Chapter 130

Thorne’s POV

“Then seal your vows.”

Almost before the Elder is finished speaking, I cup Aurora’s cheek. Her warmth fills my body as I slide my hand to the back of her neck and pull her to me. Her pulse beats wildly against my palm as I touch my mark on her neck and seal her lips in a kiss.

Heat coils in me as our mouths meet, the press of her lips firm and soft at the same time. I kiss her with the promise of a lifetime, with the vow of loving her, of protection and possession, and everything I can ever offer.

Without her, I am nothing.

My life would be bland and empty.

When I pull back, the cheers explode around us again. My pack cheers and whistles. Howls fill the air, and I don’t miss Anders and Jace laughing from the front row. They make ridiculous gestures that make my mate blush, but I can’t stop myself from grinning.

My mate is glowing, and everyone notices.

The air fills with so many emotions that I can feel it all. The warmth of Aurora’s love fills our bond, and the excited energy of my pack hums in the air like an electric current.

But, my focus is on Aurora. Always.

I want her to know that she’s mine and I’m hers, and nothing or no one will change that.

Turning to face our pack, I take in their faces. Acceptance beams from the crowd, and I feel a sense of pride fill me. There was a time I didn’t want to let them see Aurora, afraid—even if I didn’t want to admit it aloud—that they would shun her or turn her away.

Now, I realize I had nothing to worry about. Seeing their joy and hearing the cheers, I know I was wrong.

She’s my mate, and they accept that.

I notice Aurora’s attention on the front row where her family sits. Her parents, human and Lycan, sit in the front row just a few seats down from Anders, and they’re beaming. Her human mom is crying, and her little sister, Sophie, is hugging her. Elizabeth and Grayson are holding each other, watching their long lost daughter with smiles that speak volumes.

Aurora waves at the four of them as I help her step down from the dais.

Her long white dress swishes around her feet, and I take another moment to soak in her beauty.

I keep my and on the small of her back as I lead her through the rowdy crowd. I use my body to shield her from anyone who is too wild, my eyes sweeping up her body.

The hot hunger from earlier returns, and I lean in, “Hungry?” I tease her. “Because I am.” I send my thoughts down our bond, deliberately putting a mental image in her mind. A second later, I feel the shiver that runs through her as the idea of her bent over the bed while I eat her out makes her gasp.

Aurora hisses, playfully, “We can’t. We have a wedding to finish.”

I shake my head, “Then it’ll have to wait.” I lean closer, so only she can hear as I whisper, “But I’ll warn you… I’m starving.”

Enjoying the way her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink, I lead Aurora through the crowd, greeting people when they stop to congratulate us. Then, one of my younger warriors approaches, his arm still in a sling.

“It was an honor to fight for my Luna,” he says.

Hearing him call her Luna with such reverence hits me square in the chest. It seems to affect Aurora as well because I notice the tears that fill her eyes. Pride fills my chest, and I realize that she’s not just mine.

She belongs to my pack now.

My mate, and my pack’s Luna.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, softly ruffling the young man’s hair. His eyes widen in a daze, and he stumbles away with a silly grin on his face.

“Did I do something wrong?” She asks, watching as he nearly runs into another pack member. She looks up at me with confusion at the boy’s reaction.

“I think you just got yourself a devoted follower,” I tell her, smiling. She looks back at the young man, and he’s watching her again. The look on his face is one of awe as he touches the spot on his head that she had touched.

Aurora giggles, then leans into my side.

She’s trembling slightly, but not from fear. The joy and happiness that is glowing from her is easy to see. She’s radiant, and I pause to take it in. If I could stop time, I would freeze this moment with her and keep it forever.

It will always be one of the best moments of my life, other than when she agreed to let me mark her, and of course, when we found out about the baby.

But, the party goes on, and we eat, drink, and mingle with our pack. Everyone wants to meet their new Luna, and after a long night of greeting people, the Elders finally bring up the end of the meeting line.

“Luna,” Elder Maven greets with a bow. He is the main Elder now, since his predecessor passed on. “We would like to offer you a gift.”

Aurora glances at me, and I nod. She moves forward and the Elder holds out a velvet box. When he opens it, she gasps and backs up, knocking into me.

“It… It’s beautiful,” she whispers, looking into the box again. “And it’s for me?”

“Your first gift as Luna,” Elder Maven says.

Within the box sits a beautiful silver necklace. The crescent moon pendant that hangs on the chain is made of moonstone and sparkles in the moonlight.

“May I?” Elder Maven asks while lifting the necklace from the box.

“Of course,” Aurora says, leaning forward to let him fasten the necklace around her neck. When she straightens, she touches the pendant, and I can feel the acceptance building within her.

“This is a gift from your pack to their Luna,” Elder Maven says, and she looks at him. “It will be a reminder that even in the darkness, the moon shines and will guide you. All you have to do is look for it.”

The crowd cheers again, and they begin drinking in celebration again. I find it to be the perfect moment to pull Aurora off to the side garden. A sense of calm falls over us as the sounds of the party fade away.

The moon and stars shine brightly above us, and as I wrap my arms around Aurora, just for a moment, it’s only the two of us.

“You’re ours now,” I murmur, resting my forehead against hers.

“I am,” she whispers back, her fingers tangling in my hair. “And you’re mine.”

A rumble fills my chest at her claim, and I look down at her, studying her face. She’s smiling, the kind of smile that lights up her eyes, and it lights up something within me.

“Happy, my Luna?”

“More than happy. I love you, Thorne.”

“And I love you, Aurora, and I always will.”

Leaning in, I take her lips and seal the promise between us forever.