara's eyes had begun to glow with the faint gold that meant her wolf was very close to the surface. Her scent was shifting too—warm honey and arousal that even I could detect from across the fire.

She was letting the moon pull her wolf forward, and she was using that primal confidence to claim exactly what she wanted.

"We should probably give them some space," I said, but my own voice was starting to sound breathless as another wave of lunar heat swept through me.

Kaedan's response was a low growl that vibrated through his chest. "We need some space too," he said roughly, his fingers tightening against my spine.

Through our bond, I could feel his wolf fighting for control, the same way mine was responding to the silver light overhead. But this time, we didn't have to fight it.

Across the fire, Zara rose on her toes to whisper something in Gregory's ear. Whatever she said made his eyes widen, and when she stepped back, there was a new intensity in his face that hadn't been there before.

She took his hand and began leading him away from the fire, toward the shadows beyond the training ground. Gregory followed without hesitation, and the last I saw of them was Zara's gold-bright eyes looking back at him with unmistakable intent.

"Good for them," I managed, though my own attention was rapidly being consumed by the ice magic crackling around Kaedan's hands and the way our mate bond was amplifying every sensation.

"Nephele," he said, his voice rough with barely controlled need. "I can't... not with everyone around."

I looked around the fire, noting how many other couples were quietly excusing themselves as the moon worked its ancient magic. The celebration was transforming into something more private, more primal.

"Your truck," I said suddenly, the words coming out in a gasp. "It's close, and—"

He was already pulling me to my feet before I could finish, his grip on my hand tight enough to bruise. "Now," he growled.

We didn't make it fifty feet before the need became unbearable. He spun me around, pressing me hard against the side of his truck, his mouth crashing into mine with desperate hunger.

I'd forgotten how good it felt to not have to hold back.