Blood Moon (MalexMale Paranormal Fantasy)

Chapter 31 ∞ REEVE

On our way from the estate grounds toward the trails of Bone Mountain, Daire and I pass Peter and Rainer on their way to the bonfire where the wolves are gathered. Peter fists my shoulder then Daire's. "You both look to be healing well. Where are you off to?" he asks.

"I'm going to show him the old cliffside we used to sneak to."

"Come find me later," he says.

"Hey, Peter," Daire calls. "What do you think of pairing a vampyre and a wolf as partners to all serve as a larger team that helps manage both coven and pack needs, traveling across Demeria and helping to be aware of and address any issues."

His eyebrows lift in interest. "With proper training, it could work. You'll have to weed out all of the power-hungry assholes."

"You want to help me build a team like that?"

He grins. "What did I tell you the day we became combat partners?"

"That you promised to always beat me and never let me win."

Rainer rolls his eyes as Peter nods and says, "And after that?"

"That you'd be beside me until your last breath."

"There you go. You need me to build a team with you, I'll build a team."

"I'll even let you select the wolf you want to help you."

Peter slings his arm around Rainer and wags his eyebrows at him. "Done."

Rainer shoves off his arm, cheeks blazing. "As if I'd join you without a serious amount of ass kissing." His blush deepens at hearing how his words came out. "You know what I mean."

Peter's laughter breaks any awkwardness. "I think something could be arranged. Just think, Beta, you'd be able to see my face in training every day."

Rainer grins. "Which means I'd get to punch it, too."

"Nah," Daire laughs, "you'd have to get in a long line for that honor." He cocks his head toward the trail behind us. "Let's go, Lucky."

We find a clearing to watch the rising moon. I stand behind Daire, wrapping him in my arms, dropping a kiss onto the back of his neck where the warder chain hangs.

"How do you feel?"

"Good. Strange," he says. "I thought when he died I might not feel like myself. So much of my life has been dedicated to killing him, it's like I'm not sure how to exist in this world without having that fear of him or that motivation of killing him driving me. It's like there's a bit of me missing."

I rub his healing arms against the cold. "It'll take time, Daire. You want to know what I feel? I feel hope. I can finally see a future that feels right. That feels like my own."

His grip tightens on my arms as we admire the bright moon.

"I love you," I whisper into the crook of his neck then turn him to face me. "I want to be with you, however that might happen. My father can still lead the Silver Bloods for a while and I can stay and help you. We have our own pack right out there, willing to fight for us, defend us if necessary, and see this peace through. And don't forget, we have the Diamonds to one day lead together. There's a whole future out there for us, and I realize now that it's not going to be exactly like either of us ever thought, and that's okay. I think it will better."

"Me too. I always thought that I had to choose between my duties and our species, but I don't, do I?" He pulls a small knife from his weapons belt and cuts into his palm and then mine.

"What are you doing?"

He studies me before proceeding, broadcasting a dizzying amount of affection. "Listen closely, Alpha Reeve Rimeara, because this is only happening once in our lives."

He presses our wounds together, holding us in that position as he lowers to his knees. My breath catches and I squeeze his hand in disbelief, praying that I won't be jarred from this dream.

"My Alpha, my love, I've been chosen for you by Satu and come to you under the summer moon to commit myself wholly as your warder."

I try to focus on him through a welling of unshed tears. Breathe.

"I vow to be your light. I vow to be your closest guardian. I vow to guide you true. And I vow to stand beside you as your chosen and committed warder, always. With you, I become We."

I swallow back a fresh surge of emotion and sink to my knees, matching his position. I take a full, steadying breath, unable to speak at first. Our eyes share more than either of us can give voice to and, somehow, I manage to form the required words. "I vow to make way for your light when there is darkness. I vow to safeguard you, body and soul. I vow to lead with equal measure of heart and mind, and I vow that you will always have a place beside me. With you, Daire, I become We."

Each of us absorbs the other with new appreciation and a firmer sense of belonging. "It's you and me, now," I say.

Daire nods and thumbs away a stray tear from the corner of my eye, and there's a surge in a bond forming between us, a pulse of strength as it takes root, never to be broken.

He looks up into the night sky and gasps, drawing my eyes from him to the bright moon now bleeding red. He smiles and presses his forehead to mine and kisses me. "That's us, Lucky. This is our Blood Moon. This is our legend now."

The End

Thank you for reading Blood Moon. I cannot express how much it means to me to read your comments and see your votes. This has been quite the writing adventure and such a fun experience creating these characters and their world. I hope you enjoyed their story. I don't know if it will continue or if this will remain a standalone novel. I wanted to leave it open for more in the future with Rainer and Peter, whose relationship produced more enthusiasm and interest than I had expected. 

Stay tuned for more to come, and may Satu bless you :)