Tell him.The thought emerges, unbidden but undeniable.The Moon Goddess chose this. He is your fated mate.
I trace the tiny nick on his neck, already clotted. He doesn’t even know it’s there.
Tell him.
Yet, tomorrow we climb a mountain to face a man who commands dark magic and is using our friend to do evil. Tomorrow could be our end. Ethan deserves to receive this truth at a time when he can sit with it, mull it over, and choose it freely, not on the eve of a battle that might take one of us, or both of us.
After Holden is stopped and Jayme is free, I’ll tell him everything.
My wolf whines, low and mournful, still aching from the denied claim.
I close my eyes and press closer to Ethan, letting his heartbeat count the seconds I refuse to waste on worry. His arms tighten around me, warm and solid, grounding me here.
Tomorrow will come soon enough.
But right now, this moment belongs to us, and I hold it like a breath.
This is enough for now.
Chapter 39 — Ethan
The fortress buzzes with controlled chaos as the wolves prepare for the confrontation with Holden. Guards sharpen weapons, check armor, and exchange terse instructions. I weave through the activity, heading toward Thea’s chambers.
I find her in the sitting room adjacent to her bedroom, a cup of tea steaming on the table beside her. She looks up when I enter, a grin spreading across her face.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite human.” She sets down the book she was reading. “Xander told me you’re going with them today. It’s going to be dangerous, you know.”
“I couldn’t stay behind.” I drop into the chair across from her. “Not after everything Holden’s put Jayme through.”
Her blue eyes study me with that knowing look she’s always had, even when it was just us back at the diner. “You look better than the last time I saw you.”
I smile. “Yeah, Rhiannon and I...worked things out.”
Thea’s eyebrows rise. “Worked things out as in...”
“As in we’re together. For real this time.” The words feel strange and wonderful to say aloud. “We’re not exactly telling anyone yet, but yeah. We talked. We yelled. We said things we probably should have said a long time ago.”
“Oh, Ethan.” Thea reaches across to squeeze my hand, her smile genuine but tinged with worry. “I’m happy for you and scared for you all at the same time.”
I exhale. “Me too. There’s something I want to ask you about.” I shift in my seat, suddenly unsure how to explain. “Last night, when we were...together, she almost bit me. Here.” I pull my collar aside to show the small nick on my shoulder where it meets my neck. “She stopped herself, but I don’t really understand what happened.”
Thea straightens, her expression turning serious. She leans forward, examining my shoulder. “Wow. She almost marked you.”
“Marked me?” I remember reading about this in the Lycan books, but there was a lot more on wars than relationships.
“It’s a Lycan thing. When mates claim each other, they leave a mark— a bite — that never fades. Xander marked me on our wedding night.” Thea pulls her collar down to show a scar at the base of her neck. “It creates a permanent bond between mates.”
My stomach does a strange flip. “How permanent?”
“Permanent as in forever, Ethan. Once a Lycan marks their mate, that bond can’t be broken. Not by distance, not by time, not by anything. Sometimes, not even by death.”
There’s a pause. The information churns in my mind but doesn’t quite stick.
“So, if she’d bitten me...”
“You’d be bound to her. Officially her mate in the eyes of every Lycan in Clarion, and in the eyes of the Moon Goddess.” Thea’s voice is gentle, but firm. “It’s not like human marriage. This isreallyforever. There’s no divorce after being marked. Thefact that she stopped herself tells me she’s thinking about what’s best for you, not just what her wolf wants.”
“She pulled back so fast. Like she was scared of what she almost did.”
