Chapter 76 Make My Claim Known
Kaelen's POV
The moment her permission left her lips, I closed the distance between us and claimed her mouth with a hunger I'd been suppressing for far too long. Her taste flooded my senses—sweet and intoxicating in a way that made my wolf surge forward with possessive satisfaction, and I felt her sharp intake of breath against my lips before she melted into the kiss.
My hand slid from her chin to cup the back of her neck, fingers threading through the silky strands of her silver hair as I angled her head to deepen the kiss. The mate bond exploded between us with an intensity that made golden light flare around our joined forms.
I felt the moment she stopped thinking and just responded, her small hands clutching at my shirt as if she needed something to anchor herself, and Fenris practically purred with satisfaction at her surrender.
When I finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard, and I kept my forehead pressed against hers as our breaths mingled in the charged space between us. My control was hanging by a thread, every instinct screaming at me to take more, to claim her completely and make her understand exactly what it meant to be mine.
"Mark her," Fenris demanded, pushing against my consciousness with an urgency that made my hands tremble slightly where they touched her. "She wants us. Mark her now."
I forced myself to gentle my touch despite Fenris's insistent growling, pressing soft kisses to her eyelids and the tip of her nose before trailing down along the elegant line of her jaw. Her pulse thundered beneath my lips, and I felt her entire body tense as I moved lower, my mouth hovering just above the curve of her neck where it met her shoulder.
The scent of her skin this close was overwhelming—that unique combination of winter frost and midnight jasmine that belonged only to her, mixed now with the arousal I could smell rising from her heated skin. Fenris went absolutely feral at that scent, clawing at my control with desperate need.
"Do it," he urged, his voice rough with barely contained hunger. "Bite. Claim. Make her ours forever. She's our mate—our fated mate. This is right."
It took everything I had to keep my canines from extending, to maintain the last shreds of my humanity when every primal instinct demanded I give in to what Fenris wanted. I let my breath ghost across the sensitive skin of her neck, right over the spot where a mate's mark would sit, and felt the violent shudder that ran through her entire body.
The mate bond resonated at that point of contact with an intensity that bordered on painful, like an electric current racing between us, and I heard the small, helpless sound that escaped her throat. Fenris howled in triumph at her reaction, certain it was proof she wanted this as much as we did.
I let my breath ghost across the sensitive skin of her neck, right over the spot where a mate's mark would sit, and felt the violent shudder that ran through her entire body. The mate bond resonated at that point of contact with an intensity that bordered on painful, like an electric current racing between us, and I heard the small, helpless sound that escaped her throat.
Unable to stop myself, I pressed my nose against that spot and breathed her in, letting my lips brush feather-light across skin that felt like it was burning beneath my touch. "I want to mark you, Elara," I said, my voice coming out rough and raw with need I couldn't fully suppress. "I want everyone to know you're mine."
I felt the exact moment her brain caught up with what was happening because her hands came up to press firmly against my chest, creating distance between us even as her heart raced like a wild thing trying to escape.
I immediately pulled back, forcing myself to retreat to a safe distance even though every fiber of my being protested the separation. My eyes searched her face, taking in the flush that colored her cheeks and the complex mix of emotions swirling in her silver-grey gaze.
"It's too soon," she said, her voice slightly breathless as she struggled to regulate her breathing. "We just officially got together. I need... I need time to adjust to all of this."
Elara's hands twisted in her lap, and she wouldn't quite meet my eyes as she spoke. "I still have my studies to finish at the academy. I want to graduate properly before..." she trailed off, but I understood what she wasn't saying.
I reached out slowly and took both her hands in mine, bringing them to my lips to press a gentle kiss against her knuckles. "I respect your decision," I said quietly, meaning every word even as it cost me to say them. "We'll wait until you're ready."
Some of the tension bled out of her shoulders at my words, and I felt the mate bond settle into something less frantic, more steady. But I wasn't done yet—I needed her to understand that even if I couldn't mark her the way I wanted to, there were other ways to make my claim known.
I released one of her hands to reach inside my jacket, pulling out the black velvet box I'd been carrying for the past week, waiting for the right moment. Her eyes widened as I opened it to reveal the pair of white gold rings nestled inside, each one set with a continuous circle of amber stones that caught the afternoon light and seemed to glow with inner fire.
"Even if I can't mark you yet," I said, taking her left hand and sliding the smaller ring onto her fourth finger with careful precision, "at least let this represent our commitment."
Elara gasped softly, her eyes flying to mine as she felt the warmth spreading from the ring through her entire body, and I watched as it intertwined with that golden power I'd sensed inside her since the day we met.
I slipped the matching ring onto my own finger, and when the two bands came into contact, they both flared with soft golden light that illuminated the car's interior. "I've infused these rings with my source energy. If you're ever in danger, I'll know immediately and be able to find you. And any werewolf who comes near you will sense my presence through the ring—they'll know you're my fated mate."
I tightened my grip on her hand, bringing it up so the ring caught the light between us. "Until you're ready to accept the mark, let this represent my protection. My promise to you."
Elara stared at the ring on her finger, watching the way the golden light pulsed gently beneath the surface of the stones, and a smile bloomed across her face—soft and radiant in a way that made my heart skip a beat.
When she looked up at me, her silver-grey eyes were shining with happiness, though a delicate flush colored her cheeks as she met my gaze. "I'll wear it always," she said, her voice carrying a warmth that wrapped around me like an embrace, even as she ducked her head slightly in a gesture of shy pleasure. "Until graduation day."
"I'll wait," I promised, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead that lingered longer than strictly necessary. "However long it takes."
The afternoon sun streamed through the window, painting us both in warm light as our joined hands rested between us, the twin rings glowing softly with the energy that bound us together.
I reached up with my free hand to smooth down the silver hair I'd thoroughly mussed during our kiss, tucking the strands back into place with a gentleness that felt at odds with the possessive need still burning through my veins. "We should talk about what comes next."
Elara nodded, seeming grateful for the shift to safer territory. "I need to focus on my studies," she said, some of her usual composure returning now that we'd established boundaries. "The academy is important to me."
"I know," I assured her, meaning it even as my wolf grumbled about being kept at a distance. "I won't interfere with your education or try to control your schedule. But I need you to promise me something in return."
She tilted her head questioningly, and I continued, "Don't shut me out the way you have been. When something's wrong, when you need help—I want to be the first person you call. Not the last resort you turn to when everything else has failed."
Understanding flickered across her face, followed by something that might have been shame. "I promise," she said softly. "No more handling everything alone."
A smile tugged at my lips. "Good. Because starting today, you're going to have to get used to me showing up around the academy more often. Just... appearing when you least expect it."
The comment startled a laugh out of her, the sound bright and genuine in a way that made warmth bloom in my chest. "You're going to stalk me?"
"I prefer the term 'protective observation,'" I said with mock seriousness, and she laughed again, the tension between us finally dissolving into something lighter and more comfortable.
Too soon, the car came to a stop at the academy gates. Elara reached for the door handle, but before she pushed it open, she hesitated and turned back to look at me one more time.
Our eyes met and held for a brief, charged moment. Then, before I could process what was happening, she leaned in quickly and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek.
My hand lifted instinctively to reach for her, but she was already pulling away, her cheeks flushed pink as she pushed the door open and practically fled from the car.