Chapter 146 A Touch of Destiny pt 1
Gideon
The storm lingered long after the bodies were buried. Two days had passed since lightning carved judgment into the training field, but the air still felt charged. Not tense. Not fractured. Just…waiting.
The pack had settled into a different rhythm—quieter, sharper. No more whispers. No more doubt. Lenore’s betrayal had cut deep, but the wound had been cauterized clean. Duncan carried the weight of it well. Seren did too.
I felt it differently. Curran was restless, unsettled, all but jumping at shadows. Something was coming. Not war. That had already been moving toward us like a tide we couldn’t stop. This felt personal.
The twin bond between my sister and me hummed low and steady as I crossed the courtyard toward the pack house, a comforting presence close to my heart. The scent of rain clung stubbornly to the stone. Mom and Dad had arrived at dawn. The Elders’ tomes now occupied half the conference table, preparations already underway for the upcoming tournament.
And yet, the space beside me still felt empty.
The moment I stepped onto the front steps, the air shifted. A scent slammed into me. Curran scrambled in my mind. It was warmth, sunlight, and wildflowers—a field in full bloom.
I froze. That scent wasn’t from anyone I’d met in Crescent Moon. It wasn’t from Seren. It wasn’t from the storm. It was mine. It had always been meant for me.
Curran surged forward, claws scraping against the inside of my skull. ‘Mate.’
My eyes lifted to the top of the steps. Julian stood there, a huge smile on his face, as he spoke animatedly with the young woman in front of him. She was smiling up at him, suitcase at her feet, as he made expansive hand movements to add to whatever he was saying. She was impossible to look away from.
Black curls framed a heart-shaped face dusted with freckles. She barely reached Julian’s shoulders, but the resemblance between them was clear.
He turned to me, finally done with whatever he had been saying. “Gideon! Come here. I want to introduce you to my sister, Cora.”
She turned, blue eyes meeting mine. At the same time, the breeze changed, carrying her scent away from me—and mine to her. The world narrowed to the space between us. Those beautiful eyes went wide. “Mate,” she breathed.
I took the remaining steps two at a time until I was at her side. I reached for her hand, grabbing it with both of mine. “Mate,” I confirmed, hardly able to concentrate past Curran’s excitement in my head.
Julian looked between us for a moment. “I’m just gonna…go…” he said as he backed away, then stepped into the pack house.
The door clicked shut behind him. I held Cora’s gaze and stepped even closer. Her breath hitched as I cupped her face with my hands and brought my lips to hers. A jolt of electricity coursed through me as my lips met hers. Her arms slid up my chest, around my neck, and into my hair, trailing electricity everywhere they touched. I deepened the kiss, and when her mouth parted on a gasp, I took advantage of the opening. I tasted her, tongue sweeping along hers, as we lost ourselves on the front steps of the pack house. When I finally broke off, we were both panting.
I placed my forehead on hers. “Can I claim you?” I whispered. She nodded, then grabbed my hand and turned, pushing through the pack house doors.
Julian was standing off to the side, lounging casually against the wall as if he had all the time in the world and I wasn’t just making out with his sister for everyone to see. “I’ll let everyone know you’ll be a little late to the meeting,” he said as we passed him. “Have fun!” The last thing I saw as the elevator doors closed was his smirk.
The trip from the first floor to my room was a blur. As soon as we were in my space, I pulled my mate into my arms again. I nuzzled her neck, breathing in her wildflower scent, and peppered kisses along her collarbone. Her hands were back in my hair again, tugging, angling me where she wanted me next. I lifted her easily, my hands settling beneath her as she let out a quiet sound and wrapped herself around me. She brought her face to mine, her mouth found mine again, and the kiss turned deeper, more deliberate, as if neither of us could bear the distance between us.
Blindly, I walked us through the front room of my suite to the bedroom. Our first time would not be a rushed mating against the door, though I’d keep that in my pocket for a later date. I wanted to worship this goddess properly, and Curran was in full agreement.
I let her legs slide slowly down my sides until her feet touched the floor, though I kept my hands at her waist as if I might lose my balance without her there. For a second, I just looked at her, taking in every part of the second half of my soul.
Her chest rose and fell with quickened breaths, curls falling over her shoulders, cheeks flushed from our kiss. She wasn’t posing, wasn’t performing. She was simply there—my mate—standing in my room as if she had always belonged in it.
I reached for the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head, not to impress her, but because I wanted nothing between us. Her gaze dropped to my chest, darkening, and the shift in her scent told me exactly what she liked. That nearly undid me.
Slower this time, I stepped forward again, giving her every opportunity to stop me. She didn’t. Instead, her fingers traced the line of my collarbone, then down my abdomen, exploratory and bold. Sparks erupted everywhere her hand trailed, pleasant little jolts that proved who she was to me.
I slid my hands to the edge of her top and paused, not asking with words this time, but with my eyes. When she nodded, breathless but steady, I lifted the fabric away. The sight of her stole something from me. Creamy skin encased in black lace. Soft skin, perfectly round, begging to be touched.
My fingers danced over the swell of her breast where the edge of her bra stopped. She was soft where I was hard. Warm where I ran too hot. Beautiful in a way that had nothing to do with symmetry and everything to do with belonging.
My hands moved over her slowly, learning the shape of her waist, the curve of her back, the rise of her hips. I wanted to memorize every inch of her. “I’ve imagined this,” I admitted, voice rougher than I intended. “But this is better.” Gently, I reached around her and unclasped her bra. She shrugged it off her shoulders, baring herself to me.