My head throbbed with the worst headache of my life. I felt around for my surroundings. Wet moss coated my fingertips, and I was still wearing my clothes.

What happened?

“Arwyn?” Raydir’s voice called out. “Arwyn!”

“Over here! By the tree!” I called back.

He chuckled. “We’re in a forest, Arwyn!”

Right. I stood up, brushing off my pants and wobbling slightly when pain seared down my legs and through my shoulder. What had happened last night? I leaned against the tree for support. Raydir came into view and ran to my side.

“Woah! Are you hurt? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just a little sore.” I winced as my fingers touched my thighs. Why could I not remember anything?

“Here.” Raydir scooped my legs out from underneath me into his arms. I squeaked in protest, clinging to his neck for dear life.

“Don’t drop me!”

Raydir laughed. “I won’t. I promise.” He started walking back in what I hoped was the direction of our cabin. While we walked, my fingers combed through Raydir’s hair. I loved the way it felt between my fingers.

“What happened when you shifted?” I asked.

His expression remained neutral. “I don’t really know. It comes in waves. How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay. My head hurts more than I expected it to, but I’m sure that’s only temporary. I’m glad you’re alright. I wish I could’ve been with you. You kept me sane while I shifted, and I wanted to do the same for you.”

“Ar, you have done the same for me. Last night was hard for me too, but I thought about you the whole time. I’m worried about you.” He paused. “There was fear in your eyes, Arwyn. I linked you and you didn’t recognize me.”

I swallowed hard. He remembered and I didn’t, which could only mean one thing. I had the harsh wolf spirit. “I thought the link wasn’t supposed to work until the marking.”

Raydir shrugged. “Maybe not, but we got it early. That can only be a good thing, right.”

“I guess.” My gaze flickered up to meet his. “I was so scared, Ray. I didn’t want you to be afraid of me.”

“Hey.” He cupped my face in his hands, as he slowly let me back down outside of the cabin. “I will never be afraid of you.”

I kissed him. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” He swept me into his arms again as we walked in. “Hm, this almost feels like we’re married, doesn’t it?”

I laughed. “Yeah, it does.” My expression sombered. “I almost wish we could stop time. I mean each time we shift now, we’re losing a few hours into nothingness,” I said.

“Agreed.” He leaned forward, lips parting, fingers curling through my hair. “So how can I make up for lost time tonight?”

My mouth twitched into a smile. “Just kiss me.”

Raydir grinned and pulled me closer, as heat radiated off of our clothed bodies. His mouth found mine, heads turning, bodies yearning for each other.

And then the heat intensified.

Our gazes locked on one another, hunger and desire evident in his eyes. His lips moved lower to the spot of exposed skin between my shoulder blades.

This was really happening.

Can I kiss you here? he asked, his fingers gliding lightly over the spot. Warmth pooled over my skin as he touched me. I bit my tongue to keep from giggling at how ticklish it felt. He’d teased it before but never kissed me anywhere other than my mouth. That was all about to change tonight.

Yes. I closed my eyes as he nipped lightly at the skin, his breath warm against it. His hands traveled to the front of my top, brushing lightly over my breasts before hovering just above the ties.

Tonight was all about slow and steady.

As his fingers started to tug at the strings, I pulled back. “Wait. Um, should we…you know, move to the—my room? Or yours. Doesn’t really matter, since we’ve sort of been flipping between them. I just don’t think this should happen on…the couch.”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

I awkwardly led him to my room, closing the door behind us. “So. How exactly…I mean, what…”

He reached out to tuck my hair behind my ears. “We just…do.”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

His fingers fumbled at the ribbons, taking his time to untie them. Then he grunted, and the top cinched against my stomach.

“Agh.”

“Sorry, hold on.” He stepped back. “I think I knotted it.”

“Just—here.” I swatted his hand away and picked at the knot, lucky enough to have dealt with this sort of thing for so many years. Raydir took that moment to latch on to my neck again, making it very hard to concentrate on the ties.

