Page 121 of The Onyx Covenant

We make our excuses to the gathering, transferring ceremonial responsibilities to the elders, who are more than happy to oversee the rest of the celebration. Aria gives me a knowing smirk as we leave, while my father and mother simply nod.

The walk back to the Covenant building is quiet, the night air cool against my skin after the warmth of the celebration fires. Theron’s hand remains firmly in mine, his thumb occasionally brushing across my knuckles in a gesture that’s become familiar yet never fails to send warmth through me.

The Onyx Covenant building rises before us, its black stone gleaming silver in the moonlight. What once seemed an intimidating fortress now feels like home—our home, where we’ve begun to build something neither of us could have imagined before the Harvest Ritual.

As we climb the steps to the massive front doors, Theron pauses, turning to face me. The Blood Moon bathes his features in crimson light, highlighting the sharp planes of his face and the intensity in his eyes.

“What?” I ask, suddenly self-conscious under his scrutiny.

“Just memorizing this moment,” he says softly. “You here, with the dual moons behind you and the future ahead of us.”

I reach up to touch his face, my fingers tracing his cheek. “Pretty words from a wolf once known for his silence.”

“You changed that,” he says simply. “You changed everything.”

As he pulls me into another kiss, more heated this time, I think about the journey that brought us here: the maze, the trials, the bloodshed, and the sacrifice. The ancient prophecies spoke of union between the packs, of peace following centuries of strife, but they never mentioned this—the simple, transformative power of choosing love over hatred, of building something new from the ashes of the old.

They never told us in the stories that the most defiant act wouldn’t be baring fangs or drawing blood, but this—loving so fiercely that generations of hatred simply couldn’t stand against it. That in choosing Theron, I wouldn’t just find my mate but my strength, my purpose. My home.

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