AT THE SAME TIME
MICHAEL
Zavier's hand slipped from my cheek, only to curl gently around my wrist again.
"Come." He murmured, tugging me toward the water.
I should've resisted. I should've pulled back, spat some bitter remark about cages and choices. But the look in his eyes, storm silver gone soft, uncertain stole the fight from me. So I followed. The pool shimmered like it had swallowed the moon whole, even under the daylight. Its surface mirrored the sky, the wild roses leaning close as though to see themselves. My reflection trembled in the water… but then I saw his beside mine. Zavier. His silver hair caught the sun, turning strands into threads of white fire, his stormy eyes fixed not on the pool but on me. Always me.
"This place…" His voice rumbled low, vibrating through me. "It's the only spot that's ever felt like peace. Until you."
My breath caught. My wolf purred. His words slipped past every defense I'd built, soft as silk, heavy as stone.
"You can't just-" I tried to speak, but his hand rose again, cutting me off with a feather light touch against my jaw.
"Michael." My name from his lips wasn't a growl, wasn't a command. It was a begging for me to stay by his side.
I froze. Because in that moment, he wasn't the alpha who had claimed me, wasn't the storm everyone else feared. He was just a man, trembling faintly as though afraid I'd push him away. And I couldn't. Not this time. So when he leaned in, slow, giving me every chance to move, I didn't. I stayed. My heart hammered, my breath came short, but I stayed. His lips brushed mine lightly at first testing, questioning. My wolf whined, pressing closer, and suddenly I was kissing him back, my fingers curling into his shirt as heat surged through me.
It wasn't rough, wasn't desperate. It was steady, grounding, his lips moving against mine like he wanted me to remember every second. Like he needed me to know this wasn't about duty or prophecy or heat. Just us. When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine, breath warm against my lips. His hand tightened gently at the back of my neck, not caging, just holding.
"You don't know what you do to me." He whispered.
And gods help me… I believed him and I could still feel him, even after the kiss broke. His breath brushing mine, his silver eyes so close it was like staring into a storm I wasn't afraid of anymore. My wolf rumbled deep in my chest, low and soft, nothing like the growls I usually threw at the others. This was… different. A purr. Gods, I was purring. Heat burned through my cheeks, and I tried to stop it, tried to pull the sound back down into silence, but it only grew stronger, vibrating out of me as my wolf pushed forward. My muzzle brushed Zavier's jaw in my mind's eye, a nuzzle, a claiming of our own. I bit my lip hard, ashamed, but his hand only tightened at the back of my neck, holding me steady.
"There it is." He whispered, his voice breaking just slightly. "Your wolf… it knows me."
And it did. It leaned into him, shameless, purring like he was warmth and safety, like he was home. The sound rattled my ribs, louder now, echoing into the still air. That was when the moonlight shifted. It wasn't night, but the pool rippled silver, and I knew before I turned my head who it was. She stepped from the shimmer, golden hair spilling like sunlight into the daylight, green eyes blazing with a delight that sent my stomach twisting. The Moon Goddess herself. Watching. Smiling. Thrilled.
"Oh, little one." Her voice coiled silk and bells through my skull, low and purring itself. "Do you hear that? Your wolf sings for him. For Zavier. How exquisite."
My throat tightened. I didn't want her here. Not now. Not when my chest was still heaving from the kiss, when Zavier's forehead was still pressed to mine like I mattered to him more than anything else. But she laughed softly, circling the pool without touching its edge, her bare feet trailing light.
"You were never meant to hide from instinct, child." She whispered, her green eyes gleaming as they lingered on me. "And now… oh, now you glow with it. The bond, the kiss, the purr… all of it is mine to savor."
I snarled under my breath, but my wolf betrayed me again, pressing closer to Zavier, vibrating louder. Zavier froze for only a second, then smirked faintly, pride shining in his storm-silver eyes. The Goddess tilted her head, golden hair catching the sun.
"Delicious." She murmured, almost to herself. "To see it with my own eyes. Perhaps… you will outshine even the saint I first chose."
Heat roared across my face, humiliation burning through my chest. I growled again, trying to force the sound down, but my wolf kept purring. Purring into Zavier's hold. Purring under Her gaze. And she only looked more delighted.
"Well, well…"She purred, her voice wrapping around both of us. "I should offer congratulations, should I not? My storm eyed wolf was bold enough to claim, and my stubborn little saint finally purrs like the creature he is."
I stiffened, blood rushing hot to my cheeks.
"Shut up." I snapped, glaring at her, but it only made her laugh harder.
Zavier's chest rumbled against my back, a low chuckle this time, not a growl, and his arm around me didn't loosen. His silver eyes gleamed with something I couldn't read, but it made my stomach twist tighter. The Goddess leaned closer, her golden hair shimmering like fire spilled through water.
"Oh, Michael." She smirked. "You blush so sweetly. But you should be proud, not many omegas bring out such hunger in a true alpha. Look at him. He cannot stop touching you."
Zavier's smirk sharpened, his fingers brushing the edge of the bite mark at my neck deliberately.
"She's right." He murmured, voice low, meant for me but loud enough for her to hear. "I don't plan to stop."
I swallowed hard, my claws curling into my palms. My wolf purred louder, utterly traitorous, vibrating in my chest until I could hardly breathe. The Goddess clapped her hands once, delighted, her laughter ringing across the water like chimes.
"Oh, exquisite. My chosen alpha and my unexpected saint. Do you not see, child? This was always meant. His silver, your darkness… one day even the stars will bow to what you create together."Moon Goddess smirked.
"Stop-" I hissed, face burning hotter, but her words lodged deep, heavy as chains.
Zavier pressed his forehead to mine again, his smirk turning into something softer, more dangerous.
"I like the sound of that." He admitted.
My heart hammered so hard it hurt. The Goddess's grin widened, sharp as a blade wrapped in silk.
"Then keep him close, Zavier. He already purrs for you. He will not escape you now."She said.
And just before she vanished back into her silver mist, she whispered one last line that made my ears burn and Zavier wolf purr in happiness.
"Congratulations, little alpha. You've already begun to make him yours."She said.
Her laughter lingered even after she was gone, but deep inside, I knew that I started to fall in love with him, and maybe I fell in love the same moment I saw his painting in the room.