Chapter 20: The Rising Heat

Aurelia’s POV

Three weeks had dissolved since my formal extraction from the medical wing, and Valerius had flatly refused to grant my structure a single corridor of isolation. The great, terrifying sovereign Alpha of the Shadow Moon was actively spending his hours waiting on his broken mate hand and foot—a thoroughly amusing spectacle that left a captivated grin on my lips.

Exhaling a soft, relaxed breath, I executed a fluid movement, shifting my weight until I was comfortably straddling his lower torso in the dim morning light.

"Greetings," he whispered, his deep, husky morning register vibrating against my skin—a magnificent melody that never failed to send a dangerous thrill straight down my spine.

"Greetings," I mimicked softly, a quiet defiance detailing my tone.

He let out a low, adoring chuckle before seamlessly flipping our positioning, his massive, muscular frame now hovering gracefully over my structure. He leaned down, his lips brushing the edge of my ear as he murmured a private inquiry. "What particular delicacies does your system require for breakfast, little bird?"

I narrowed my sapphire eyes, pretending to evaluate the options, before executing a rapid, unscripted counter that successfully flipped our positioning a secondary time. His dark eyes widened in sudden, breathless shock, his throat catching as I descended to press a series of slow, heated kisses against the smooth skin of his neck.

"You," I whispered against his pulse point, tracing the fated mark with the tip of my tongue.

The gravity of my own boldness caught up to my thoughts, and a brilliant, fiery crimson instantly scorched my neck and cheeks. I pulled back frantically, my breathing turning shallow. "I... I offer my profound apologies, Valerius. My tongue explicitly did not intend to articulate that sentence. I honestly don't comprehend what possesses my behavior lately." I huffed in deep, internal annoyance.

Valerius simply relaxed against the pillows, a rare, highly amused smirk gracing his handsome features. "I believe my beast logicalizes exactly what force is manipulating your behavior, my angel."

My gaze snapped back to his face, my eyes narrowing. "What?"

"It remains the residual aftermath of the full moon fever your system just survived," he explained smoothly, his smirk widening into a provocative grin. "A reservoir of pent-up supernatural desire, considering our titles failed to formally seal the bond through mating."

A high, embarrassed squeal escaped my throat. I vaulted off his lap with an ungodly velocity, sprinting into the sanctuary of the marble bath before his hands could recapture my frame. His deep, booming laughter echoed triumphantly through the suite as I slammed the door, leaning against the timber with a burning face.

Stupid biological hormones,

my wolf grumbled.

Valerius’s POV

Ever since Aurelia’s flame had returned to our sanctuary, both me and my inner wolf had operated in a state of absolute, unyielding peace. The volatile red haze had completely receded from my mind, an administrative restoration for which my vanguard commanders were profoundly grateful. I had constructed a strategic layout for a formal evening engagement—a proper date where my tongue intended to articulate the absolute depth of my devotion, proving to her spirit that she remained the solitary master of my crown. She was my fated Luna, and I would revere every micro-second of her existence, unconditionally.

But logistics demanded my presence on the fields. I had mandated a combat drill for the vanguard at precisely twenty minutes past three. I pushed my muscles through an intensive workout inside the private pavilion until the clock struck three, allowing my frame a brief window of physical respite before the soldiers assembled. Left alone in the quiet, my thoughts naturally steered straight toward my mate, and I forced a provocative mental projection through our halfway bond.

“Valerius, what in the name of the Goddess possesses your mind? I am currently navigating the estate parameters with your sister,”

her clinical, sharp voice instantly echoed in my skull. She made a desperate effort to project an aura of pure anger, but through the fragile currents of our incomplete bond, her internal walls fractured, leaking a wave of pure, fluid desire that made Owen purr in absolute triumph.

I let out a quiet chuckle, adjusting my stance.

“Hmm... your beast thoroughly thrives on the tension, little bird. I will capture your structure later, beautiful.”

I deliberately saturated the mental message with a dangerous, primitive flirtation, ensuring her mind registered the alternate interpretation of my words.

“Hm. That you certainly will.”

The sudden, dark promise in her response caught my breath completely, and I broke into a harsh cough, choking violently on my travel water. Beside my desk, Barrett elevated his brows, evaluating my disoriented form with a deep, silent curiosity.

“Your pride constructs a beautiful wish, lover boy,”

her voice murmured a final time, a slow smirk detailing the mental note.

“Now go utilize an ice-cold shower to calm your beast.”

I stood frozen, my mind completely confused by her sudden retreat—until a sudden barrage of hyper-vivid, highly erotic mental images slammed directly into my awareness, courtesy of her wolf.

A heavy, visible flush rushed up my jaw, and I shifted awkwardly in my leather chair, forcing my limbs to cross as Alpha Trystan’s face materialized on the secure digital screen to initiate our vanguard negotiations. I tightly clenched my fists beneath the dark mahogany desk, pulling my seat closer to the wood to conceal my physical alignment.

"I am permitted to deploy a detachment of my elite trackers to reinforce your perimeter, Alpha Valerius," the neighboring sovereign explained through the speaker, his brow furrowing as he reviewed the territorial charts. "But I refuse to let my own kingdom become vulnerable to a siege. If circumstances manifest where my homeland requires their blades, my soldiers will not hesitate to vacate this conflict. I offer my profound sorrow that Malakor’s madness has breached your valley. I promise my hand will do the absolute maximum to secure your borders." He sighed heavily.

I offered a curt, formal nod. "Thank you, Alpha Trystan. Your alliance carries immense weight under my sky. What specific number of blades is your lineage prepared to commit?"

The sovereign paused in reflection; his clan commanded a modest registry of approximately one hundred and thirty members, so my mind calculated a maximum detachment of twenty soldiers.

"I will grant your vanguard twenty-five heavily armed warriors," Trystan articulated clearly, his voice taking on a sharp, defensive edge. "But I hope your crown respects the absolute gravity of what you are requesting from their spirits. They are potentially bartering their final breaths for your fated mate's sanctuary. You must honor their sacrifice."

"I do," I responded, my voice dropping into a serious, deeply sincere register. "My lineage holds their bravery in the highest reverence. This debt will never be forgotten by the Shadow Moon." The sovereign offered a respectful nod, formally terminating the digital connection.

Thank the Goddess for his tactical reinforcement. I stood up, stretching my knotted limbs as the tension slowly drained from my muscle groups. I offered a quick nod to Barrett, exiting the study to navigate the main rooms before heading down to the training vaults. Crossing the threshold into the central parlor, my eyes locked onto Aurelia. She was lounging gracefully across the velvet sofa alongside Freya.

The exact micro-second her senses registered my presence, her sapphire gaze snapped to my frame. I unlatched the heavy timber door leading down to the basement gym, keeping my eyes locked onto her face as I slowly, deliberately unbuttoned and removed my shirt, exposing the defined crevices of my torso. I could distinctly feel the heat of her gaze raking over my bare chest, watching my physical movements with an intense, breathless fascination.

I leveled a slow, incredibly sly wink in her direction, before vanishing into the darkness of the subterranean vaults to train my beast.