Page 78 of Fated
“Okay, then.” Magnus released a breath. “I don’t know how your dad will react or...” He trailed off, seeming to search for his words. “If you need backup telling Darius, I’m here.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” Kai picked up his phone to check the time, turning off speakerphone. He’d been longer than expected. “Hey, I’ve gotta run. The guys have the afternoon off, and I was supposed to meet them for lunch and some sparring.” He sat up, pushing off the bed with renewed energy. “See if Elias would be up to coming to Moonshadow and what he thinks about an arrangement with Cian and Jace. I’ll see about adding you guys to the guest list for the ceremony.”
“Alright. Tell Ryker I said hi.”
The door clicked shut behind him as Kai left his suite. “Will do. Talk tomorrow?”
“Yeah, but if you keep calling me before sunrise, I’m blocking your number. Just because you like to run at dawn doesn’t mean the rest of us want to start our day as well.”
Kai laughed as he made his way down the stairs. “Right. So 6:45 a.m. then?” He was met with the call disconnect tone, shaking his head with amusement.
Pocketing his phone, he jogged across the courtyard to the dining hall, the afternoon air crisp against his skin. The building hummed with the low murmur of conversation and the clatter of silverware against plates. He spotted Cian, Ryker, and Jace at a corner table, their lunch clearly finished, empty plates pushed aside and glasses of water half-empty.
He stepped into line, grabbing an apple, protein bar, and a bottle of water before making his way over. “Hey, guys. Sorry I’m late. Got caught up with Magnus.” He took a large bite out of his apple as he dropped into the seat beside Ryker.
“How’s he doing?” Ryker asked.
Kai paused to finish chewing and swallow. “Good. He says hi by the way.” He turned to Cian, unwrapping his protein bar. “Would it be okay to add two more guests from Bloodstone to the invite? I was telling Magnus about our meeting with your dad, and we thought it might be cool if he and Elias came down too. We could sit down and start talking about options.”
“Yeah! That’s a great idea.” Cian pulled out his phone, fingers moving across the screen. “I think invitations were sent out today, but I’m letting Nerina know to add them to the list.” He set his phone down, leaning in. “I was actually telling Ryker and Jace about it and—“
“Enough about work.Please!“ Ryker interjected, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “Warrior training exchange. Great. Let’s do it. Moving on to more important topics.” He turned to Kai, trademark smirk spreading across his face. “I want to know about last night. What went down that warranted Alpha clearing out the entire packhouse so that you could surprise Lena?”
Kai smiled, warmth spreading through his chest at the memory. “I went into town and bought her flowers. Lit a bunch of candles. I made her dinner, my mom’s favorite, and we watched a movie. Well, it was a concert and there was more dancing than watching—” He didn’t share that he’d spent his morning listening to one particular song on repeat, or the note he’d slipped under Lena’s door this morning with its lyrics:
I hope last night “was the very first page. Not where the storyline ends.”
“There he goes again,” Jace jumped in, grinning. “Fucking hearts in his eyes.”
His comment drew chuckles from around the table.
“Yeah. Candlelit dinner. Movie.” Ryker rolled his hands forward in an exaggerated gesture, signaling Kai to proceed. “So did you finally move past pinky promises and cheek kisses?”
Kai felt heat creep up his neck, fingers fidgeting with the water bottle cap. “Uh...does the corner of her mouth count?”
Ryker’s palm smacked the table with a resounding crack that made nearby diners glance over. “C’mon! The tension is so thick the warriors are hurdling over it for morning warmups! What are you waiting for? Are you not ready to complete the bond?”
Kai was flustered, stomach knotting with a mixture of embarrassment and something deeper. He wasn’t used to talking about sex so openly, and it didn’t help that his mate’s twin was sitting across from him, watching with interest.
He desperately wanted to mate and mark Lena—to hear her moan in his ear instead of on the other side of the door, to see if her pupils would dilate when he moved inside her the way they did when her arousal spiked. He wanted to know if the rest of her body was as soft as her hands, if she tasted just as sweet and tart as her scent promised. He wished she’d give him a sign that she wanted that too. Even if she did, there was still that fear he’d mess it up, that he wouldn’t be good, that all the buildup would end in something really disappointing for her.
Ryker stared at him intently, features hardening as he leaned forward. “You do want to complete the bond,right?”
The question hung in the air like a challenge. Kai’s gaze dropped to his lap, hands clenching and unclenching. “Um... I’ve never had sex.” He forced the words out in a whisper, afraid to make eye contact.
An awkward stillness settled over the table, the ambient noise of the dining hall seeming to fade around them.
“There’s no shame in waiting,”Orion’s voice rumbled reassuringly in his chest.“Mate is worth it.”
Ryker broke the silence sheepishly, voice softer than usual. “Oh... I’m sorry. I thought—“
Kai met his gaze. “No. I’ve done...stuff. Just notthat.”
“That’s okay. Not all of us are hornballs like Ryker over here,” Jace assured him, earning a laugh from the rest of the group that helped ease some of the awkwardness.
“Dude! I’ve fooled around, but Tessa was my first.” Ryker pointed at Jace, his defensive tone making them all chuckle. “Let’s not forget that summer Stella and Ivar kept finding themselves in your bed. Or that you,” he said, looking at Cian, “had that fling with the waitress a few summits ago.”
“We didn’t... We just made out, and it was all over-the-clothes stuff,” Cian protested, cheeks reddening.
