The morning after the full moon left the forest charged. Even the trees seemed to shimmer, dripping silver light like rain. Lauretta woke before dawn, body still humming with the aftershocks of last night - her wolf restless, her heartbeat irregular, and her mind a storm of sensations and forbidden thoughts.
She rolled onto her side and pressed a hand to her stomach. The baby stirred, tiny kicks vibrating through her like echoes of the moonlit heat that had consumed her and Savior. A low growl rumbled in her chest - not entirely human, not entirely wolf - a reminder of what had just happened.
A knock at her door startled her.
"Retta? You awake?"
Angela.
Lauretta's eyes snapped open. "Angela! What-how-"
"Relax," Angela said, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. "I heard... noises. Growls. Moans. Some terrifying combination that I refuse to ever repeat in my nightmares. And I'm officially traumatized, by the way."
Lauretta groaned, burying her face in her pillow. "Angela! This is... private!"
"Oh, I know it's private," Angela said, smirking, "but you're officially my responsibility. I have to make sure you didn't die... or do anything that would give Hexta Hunt more fodder to start another war."
Lauretta peeked one eye at her friend, face flushed and messy with last night's passion and adrenaline. "I didn't... we didn't..."
Angela rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Retta. Please. I saw you leave the forest this morning, glowing like a freaking celestial weapon of lust and power. I know you didn't just meditate under the moonlight. I saw him too. Don't deny it."
Lauretta groaned, wrapping the blanket tighter around her. "He's... he's dangerous."
Angela shrugged. "Yeah, and that's why he's perfect for you. Look, you can either fight it and make life miserable, or you can... embrace it and enjoy your hot wolfy boyfriend before the entire pack finds out and loses their minds."
Her wolf growled softly in agreement - a rumble of approval that made Lauretta shiver.
"I can't believe this," she muttered. "We... I mean... the baby-"
"Don't even start," Angela interrupted. "We'll deal with the pack politics later. Right now, you've just got to survive being... what? Obsessed with each other? Marked by the moon? Literally untouchable and totally irresistible?" She grinned. "Yeah. Sounds like hell."
Lauretta sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Angela... it's not like we planned this. And... it's not just that. It's the bond. The power. The baby. It's... everything."
Angela gave her a pointed look. "Welcome to the family drama club, Retta. Your love life just became international pack news. And you? You're officially in trouble... and extremely hot trouble at that."
Lauretta exhaled slowly. Angela's teasing helped, but it couldn't erase the weight pressing on her. The world felt different now. Her father's warnings. Savior's family feud. The Alpha Council. And worst of all... Hexta Hunt.
She leaned back against the headboard and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know how to deal with it. Everything... exploded last night. My power... it's stronger than I thought. And... and Savior... he's mine. I can't even deny it. Not that I want to."
Angela flopped onto the edge of the bed, smirking. "Finally admitting it, huh? Took you long enough. I mean, the man growls like a predator and marks you in every possible way, and you're still pretending you're 'afraid.' Afraid of what? Your own desire?"
Lauretta laughed despite herself, shaking her head. "You don't get it, Angela. This isn't just desire. This is... primal. It's... it's everything. And I don't even know if I can control it. My wolf... it's claiming him too."
Angela made a dramatic gasp. "Claiming him? Like, literally? Because I need to take notes here for my future best-seller, 'How to Survive Your Primal Werewolf Best Friend.'"
Lauretta shot her a look, but couldn't hide the smile tugging at her lips. "It's not a joke."
"I never said it was," Angela replied, eyes sparkling with mischief. "It's hilarious. And terrifying. And, honestly... amazing." She leaned closer. "Also, you two are in hot if the both families find out you're still seeing each other...Because Hexta Hunt? He's going to lose his mind. And not in a cute way. In a 'pack war and lots of screaming' way."
Lauretta exhaled slowly. "I know. And Savior... he's defying his father publicly. Last night... he declared me as his mate. In front of the entire summit."
