Page 86 of Fated
His kisses slowed against her hair, fingers hesitating against her skin. He swallowed hard and swept an errant lock from Lena’s flushed cheek. “Was that…what you wanted?” he whispered, searching her face. “I just… I wanted to be good for you. This was… It meant the world to me, Lena. I wanted to give you what you needed. What you deserve.”
Lena’s smile was soft and radiant as she lifted her chin to rest on his chest, golden-brown eyes meeting his. Her cheeks werestill flushed, hair a wild halo around her face, and there was a blissful, almost dreamy quality in her gaze. “Kai,” she whispered, cupping his face. “it was better than I could’ve imagined.” Her voice was soft with wonder. “It was perfect.Youwere perfect.”
He pulled her closer. “Thank you,” he whispered against her hair. “For trusting me. For giving me this part of you. I didn’t think I’d be ready for this.” Orion’s presence settled like warm honey in his chest, the wolf’s usual post-intimacy pacing and restlessness nowhere to be found. “I thought…” His fingers lingered at the small of her back. “I’d wait until the marks, but now...now I can’t imagine it being any other way.”
Lena hummed, resting her cheek against his chest, fingers drawing idle patterns across his abs. He smiled faintly at the warmth of her breath against his skin. “Me neither,” she whispered. “This wasours, Kai. Not the bond, or Selene, or anything else. Justus.”
Her words quelled his insecurities. He closed his eyes, letting his hand continue its gentle path along her spine, feeling the steady rhythm of her heartbeat against his. Everything had shifted in a single night—Lena’s trust, his surrender, something precious neither would take for granted.
They shifted back to their wolves and ran home side by side. The rhythm of their paws and the cool wind created a serenity Kai wasn’t eager to leave. The night felt different, charged with an intimacy that hadn’t existed between them before.
When they reached the forest’s edge near the packhouse, they shifted again, catching their breath from the run. They dressed in silence, movements easy and unhurried. Kai glanced over atLena as she pulled on her hoodie, moonlight catching on her hair and casting a soft glow across her face. A smile tugged at his lips. She was beautiful—hair tousled, skin still flushed, completely his.
They entered the house, footsteps light against the creaking wooden floor, careful not to disturb anyone. As they ascended the stairs, Lena reached for his hand, pinkies intertwining. A reassuring heat spread through Kai’s chest at the touch.
He walked Lena to her door, pausing for a moment as she turned to face him. Her eyes held a gentle warmth, reflecting a mix of contentment and abiding awe.
“Thank you for tonight,” she whispered, and the earnestness in her voice made something warm unfurl in his stomach.
Kai cupped her cheek, thumb brushing along her jawline. He leaned in, capturing her lips in a slow, tender kiss. The kiss lingered, blood singing in his veins as their lips moved together. He pulled back, nuzzling into her neck, and inhaled the scent of her skin mixed with the forest still clinging to her.
“Sweet dreams, mate,” he murmured into her ear, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek, relishing the way she leaned into his touch.
He stepped back, letting his eyes linger on her for a moment longer. Lena smiled at him, cheeks flushed, before slipping into her room and closing the door behind her.
Kai moved toward his own room, walking backward a few steps as he glanced at her door one last time. With a small smile, he turned and entered his suite, closing the door softly behind him. The quiet enveloped him, but for once, it didn’t feel heavy.
He sat on the edge of his bed, running a hand through his hair as the events of the night replayed in his mind. Echoes of their run lingered in his muscles—the freedom, the weightlessness, Orion’s presence seamlessly integrated rather than a separate force pushing against his human mind. It felt good to be in syncwith his wolf again, their thoughts and desires aligned in a way that felt effortless.
Kai stretched out on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as a faint smile tugged at his lips. His time at Moonshadow had brought unexpected gifts—peace without the pressure of birthright, genuine friendships with Cian, Ryker, and Jace built on trust rather than duty.
Then there was Lena.
Their bond hummed as he thought about her strength, her trust. He’d always planned to wait for the claiming ritual, for the certainty of Selene’s blessing of his chosen bond, but tonight he’d accepted Lena and their bond freely. A quiet chuckle escaped him. He was falling for his fated mate—a thought that should terrify him but instead filled him with unexpected joy.
And yet the joy cracked, splintered by a familiar ache.
Ava.
Guilt settled like a stone in his chest. He’d given himself to Lena tonight—breaking another promise kept sacred through years of temptation. Worse, he hadn’t thought of Ava once since he’d arrived in Moonshadow. The knowledge twisted in his gut.
What kind of person forgets someone they claimed to love so completely?
The tally of broken promises between him and Ava kept growing. Each one revealing that perhaps their connection had always been weaker than they’d believed. Kai exhaled, hands clenching into fists.
“She helped us become who we are,”Orion offered, his presence a steady warmth in Kai’s chest.“But our path leads elsewhere now.”
After sharing so many quiet moments with Lena, after tonight, he’d finally understood what his parents had tried to tell him all along: there was a difference between loving someone and beingright for them. Between promises made in youthful defiance and commitments that could withstand a lifetime.
He knew what heshoulddo. He couldn’t keep delaying the inevitable. They all deserved resolution—Lena, Ava, himself. But the thought of hurting Ava—the person who had been his constant for so much of his life—pierced his heart in a way that made his breath hitch and eyes sting.
“Endings are part of growth,”Orion murmured, his usual impatience absent.“Honor her friendship by being honest.”
Not tonight. This wasn’t a problem he could face tonight.
Kai turned onto his side and pulled the blanket over himself. He closed his eyes, letting the scent of Lena clinging to his skin calm his restless thoughts. Tonight, he would hold onto memories of his mate. The way she felt against him. The way her love had never been a burden—never been a promise he felt obliged to keep. Tonight, he would let himself be happy.
Tomorrow…he would figure out the rest.
