Chapter 36 Morning After Regrets
Lira's POV
Kael felt it too, his moans turning needy. He rolled us over so I straddled him, his hands gripping my hips, guiding me as his cock hardened fully inside me again.
"Again," I whispered, beginning to move, rising up until only the tip was inside, then slamming down, taking him to the hilt. I moaned at the fullness, grinding my clit against him.
His eyes darkened with renewed hunger, a low moan rumbling from his chest. "Then take what you need, Luna. Take everything. Ride me until you cum again."
And I did. I bounced on his cock, my breasts heaving, his hands kneading them as I set a frantic pace. He moaned beneath me, hips bucking up to meet me, the grove filled with our sounds—wet slaps, my high-pitched moans, his deep grunts.
We shifted styles through the long crimson night. Me on all fours as he mounted me from behind, doggy-style, his hands fisting my hair, cock pistoning into my dripping pussy, balls slapping my clit until I screamed through another orgasm. Him on his back again as I rode reverse, his fingers in my ass, stretching me as I ground down. Missionary with my legs over his shoulders, folding me in half, his cock hitting impossibly deep, making me sob with pleasure. Standing against a tree, him lifting me, my back scraping bark as he fucked up into me, my cum running down his thighs.
Sometimes gentle—slow, deep grinds where he whispered endearments, kissing every inch of me, his cock sliding in and out with tender care, drawing out long, shuddering moans from us both.
Sometimes rough—him pinning my wrists, biting my breasts, slamming into me until the ground shook, our moans turning to snarls. Sometimes desperate and frantic—quick, hard fucks where we chased release, him flipping me mid-thrust, cum from previous rounds leaking out as he filled me again.
Each time he felt different inside me— hard, pulsing, stretching my walls until I ached deliciously. His moans were a symphony: deep growls when he was close, whimpers when I clenched, roars when he came. Mine were uninhibited—screams, gasps, pleas for more.
Each time the bond grew stronger, more complete, until I couldn't tell where I ended and he began—his pleasure mine, my climaxes triggering his.
As dawn approached and the blood moon finally faded, we lay tangled together in the grass. Exhausted. Satisfied and changed. His cum leaked from my well-fucked pussy, my body marked with bites and bruises, his back shredded from my claws.
Kael's fingers traced the mating mark on my neck, his touch reverent. "I'm sorry."
I looked up at him, surprised. "For what?"
"For fighting this, for hurting you. For being too afraid to admit what you mean to me." He pressed his forehead to mine. "You terrify me, Lira. The thought of losing you, of failing you—it's worse than any exile, any torture."
I cupped his face, feeling tears prick my eyes. "You won't lose me. We're bonded forever."
"Forever," he echoed, and kissed me softly.
But even in that perfect moment, I felt something else through the bond. A shadow like a threat approaching.
The blood moon had sealed our bond, but it had also awakened something dark. Something that had been waiting for this exact moment.
In the distance, a wolf howled. Then another. And another.
Kael stiffened, his alpha instincts flaring. "That's not my pack."
We both stood, dressing quickly. As we turned back toward the packhold, smoke rose against the dawn sky.
"They're here," I whispered, my prophetic dreams flooding back. "The coalition. They knew the blood moon would complete our bond. They've been waiting."
Kael's eyes blazed with protective fury. He pulled me against him, his arms like iron bands.
"Let them come," he growled. "Anyone who tries to take you from me dies."
But as we ran toward the burning packhold, I knew it wouldn't be that simple. The curse was waking, the prophecy was in motion.
The smoke had been a false alarm.
Not an attack—just a training fire that got out of control. By the time Kael and I arrived at the packhold, Thomas had already contained it. The warriors who'd howled were simply practicing formations for dawn patrol.
No coalition. No curse. Just paranoia and blood moon jitters.
I should have felt relieved. Instead, I felt exposed.
Everyone knew what we'd done. They could see the new mating mark on my neck, still fresh and raw. Could smell Kael's scent all over my skin. The knowing looks, the whispers that followed us through the corridors—it made my face burn with humiliation.
Kael didn't seem bothered. He walked beside me with alpha confidence, one possessive hand at the small of my back. When we reached his chambers, he pulled me inside.
"Get some rest." His tone shifted from lover to commander in an instant. "You'll need your strength for the next trial."
I blinked at the sudden dismissal. "That's it? That's all you have to say?"
He was already moving toward his desk, rifling through papers like last night meant nothing. "What else is there to say? The bond is sealed under the blood moon. You're my Luna now, the pack will adjust."
Something cold settled in my chest. "Kael"
"I have work to do, Lira." He still wouldn't look at me. "The curse-sickness case still needs attention. Thomas is reporting increased rogue activity on the northern border. Elder Selene will want to discuss accelerating your trials."
Each word felt like a door slamming shut. The vulnerability from last night, the whispered confessions, the way he'd held me like I was precious—all of it evaporating in the harsh light of day.
"So that's what this was?" My voice came out smaller than I intended. "Biological necessity?"
He finally looked at me, his expression carefully blank. "What did you expect? Poetry? Declarations of love?"
A cruel smile tugged at his lips. "This is what alpha bonds are, Lira. Practical necessity. Don't confuse heat-driven sex with something it's not."
The words hit like a punch. Through the bond, I felt his emotions—and that made it worse. Underneath the cold dismissal, I sensed his fear. His desperate need to push me away before I could see too deeply.
"You're a coward," I whispered.
His jaw tightened. "Excuse me?"
"You felt what I felt last night. Through the reinforced bond, you can't lie to me anymore." I stepped closer even though it hurt to look at him. "You'd rather be cruel than admit you care."