Annika exhales softly beside me.
“That was…intense,” she murmurs.
I glance down at her, unable to stop the small smile that pulls at my lips. The morning light catches in her dark hair, and for a moment, I’m struck by the same realization that has followed me since she pulled my soul back from the edge of death.
I shouldn’t even be standing here…
“You handled it well,” I tell her quietly.
She shrugs lightly, though I notice the faint color creeping into her cheeks. “They were all looking at me like I’d grown a second head.”
“They were looking at the woman who saved their alpha,” I correct.
Annika glances up at me then, something softer passing over her expression. The moment stretches between us, and suddenly, the air feels warmer than it should in the middle of winter.
Without another word, we begin walking back toward the cabin together, and one thought lingers clearly in my mind.
For the first time since this war began, the world outside the valley might finally be safe again. But with every step, the distance between us feels a little smaller…and the tension between us a little harder to ignore.
It’s worth noting that we haven’t even stopped holding hands, even as we approach the cabin on the hill. Something else comes to mind then, perhaps brought on by a primal instinct and the beast in me stirring awake.
I gulp hard to stop those thoughts from intruding on my mind, but Annika must have noticed, or maybe she feels it because we’re still holding hands. Anything is possible afterwhat she pulled last night, and I turn to her slowly, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights.
“You remember everything that happened in the in-between, right?” she asks, surprising me.
“Y-yes,” I croak, clearing my throat then. “I do remember it all.”
Annika surprises me further when she nods thoughtfully, and instead of saying anything, she pulls me toward the cabin.
Once we’re inside, she turns to me and watches me as I close the door behind us.
“Then you remember what I said?” she asks, her voice silky as she whispers.
“You said many things, Anni…” I drawl as I take a step closer, and Annika stays rooted in place, looking up into my eyes and batting her lashes seductively at me, prompting my mind to run a million miles a second with sinful, primal thoughts.
I reach out and stroke her cheek with the back of my hand, and she breathes deeply, the inhale sounding nearly sinful.
“Are you talking about the part where you’re ready to be more than just my luna…?” I teasingly asked after she’d been the center of attention in that meeting. ,
Her breath hitches.
“Maybe,” she purrs, staring deeply into my eyes as if she’s meeting my soul again, eyes searching mine, and a smile tugging at her lips as if she found what she’s looking for.
She steps closer, placing a hand flat on my chest as her eyes glow beneath her thick, luscious lashes, a glint of amusement flashing through the chocolate-brown orbs.
I slide my hand through her hair, cupping the back of her head and drawing her closer until her breath comes close enough that I can taste her essence, as if her breath becomes mine.
“You know that there is more to being my luna than just wielding magic and fighting demons, right?” I rasp, and her lips part on her unsteady exhale.
“I…I am aware…” she whispers, and I smirk in response.
“Would you like me to show you what it means…?”
Annika gulps, then nods her head tentatively. “Yes,” she breathes, and that’s when I swoop in and conquer her lips in a heady, passionate kiss.
When I break the kiss, it’s only to flash her a smile and to lift her into my arms, spinning her around and carrying her down the hallway toward the study. I notice the frown crossing her brows, and I tell her, “There’s something I wanna show you inside.”
She stares at me quizzically, but makes no protest, lips pursed in quiet contemplation as she allows me to carry her inside the study.
