Nova and Fin were still staring at each other, unmoving, not speaking—just locked in that quiet, golden moment.
Then came a knock at the door.
"Come in," Fin called, voice gentle.
Elle walked in, only to stop dead in her tracks when she saw them—still sitting there, staring at each other like no one else existed. Cael trailed behind her wearing a fresh shirt and looking half amused, half resigned.
Fin gave Nova's hand one last squeeze before standing. He and Cael slipped into his study to share a drink, leaving Elle to help Nova prepare.
"He got you a dress," Elle said, pulling over a large garment bag. "Shoes and jewelry too. You haven't peeked yet?"
Nova shook her head. Her stomach fluttered.
Elle unzipped the bag and audibly gasped.
Her jaw dropped. "Goddess above. He loves you, Nova. Holy shit."
Nova stood and stared.
The dress inside was gold—pure, shimmering gold—with canary yellow and white diamonds cascading in delicate patterns on the bodice and tapered to the bottom of the dress. Her jaw dropped with Elle's.
A sheer mesh cutout hugged the top of her ribcage and a matching panel ran down the low back—elegant, structured, and mesmerizing.
"I was not expecting this," Nova breathed.
"We wore cloaks at our last one," Elle muttered. "Oh, wait—there's a cloak too."
Elle reached in and pulled it out—white velvet lined with gold embroidery along the trim. Weighty, regal. Nova bit her lip, overwhelmed. Dear gods.
Elle helped her slip into the dress. It was complicated, ties, buttons, and a zipper and worked carefully. It fit like it had been tailored on her body—snug but elegant. Her toned core showed slightly beneath the cutout in the front. It was a shoulder neckline and slightly pushed up her breasts. Just enough lift and curve, but not too much where she felt exposed.
She would never think this, but to everyone else, the dress made her look like she was sculpted after the Moon Goddess. She was the Moon Goddess.
"Nova," Elle said, stepping back, hands on her hips. "You've lost too much weight. No more. I'm dragging you to eat something the second this ceremony's over."
"Working on it," Nova muttered. "Severing your soul and getting marked in the same week will do that."
Elle cracked up. "Fair point."
She glanced at the remaining items, then gasped again. "Did he get you shoes and earrings too? STOP IT—AHHH!"
Elle opened a large velvet box on the table and squealed.
Inside were a pair of dangling earrings—each with a sparkling diamond at the top and a larger canary yellow diamond suspended below, the entire piece framed in a halo of brilliant white diamonds.
"Finric Shadowclaw," Elle whispered dramatically, "you've officially outdone every man on this continent."
The shoes were perfect too—white heels with golden bottoms, closed-toe, each one dusted with delicate diamonds that shimmered when she moved.
"What did you do to have him get you all of this?" Elle exclaimed. "Holy—Nova, you've been mates for what, three days?"
Just then, the door opened and Fin stepped in.
He stopped. His breath hitched. Time froze. Nova looked so beautiful he forgot how to breathe. He noticed everything. The way her dress hugged her figure, the shimmer of the canary diamonds catching the light, her hair elegantly curled. The slight silhouette of her nipples if you looked close enough. Just enough for him, but no one else would see. She looked like she'd stepped out of a dream.
He crossed the room silently, and before she could turn to him, he leaned in and kissed the slope of her collarbone—soft and slow—then gently took her hand in his.
She looked at him with her green eyes and he stared back at her with reverence. It took his breath away. Again.
Her heart was stuttering in her chest.
"So," Fin said, glancing at Elle with a grin, "do I pass?"
Elle blinked at him, swallowing a lump in her throat at the interaction she just witnessed between the two of them. She smiled and then gestured broadly to Nova.
"Your mate is speechless." She put a hand on her hip. "You have the most beautiful queen in the world—and this dress just rubs it in everyone's faces."
Fin smiled, eyes never leaving Nova. "Good."
"Thank you for getting me this," Nova said softly, eyes still wide. "I wasn't expecting…"
"You're welcome, baby," Fin said, kissing her gently on the lips. "I'm glad you like it."
He leaned in closer, his voice low, deliberate.
"You." kiss on her collarbone
"Are." kiss near her ear
"Mine." kiss on her lips
"And." kiss on her cheek
"I." kiss on her lips.
"Love." kiss on her lips again
"You." kiss, slower this time—lingering.
Nova's breath caught, her heart swelling so fast she couldn't speak.
He pulled back just enough to look at her again, eyes drinking her in.
"You took my literal breath away when I saw you," he whispered. "I'll never get used to it. What am I going to do with you?"
He leaned his forehead against hers, smiling like a man completely undone.
A dramatic throat clear echoed from the doorway.
Both their heads turned.
Cael stood there with a glass in hand, one brow arched, his usual smirk in place.
"Okay," he said, gesturing toward them with his drink, "what have you done with the Alpha?"
Fin narrowed his eyes, still holding Nova close. "What?"
"The real one," Cael said, stepping into the room with mock seriousness. "The grumpy, emotionally repressed, stoic one we all knew and tolerated. You know, the one who used to threaten people for making eye contact."
Nova burst out laughing, cheeks flushing as Fin slipped his arms around her from behind, drawing her in.
"Seriously," Cael continued, waving his drink again, "you're kissing her like a lovesick prince and calling her 'baby' every five seconds. I'm starting to think you've been body-snatched."
Fin looked at Nova and kissed her hand without breaking eye contact. Gods he loved her. He then glanced back at Cael.
"I finally have what I've always wanted," he said simply. "And I'm not wasting a second."
Cael blinked, then let out a dramatic sigh.
"Damn. He's even got lines now. Okay, someone get Elias. I need a sedative. Or at least a drink stronger than this."