Page 204 of The Alpha's Pen Pal

I nodded at Nolan, and he sighed but nodded back, stepping aside so Haven and I could pass. We followed the overgrown path, careful to avoid the reaching branches and winding vines that grew denser as the path got closer to the center of the island.

Haven rounded the corner in front of me and gasped, freezing in place. I stepped up behind her, and my own breath caught in my throat at the sight before me.

The temple of Selene. Bathed in starlight, the round, open-air building had a roof held up by pillars, with jasmine winding around each column. Sheer fabric hung inside the temple, hiding the interior from view. There was a small, crystal-clear pool in front of the temple, with a flawless reflection of the temple in it.

It was beautiful, and as I glanced over at my mate, my breath left me again. The way her hair glowed in the starlight, and the way she looked in her gown for the temple, with the scent of the island and her own sweet scent blending together. She belonged here. I knew she had her doubts and insecurities, but the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that she was, in fact, Selene’s daughter.

I reached out and took her hand in mine, stepping close to her and lifting her hand to my lips to kiss.

Walking towards us down the steps of the temple was an older she-wolf with dark auburn hair and green eyes, dressed in a white robe made of a similar fabric to Haven’s dress. Her eyes held a wisdom only obtainable from holding the knowledge of the gods.

The high oracle.

“We’ve been expecting you,” she said as she stopped in front of us.

“Yes, his mom, Luna Emily, contacted you to inform you of our visit,” Haven said.

The oracle shook her head. “We’ve been expecting you for much longer than that, my dear.”

“How?” she asked.

“Selene told us you would come. You and the young alpha from California.”

“So, she is Selene’s daughter, then?” I asked, my heart racing in my chest.

The woman’s eyes twinkled, but she didn’t respond. Didn’t confirm or deny. “You may ask her that yourselves,” she said, turning to walk back up the stairs.

“Ourselves? How? I just assumed you would ask her for us,” I said as we followed her, hand in hand, through the curtains and into the temple.

“You must find the answers you seek together. We can connect those worthy of a visit with Selene to her through a sacred ritual.”

“And what is this ritual?” Haven asked.

“First, you must both rid yourselves of the baggage holding you back from completely accepting your bond.” I swallowed, and Haven froze, looking down at the floor and avoiding my eyes. “Then, as you reconnect and reconcile, we will harness the energies from your euphoria to help your minds leave our realm behind and join Selene in her moon realm.”

“And in English?” Haven asked with an awkward chuckle.

I looked around the temple, at the candles and the wine and the many cushions and plush fabrics and furs on the sunken floor. At the alcoves where there were similar cushions and sheer curtains that would block the occupants from view of those in the main room of the temple. I clenched my jaw and blew out a breath, then looked down at Haven. “She means we have to do a sex ritual, Sugar Plum.”

Her mouth popped open into a little round O, her blue eyes widening in realization as she took in the temple’s interior.

“To put it crudely, yes,” the oracle confirmed.

“How does it work?” Haven asked, her voice a whisper. “I mean, I know we have sex, but—”

“The other oracles and myself will be in the alcoves there,” she said as she gestured around the temple.

“You’ll be watching us?” Haven asked as her eyes followed the sweep of the oracle’s hand.

I picked up on the flutter of her heartbeat and the nerves flying through her body, and underneath that, the hint of her arousal. I bit back my laugh and my surprise at her reaction. Public sex, while uncommon now, was a huge part of werewolf culture in the past, when mates used to claim each other in front of the pack. Even my lycan, usually quicker than me to snap into possessive mode, was at peace with the idea.

While I didn’t love the thought of others seeing my mate naked and in the throes of passion, a deeper, more primal part of me relished in the thought of staking my claim over her so publicly. Even if it was just as part of a sacred, somewhat private ritual.

But Haven’s reaction to that bit of information surprised me. I was not expecting her to be turned on by the idea.

“No,” the oracle said, answering Haven’s questions. “Not really. Not if you don’t wish us to, at least. There are curtains there”—she pointed to the far wall of the temple—“that we can draw around you and your mate while you complete the ritual.” Haven nodded. “I will give you and your mate time to discuss—”

“We’ll do it,” Haven blurted out, and I squeezed her hand, drawing her gaze to me. “We need answers,” she said. “No matter what I think, no matter my doubts, we need answers either way. You need them to mark me. We need them for our own peace of mind. And if this is how we get them, then so be it,” she finished in a firm voice.

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