I almost don't recognize myself when I wake.
Not because my body aches—there's a pleasant, lazy soreness there, yes—but because the constant tightness I've lived with for as long as I can remember is simply… gone. The fear. The waiting for l the other shoe-to-drop feeling. The belief that happiness is temporary and love always comes with conditions.
All gone.
I lie there for a moment, wrapped in warmth, breathing in the scent of pine, smoke, and something unmistakably mine. Kieran's arm is heavy around my waist, possessive even in sleep, his breath warm against my shoulder. The bond between us hums softly, steady and unbreakable, like it's always existed and I just finally tuned in.
Marked.
Mated.
Loved.
Emma stretches luxuriously inside my mind. 'Told you. About. Damn. Time. '
I smile into the pillow.
Careful not to wake him, I slip from the bed, tugging on one of his shirts—it hangs off me obscenely, collar sliding down my shoulder, the hem brushing mid-thigh. When I glance at my hand, the ring catches the morning light.
My breath still stutters every time I see it.
Not just because it's beautiful, but because of what it means. Because he chose to give me something visible. Something ancient. Something that says this is mine and I am hers without a single word spoken.
'Ours,' Emma corrects smugly.
"Yes," I murmur. "Ours."
The castle is already awake when I head downstairs, and that's when I notice it.
The looks.
The subtle pauses. The way conversations stop just a fraction too long. The way heads bow—not sharply, not rigidly, but instinctively. Respectfully. The air around me feels… aware. Alive.
Oh Goddess.
They can smell it.
'Oh, they can smell it,' Emma purrs. 'You smell like him. Like us. Like a queen who finally got laid properly.'
I nearly trip on the last step.
"Emma!"
'What? It's true.'
I straighten, lift my chin, and keep walking toward the kitchen like my entire body isn't glowing from the inside out.
I don't make it five steps inside before—
"Well I'll be fucked sideways and call me blessed."
Cameran's voice rings out like a gunshot.
I freeze.
Slowly, I turn.
Cam is leaning against the counter, coffee mug in hand, hair a wild mess, eyes already bright with mischief. She sniffs the air once.
Then her grin turns feral.
"Oh. OH." She points at me. "You did it. You actually did it. Holy shit, Sammy, you finally climbed the mountain."
"Cam—"
She crosses the room in three long strides, circles me like a predator, sniffing exaggeratedly. "Marked. Mated. Glowing like you swallowed the fucking moon. Damn, Kieran did not hold back, did he?"
I feel my face burst into flames.
"I do not glow."
"You're glowing," she insists. "You smell like sex and royalty."
"Cameran," I hiss.
"Relax," she waves me off. "This is a compliment. Mostly. So." She squints at me. "Scale of one to ten. Be honest."
"No."
"Coward."
Before I can respond, Mayla enters the kitchen—and stops dead.
Her eyes soften instantly.
"Oh," she breathes, smiling in a way that makes my chest ache.
I should have fucking showered.
'No, let them all know. Let them know he didn't leave a single part of us untouched,' Emma says as she rolls on her back and purrs.
Ignoring her.
Mayla steps closer, her voice gentle. "It's done."
I nod.
She pulls me into a hug without hesitation. "I'm so happy for you. For both of you. The pack feels… settled."
'Because the Queen Alpha is mated,' Emma says proudly.
Mayla pulls back, hands on my shoulders. "You've changed," she says quietly. "Not just the bond. You look like you finally believe you belong."
I swallow hard. "I do."
Cam makes a gagging noise. "Okay, emotional moment over. Back to the important questions. Was he gentle? Or did he go full Alpha King and rock your world?"
"CAM!"
"I'm just asking for science."
Mayla snorts despite herself.
That's when Melanie walks in, tray of pastries balanced on her hip.
She takes one look at me and beams. "Good morning, Your Majesty."
I blink. "You don't have to—"
She grins. "Queen Alpha looks good on you. Also." Her eyes flick down pointedly. "Nice shirt. Very… well-used."
Cam howls with laughter. "Says the woman mated to two males."
Melanie arches a brow. "Jealous?"
"Immensely," Cameran wiggles her brows. "But I am curious—both of them? At the same time?"
"Cameran!" I hiss, mortified.
She grins. "What? Furthering the research!"
The kitchen erupts into laughter.
Cam slaps the counter, looking back at me. "I just want to know one thing. Just one. Is he the kind of guy who makes eye contact the whole time or does he lose his damn mind?"
I bury my face in my hands.
Mayla is openly laughing now. Melanie is shaking her head. A few staff members pretend very hard not to hear.
Emma cackles. 'Tell them he worships us.'
"No," I mutter aloud. "We are eating breakfast."
Cam grins. "Look at her. All dignified now. The Queen has risen."
I grab a piece of toast and point it at her. "I will banish you."
"Worth it."
As the laughter settles, I lean against the counter, heart full to bursting. This—this—is what I never let myself imagine. Friends. Safety. Joy. A love that doesn't demand I shrink.
My bond pulses warmly.
Somewhere upstairs, I feel Kieran stir.
'He's smiling', Emma says softly. 'Even half-asleep. He feels you.'
My chest tightens.
I'm in love with him.
Not the Alpha King. Not the power. Not the bond.
The man who chose me. Who knelt when he didn't have to. Who gave me back a throne he could have fought for.
I sip my tea, smiling through the noise, the swearing, the teasing.
For the first time since the fire,
I'm happy.