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eighteen
RORY
My fingers were lacedthrough Amarok’s as the last of us finally funneled out of the pack’s den.
Ezra and I had stayed to clean up with our mates after the party ended. We’d immediately been carried to the nearest couch and set down on our asses with heaping plates of food, but neither of us had protested.
We’d lost like champions, so it seemed fitting, anyway.
They’d finished cleaning soon enough, the guys chatting and tossing jokes back and forth. Honestly, the whole night had been so surreal to me, I couldn’t stop myself from grinning.
Amarok and I weren’t mated. Our relationship was about as far from stable as it could be in Evare’s definition of the term, with no magic connecting us anymore. Yet, he had been calm. He had been level-headed. He had sat across from me without complaint, and hadn’t been upset in the slightest when I smiled at and chatted with other men.
I’d madefriends. Male friends, too. One of the other guys had even asked me if he could bring me food, and Amarok hadn’t lost his shit or called me a slut or anything. He stood closer to me after I turned the guy down, but it wasn’t a big deal at all.
Not because Amarok didn’t care if someone else flirted with me, but because he was secure in our relationship. And honestly, I was too.
It was a good feeling.
A really, really good feeling.
I couldn’t say I was ready to commit when there were so many things I didn’t know about him, but it still felt good.
“Are we moving your stuff to my den tonight?” he asked me, our linked hands swinging a little between us as we made our way back.
I hesitated, and he waited patiently for me to answer.
Finally, I admitted, “I want to. I really, really want to. I’m just nervous about jumping all-in so soon. We still haven’t known each other that long. Everything felt perfect with Allen at the beginning too, even though I can look back now and see the red flags.”
“Then we’ll wait.” He said it like it was simple, like he wasn’t frustrated, angry, or heart-broken. “There’s no rush, Aurora. When we seal the bond, it’ll tie us forever.”
I nodded, relief relaxing my shoulders as we approached my den. “Thank you.”
“What did I say about thanking me?” His voice was gruff, but playful too.
“Right, I need to think of something better.” I went up on my tiptoes, and he bent down to kiss me. The kiss was soft and slow, and made me seriously reconsider going home alone.
But ultimately, I needed time to myself, to get reacquainted with my own mind.
So, I finally pulled away, smiled at him, said goodnight, and slipped into my den.
It felt much colder and emptier after two nights in Amarok’s, but I sprawled out and let my mind go to the past.
A cold and empty bed was so damn much better than my life on Earth.
Casino Night had been fun, and eye-opening. I felt safer than ever with Amarok, even if I wasn’t ready to commit entirely. He was willing to give me as much time as I needed before sealing our bond, and clearly had no intention of pushing me or rushing me into anything.
I’d managed to find everything I’d wanted and needed… and I’d done it in a magical world, of all places.
My lips curved upward, and I fell asleep happy.
Really, genuinely happy.
The next morning,we fell back into our routine. Amarok made me breakfast in his den, and we chatted over our food before spending the day working with the pack. We had lunch on our own and dinner in the pack’s den, and parted ways at the entrance to my home.
Neither of us instigated sex. I wasn’t sure if he wanted it—Idefinitely wanted it—but I wasn’t sure how to go about suggesting it. Getting freaky in the kitchen didn’t seem as natural as it had the night before the eclipse, so I didn’t bring it up.
It was nice to talk, though. He told me stories about the creative ways they’d kept their packmates from losing their minds, and about how life had been before immis started setting in for anyone.