Angela's jaw dropped. " I ain't gonna lie that was insane. That's... actually brilliant. And dangerous. And possibly illegal in several countries."
Lauretta groaned. "Exactly. Now everyone's eyes are on us. And I... I can't let anything happen to him... or the baby."
Angela placed a hand on her shoulder. "Then you better start practicing your dangerous, untouchable, moon-powered stare. You're going to need it."
Before Lauretta could respond, the air in the room shifted. A soft ripple of power brushed her skin - sharp, instinctual. Her wolf stirred violently. Savior.
"Retta," his voice rumbled outside the door. "Open up."
Her pulse jumped. She hesitated, heart hammering. "He's not supposed to... come here..."
Angela grinned wickedly. "Oh, come on. You two basically exploded under the moon last night. He's not going to wait for formalities. Open the door and stop pretending you're innocent."
With a trembling hand, Lauretta pulled the door open. Savior stood there, tall, broad, silver eyes glowing faintly under the moonlight spilling through the window. His wolf energy pressed against hers, warm, insistent, claiming.
"You're awake," he murmured, voice low and rough.
"Yes," she breathed. "I... I couldn't sleep."
"Good," he said, stepping closer. "Because neither could I. Not after last night. Not after... everything." His gaze swept over her, molten, silver-gold, filled with desire, protection, and something deeper, terrifyingly intimate.
Lauretta felt herself shiver, heart hammering. "Savior..."
He closed the distance, pressing a hand to her cheek, thumb brushing over her lips. "You're mine," he murmured. "And last night... was just the beginning. I want... all of you. Every part. All of this." His hand cupped her jaw, tilting her head slightly, eyes never leaving hers.
Her wolf growled softly, vibrating under her skin, pressing her into him. Desire surged, raw, unstoppable. Her body reacted before her mind could catch up.
"Then take me," she whispered, trembling. "If this is... what we're meant to do... then don't hold back."
He groaned low, pressing his forehead to hers. "Retta... I will never hold back. Not for the moon, not for your father, not for anyone. You're mine. All of you. And I'll fight anyone who tries to say otherwise."
"Eww... okay I'm out of here" Angela said.
Leaving them and going into the room.
Her chest rose and fell, trembling with adrenaline, desire, and raw, primal need. The baby kicked again - tiny fists pounding inside her, responding to the bond, the heat, the pure intensity of what they were sharing.
Angela's voice echoed faintly in her memory: "Oh Lord... we're officially screwed."
Lauretta shivered, lips brushing his. "Yes... we're screwed. But... I don't care."
Savior's lips captured hers fully, wolf and human instincts colliding in a violent, consuming kiss. Every nerve ignited. Every instinct demanded claiming. Every surge of power, heat, and primal need flowed through them, unstoppable, unrelenting.
She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him flush, hips pressing, body trembling. Her wolf surged in response, nipping, growling, marking, claiming.
"I'm yours," she whispered against his lips. "Every part. Every inch. Every heartbeat. You have me."
"And I'll never let go," he replied, voice low, rough, vibrating through her. "Not ever."
For a moment, everything else vanished - pack politics, fatherly wrath, council interventions. There was only them, the bond, the baby, and the wild, unstoppable pull of the moon.
Then, a sharp vibration in the air - a warning. A ripple of distant wolf energy, tense, chaotic. A threat approaching.
Lauretta pulled back slightly, eyes wide. "Savior... something's coming."
He nodded, wolf senses flaring. "I know. But we face it together. Always. No matter what."
Her chest swelled, heart hammering. Bonded, marked, claimed. But the fight... the real fight... was only beginning.
Angela's voice whispered in her memory again, a mix of dread and amusement: "Welcome to being a hot, cursed, moon-marked mother-to-be in the middle of a supernatural war. You're screwed, girl. Big time."
Lauretta smiled faintly through her fear. Yes. She was screwed.
And yes... she had never felt more alive.
