Even with Mum’s protest, Caden refuses to leave my side as we get ready. She gently reminds him it’s tradition for the Alpha not to see the Luna’s dress before the ceremony, even if he helped me choose it. but he just shakes his head like the thought of being apart for even a moment is unbearable.
And honestly… I get it.
We’ve barely spent more than a few minutes apart since our Ailm bond deepened—since the heat, the chaos, the claiming. Being separated now, even for something as beautiful as this, feels like trying to breathe underwater. There’s a tension low in my belly, not anxiety exactly, but a pull. Like my soul is quietly calling for him, and his is just barely out of reach.
Still, he kisses the top of my head and says with a smirk, “Ten minutes. I’ll leave ten minutes before you
