“Look at me.” He gripped her hips, positioning himself at her entrance. His cock brushed her slick folds, the head teasingher opening. “This changes everything. The bond’s going to snap into place. You’ll feel everything I feel. There’s no turning back.”
“I don’t want to turn back,” she said fiercely, wrapping her legs around his waist. “I want you. All of you.”
He pushed inside, slow and deep.
Her pussy stretched around him, inch by inch, until he bottomed out, seated fully inside her. They both gasped, clutching each other. The mate bond surged—magic rushing through them like a storm surge.
“Goddamn,” he groaned, his forehead dropping to hers. “You feel so fucking good. So tight. So perfect.”
“You’re so big,” she whispered, her nails digging into his back. “I feel every inch of you—inside me, around me… in my heart.”
They stayed like that, locked together, until their breathing slowed. Then he began to move. Slow. Deep. Intentional. Worshipful.
“Fuck, baby,” he rasped. “You were made for me. Every part of you. This pussy was made to take my cock.”
Her moan was wordless, her hips rising to meet each thrust. Their magic danced, responding to every movement, flaring brighter as the rhythm built.
Kieran kissed her with reverent hunger, his hand sliding between them to stroke her clit. “Come again,” he whispered. “I want to feel you break for me.”
She did—her orgasm tearing through her with shuddering force, her body gripping his cock in pulsing waves. He rode her through it, jaw clenched, waiting.
But he wasn’t done.
He pulled out, chest heaving. “Turn over,” he said, voice low and wrecked. “Let me love you the way my beast needs to.”
Freya obeyed without hesitation, bracing on her elbows as he positioned her. He spread her cheeks, admiring the slick mess between her thighs, then slid back in with a groan.
“Fuck—so deep like this,” he growled. “You take me so damn well.”
His thrusts were harder now, deeper, more primal. She gasped with every stroke, her magic flaring violently, the unfinished bond screaming for completion.
“I’m so close,” she cried, her whole body straining.
“I know,” he said, and his tiger surged.
She felt his claws extend, felt the claiming marks burn into her hip and shoulder as he bit down on the junction of her neck and shoulder.
The mate bond snapped into place with enough power to light up the cottage, their magic merging completely as their souls recognized each other and bound together forever. The sensation was indescribable—like coming home and flying free at the same time, like finding the missing piece of herself she hadn't known was lost.
“Mine,” Kieran growled, voice rough and shaking. “Forever fucking mine.”
Freya turned her head as they kissed desperately. “Forever yours. And you’re mine.”
Their bodies remained joined, their souls fully bound. The fire crackled, casting warm light over the sacred aftermath of their mating.
And in that moment—held in the arms of the man who had once run from everything—Freya knew there was nowhere else she belonged.
29
KIERAN
Kieran woke to the scent of lilacs and magic that now carried his own undertones. His mate lay curled against his chest, her copper hair spread across his shoulder like silk, and the claiming marks on her neck and hip glowed faintly with residual magic from their completed bond.
Home. This was what coming home felt like.
His tiger purred with deep satisfaction, finally able to rest completely now that their mate was properly claimed and marked. The restless energy that had driven him since adolescence had settled into contentment so profound it felt like discovering a missing piece of his soul.
But underneath the happiness, anxiety gnawed at his chest like a persistent ache. Today was the day they'd attempt the binding ritual. Tonight, they'd either save Hollow Oak or die trying.