Chapter 157: Beyond the Mate Bond

Adeline’s POV~

"So what on earth makes this situation any different? I’m not saying for a fact that it will happen to me again, but I am saying that it could happen, and I know for a absolute fact that I am not strong enough to survive another rejection and definitely not from four Lycans."

"I cannot stand through another devastating betrayal after the last one almost put me in the ground forever! I would much rather guard my heart and be ready for the blow than let myself be completely destroyed by it all over again."

To my absolute shock, a low, quiet chuckle vibrated through his chest, and I felt the gentle warmth of his breath fan across my skin a split second before he leaned down and pressed another slow, lingering kiss against my other cheek, acting as if he had all the time in the world to tame my wild fears.

"You really are a complete crackhead, aren’t you?" he whispered against my skin.

"Stop calling me that stupid name," I muttered under my breath, feeling a sudden wave of heat rush right up to my cheeks even while my heart was still aching heavily inside my chest.

"No," he said softly, and the playful edge instantly vanished from his tone.

Blake slid his hand smoothly from the side of my neck up to my jawline, holding my face firmly in his warm palm so that I had zero choice but to stare straight into the depths of his intense gaze.

"Listen to me very carefully right now, Adeline," he growled softly, his thumb pressing firmly against my chin.

"You are our mate. Even if something massive and unbelievable happens tomorrow that changes everything we think we know about this world, and even if the Moon Goddess herself personally stood right in front of the four of us and claimed she made a terrible mistake, it would not change a single thing about how we feel about you."

"It would never, ever change how I feel about you, Adeline. Fated mate bond or not, we are going to mark you as ours, you are going to belong to us, and you will stand right by our side as our Royal Luna."

I stood completely frozen, my breath catching tightly in my throat. I could hear the violent, erratic thud of my own heart, and right underneath it was Blake’s heavy, steady breathing, slow, calm, and deliberate, like a man who had already made his final choice a long time ago.

There was only this terrifying sincerity that scared me far more than any threat or angry demand ever could, simply because I had no idea how to handle it. No one had ever held me like this and declared ’you will be ours’ as if it were a sacred promise rather than a cruel punishment.

My throat burned with hot, unshed tears, and my eyes stung as the pressure built behind them.

"But..." My voice cracked right in the middle, fading into a fragile whisper before I swallowed hard, forced my breathing to steady, and tried again.

"Why? Why would you say something like that so easily to me? I can’t even tell you with any certainty if the mate bond between us is real or just a tragic mistake. My wolf is not yet strong, I am not a fierce, powerful she-wolf, and I am not a single thing that a grand royal pack should ever want. So why me? Why would four powerful Lycan Kings choose me, when you could easily have anyone in the entire world? Choosing me... will just make things more complicated for everyone."

Blake didn’t answer me right away. He remained entirely still, his long thumb moving slowly across my skin to catch a tear I hadn’t even realized had fallen down my cheek. His dark gaze dipped down to my trembling lips for a brief, tense second before pulling right back up to lock directly into my eyes.

"Because you still don’t understand the truth of what is happening here, do you, Adeline?" he asked, his deep voice dropping into a low, rough rumble. "You genuinely think that we chose you simply because a mystical bond forced our hands. You think that every single thing we feel for you comes strictly from a twist of fate."

His heavy arm tightened around my waist, pulling my body completely flush against his chest until I could feel the thunderous pounding of his heart matching the frantic rhythm of my own.

"Even if this is not what fate originally decided for us," Blake said, his voice so quiet, steady, and unyielding that every single word felt permanently carved into my soul, "we decide what we want. Fate can give us a name, a mark, and a blood bond, but fate cannot make me look at you with this level of hunger and devotion right now."

"That part belongs entirely to me. That part was my own conscious choice, and I would make that exact same choice every single day for the rest of my life."

I opened my mouth to respond, but my breath failed me completely, and no sound came out.

Blake lowered his head until his forehead rested gently against mine, his warm, steady breath fanning across my lips, holding me so close that every muscle in my body went taut and still under the sheer intensity of the moment.

"And I am completely ready to wait for you, Adeline," he went on, his voice softening into a quiet murmur meant only for the small space between our faces.

I had braced myself for his anger, for his possessive instincts to take over, or for that dark, terrifying look the royal princes got in their eyes when they thought I wasn’t paying attention, but not this.

"I am ready to wait as long as it takes for you to make your own decision on your own terms. I do not want a mate who stays beside me simply because an invisible bond is dragging her by the chest against her will. I do not want a Luna who says yes to us just because she is too terrified of the world to say no."

"I want you to look at me one day, with your own clear eyes and your own willing heart, and choose us because you genuinely want to be ours. Not because the Moon Goddess demanded it, and not because a curse or a bond forced your hand. I respect your choice, Adeline. I truly do. Even if it takes you a month, a year, or even longer to decide. Even if your final answer ends up tearing my heart apart."

I had mentally prepared for every harsh outcome imaginable, but I had never prepared for this, for a dangerous alpha who wanted me so desperately that his hands were visibly trembling against my waist, yet was still standing here offering me the freedom to walk away.

"Blake..." I whispered, my voice barely carrying through the quiet dark of the room as I looked up at him.

"Do you have any idea how completely unfair you are being right now? You walk into my room, commanding me about another wolf’s scent, holding me so tightly against you like you’ll never let go, and then in the very next breath, you tell me that you’re going to wait for me?"

"How on earth am I supposed to think clearly when you say things like that to me? How am I supposed to keep my walls up to protect myself when you keep knocking them down so gently that I don’t even realize they’ve fallen?"

A low, deep laugh rumbled out from his chest, vibrating against my ribs as his hand slid slowly up my spine, his long fingers threading into my hair and cupping the back of my head.

"Then stop trying so hard to keep those walls up, Adeline," he murmured softly.

"At least don’t keep them up with me. Be angry at me, be terrified, be confused, and ask me every single terrifying question that is running through that overthinking mind of yours. I can take all of it."

"What I absolute cannot tolerate is watching you stand all alone in the middle of this nightmare, completely convinced that you have to survive everything by yourself. You don’t have to be alone anymore. Not as long as I am standing here."

"And to be entirely honest with you," he added, his voice dropping into a dangerous, dark register, "I am not a patient man by nature. I am not gentle, and you know that better than anyone. Every primal instinct inside me wants to bite down on your neck right now and claim you as my mate tonight, just to guarantee that no other male’s scent ever touches your skin again."

"My soul is literally clawing at my chest from the inside as we speak, demanding that I claim you. But I will force myself to hold back. I will exercise every bit of restraint I have for you, because on the day you finally come to me, it has to be your own choice to take that step into my arms."