Jules gasped, a high, sharp sound, her body bowing beneath him. But she didn't push him away. She clutched his shoulders, pulling him closer, accepting the pain and the pleasure in equal measure.
Something audibly snapped into place between them. The world tilted on its axis. A rush of emotions that weren't his own—joy, relief, overwhelming love—flooded his mind. The bond. It was forged in blood.
He held her there, panting, his teeth still grazing the mark he’d made, soothing the wound with his tongue as the aftershocks rolled through them both. She was his now. In every way a woman could belong to a man, in every way a mate could belong to a wolf.
And God help him, he was entirely hers.
They lay tangled together afterward, both breathing hard, her head on his chest and his hand tracing lazy patterns on her back. The bite mark on her shoulder was already healing, leaving behind a faint scar that would never fully fade.
"I can... I can feel you, she murmured. "In my head. Is that normal?"
"It's the bond." He pressed a kiss to her hair. "It'll settle in over the next few days. But yes, you'll always be able to sense me now. And I'll be able to sense you."
"That's..." She paused. "Actually, that's kind of amazing."
He huffed a laugh. "You're taking this remarkably well."
"I just had the best orgasm of my life. I'd take pretty much anything well right now."
"The best?" He rolled her onto her back, grinning down at her. "Sweetheart, that was just the beginning."
She laughed, bright and real and his, and he kissed her again because he could. Because she was his mate, his partner, his future.
"What happens now?" she asked when they finally came up for air. "With the pack, I mean. And Stan."
"Riko handled Stan. And the pack will accept you because they don't have a choice." He traced the mark on her shoulder. "You're mine now. Anyone who has a problem with that has a problem with me."
"And you're mine." She touched his face, her eyes soft. "Anyone who has a problem with that has a problem with me."
His heart clenched. "Gods, I love you."
The words slipped out before he could stop them. But he found he didn't want to take them back. They were true. Had been true for longer than he wanted to admit.
Her breath caught. "You?—"
"I love you, Jules. I think I've loved you since you told me your succulent's name was Fred."
Her laugh was watery, tears spilling down her cheeks again, but happy tears this time. "I love you too. Even though you're grumpy and you grunt instead of talking and you literally stalked me for months."
"Watched," he corrected. "I watched you. Stalking implies malicious intent."
"Semantics." She pulled him down for another kiss. "My grumpy wolf."
"My sunshine girl."
They stayed in bed for the rest of the day, leaving only to stoke the fire and raid the kitchen for food. At some point, Lex retrieved Fred from the guest room and placed him on the windowsill in his bedroom.
"There," he said. "Better light in here anyway."
Jules smiled at him from beneath the covers, looking thoroughly debauched and absolutely perfect. "You're a softie."
"Tell anyone and I'll deny it."
"Your secret's safe with me." She held out her arms. "Now come back to bed."
He went. Because she asked. And because there was nowhere else he'd rather be.
Outside, the sun set over Snow Ridge, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. Inside, wrapped in warmth and each other, Lex finally understood what it meant to be home.
