Chapter 181 Luca

Chapter 181 Luca
I had never been this nervous in my life.

My hands wouldn’t stop shaking as I adjusted the string lights for the tenth time. They twinkled softly through the low branches like tiny captured stars, casting a warm, golden glow over the thick blankets I’d spread out on the ridge. The small fire crackled in the stone ring I’d built earlier, sending sparks drifting up into the clear night sky. I’d packed her favorite strawberry milkshakes in the cooler, still frosty from the diner. Fresh chocolate croissants wrapped carefully in paper. Her playlist — the one she’d made me months ago with all those dreamy songs plus her favourite SZA's songs that made her dance around the kitchen when she thought no one was watching, played quietly from the small speaker I’d hidden behind a rock.

Tonight was only about her.

I wanted her to feel that she wasn’t just my mate, or the girl who stood beside me through war. She was my future. The one I chose every single day, even when the weight of leadership tried to crush me. I wanted her to know that no matter how heavy the crown felt, she would always come first.

When I heard her footsteps on the trail, my heart slammed against my ribs. I met her at the edge of the clearing and gently tied the blindfold over her eyes like I’d asked.

“Trust me?” I whispered, taking her hand.

“Always,” she answered without hesitation.

I guided her carefully the last few steps, then stopped. My fingers trembled slightly as I untied the blindfold.

Aria blinked, eyes adjusting to the soft glow. She turned slowly, taking everything in — the blankets piled high with pillows, the fire dancing warmly, the string lights twinkling overhead, the view of Silverpine sparkling far below like a sea of tiny lights. Her lips parted. For a long moment she didn’t speak, just looked at it all with wide, shining eyes.

Then she looked at me.

“Luca…” Her voice was soft, almost disbelieving. “You did all this? For me?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling suddenly shy. “I wanted one night that was only ours. No pack meetings. No one needing anything from me except you.” I stepped closer and took her hands in mine. “You’ve given up so much to stay here with me. You left your old life behind. You stood between wolves and hunters. You chose me when it would’ve been easier to run. I wanted to give you something back. Something that says you’re my whole world, Aria not just part of it.”

She stepped into my arms without hesitation, wrapping hers around my neck. I held her close, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo and that warm lavender that always settled the restless parts of me.

“You’re incredible,” she whispered against my chest. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“You existed,” I said simply. “That was enough.”

We sat down together on the blankets. I handed her a milkshake and watched her take the first sip, eyes closing in that little moment of pure happiness I’d never get tired of seeing. For a while we just talked. About the dreams she used to have before Silverpine. About how scared I was the first time I shifted. About the future we both wanted but had been too busy surviving to plan out loud.

“I used to think love was supposed to be easy,” she said quietly, leaning against my shoulder. “Like in the movies. But with us, it’s messy and hard and sometimes terrifying. But it’s also the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

I kissed the top of her head. “Same for me. I spent so long trying to be the perfect Alpha that I forgot what it felt like to just be me. You remind me every day.”

I set our drinks aside and pulled her gently into my lap. She came willingly, straddling my thighs, her hands resting on my shoulders. When I kissed her, it started slow and tender, but the longer we kissed, the deeper it became. Her fingers slid into my hair. My hands found her waist, then slipped under her sweater to trace her smooth skin.

I peeled the sweater off slowly, kissing every new inch I revealed. Her collarbone. The curve of her shoulder. The soft spot just above her heart. She tugged my shirt over my head and ran her hands over my chest like she was memorizing me by touch. Every brush of her fingers sent warmth spreading through my body.

Clothes disappeared piece by piece until it was just us under the stars. I laid her back on the blankets and took my time, kissing down her body with aching tenderness. When I settled between her thighs and put my mouth on her, she arched with a soft, beautiful sound that I wanted to hear for the rest of my life.

I worshipped her slowly with two fingers curling inside her until she was trembling and whispering my name like a secret. When she came, it was with her fingers in my hair and my name on her lips, and I felt like the luckiest man alive.

She pulled me up and kissed me deeply, tasting herself on my tongue. Her hand wrapped around me, stroking slow and perfect until I was the one groaning into her mouth, hips rocking into her touch.

“I need you,” she whispered, voice husky. “All of you.”

I entered her slowly, savoring every inch. Being inside her felt like coming home. We moved together under the stars. Her legs wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. Our foreheads stayed pressed together, breaths mingling, eyes locked even in the dim light.

“I love you,” I whispered against her lips. “Not just for now. For all the years ahead. I want to build a life with you, Aria. A real one. Waking up next to you every morning. Watching you chase your dreams. Growing old together in this town that almost took everything from us.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes as she smiled. “I want that too. All of it. With you.”

I slid a hand between us, finding her clit and circling with gentle pressure. She came again with a soft cry, clenching around me so perfectly that I followed right after, burying my face in her neck as I spilled inside her.

We stayed connected for a long time afterward, breathing each other in. I rolled us so she was lying on my chest, my arms wrapped securely around her.

“I’ve never had anything like this,” I said quietly, running my fingers through her hair. “Someone who makes me want to be better every single day. Someone I can’t imagine my future without. You make me believe I can be the kind of Alpha this pack needs because I’ll have you beside me.”

Aria lifted her head and kissed my jaw. “You already are. You’ve always been enough, Luca. Even when you didn’t believe it.”