The final day arrived wrapped in unnatural stillness. No wind stirred the pines. No birds called from the forest edge. Even the wolves patrolling the outer perimeter moved with hushed steps, as though the entire Northern Territories understood that tonight the Moon Goddess would watch closely, and her judgment would be merciless.
Inside Blackthorn Keep the atmosphere thickened with ritual. Servants lit braziers in every corridor until the stone walls glowed amber. Incense burned in copper bowls, heavy with myrrh and cedar, curling through the air like sacred smoke. The elders donned their ceremonial robes of midnight velvet embroidered with silver moons. Warriors sharpened ceremonial daggers until the blades sang against whetstones. And in the sacred grove beyond the eastern gate, a wide circle of white stones had been cleared of snow, the ground beneath packed hard and sprinkled with crushed pine needles to keep the footing sure.
Ashley spent the morning in isolation. Gideon had ordered her confined to a small chamber high in the north tower, guarded by two silent sentinels. The room held only a narrow bed, a basin of water, and a single gown laid across the foot of the mattress: sheer white silk that would cling to every curve once the moon rose. No undergarments. No shoes. Bare skin beneath the fabric, as tradition demanded for the surrogate vessel. She stared at the gown until her eyes burned, then turned away.
Clara came at midday, slipping past the guards with a murmured excuse about final blessings. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, breathing hard.
"They will not let me stay long," Clara whispered. "But I needed to see you."
Ashley rose from the window seat where she had been watching snowflakes drift past the narrow glass. "You should not risk it."
"I had to." Clara crossed the room in three strides and pulled Ashley into a fierce embrace. "Whatever happens tonight… remember that you are more than what they say. More than a vessel. More than unmarked. You are my sister. And I love you."
Ashley clung to her, inhaling the familiar scent of lavender and winter roses that always clung to Clara's hair. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"If things go wrong… if the bond is revealed and Father turns on Damien… protect yourself first. Do not throw yourself between us. Live."
Clara pulled back, eyes shining. "I promise. But only if you promise to fight for what you want. Not just for me. For you."
Ashley nodded, throat too tight for more words.
Clara kissed her forehead, then slipped out as quietly as she had come. The door clicked shut. The guards resumed their silent vigil.
Hours crawled by. Ashley bathed in the basin, scrubbing her skin until it glowed pink. She braided her dark hair into a single thick plait that fell down her back. When the sun dipped below the horizon, she slipped into the white gown. The silk whispered against her body, cool and clinging, leaving nothing to imagination. She felt exposed, vulnerable, yet strangely powerful. Tonight she would not be invisible.
As the first stars appeared, the guards escorted her down winding stairs and through torchlit corridors to the eastern gate. The pack had already gathered outside: rows of wolves in human form, eyes gleaming with anticipation. Elders stood at the front, chanting low invocations. Gideon presided at the head of the circle, his face carved from stone. Clara stood beside him in silver robes, the crescent birthmark luminous against her throat.
And then there was Damien.
He waited at the center of the stone circle, bare chested despite the biting cold, wearing only black leather breeches and boots. Moonlight carved every ridge of muscle, every scar that told stories of battles won. His dark hair was unbound, stirring faintly in the still air. When Ashley stepped into the circle, his storm gray eyes locked onto hers, and the bond ignited like dry tinder struck by lightning.
The elders fell silent.
Gideon raised his hands. "The Moon Goddess demands balance. Purity preserved. Fertility awakened. The surrogate vessel will bear the first claiming so the true Luna may remain untouched until the formal bond is sealed."
Murmurs rippled through the gathered pack.
Damien stepped forward. "I accept the rite."
Ashley moved to meet him in the center. Her bare feet pressed against the cold, needle-strewn ground. She could feel every eye on her, judging, measuring, dismissing. But Damien's gaze never wavered. In it she saw hunger, possession, and something deeper: reverence.
The high elder stepped forward with a silver chalice filled with dark wine infused with herbs that would heighten sensation and loosen inhibition. He offered it first to Damien, who drank deeply, then to Ashley. The liquid burned down her throat, warm and spiced, spreading fire through her veins almost immediately. Her skin flushed. Her pulse quickened. The bond sang louder, insistent.
The elder retreated. "Begin."
Damien closed the final distance. He lifted one hand and traced the line of her jaw with his knuckles, the touch so light it made her shiver. "You are beautiful," he murmured, voice pitched for her ears alone. "And you are mine."
He cupped the back of her neck and drew her into a kiss that started slow, deliberate, but quickly turned ravenous. His mouth claimed hers with bruising force, tongue sweeping inside to taste wine and heat and surrender. Ashley moaned softly, hands rising to grip his shoulders, nails digging into hard muscle. The pack watched in reverent silence, but she barely noticed them. There was only Damien: his scent enveloping her, his body pressing against hers, the hard length of his arousal evident through the leather.
He broke the kiss long enough to whisper against her lips, "Trust me."
She nodded.
With one smooth motion he lifted her, hands beneath her thighs, and carried her to the low stone altar at the circle's heart. He laid her down gently on the fur pelt spread across it. The silk gown rode up her legs, exposing pale skin to moonlight and hungry eyes. Damien followed her down, bracing his weight on his forearms so he hovered above her, caging her without crushing.
