Finally, Yara rescues me from the crowd, ushering me toward a quieter corner near the kitchen area. “Come, come. Sit with me. Let these males do their posturing and bragging. You and I need to talk properly.”
Ryder catches my eye across the room, his expression checking if I’m okay. I nod, and he relaxes, turning back to whatever story Kam is telling with exaggerated hand gestures.
“So,” Yara says, settling across from me with tea. “My son tells me you’re studying for a degree, with one semester left?”
“Yes. One semester left.” I glance at Ryder across the room. “After that, I’m still figuring out the next steps. Maybe vet school, maybe something different. Being soulbound changes things—in good ways. It means I get to think about what I really want, not just what I thought I was supposed to want.”
“That’s wise.” Yara’s smile is knowing. “The best partnerships help you become more of who you’re meant to be, not less. The Goddess has a way of arranging these things.” She pats my hand. “I’m glad you’re not giving up your dreams for him, though. That would worry me.”
“Never. Ryder wouldn’t want me to anyway.”
“No, he wouldn’t. He’s a good male. Takes after his father that way.” Her expression softens with old grief. “My mate—Ryder’s father—he always said the best partnerships are when both people help each other become more of who they’re meant to be, not less.”
“That’s beautiful.”
“It’s true.” She studies me for a moment. “I can see it in the way you look at each other. The soulbond doesn’t lie—it only forms when the love is real and the commitment absolute. That you formed it so quickly…” She shakes her head in wonder. “Some bonds are meant to be, no matter how impossible the timing seems.”
“I almost ruined it,” I admit. “I was so scared he’d leave that I pushed him away first.”
“But you didn’t ruin it. You’re here.” She reaches across to pat my hand. “Fear is natural, especially when you’ve been hurt before. Every day for twenty-five years, I’ve chosen to be brave. To build a life here, to raise my son, to find joy even when everything was taken from us.” She focuses back on me. “But I also learned that being brave doesn’t mean being alone. It means letting people help carry the weight.”
“Your son taught me that, too.”
Yara’s smile is radiant. “Then you’re going to do just fine, daughter. Now,” she stands, pulling me up with her, “let’s go celebrate properly. This crew knows how to throw a party when there’s something worth celebrating. And a soulbond?” She squeezes my shoulders. “That’s always worth celebrating.”
The rest of the evening passes in a blur of warmth, laughter, and belonging. At some point, Brokka taps a spoon against his glass. The room quiets. “Before this party gets too rowdy,” he announces with a grin, “I have some official business. Ryder Stone has accepted the lieutenant promotion. He starts officially mid-January.
Cheers and applause erupt. Kam whoops and throws an arm around Ryder’s shoulders, and Brokka lifts his glass. “To Lieutenant Stone—and to the woman who gave him something worth building a future for!”.
The room erupts again in cheers and raised glasses, the celebration spilling into laughter and more food and music.
After a dozen people congratulate him personally, Ryder wordlessly pulls me to the communal garden behind the building. It’s quiet, string lights creating soft pools of gold between the raised beds. The January air is crisp, and I breathe deeply, letting the silence settle my overstimulated senses.
“You okay?” Ryder asks, concerned.
“More than okay.” I turn to face him, leaning against the brick wall. “Just need a minute to process. Your crew is… intense.”
“Too much?”
“Perfect.” I reach for his hands, pulling him closer. “Perfectly overwhelming and wonderful and exactly what I’ve been missing my entire life. And the way they celebrated your promotion, and our soulbond… Their acceptance is so moving, I’m choked up.”
He shifts closer, his hands finding my waist. “For them, it’s natural. This isn’t too fast or too soon. Love and soulbonds come at exactly the rate they’re supposed to.”
“I can feel you,” I whisper. “Right now. Your love, your contentment, your worry that I might be overwhelmed.”
“I can feel you, too. Your happiness, your lingering nervousness, your certainty that this is right.” His forehead touches mine. “It’s incredible, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” I pull him down for a kiss—slow and deep and full of everything I’ve been waiting a lifetime for. His hands tighten on my waist, pulling me flush against him.
When we finally break apart, both breathing hard, I rest my cheek against his chest. “Your mom told me not to make you alone again. I promised her I wouldn’t.”
“Good.” His voice is rough with emotion. “Because I’m never letting you go, Solarin.”
“We should head back,” I say reluctantly. “Before they send a search party.”
“Too late.” Kam’s voice carries from the doorway. “Found them! They’re being disgustingly cute out here! You two are practicallyradiatingsoulbound energy.!”
Ryder laughs, the sound rumbling through his chest and through our bond. “Come on, my love. Let’s go inside.”
