Wild Moon

Chapter Six

Lila stayed still in his arms, savoring the warmth, the connection that was so undeniable it made everything else fade into the background. The soft sound of Kieran’s breathing beneath her ear was like a lullaby, pulling her deeper into the comfort of his embrace. She let her fingers lightly trace the lines of his chest, the steady rise and fall beneath her palm.

She couldn’t deny it anymore.

Kieran was her mate.

The truth of it settled over her like a weight and a revelation all at once. It wasn’t just the bond, the pull she’d felt the night before when they collided in the forest. It was something deeper, something that echoed in her very bones. He was a part of her, just as she was a part of him.

Her wolf had known it the moment they’d met. It had called to him.

Lila closed her eyes, letting the realization wash over her. She had fought it, struggled against it because he was a rogue—an outcast, someone her father would never accept. Someone who could bring danger to everything she knew.

But no amount of resistance could change the fact that her heart and her soul had found their counterpart in Kieran.

She let out a slow breath, exhaling the tension that had built up over the last few days. There was nothing to fight anymore.

Her hand slid higher, cupping his jaw gently, and she shifted slightly, her face tilting upward toward his. His golden eyes flickered open, sleep still clouding them.

For a moment, they just stared at each other. Her breath caught, her heart skipping a beat at the vulnerability she saw in his gaze.

Kieran shifted slightly, pulling her even closer, his arm winding tighter around her waist. He nuzzled his nose into her hair, the soft, rough gesture making her feel more at ease than she ever had in her life.

“You’re not running anymore,” he murmured into her ear.

Lila’s heart thundered in her chest as she finally answered him. “I’m not running.”

It felt like a promise. To herself, to him.

He pulled back just enough to look at her, searching her face for any trace of doubt. There was none.

“I thought you’d never accept it,” he admitted, his voice rough with something that sounded like relief.

“I didn’t want to,” she whispered. “I couldn’t.”

He frowned slightly, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “Because of me being a rogue?”

She nodded. “Because of everything. The pack... my father... my duty. I’ve been trained my entire life to lead, to protect the pack, to follow the rules. You...” Her voice faltered, and she stopped herself before she could say too much.

Kieran’s gaze softened, and he tucked her closer to him, his arms tight around her. “I’m not asking you to give up everything for me, Lila. I wouldn’t want that. I’d never want you to feel trapped by me.”

“I don’t feel trapped,” she said softly, leaning into him more. “I feel...” She paused, looking up at him. “Right.”

The words were simple, but they felt like the truth—the deepest truth she had ever spoken. In his arms, in this moment, nothing else seemed to matter.

Kieran’s hand found the back of her head, gently tilting it up as he lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was slow at first, almost tentative, as if he was giving her space to pull away. But she didn’t. Instead, she melted into it, letting the spark between them ignite into a fire. Her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened, slow and tender, filled with everything that words couldn’t express.

When they finally broke apart, both of them breathless, Lila’s heart was racing. She could feel the bond thrumming between them, solid and real, like a thread connecting them that she could never sever.

Kieran rested his forehead against hers, breathing in deeply. “You’re mine,” he murmured, as though saying it was the only thing that made sense in this world.

“And you’re mine,” she replied, the words coming easily now, like a promise that had always been inside her, waiting to be spoken.

Lila closed her eyes, allowing the warmth of the moment to surround her. She didn’t know what the future would hold. Her father would never accept Kieran, and there would be consequences—dangers, maybe even a war.

But for the first time, she wasn’t afraid.

Because Kieran was hers. And she was his.

And together, they could face whatever came next.