The heavy oak door of the alpha's private chambers closed with a soft thud, sealing away the distant echoes of celebration. The pack's howls and laughter faded behind thick stone walls, leaving only the crackle of the massive hearth and the low thud of two mated hearts.
Leon leaned back against the door, golden eyes devouring Akira where she stood in the center of the room. Moonlight spilled through tall arched windows, silvering her skin and turning the fresh mating mark on her throat into a gleaming brand. The midnight silk gown clung to her curves, but the ties had loosened during the ritual; one tug would send it pooling to the floor.
Neither moved for a long moment. The bond thrummed between them—wide open now, no barriers, no resistance. Akira felt his hunger like a physical touch: fierce, reverent, barely leashed. He felt her answering fire, the last walls crumbling into ash.
"Come here, mate," he said, voice rough as gravel and twice as hot.
Akira's lips curved. She walked forward slowly, deliberately, until her bare feet touched his. The height difference forced her to tip her head back, but she met his gaze without flinching.
"I thought kings gave orders," she murmured, fingers tracing the new mark she had left on his throat. He shivered under the light touch.
"Only when my queen allows it." His hands settled on her hips, thumbs stroking slow circles. "Tonight I am yours to command."
The words sent liquid heat through her. She rose on her toes, brushing her lips against his—teasing, barely there. Leon's grip tightened, but he held still, letting her set the pace.
Akira smiled against his mouth. "Then kneel, Alpha King."
His eyes flashed, but he dropped to one knee without hesitation, hands sliding down to rest on her thighs. The position put his face level with her stomach; he pressed an open-mouthed kiss just above the silk's edge, breath scorching through fabric.
She threaded fingers into his dark hair, guiding him lower. The gown slipped from her shoulders under his careful hands, whispering to the floor. Cool air kissed her skin, but Leon's mouth followed, warming every inch he uncovered—collarbone, breast, the curve of her waist. When he reached the mating mark, he lingered, tongue tracing the raised skin until she gasped.
"Beautiful," he growled against her throat. "Every part of you."
He rose slowly, lifting her as he went, her legs wrapping instinctively around his waist. The world tilted; her back met soft furs on the massive bed before she realized he'd moved. Leon followed her down, covering her body with his, careful even in his urgency.
Their mouths met again—deeper this time, no hesitation. Tongues tangled, teeth nipped, breaths shared. Akira arched into him, nails raking down his back hard enough to draw blood. The bond flared brighter with every touch, pleasure echoing back and forth until she couldn't tell where she ended and he began.
Clothing vanished in frantic hands—his leathers peeled away, her remaining silk torn aside. Skin to skin at last. Leon groaned her name like a prayer as he settled between her thighs, pausing only to meet her eyes.
"Tell me you want this," he rasped. "Tell me you want me."
"I want you," she whispered, pulling him closer. "All of you. Now."
He entered her in one slow, deliberate thrust. They both stilled at the overwhelming rush—physical bliss braided with the mate bond's completion. Then movement began: deep, rhythmic, unhurried. Leon set a pace that built like a gathering storm, every stroke drawing gasps and moans from her throat.
Akira met him thrust for thrust, legs locked around his hips, hands clutching his shoulders. The room filled with the sounds of their loving—harsh breaths, whispered names, the creak of the bedframe. Moonlight painted them silver and shadow as they moved together.
Pleasure coiled tighter and tighter. When release finally crashed over her, Akira cried out, back bowing, inner muscles clenching around him. Leon followed seconds later, burying himself deep and spilling inside her with a guttural roar, her name torn from his lips.
They collapsed together, sweat-slick and trembling. Leon rolled to his side, pulling her close so they stayed joined. His hand stroked lazy patterns down her spine.
"Mine," he murmured against her hair, softer than ever before.
"Yours," she sighed, nuzzling his throat. "And you are mine."
They made love twice more before dawn—once slow and reverent against the window with moonlight bathing them, once urgent and fierce on the fur rug before the fire. Each time the bond deepened, weaving their souls tighter.
As pale morning light crept through the windows, they lay tangled in sheets and each other. Leon traced the mating mark on her shoulder with gentle fingers.
"I meant what I said in the circle," he told her quietly. "I will spend every day proving I deserve you."
Akira pressed a kiss to his chest, over his heart. "You already have. But I'll hold you to it anyway."
A distant horn sounded—scouts returning, the world intruding. But for now, in this stolen honeymoon dawn, there was only them.
Yet even in perfect intimacy, a shadow lingered. As Akira drifted toward sleep in her mate's arms, a faint pulse stirred deep in her blood—the remnant of Roxas's corrupted thread, quiet but not gone.
Their peace was temporary.
The hunt would call soon.