By the time the fourth day drags itself into twilight, the air in the holding cells is thick, not just with stale tension and wolf musk, but with something sacred finally easing.
Luke exhales slow and deep, shoulders sagging as his mate's voice slides into his mind, soft and steady:
"It's over. She's safe."
Relief slams into him like a freight train. For days, he's watched his son twist in agony, half-shifted, frothing, snarling like a rabid beast. Only thick chains and enough sedatives to knock out a minor deity have kept Darius from shredding the cell walls or himself. But now...
Now he can stop.
With a final glance at the massive figure slumped against the wall, Luke adjusts the dosage. Eases his son off the witch's cocktail. By morning, the fog will lift.
And when it does...his mate will be waiting.
The next day arrives on stealthy feet, as if scared to wake the Alpha too soon. Light filters through the tiny barred window, throwing golden stripes across the stone floor.
Darius stirs.
Groggy. Parched. Every bone aches like it's been on fire. His throat? Sandpaper soaked in regret. He opens one eye and squints at the world.
"Is it over?" he rasps, voice barely there.
Luke, seated like a silent sentry nearby, leans forward and lifts his son's head with surprising gentleness. Hold a flask to cracked lips.
"Yes," he murmurs. "Once you're ready...she's waiting for you."
That sentence hits harder than the sedatives ever did.
She waited.
Despite the heat. Despite the chaos. Despite him being an idiot of mythic proportions.
He drinks greedily, like the water is laced with purpose. Maybe it is. He drops his head back down, the coolness soothing more than just his throat.
And then...
Thump-thump.
Something fierce kicks inside his chest.
He will not waste another second.
With the kind of stubborn pride only a half-dead Alpha can muster, Darius hauls himself upright. Limbs trembling. Teeth gritted. He showers like a man scrubbing off a demonic possession, scouring away sweat, sin, and any trace of emotional cowardice. The fresh clothes feel almost ceremonial. He wolfs down the lunch provided, like he's preparing for war.
And then...he walks.
Each step steadier than the last, driven by instinct and something ancient that hums through his veins like a song only she can hear.
By the time he reaches the common room, the building hushes.
A few wolves peek around corners, holding mugs and breath alike. Even Michael, currently sprawled across the couch in socks and sunglasses despite it being morning, pauses mid-sip.
"Welp," he mutters to Lexie, who's perched on the armrest eating a cinnamon roll the size of her head. "The beast is back."
Lexie hums, eyes glittering. "Ten bucks says Cassie makes him grovel first."
Aidan snorts from where he's cleaning a blade in the corner. "Twenty says she doesn't even look at him for five minutes straight."
Sasha bounces past with a tray of tea and an innocent, "I'm just here for the drama."
But none of them matter.
Because across the room, framed in morning light, stands Cassandra.
She's leaning against the window, arms folded, hair haloed by sunlight and pure defiance. Her gaze is unreadable, but her brow? Arched like a damn weapon.
Darius stops dead.
Their eyes lock.
A second passes.
Then she tilts her head, mouth pursed. "Well. Look who finally crawled out of the emotional abyss."
Without thinking, he crosses the room like a thunderclap. Strong arms scoop her up before she can blink.
"Darius!" she yelps, smacking his shoulder. "You absolute lunatic! This is not how you say hello!"
But he's already striding out the door, ignoring every snicker and whistle behind him.
The forest folds around them like a secret. Cassandra clings, not because she's swooning (obviously), but because he's bouncing like an enthusiastic horse and she'd like to not be flung into a tree.
"Are you planning on telling me where we're going, or is this another one of your 'Alpha instincts know best' things?"
No answer.
Just that stubborn, chiselled jaw and a glint in his eye that says he knows.
She groans dramatically. "Ugh. You're so lucky you're hot."
They arrive in a small clearing kissed by sunlight. A wooden cabin sits nestled between ancient trees, moss hugging the stonework like nature itself approves.
The lake nearby glistens like a portal to something sacred. The entire area hums with quiet magic, old and gentle.
He kicks the door open. Carries her inside.
Sets her down...but his hands don't leave her waist.
"Hi," he says, voice low.
Her eyes narrow. "Now you say hi?"
"I needed to make sure you didn't disappear first."
She stares. "You think I'd vanish? You are a dramatic, broody, lovable idiot."
He huffs a laugh. "I missed you."
Her walls twitch...but don't fall. "I know. Your tortured soul practically bled through the mind-link."
"I was a mess," he admits.
"You were a hot mess," she corrects, poking his chest. "And you owe me an apology, three back massages, and a slice of Lexie's lemon cake."
"I'm sorry," he whispers. "For all of it. For pushing you away. For acting like you weren't everything I wanted."
Her throat tightens, damn it. "Well...that's a start."
He pulls her close again. "You deserve the whole truth."
"Oh good," she says breezily. "Because I definitely didn't risk spontaneous combustion waiting for it."
He chuckles. A real one, chest-deep. Then, with one arm, he sweeps her off her feet again.
"Put me down, you oversized wolf!" she shrieks, laughing.
He grins, walking them toward the bedroom. "Nope. I'm proving I'm serious."
"By kidnapping me into rustic romance?!"
He kicks open the bedroom door like a man with priorities.
"Yup."
She's deposited on the bed with zero grace, sprawled and scandalized. "This is assault via tenderness!"
"You love it."
"Debatable."
He hovers above her, eyes dark and tender. "Cassie..."
The air shifts.
No more teasing. Just an aching silence between two hearts finally syncing.
Then...he kisses her.
It's not wild. Not primal. It's devastatingly slow. Reverent. Like he's reading a language he never understood until now, and each kiss is a vow.
"I love you," he murmurs against her lips.
She freezes.
Then smirks. "Took you long enough, Alpha Broodypants."
"Say it back," he growls, nipping her jaw.
"Hmmm." She stretches lazily beneath him. "Are you sure you earned it?"
He pulls back just enough to arch a brow.
"Woman."
She laughs, tipping his face back down. "I love you too, dumbass."
Outside, the wind sighs through the pines.
The lake ripples.
The Moon peeks between clouds and smiles.
Inside, the cabin hums.
Not just with magic...
But with the bond finally blooming...wild, weird, and absolutely worth every second of the chaos it took to get there...