Page 98 of Guardian's Destiny

The door to our new quarters opened to allow us entrance, and I looked at the spacious area for the first time. Lord Protector Garth hadn't spared any expenses and given us a top-of-the-line ship, something I appreciated even more because Sloane would be a lot more comfortable aboard this vessel.

The Ohrurs enjoyed their stay in their quarters. I hadn't checked much on them other than to bring them food, but they were still alive, so they must have come to a mutual arrangement. As expected, Zapharos and Ella were gone.Good riddance to that, I thought. However, I had a deep suspicion that this wasn't the last we had seen of the Arkhevari.

Right then, though, all I wanted was to worship my mate on the comfortable-looking bed, and by the way she was already taking her clothes off, I was pretty sure she had the same idea.

We had several days before we reached the others, and I was hard set on staying all those days in this room with my mate. I didn't care about Tucker getting lonely. I just wanted to have some alone time with Sloane.

I had never imagined I would share my life with a mate one day, but I couldn't be happier about this unexpected joy. Sloane had changed everything. She challenged me, refused to yield, and never once let me get away with my usual arrogance. At first, I had assumed I could simply win her over, that our connection would be as inevitable as my mission successes hadalways been. But loving her was never about conquest—it was about becoming someone worthy of standing beside her.

She taught me that strength wasn’t about doing everything alone—it was about knowing when to trust the right people. That working within a chain of command didn’t mean being controlled; it meant understanding that no war was won by a single soldier.

She had forced me to trust others, rely on them, and see that a mission was bigger than one person’s will. It had been infuriating at first—how she could so effortlessly give orders and expect me to follow them. How she could place faith in others and expect me to do the same. But I had learned. And I had grown.

Sloane was my temperance—my Nexus. Without her, I had been raw instinct, untampered and unchecked. She didn’t just complete me; she made me better. And for that, I loved her more than life itself.

I would do anything for her. Even abandon this quest and live with her far, far away from all of this.

But I knew my mate would never agree to that. Sloane wanted to see this through as much as I needed to. And now, for the first time in my life, my fight wasn’t just for myself. It was for us.

"I love you," I said when we were both naked.

"Show me," she tempted, lifting her chin. I brought my hands up to cup her beloved face and lowered down to kiss her. She reached up to meet me halfway, and the moment our lips met, everything around us melted away. It was just her and me.

"I love you too," she said breathlessly when our lips parted. Her eyes were glassy, and I saw my reflection in her pupils.

"I love you so frygging much," I shook my head. I did. She was everything.

I pulled her into my arms, wrapping her against me as if the universe itself couldn't pry her away. Her warmth, her scent, her very presence grounded me in a way I'd never thought possible. She was my center, my compass, and my reason for being.

"I don't deserve you," I whispered, pressing my lips to her temple. "But I swear, Sloane, I'll spend my life making sure you never regret choosing me."

Her fingers brushed my jawline, her touch soft and reassuring. "You're wrong," she said with a teasing smile. "We were made for each other. Fate doesn't make mistakes."

Her words brought home once again what lay ahead of us. "Whatever comes next, Sloane, we face it together," I said firmly, cradling her face once more.

"Together," she echoed, her voice steady, filled with a confidence that matched my own.

The quest loomed ahead, a formidable challenge waiting to be conquered, but for now, we were here—lost in each other and the love that had become our sanctuary.

I carried her to the bed, and as we lay entwined, sharing whispered promises and stolen kisses, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that no matter the trials ahead, our love would endure.

Sloane rested her head against my chest, her breathing steady and content. My fingers brushed through her hair as I gazed up at the ceiling, letting the weight of our journey momentarily slip away.

"Sleep, my love," I murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Tomorrow is another day to conquer the world—with you by my side."

In her arms, I found a peace I'd never thought I'd know. Whatever awaited us, I was ready. Because as long as I had Sloane, I had everything I needed.

The stars could shine. The universe could turn. And together, we would face it all.

SLOANE

EPILOGUE

Vraax triedto keep me chained to his bed for the entire flight to Darlam, and as much as I appreciated that notion, it just wasn't a feasible idea. Tucker needed to be filled in on what was happening and what he was about to get himself into, the Ohrurs needed to be fed, and we needed to up our training.

During the training, Tuck finally earned some of Vraax's respect. He could be an asshole at times, but he was a very good soldier. One of the best I had ever worked with. I hadn't seen him in a few years, but he hadn't lost his edge; he had honed it. He was also a good shot and picked up learning how to handle the alien weapons quickly.

When we got close enough to Darlam to open communication, we learned through Nock that the others were waiting for us at a star system a day's flight away to keep their presence secret from the Ohrurs, who had increased security around Darlam.

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