He lowered me onto him slowly. So slowly. Inch by devastating inch, my body opened to accommodate him, the fullness of him sending sparks through my vision. My mouth fell open on a silent cry. My fingers dug into his shoulders, nails biting into his thick fur.
“That’s it.” His voice was wrecked. “Take me, Nova. All of me.”
When I finally settled fully in his lap, both of us breathing hard, he pressed his forehead to mine. His shadow wrapped around us completely now—a cocoon of darkness that blocked out everything else. Even my other mates, watching from the edges, seemed distant through the veil of his power.
“I love you.” The words fell from my lips before I could stop them. Raw. Unguarded. “I love you so much it terrifies me.”
“I know.” He began to move—slow, deep rolls of his hips that dragged sensation through every nerve. “I feel it. Always. And I love you just as much.” His paws guided my movements, lifting and lowering me in a rhythm that matched the beating of our hearts. “You think I don’t feel the same? You think I’m not terrified of losing you?”
I couldn’t answer. Couldn’t think. The pleasure building between us was consuming everything—white-hot and endless, fed by the bond, amplified by the web. I rode him in his lap,taking him as deep as my body would allow, chasing something just out of reach. Every movement drew sounds from both of us—his groans rumbling through his chest, my gasps catching in my throat. The wet sounds of our joining filled the room, obscene and beautiful all at once.
“This is why I have to go.” Zirene’s pace increased, his thrusts turning harder, more urgent. “To protect you. To protect our cubs. Our clan.” His claws pricked at my hips, drawing pinpoints of heat. “To make sure you have a galaxy worth bringing our children into.”
“Zirene—”
“But know this.” He gripped my chin, forcing my haze-clouded eyes to meet his not black but burning royal purple. “No matter how far I go. No matter what battles I fight. You are my home, Selena. You are my everything. And I will find my way back to you—across any distance, through any war, against any enemy.”
He thrust up hard, hitting a spot deep inside that made stars explode behind my eyes.
“Say it.” His voice was a growl against my throat. “Say you’ll be strong for me. That you’ll wait for me. “
“I’ll wait.” The words came out broken, punctuated by gasps and moans as he drove into me with increasing intensity. “Forever if I have to. I’ll wait forever.”
“Good.” He kissed me, fierce and claiming. “Good.”
His shadow tightened around us. Tendrils of darkness slid across my skin—my arms, my back, the sensitive peaks of my breasts. They wrapped around me like a second embrace, touching everywhere at once, driving my pleasure higher and higher until I couldn’t tell where Zirene ended and his shadow began. It was possessive. Claiming. A reminder that even when he was across the galaxy, part of him would always be with me—shadow-deep and eternal.
I gripped his mane, holding on for dear life as he thrust up into me. The angle was perfect—deep and consuming, hitting that spot with every stroke. My body wound tighter with each passing second, climbing toward a peak that felt impossibly high.
“Let go.” Zirene’s voice reverberated through me, through the shadow wrapped around me, through every part of my overwrought body. “Let me feel you fall apart.”
One more thrust. One more stroke of shadow against my most sensitive places.
I shattered.
The climax ripped through me with devastating force, pleasure crashing in waves that stole my breath, my vision, my sense of self. I screamed his name—or pathing it through the bond, broadcasting to every male in the nest, because I felt them all react. Felt their answering pulses of arousal and satisfaction and fierce, protective love.
Zirene followed moments later, his roar shaking the walls as he buried himself to the hilt and found his own release. The heat of him flooded me, and his shadow surged—wrapping around us in a possessive embrace that felt like forever. His claws dug into my hips, hard enough to leave marks I’d cherish for days.
Mine. His. Ours.
We stayed like that for a long moment, locked together, foreheads pressed close, breathing each other’s air. His hands stroked down my back in soothing patterns while the aftershocks rippled through us both.
Then the tears came.
I didn’t mean to cry. Didn’t want to ruin this moment with grief. But the emotion was too much—the pleasure and the love and the bone-deep terror of losing him all tangled together until I couldn’t hold them back anymore.
“Shh.” Zirene’s arms tightened around me, cradling me against his chest like I was precious. Fragile. “I’m here. I’m still here.”
“For now.” The words came out thick. Waterlogged. “But in the morning—”
“Tomorrow doesn’t exist yet.” He kissed my forehead, my cheeks, the salt tracks of my tears. “Right now, this is all that matters. You and me and our clan. The rest can wait until dawn.”
He shifted, carefully lowering us both to the nest without breaking our connection. His body curled around mine—protectively, possessively—as he tilted to the side to make room.
Kaede appeared at my other side, sliding into the space Zirene had created. His hand found my cheek, wiping away the lingering tears with gentle precision.
“I’ve got her.” His voice was soft. A promise to both me and Zirene. “Rest, Selena. We’ve got you.”