Finally. The knot came undone so that the corset top hung loosely over my body. “There.” I glanced up at him.

He slowly raised the fabric away from my body inch by inch, exposing more and more skin. I was tempted to just toss the full thing across the room, but there was something about the way he took his time. Both sweet and annoying.

Tonight was about savoring the small moments.

I reached out to take his hands, letting them slide up my torso. His thumbs brushed gently over my exposed skin, lingering around my breasts as his fingers cupped them. Once the top was successfully off—it only got stuck on my head once—I quickly stepped out of my pants. His gaze slowly traveled from my eyes to my exposed breasts to the rest of my body as if memorizing every inch of me.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Even though we’d already seen each other naked a handful of times since coming out to the valley, none of them had been like this, about really getting to know each other. I resisted the urge to wrap my arms around my torso, hiding myself from him.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured. He reached his arms up to pull his shirt off over his head, tossing it to the side.

My breath caught in my throat. I drank in the muscles of his bare chest, the sprinkling of freckles that dotted along his torso and around his side, the trail of hair leading straight down from his navel behind the top of his trousers taunting me with every breath he took.

He undid the buckle and let the trousers fall to the ground, kicking them aside with my discarded clothes.

Oh wow. This is really happening. This is real. My heart pounded harder in my chest.

Tonight was about becoming one with each other.

I drew a hand down his chest, feeling it rise and fall, before wrapping my arms around his neck. “Ray.”

“Hmm.” He lifted me up and laid me down on the bed.

My fingers curled through his hair. “You asked me before the first Alignment what I was afraid of with you. The truth?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m afraid of not being enough for you. I have loved you since we were children, Raydir. For so many years, I longed to know you—really know you—and now that we’re vulnerable to each other, I can’t help but wonder if I really am what you want.”

“Arwyn.” His voice floated over me, soothing as always. A tingle shivered along my back. “You are who I have always wanted to spend my life with. No one else.”

“Are you afraid?”

He leaned in close, his breath warm on my cheek. “Terrified.”

I kissed him, letting my tongue dance around his mouth. Then let’s conquer our fears together.

I traced my fingers over the cord that held his obsidian crystal. Raydir swallowed, his breath heavy and his eyes filled with a desirous fire. I pressed my lips against his chest and trailed my hands down his torso, leaving kisses against every freckle. He groaned with pleasure at each touch, grasping my hips for support as his head tilted backwards. My breath hovered over his skin, coming out hot, as I kissed him. My hands slid down to his thighs.

“Ar,” he moaned.

Looking down, I traced a finger over the freckles on his inner thighs. “Is this okay?”

He nodded. “I don’t…I don’t like them. The freckles.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “Because I do. They make you unique. They make you who you are.”

Raydir’s green eyes locked onto mine. He wasn’t convinced, I could see that.

“Don’t worry about it, Ray. It’s okay not to like them because I love you no matter what.” I pressed a small kiss to each of his inner thighs. Then I worked my way back up to his mouth before he rolled us to be on top.

“I love you,” he murmured against my lips.

My fingers ran over his bare back as his lips nestled into my neck then down to the valley between my breasts. The stubble on his cheek was rough against my skin, but I loved the way his body felt with mine. He moved his way back up, peppering my chest with kisses. I leaned my head to the side to give him better access to my neck. His tongue swirled over the skin before his lips nipped at the spot just above my collarbone. He tugged ever so slightly with his teeth. I let out a gasp of pleasure as he marked my neck—for real this time.

Finally. Heat poured through my body and my toes curled on the bed. Now we could really be one with each other.

He let out a low growl. I should’ve done that a month ago.

He rocked us in a rhythm on the bed. It was just me and him, no one else. After we reached our peak, we fell breathlessly beside each other. Exhaustion from the Alignment came over me like a wave, and I fell asleep to the sound of Ray’s heartbeat in time with my own.

