Her claim on me settled, the skin tender but healing, but I felt it almost as clearly as our bond.Thank you, I said, taking her lips in a burning kiss.Thank you for loving me.
Always, she replied softly, like a promise for forever, one my heart knew was true.Forever. I’ll love you for eternity, Adrian Kingsley.
And I will love you more,I replied.
8
Elias
Anticipation swelled within me as Adrian handed Ivy to me. The powerful aroma of freshly pulled coffee tickled my nose as I breathed her in. Her touch alone had my wolf rising to the surface, preening because of the bond and how happy she appeared. The brightness of it, the warmth she emitted, was enough to answer any question I might have had.
“Angel, you’ve had my heart since the very beginning,” I murmured, bringing her closer. “As much as I thought I needed to fight it, you knocked down every damned wall I had up, and you showed me I could be more. I never thought I’d be worthy enough for you. You’ve already given me so much: your love, your heart, and you carry not just my mark, but our children. There’s only one thing left I ask of you, and that is your claim.”
My hand moved to the swell of her stomach, gently curving over where the dress clung to her skin. One of the twins kicked against my palm, the flutter stronger than normal.
“I think that’s a yes,” she whispered, looking from her belly to me, smile brightening. “Always.”
With one hand, I pulled my jacket and shirt aside to reveal my throat, leaning down just enough so Ivy could sink her fangs into my flesh. My heart soared as peace rushed through me fromher bite. For as long as I could remember, I never thought I’d deserve my other half. And I never thought I’d be marked by that person, either.
And now, as I felt the burn of her fangs penetrate my skin, I couldn’t ignore the way everything within me settled. Feltright. Not even death would be capable of tearing us apart now.
I dropped my face to hers, the sting now a distant memory.I love you. So much,I said through the bond.
And I love you, she replied.
With a sigh, I released her to Arthur, who silently spoke his vows to her. As he did, our guests fell silent. They were words only for her to hear, and they had to be good, because she sobbed as she leaned in to claim him.
My gaze darted over the crowd. The children were aware of how heavy the emotions were, so their tears didn’t surprise me. My wolf wanted to offer them some comfort, but they had Thea and her parents, as well as Vanya, to comfort them. The last couple of months had made my wolf consider these children as much my own as the ones growing inside of Ivy.
Natural pack instincts made that possible, but so did getting to know each child. And for different reasons, I loved them. Their little quirks, their different attitudes. These last couple of months proved a lot to us, and one of those things was that these children were ours to protect, to care for.
Ivy’s soft laugh drew me out of my thoughts, her smile making my chest heat. Vanya had been good with the makeup, because none of it smudged. Not even the dark lipstick staining her mouth, which hadn’t come off during her claiming bites.
Archer was the next one to take our mate, pulling her close to his chest and kissing her. I had a feeling that if his mother were here, she’d be cheering alongside his father. Even though they didn’t have much of a relationship, I could tell the other male was trying. And that seemed to be enough.
It made me wish for my own parents. That in itself was a strange thought. Even though they’d finally taken the shift, it’d only been temporary. Neither had handled being human for long, and their wolves had taken over again. I hadn’t even been there, but I was glad Cyrus was, even though our relationship was still strained.
“No divination mage wants to admit this, but I am so happy I never saw you coming, Ivy, because you are the greatest surprise the Goddess could have given me,” Archer shared, despite his voice trembling. “I’ll always be grateful the team sent me out on a perimeter sweep that day, because running into you on that street was the moment everything clicked for me. You already know I’ve never felt like this for anyone before. I never thought I could actuallyfeellove until I met you. And I’m glad you’re the person I get to spend the rest of my life with. I’m so glad I got to experience all of it with you.”
Ivy cupped both of his cheeks between her hands, wiping away a stray tear before it could fall. The male pressed his forehead against hers, and must have told her about his choice in claim, because I felt her magic swell through the bond.
Like Rhadamanthus and Nash, the brand appeared on Archer’s neck. And like them, it was an entirely different image. For him, she’d created a set of runes different to the ones she’d given the demon and added some sort of floral design into it that mimicked her power.
When she pulled away from him, there were more cheers. The last of her mates to get her claim took her hand, gently pulling her into his arms. For a moment, the Primal held her in an embrace. There was no one here to sit for him as family, and I knew it made him sad. Had him wishing for a way to have those he did consider family here.
But I knew with tensions still high between the Primals and Nyx’s Creatures, it wouldn’t have happened. We’d suggested thatonce there was some sort of peace—and all our children were a little older—we could take Ivy back to the Old World so he could do something with her there amongst his people.
He’d liked the idea a lot. Especially because we said we’d all be there, the children included. It would be a great way for him to introduce the kids to his world—his culture and customs.
Xerxes held Ivy as he spoke his vows in the language of the Primals, the old language of Nyx’s Creatures. Like Arthur, they were words only for her to hear and understand, which didn’t faze anyone. There was something beautiful about the old language, one that got to Ivy, because she pressed her face into his chest as he spoke.
I knew it had something to do with promises made to mates from his world, and how he came to realise the bond once she was gone. But he’d given none of us the details.
Eventually, she gave him her claim, branding him silently with a kiss to his throat. When she pulled back, it was like lightning, shaped differently to Nash’s, with a similar floral arrangement to Archer’s.
Once it was done, our guests erupted, and the children came rushing towards us.
We didn’t need anyone to announce our union. We all knew intimately that we were claimed by her and her alone. We were her husbands and wife, and she was ours.
