Page 63 of Moonlit Choosing Ritual

“Please,” she gasped, her voice strangled. “Please, Talon… for the sake of what we once had, have mercy!”

Her words repulsed me. “There’ll be no mercy! Not for you, Aria,” I snapped. Not for the one who had conspired against my life. Not for someone who wanted to rip Talon away from me. I could feel Talon’s resolve as surely as my own heartbeat. He was my shield, my justice, my retribution.

And then, in one swift motion, he snapped her neck and delivered the end she’d brought upon herself. Aria’s body went limp, her life extinguished as swiftly as her plans had crumbled.

When it was over, Talon looked at me, his eyes searching, cautious, as if he feared he’d see fear or revulsion in my gaze. But I met his eyes steadily, feeling the quiet strength of our bond. His protection was absolute, his love unwavering. I knew he would go to any lengths for me, just as I would for him.

It wasn’t the reunion I’d dreamed of with my family. But it was a beginning, a promise of safety, and a testament to the strength of the life I’d fought to reclaim. As Talon and I walked away, his hand in mine, I knew that no one would take this life from me again.

Epilogue

Three years later

Kimble

When we are shocked, it brings an awareness of something new and unexpected.

Shock can act as a catalyst for personal transformation. When our world is disrupted, we are often pushed into action or change. I think these moments of disruption are necessary for individuation, the process by which a person comes to fully realize their own potential.

In my case, the shock of thinking I would never see Talon again was the catalyst for my transition.

Three years had passed since I’d returned to my family and found the life I’d longed for—one I’d never dreamed could be mine. After everything that happened, the Viking pack returned to their lands, reuniting with the place they belonged to, surrounded by the ancient forests and rolling green hills that felt like home in my bones. Talon and I visited there the year after.

Our lives were shaped by both peace and strength, each day a testament to the fight that brought us here.

In those first few months, I’d wondered if the ghosts of our past—Ayla, Aria, and all the shadows of the lives they’d tried to destroy—would ever truly fade. But time, steady and persistent, softened the scars. With Talon by my side, I learned to live again, to laugh, to share quiet mornings with him, to experience the closeness that had once seemed so foreign.

I still marveled at the ease between us. One morning, as Talon and I stood at the edge of the cliffs overlooking our pack, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. I leaned back into him, the weight of his presence grounding me. I looked out over the vast expanse of his territory, feeling the cool breezeripple the leaves of the surrounding trees, feeling the wildness of the land, the strength of it.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I murmured.

“Not as beautiful as you,” Talon replied, his voice a low rumble that made me smile.

“Always the charmer,” I teased, nudging him lightly.

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. “I mean it, Kimble. Every day, I’m grateful. Not just for you, but for this life.” We wanted pups, but I’d told him I didn’t want to until I was at least twenty-one. I think he was so afraid of losing me again that he gave in and let me have my way. That didn’t stop him from stashing my pussy with his cum and not letting it leak. Even though he knew the birth-control pills would stop it from doing its job.

I turned to face him, our eyes meeting. “You gave me that chance, Talon. When you brought me back to them… I don’t know if I can ever repay you for that.”

He shook his head, his gaze intense. “You mean the three million dollars?” When I elbowed him, he laughed. Kissing my temple, he said, “Just be here with me, like this. That’s all I want.”

We fell silent, savoring the moment. I could feel the strength of the land beneath me, the ancient roots that had anchored our kind for centuries, stretching deep into the earth.

And for the first time in my life, I felt truly, unbreakably home as we headed back to the manor.

*****

“You’ll be the death of me,” Talon muttered as he stared at me intensely. I was lying naked on the bed. He parted my legs and kneeled between my knees. I gasped when his warm hand cupped my sex and the other drifted up my body, where he held my heavy, aching breasts. My nipples pebbled like diamonds.“Will you mark me properly so that I can carry your mark proudly while wearing a shirt?”

I parted my lips to say something, when he cupped my throat and thrust inside me roughly. “Ah!” I gasped, my body surging up. He brought his lips to mine in a kiss so moving it could topple kingdoms.

“I want your body and soul, Kimble,” he said in an urgent voice. “I want to bind myself to you forever.”

“Yes,” I breathed, aching for him.

“Then hold on, baby, ’cause I need to fuck you fast and hard.” He brought his hands to my hips and began plowing into me. Hungry for his touch, I met his hips with mine, reveling in the feel of our bodies connecting. The only sound in the room was that of flesh slapping against flesh.

Talon fucked me with abandon. He had his eyes on me all the time. When his fingers reached between us to my clit, the erotic rush of emotions was overwhelming.

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