Skender frowned. “Of course not. She’s a goddess. She doesn’t make mistakes.”
“You sure about that, wolf?” Tenia asked, her voice a hoarse whisper. “Because you're telling me I deserve better than the true mate the Great Luna gave me, the one she created to be the other half of my soul. It sounds a lot like you are accusing our goddess of screwing up.”
His eyes widened, and it looked as if he was finally catching on to what she was saying. Tenia didn’t look through the bond at his thoughts. She didn’t know if she could handle hearing anything more about how he didn’t want her.
“I never said I didn’t want you,soarele meu.” Apparently,hewas not staying out of her head.
“It feels like that’s what you’re saying, Skender.” Tenia shook her head and closed her eyes. It hurt to look at the man who’d broken through her defenses and made her see that her life hadn’t been complete. Tenia swallowed hard. She realized that if she didn’t have Torion, she might have actually wished that the cold fire had taken her life. It was a hell of a lot less painful than what she was enduring at the moment.
“Don’teverthink something like that again,” Skender snapped, his hands suddenly wrapped around her shoulders, giving her a small shake. “I cannot imagine a world where you don’t exist.”
Tenia lifted her head and opened her eyes. She felt tears gathering and hated that she couldn’t keep them at bay. She opened her mouth to respond, but a bright light caused her to clamp it shut. Warmth filled the cave, and then the aforementioned goddess stood before them.
Tenia immediately fell to her knees, and Skender did the same. His shoulder pressed against hers as they bowed their heads before their Creator.
“The questions from your mate are valid, Skender,” the Great Luna said, her voice the sweetest music to Tenia’s ears. “You have shown remorse for your transgressions. Your heart is no longer the same. I know of your intentions to atone to those you’ve wronged in an effort to make peace. Are these the actions of a man not worthy of love?”
Tenia heard Skender suck in a breath and felt his body tremble against hers.
“Do you think that my grace is insufficient to cover your wrongs?”
He breathed out quickly. “No.”
“I have blessed you both with a true-mate bond,” the goddess continued. “I was not distracted, or asleep, or having an off day when I created either of you. I bound your souls, and then each of you was born when I deemed it your time to be here. I knew all that you would endure. I knew every step your feet would make even before you could walk. I knew every ounce of pain your hands would deliver and also every act of love they would give.
“I made you, as you told Tenia, to be her mate. And she is yours. Nothing I join can be separated, not even by you. You have the choice to follow the path set before you, the one you veered from recently, or you can step off of it again and leave behind what I have for you. I have loved you, Skender, with an everlasting love, and I will continue to love you, but there are consequences when you stray. Think about those consequences before you deny the mate I’ve entrusted to you. Think about all who will be affected if you do this.” The light intensified in the room, and Tenia had to close her eyes against the glow.
“I stand before you,” the Great Luna said, her voice echoing off of the walls, “as your creator. I bless this union. Even if you put the past behind you, the way forward will not be easy. You may share a soul, but you are still two distinct personalities with your own wants and desires. They will clash, often. But it will be in those moments of conflict that you have the opportunity to show one another the grace I have shown you. Skender.” Her voice was sharp as she said his name. “Stand.”
Skender obeyed immediately.
“This is the woman who is the light to your darkness. Will you take her as your mate? Will you love her, love her son, and take him as your own? Will you obey the commands I have given true mates regarding one another? Will you stand beside her when she needs to lean on you, behind her when she is too weak to stand on her own, and in front of her when she needs to be shielded from the dangers in this world?”
Tenia couldn’t breathe. The Great Luna was throwing down an ultimatum to her mate, and Tenia was terrified Skender’s guilt would keep him from embracing the gift their creator had given them.
When he didn’t answer right away, Tenia tilted her head back slightly so she could look up at him. His eyes were closed, and tears ran down his face. She reached up and took one of his hands. He threaded his fingers through hers and held on tight. Tenia felt his love pouring through their bond. She felt his apprehension and worry that he couldn’t be what she needed. She also felt his yearning to have what the Great Luna offered.
“Please,”Tenia whispered into his mind.“Don’t leave me only half a soul. Don’t doom us both to such misery when we have been offered such an amazing blessing. I love you, Skender.”
Skender sucked in a sharp breath.His mate’s confession was the final push that shoved him off the edge of indecision. Regardless of the many excuses he’d given, no matter how valid, Skender wanted Tenia with an intensity he barely understood. It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced, but he was beginning to understand the many things he’d heard from other males about how they felt when it came to their mates. Earth shattering, humbling, and life changing were just a few ways he could describe it.
Yes, he’d made some heinous mistakes in his past. And there would be consequences for those mistakes for many years, if not decades, to come. But, here and now, his Creator offered him grace. She wouldn’t take his true mate from him, or him from her. She’d blessed their union and called him to be the man Tenia and Torion needed. Would he really throw that back in her face because he refused to accept the forgiveness she offered? No. He knew he wasn’t worthy, would never be worthy, but the love of the Great Luna gave him the opportunity to work toward being a better person, a better wolf.
He finally raised his head, though his eyes remained on the floor. “I take her as my mate,” he said, nearly stumbling over the words because of the overwhelming peace that covered him simply by taking that first step. “I love her, and I love Torion as my own. I will obey the commands you have given me as her true mate. I will st—” Skender’s words faltered. He swallowed several times, trying to get himself under control. “I will stand with her in whatever capacity that she needs.”
“Then do what she deserves.”the Great Luna’s voice filled his mind. He thought of the Blood Rites that his race had performed for centuries.
The light faded from the room, and Skender didn’t hesitate. He pulled Tenia up to stand beside him. He turned to face her and dropped to one knee. “On this day, I kneel before you, as a servant to my mate, to ask if you will make me whole. Will you give yourself to me? Finally calming the beast inside, bringing order to chaos, shining light where there has been only darkness? Will you bind your life to mine, your fate to mine, and your soul to mine? In so doing, will you complete the mate bond?” He looked up at her, hoping she could feel the sincerity in his voice. He needed her to know she would never have reason to doubt his love for her.
Tenia’s cheeks were wet with tears as she nodded her head. She pulled him up and pressed her body against his.
“Can you say it out loud?” he asked, wanting to hear it from her lips.
“Yes, Skender,” she said, her voice soft. Her eyes held his own with a determination he’d come to respect, though at times, it drove him crazy. “I will give myself to you. I have been yours from the minute I saw you, even if I didn’t want to admit it.”
Their faces were inches apart, and Skender could feel her warm breath against his skin. He lowered his head slowly, giving her the opportunity to stop him if this wasn’t what she wanted. His heart pounded painfully in his chest, and his breathing quickened. Skender released her hands and lifted his to cup her face. Lightning shot through his fingers, through his arms, and radiated throughout the rest of his body from the simple contact with her. He leaned closer and tilted her face up. Her eyes softened and desire filled them. Desire forhim. “You have my heart,” he whispered, expressing the thought he knew was already reaching out to her through the bond. “You are my everything.” Tenia’s skin warmed beneath his hands and took on a slight glow. “Soarele meu. My sun.” Skender sighed in awe of the female he’d been given.
He closed the distance between them and nipped her bottom lip, holding it briefly before releasing the plump flesh and then softly pressing his lips to hers. Tenia moaned, an incredibly sexy sound of which Skender’s wolf approved wholeheartedly. He ran his tongue along the seam of her mouth, and she obeyed his silent request, opening her lips. Her taste rushed into him, and he knew he would never get enough of it.
