Moonbound Mates

Chapter Twenty-Six

Sleep came easily.

That should have been her first warning.

Dreams rarely made sense.

This one felt entirely too real.

Rowan stood in the small kitchenette of the inn.

The scent of garlic and herbs still lingered in the air.

The dishes were done.

The town outside had gone quiet.

And somehow she and Kael were still standing there.

Talking.

Laughing.

Existing together.

Just like he'd said his family used to do in Fernhaven.

"You know," Rowan said, leaning against the counter, "that steak really did ruin all future steak for me."

A faint smile tugged at Kael's mouth.

"That dramatic?"

"I'm serious."

"You usually are."

She rolled her eyes.

Then froze.

Because Kael had stepped closer.

Not enough to alarm her.

Just enough that she noticed.

The smile faded from his face.

Something softer taking its place.

"You liked it that much?"

Rowan swallowed.

"Yes."

The word came out quieter than she'd intended.

For a moment, neither spoke.

The room seemed smaller somehow.

Warmer.

Kael took another step.

Now he was close.

Far too close.

Her pulse stumbled.

His hand settled lightly against her waist.

Not possessive.

Not demanding.

Just there.

Steady.

Warm.

Rowan forgot how to breathe.

His gaze never left hers.

"I could do this every day."

The words came quietly.

She stared at him.

"What?"

A faint smile appeared.

"Cook for you."

Her heart immediately forgot how to function.

His hand slid from her waist.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Following the curve of her side.

Rowan's breath caught.

The warmth of his touch seemed to burn through the fabric between them.

"Kael..."

His name sounded different here.

Softer.

His gaze never left hers.

The room felt too warm.

Too small.

Every part of her seemed aware of him.

The steady rise and fall of his chest.

The warmth of his body.

The way he looked at her.

Like she was the only thing that mattered.

His fingertips brushed lightly against her side.

Rowan forgot how to breathe.

Forgot how to think.

Forgot everything except him.

Then—

A sharp knock rattled the door.

Rowan jerked awake.

Her eyes flew open.

For one disorienting second, she had no idea where she was.

The inn.

Fernhaven.

The bedroom.

The bed.

Reality returned all at once.

A second knock sounded.

"Rowan?"

Kael.

The voice from the other side of the door nearly killed her.

Heat flooded her face immediately.

Gods.

Nyra was laughing so hard she could barely form words.

"Oh, this is wonderful."

"Be quiet."

"You dreamed about him."

"Be quiet."

"You really dreamed about him."

Rowan buried her face in the pillow.

The wolf was insufferable.

Another knock.

"Rowan?"

Her eyes squeezed shut.

Because somehow this was worse.

Much worse.

He was right outside the door.

And she had to open it.

And act normal.

As though her brain hadn't spent the last few minutes betraying her in spectacular fashion.

"Give me a minute!"

Silence.

Then—

"Are you alright?"

The concern in his voice somehow made everything worse.

"Fine!"

A pause.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Nyra cackled.

Rowan considered throwing herself out the window.

It was only the second floor.

Probably survivable.

Rowan stared at the door.

Then at the window.

Then back at the door.

The window still seemed like a viable option.

Another knock sounded.

"Rowan?"

Gods.

"Come in."

The door opened.

Kael stepped inside carrying two cups of coffee.

"Good morning."

Rowan accepted one immediately.

Mostly because it gave her something to do besides make eye contact.

"Morning."

She took a sip.

Far too quickly.

Immediately regretted it.

Hot.

Very hot.

Excellent.

This day was going wonderfully.

Kael frowned slightly.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine."

The answer came much too fast.

His eyes narrowed.

Rowan smiled.

It probably looked strange.

Thankfully, Kael let it go.

For now.

Instead, he leaned against the doorway.

A thoughtful expression crossing his face.

"Orion has been driving me insane all morning."

Rowan blinked.

"Your wolf?"

Kael nodded.

"He spent most of the night pacing."

Nyra immediately perked up.

"That's because he's smart."

Rowan ignored her.

Mostly.

"And now?" she asked.

Kael sighed.

"Now he wants outside."

Nyra's excitement doubled.

"Yes."

"We're not discussing this."

"Yes, we are."

The wolf sounded delighted.

Kael rubbed the back of his neck.

"I was thinking..."

That was usually dangerous.

"What?"

A faint smile appeared.

"Maybe we let them run."

Rowan paused.

The idea sounded wonderful.

Fresh air.

Movement.

Something to focus on besides the fact that she'd just dreamed about him.

Nyra was practically bouncing.

"Say yes."

Rowan took another sip of coffee.

More carefully this time.

Then nodded.

"That sounds nice."

Kael's smile widened slightly.

"Good."

For some reason, that smile felt far more dangerous than it should have.

And somewhere in the back of her mind, Nyra was already celebrating.

A short while later, they found themselves standing at the edge of the forest behind the inn.

The trees stretched endlessly ahead.

Tall.

Green.

Peaceful.

Fernhaven disappeared quickly behind them.

For several moments, neither spoke.

Then Rowan glanced at Kael.

Kael glanced at Rowan.

A beat passed.

Then another.

"Oh."

Kael rubbed the back of his neck.

"Right."

The realization hit them both at exactly the same time.

Shifting required no clothes.

Unfortunately.

Rowan suddenly found the trees very interesting.

"So..."

"So."

Neither moved.

Gods.

This was ridiculous.

"We can just turn around," Kael offered.

"Good plan."

They immediately turned their backs to each other.