His mouth found her throat, teeth grazing the unmarked skin. "I will mark you here," he growled. "Where no crescent ever appeared. My mark. My claim."
Ashley arched beneath him, breath hitching. "Yes."
He kissed lower, dragging the neckline of the gown aside with his teeth until her breasts spilled free. The cold air pebbled her nipples instantly. Damien groaned, low and primal, then took one peak into his mouth, sucking hard. Pleasure lanced through her, sharp and sweet. She cried out, fingers threading into his hair, holding him there as he lavished attention on first one breast, then the other, tongue circling, teeth nipping just enough to sting.
The wine in her blood amplified every sensation. Every lick felt like fire. Every scrape of teeth sent sparks racing down her spine to pool between her legs. She shifted restlessly, thighs pressing together, seeking friction.
Damien lifted his head, eyes blazing. "Not yet."
He moved lower, kissing a trail down her stomach, pushing the silk higher until it bunched around her waist. He spread her thighs with firm hands, exposing her completely to his gaze and the watching pack. Ashley's cheeks burned with embarrassment and arousal. She tried to close her legs, but he held them open, thumbs stroking the sensitive skin of her inner thighs.
"Look at me," he commanded.
She obeyed. His eyes held hers as he lowered his head and dragged his tongue along her center in one long, slow stroke.
The world narrowed to that single point of contact. Ashley's back bowed off the altar, a strangled cry escaping her lips. He did it again, firmer this time, tongue circling the swollen bud at the apex before dipping inside her. She tasted like salt and sweetness and desperate need. He growled against her flesh, the vibration sending shockwaves through her core.
He devoured her with ruthless focus, alternating between long licks and precise flicks against her clit. One hand slid up to pinch and roll her nipple while the other pressed two fingers inside her, curling to stroke the sensitive spot that made stars burst behind her eyelids. The pleasure built fast, coiling tighter and tighter until she was trembling on the edge.
"Damien," she gasped. "Please."
He lifted his head just enough to speak. "Come for me. Let them hear what belongs to me."
He sucked her clit hard, fingers thrusting deep, and the coil snapped.
Ashley shattered with a cry that echoed through the grove. Waves of ecstasy crashed over her, body clenching around his fingers, thighs shaking. He worked her through it, tongue gentling but never stopping until she collapsed, panting, limp against the furs.
But he was not finished.
He rose above her, shedding his breeches in one swift motion. His cock sprang free, thick and hard, already glistening at the tip. Ashley's mouth watered at the sight. She reached for him, fingers wrapping around the velvet steel, stroking once, twice. He hissed through clenched teeth, hips jerking.
"Enough," he rasped. "I need to be inside you."
He positioned himself between her thighs, the broad head nudging her entrance. He paused there, eyes locked on hers.
"Tell me you want this."
"I want you," she breathed. "All of you."
He thrust forward in one powerful stroke, burying himself to the hilt.
They both groaned. He was large, stretching her to the point of exquisite burn, filling her so completely she felt him in every inch of her body. He stilled for a moment, letting her adjust, forehead pressed to hers.
"Perfect," he whispered. "So perfect."
Then he began to move.
Slow at first, long deliberate strokes that dragged against every sensitive place inside her. Each withdrawal left her aching, each return filled her to bursting. The bond amplified every sensation, linking their pleasure until she felt his hunger as her own, his control fraying thread by thread.
Faster now. Harder. The altar rocked beneath them. His hands gripped her hips, angling her so he hit deeper, harder, the slap of skin against skin mingling with their ragged breaths and low moans. Ashley wrapped her legs around his waist, heels digging into his back, urging him on.
"Mark me," she begged. "Please."
He snarled, teeth sinking into the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Pain flared bright, then melted into molten pleasure as his bite triggered another climax. She clenched around him, milking him, crying out his name as waves crashed over her again.
Damien followed seconds later, thrusting deep one final time and spilling inside her with a guttural roar. Heat flooded her, pulse after pulse, sealing the ritual and something far more permanent.
He collapsed over her, both of them trembling, sweat slicking their skin despite the cold. His tongue soothed the bite mark, lapping gently until the sting faded to a warm throb.
The pack remained silent, awed or stunned or both.
The high elder stepped forward. "The first claiming is complete. The vessel has received the seed. The true Luna may now be bound."
Damien lifted his head, eyes blazing. He rose slowly, pulling Ashley up with him, tucking her against his side.
"No," he said, voice carrying across the grove. "The bond has awakened. True mates have been revealed. I claim Ashley Voss as mine. The arranged union is forfeit."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Gideon's face twisted with fury. "You dare?"
Damien met his stare without flinching. "I dare. And at dawn, I will prove it in the duel circle."
Ashley's heart pounded. The bite on her neck throbbed in time with it.
Clara stepped forward, eyes wide but steady. "Father… if the Goddess has spoken…"
Gideon's hand shot out, seizing Clara's arm. "Silence."
The elders murmured among themselves.
Damien turned to Ashley, cupping her face. "Whatever comes at dawn, know this: I would choose you again. Every time."
She nodded, tears slipping
down her cheeks. "And I you."
The moon hung heavy and red above them, watching.
The rite was complete.
But the true battle was only beginning