***

A few hours later, I woke up to the mattress shifting under Raydir.

“Ray? Where are you going?” I reached out my arm and my fingers came in contact with his face.

“Mmph.”

“You’re still here.” I opened my eyes.

He smiled and brushed his fingers over my cheek. “Of course. I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here with you.”

“Good.” I cupped his face in my hands and pressed my lips to his. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer and rolling us so that he was on top. His mouth teased my neck as our breathing got heavier.

I curled my fingers in his hair and my eyes fluttered closed. He was my sanctuary. Every bit of worry that had swelled up inside of me fizzled away just from the desire of being with him. He was my safe space. Nothing could ever change that.

“I’m gonna go take a bath. You wanna join?”

My eyes flew open and I smacked him across the chest. “Damn, you sure know how to ruin a good mood.”

Raydir laughed. “C’mon, you know you want to.”

I shrieked as he pulled the sheet off the bed, leaving me covered with nothing. “Traitor!” I took his hand, leading him down the hall to the bathroom.

Just then, someone pounded on the door to our cabin.

Raydir paused from where we were standing, briefly stopping to put on a fresh pair of pants before moving swiftly to the front door. I threw on my nightgown and followed quickly behind him. When Raydir opened the door, Bennett leaned against the doorframe, a look of concern etched across his face.

“What happened?” I asked.

“There was an attack in Gwyniar,” he replied. “A rogue. We’re doing a headcount in the Grand Cabin to make sure no one else was injured and then sending a team out to scout the area.” His gaze flickered to me as he spoke.

“What? What do you mean ‘no one else’? Was someone in Gwyniar hurt?” I demanded to know. Please let it be nothing serious.

“Your father tried to stop the attack. He’s in critical condition.”

My knees turned to jello as the words hit my ears. Father. Attack. Critical condition. Raydir caught me as I fell, a scream escaping my lips and tears streaming down my face. My father! And I wasn’t there because I chose a promise over family.

“No! No no no!” I pounded my fists against Raydir’s chest as he cradled me, trying to calm me down.

“Take her to the Grand Cabin now,” Bennett instructed.

Raydir lifted me up as I cried and rushed over to the Grand Cabin where Rosie was already waiting with Caesaria and Darius.

“Arwyn.” Caesaria ran over to me, taking me from Raydir.

I wrapped my arms around her neck as she enveloped me into a hug. “Tell me it’s not true. Tell me they’re lying!”

“We don’t know much right now,” Caesaria said, which was not comforting.”

“Who’s with him right now?”

“Your mother. She was the one who found…” she trailed off as another sob escaped my lips. Turning to Bennett, she said, “I can’t do this, Bennett. Arwyn needs to be with her family. She has to go with us.”

I glared at Bennett. “You were going to make me stay in the valley? When my father is dying? No, that’s where I draw the line. I am going, end of story.”

Caesaria held up a small satchel. “I already packed an outfit for you to change into.”

“You are wonderful.” With another small glance at Raydir and Bennett, I went to change. Once I had returned, Bennett instructed us on what to do and what to expect upon our arrival.

“There is only a small group of us going: Raydir, Caesaria, Arwyn, and myself,” Bennett said.

“Bennett and I will only be with you until we reach the edge of the woods by the dukedom,” Caesaria clarified. “We don’t need to overwhelm the Duke with an extra presence.”

I let out a shaky breath. “We need to leave now, don’t we?”

Bennett nodded. “Indeed. Are you both willing and able to shift? You’ll get there in about an hour. Arwyn, since this is your first time shifting away from an Alignment, you’ll feel a bit tired once you’ve shifted back, but that is perfectly normal. Ready?”

We all nodded and shifted simultaneously. Unlike last night, this shift felt good. Safe. My body did not fight the transformation, almost bowing down to the wolf inside and letting her take control.

Everything is going to be alright, Arwyn, Raydir spoke through our link.

I hope you’re right.