Nyra was laughing.

Hard.

"Not a word."

The wolf ignored her.

A few moments later, Rowan finished shifting.

The familiar rush swept through her body.

Bones shifting.

Muscles stretching.

The world expanding.

Then—

Nyra burst free.

The wolf hit the forest floor at a run.

Pure joy.

Pure freedom.

Behind her, a massive black wolf exploded from the trees.

Orion.

Nyra barked happily and immediately took off.

Orion gave chase.

The forest blurred around them.

Trees.

Leaves.

Sunlight.

Everything became motion.

Everything became speed.

Nyra ran.

Orion followed.

Then passed her.

The challenge was immediate.

The answer even faster.

Nyra surged forward.

The race was on.

They flew through the woods.

Leaping fallen logs.

Splashing through narrow streams.

Darting between ancient trees.

Neither willing to surrender victory.

Neither willing to slow down.

For the first time in days, maybe weeks, Rowan felt completely free.

No Council.

No reports.

No decisions.

Just wind.

Forest.

And the wolf running beside her.

Hours passed.

Eventually their pace slowed.

The race giving way to an easy lope through the trees.

The morning sun filtered through the canopy above.

Warm against their fur.

Peaceful.

Content.

Nyra slowed near a small clearing.

Orion stopped beside her.

For a moment, neither moved.

Then Orion stepped closer.

Gently pressing his muzzle against hers.

Nyra stilled.

The black wolf's golden eyes remained fixed on her.

Steady.

Certain.

As if trying to say something neither human would ever hear.

As if trying to tell her:

We don't have to fight this forever.

Something deep inside Nyra softened.

For the first time, she didn't pull away.

And somewhere behind the wolves, hidden beneath fur and instinct and impossible bonds, Rowan's heart forgot how to behave.

By the time they returned to Fernhaven, the sun had climbed high overhead.

Neither mentioned the run.

Neither mentioned the strange moment at the end.

The one where Orion had pressed his muzzle against Nyra's.

The one Rowan couldn't seem to stop thinking about.

Thankfully, the town provided plenty of distractions.

Including the bookstore.

The moment Rowan stepped inside, she stopped walking.

Floor-to-ceiling shelves stretched in every direction.

Rolling ladders rested against towering bookcases.

Plants hung from the ceiling.

Comfortable chairs sat tucked into quiet corners.

The scent of old paper filled the air.

It was perfect.

"Oh no," Rowan muttered.

Kael looked amused.

"What?"

"I'm never leaving."

A faint laugh escaped him.

The sound made something warm settle in her chest.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

For the next hour, Rowan disappeared completely.

At one point, she wandered into a section dedicated entirely to ancient pack history.

At another, she somehow ended up reading the first chapter of a book while standing in the middle of an aisle.

Then there had been a very serious debate over whether buying four books counted as excessive.

It did not.

Kael disagreed.

Naturally.

Eventually, Rowan found him sitting in a chair near the front window.

A book already resting in his hands.

She paused.

Then smiled.

"You found one."

Kael looked up.

"I always do."

Something about the answer caught her attention.

"Always?"

A faint smile appeared.

"My mother started a tradition."

Of course she had.

Rowan sat down across from him.

"When we came to Fernhaven, we each picked one book."

His gaze dropped briefly to the cover in his hands.

"Every year."

Something unexpectedly soft settled in Rowan's chest.

"And you still do it."

The answer came without hesitation.

"Yes."

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Rowan glanced down at the book tucked beneath her arm.

A small smile tugged at her mouth.

"I guess I'm participating now."

Kael's eyes flickered toward her book.

The smile he gave her was small.

But real.

"I guess you are."

The warmth in her chest deepened.

Gods.

This trip was becoming a problem.

A little while later, they left the bookstore carrying more books than either of them technically needed.

Rowan considered that a successful outing.

Kael disagreed.

Again.

The market sat only a few streets away.

A collection of colorful stalls clustered together beneath striped awnings.

The scent of fresh bread and herbs drifted through the air.

People moved between vendors carrying baskets overflowing with produce.

It felt alive.

Warm.

Comfortable.

Fernhaven in a nutshell.

Together, they placed an order for ingredients.

Fresh vegetables.

Bread.

A few things Kael insisted were necessary.

Rowan suspected he simply enjoyed cooking.

Then—

"One bottle of wine."

The merchant nodded immediately.

"Of course."

The order was written down.

Payment exchanged.

Delivery arranged.

Simple.

Easy.

Completely unremarkable.

Neither gave it another thought.

The afternoon slipped by quickly after that.

Soon they found themselves walking back toward the inn.

Books tucked beneath their arms.

The streets glowing gold beneath the late afternoon sunlight.

For a while, neither spoke.

They didn't seem to need to.

Fernhaven drifted lazily around them.

Peaceful.

Comfortable.

Safe.

Rowan adjusted the book beneath her arm.

Then glanced toward Kael.

He was looking ahead.

Relaxed.

Content.

For the first time since arriving in Silver Moon territory, the future didn't feel quite so frightening.

The realization caught her off guard.

Somewhere along the way, Fernhaven had stopped feeling like a trial assignment.

And started feeling like a memory she wanted to keep.

Beside her, Kael smiled at something she couldn't see.

The sight made her chest tighten unexpectedly.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Rowan looked away immediately.

Because every time she started feeling comfortable, something inevitably went wrong.

Surely this time would be different.

Right?

The universe, unfortunately, had a very strange sense of humor.