Dax POV
Tonight is our mating ceremony - sealing what the Moon Goddess already wove between us. Kael and me, bound under the waxing moon. Kai’s orders to lift the pack’s spirits after the tension of the last couple of weeks. But my pulse races for her, not duty, claiming her openly, makes Rune howl with a mix of triumph and raw nerves I didn’t know I still had.
I’ve spent the morning trying to focus on practical things - ordering supplies for the feast, lanterns, moonstone-beaded braids for the rite, fresh pelts for the dais - but the numbers blur on my computer. My thoughts are tangled in her laugh, her touch, the way she pinned me in the yard last week, her body flush against mine, breath hot on my neck. Enough, I mutter, closing the ledger. I need air, I need her.
Outside, the crisp
