Page 124 of The Naga Lord's Pretty Little Mouse

SEREN

The sacred chamber is bathed in golden torchlight, the scent of burning resin thick in the air. Intricate carvings of ancient naga rulers line the walls, their watchful gazes cast in shadow as they bear witness to what is about to be sealed in blood, power, and fate.

Only a handful of naga are present, Veyros, a few trusted warriors, and Talyra, who stands with her arms crossed, silent and unreadable. Their presence is a mere formality; this is not for them. This is forus.

Xirath stands at the center of the ceremonial dais, waiting.

The obsidian altar gleams beside him, ancient and worn smooth from centuries of ritual. A golden chalice rests atop it, filled with the sacred elixir infused with naga blood, binding magic, meant to seal the mate bond.

My heart pounds as I ascend the steps to him.

He is dressed in nothing but loose ceremonial robes, his broad chest bare, the scales along his collarbone catching the flickering firelight. His expression is solemn yet fiercely possessive, his golden eyes dark with meaning.

I don’t hesitate.

I reach him, standing before him as the world narrows to justthis moment.

His hands lift, trailing along my arms, his fingers lingering over the marks left by Jalith’s collar, the ghosts of my suffering still visible against my skin. A flicker of fury passes through his gaze, but he tamps it down, replacing it with something softer.

Something reverent.

The officiant, an elderly naga priestess, steps forward. Her scaled fingers brush over the chalice, the liquid inside shimmering under the torchlight.

She speaks in the old tongue, her voice rich with power. "A mate bond, unbroken. A union blessed by the gods. A promise beyond flesh, bound by soul."

She turns to Xirath. "Do you claim this female as your mate, your queen, the keeper of your fate?"

His hand tightens around mine. "I do."

Her gaze shifts to me. "Do you accept this male as your mate, your protector, the one who holds your heart?"

I meet his eyes, and the truth spills from my lips. "I do."

The priestess takes a ceremonial dagger from the altar, pressing the tip into Xirath’s palm first. A single drop of his blood falls into the chalice.

Then she does the same to me.

Our blood swirls together, merging, binding.

Xirath lifts the chalice to his lips, drinking deeply before passing it to me.

The moment I taste the elixir, warmth rushes through me, wrapping around my bones, sinking into my very core. The bond ignites, searing into my soul like an ember catching fire.

His power merges with mine, our essences entwining.

The priestess steps back, nodding once. "It is done. You are mated in the eyes of gods and kin."

Silence falls.

Xirath's fingers find my chin, tipping my face up to his.

"My mate," he murmurs, voice thick with emotion.

A tremor of something powerful rolls through me, a recognition as old as time.

"I am," I whisper back.

He kisses me, slow and deep, sealing our bond with something far older than ceremony.

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