NOTE: For the next week or two I'm going to try uploading the daily chapters a little earlier (4:00 and 5:00pm, Pacific) to make the content available to the East Coast readers at a more convenient time. On AllNovelFull, little details like upload times can have an impact on income, so this is an experiment to make sure I'm not hurting Elreth & Aaryn's audience. I'll let you know if it changes again!

*****

AARYN

Hours later, Aaryn and Elreth finally left the security building, farewelling Tarkyn and Lhern who had hung back to make final notes on the plan for those who would go in search of the humans. Tarkyn planned to give Tobe the final directions that night. Tobe would gather those he was taking the following morning.

Aaryn was torn between a sense of fierce pride—both Raichyl and Despyna had been selected—and discomfort. Tarkyn had agreed with Aaryn that Hholdyn's skill was likely the best among the Anima when it came to moving silently through the forest. And Khassi wasn't far behind him. But Tarkyn claimed both needed more discipline, to grow accustomed to taking orders without hesitation, before they could safely be used in this kind of mission.

Aaryn knew Tarkyn wasn't being petty, yet something within him wanted to see the disformed recognized for developing their skills in isolation, without the help of the greater tribe. Aaryn planned to talk to Gar and Kinn who'd both been instrumental in the training of the disformed on a variety of levels. They needed to know they had done well. He was disappointed that Tarkyn hadn't asked who'd trained them.

And then, as they left, the Captain's eyes lingered on Elreth's back—he dragged it away, turning back to Lhern, but not before Aaryn caught it, and something inside him snapped.

"Are you okay?" Elreth's soft voice came from his right, at the same time her warm hand landed on his forearm.

Aaryn blinked. They were outside in the dark of the forest, walking towards home. The Royal cave. It was late, the moon was out, and the forest silvered in its light. Elreth's hair looked gray in the moonlight, and her pale skin glowed.

Aaryn put his much darker hand over hers and squeezed. "Sorry, just… thinking. It's been an eventful day." Desire for her spiraled inside him, but it was mingled with the sheer possessive snarl of the predator that lived within him, but was always leashed.

His beast battered at him.

Elreth snorted. "You aren't wrong there." Then she sighed. Heavily.

It took him a moment to remember that she was responding to his statement. "Are you okay?" Aaryn asked carefully, carefully holding her hand against his arm, afraid that if he didn't pay attention, he'd grip her so hard he'd break the skin.

She shrugged. "This just isn't the first day of real life that I imagined," she said quietly. "I hadn't had time to think about it until now, but I thought tonight would be… a celebration. We'd come back and see your mom, see my parents, be at dinner… I thought we'd be mated and able to just kind of enjoy that," she said, frowning. "But it's already late, and there's still more to do. And tomorrow will be the same—if they find the humans quickly, tomorrow will be even stranger." She huffed another sigh. "I just wish we could go back to two days ago and relive the honeymoon for a while."

Aaryn's heart pounded at the images that flashed through his mind at her words, but he didn't act on them. Instead, he tugged her tighter against him, warning himself to be gentle, and murmured, "I wish we could go back too. But… it's going to be a long night anyway. There's no reason we can't enjoy a little bit of it before we go back to work. You need a bath. You stink," he said with a wink. But he could feel sweat beginning to prickle on his brow.

Elreth tried to laugh, but it was obviously forced.

When they'd walked on for another couple minutes, crossed the intersection of paths into the western woods that separated the Royal meadow from the City, Aaryn was struck again that she was remaining in human form. She could have made this journey much more quickly as her beast, but she didn't even mention it, just kept pace with him through the trees.

His heart wanted to sink at that, but he turned to look at her—see her looking up through the gaps in the trees to watch the stars that smattered the night like the Creator had flicked a paintbrush across the indigo sky—and his breath caught at the sight of her pale throat.

The moonlight glittered in her shining eyes, and bounced off her hair, drawing highlights in her thick braid until he wanted to bury his fingers in it and tug it free.

She caught him looking and smiled, this time more genuinely. "What?"

"Just thinking about how beautiful you are."

She raised her eyebrows. "I never realized you were such a romantic," she said with a sly look. "What else have you been hiding from me all this time?"

The words echoed strangely in his heart, and she blinked, but her smile didn't falter and Aaryn decided to ignore what was unsaid and instead grinned.

"This," he whispered, grabbing her at the waist and swinging her off the trail to press her into the truck of one of the Great Trees. She sucked in when he grabbed her, but let herself relax when his lips landed on hers and they both sighed into the kiss.

Given the tension he'd felt when they began the walk, he'd thought she might not be able to relax, or that she'd put him off until her work was done for the night. But as soon as they were pressed against each other, her head dropped back and she let her fingers drag through his hair as she kissed him, her tongue flicking against his in a tease that had his entire body jolting.

Then he dropped his lips to her neck and she let her head sink back against the tree to give him better access. As he sucked and nibbled, goosebumps washed down her neck and arm and he let his fingers trail up to find them peppered under his touch.

"Aaryn," Elreth breathed a while later.

"Yes."

"I think I do need a bath, you know."

"Praise the Creator."

She giggled, but he took her mouth again, then pulled her away from the tree, not letting go of her hand as he dragged her back onto the trail and quickly along it.

He walked quickly, but she kept up, trotting sometimes to do so. They both looked at the Trees when they entered the Royal Meadow, the lights from both homes making orange shapes on the grass, but when Aaryn looked at El, reluctantly, to see if she needed to speak with any of her family, she only pushed forward, tugging him towards the cave, her scent jagged with desire and a slice of desperation.

Aaryn smiled as his Alpha throbbed within him.

Then they made it into the cave and his breath rushed out of him when he barred the door, then turned to find his beautiful mate already tugging off her shirt.