The kiss was bruising in fierceness.

Both Gideon and Visena welcomed the pain as they backed up against a nearby tree. Sharp bark prodded into her spine, and she was sure she would come away bleeding from its rough trunk. Every nip, suck and brush of tongue ignited a fire in Visena's core. Her legs squeezed together tightly, and her fingers curled in his hair. They wouldn't let each other take a breath, much to her amusement. 

A sudden wooziness overcame Visena as Gideon hoisted her up against the tree. Her legs straddled his firm waist, and her arms draped over his shoulders for stability. And maybe because she wanted to touch his shoulders.

Gideon took control, finally slowing the kiss to give them both time to breathe. Her body slipped slightly in his grip, and she felt a new pressure against her front. Visena was sure it was on purpose as she realised she was stuck between a tree and a really hard place...

She smirked against Gideon's lips and trailed kisses of her own down his neck. Visena was rewarded with an appreciative rumble from his throat that vibrated against her tentatively parted mouth. She bravely licked along his neck before pulling her head back to see what he thought. His wide, glowing eyes made her chuckle. "You're too pretty, Gideon. And you smell so good." Visena buried her flaming face into his neck as he squeezed her tight. Her honesty even embarrassed her sometimes.

"We need to go back, Vi." 

She groaned against his neck as he lowered her to the forest floor. She was exhausted. "Can you carry me?"

Gideon laughed at her request but happily scooped her into his arms again and kissed her forehead.

"So now what?" she asked, yawning.

"Well, I think before we decide anything, we need a bit more information from your mother, don't you think?"

Visena's eyelids were heavy. "Yeah. But now we know we're mates, what happens?"

"I don't want you to worry about that right now, Visena. It hasn't changed anything for me." 

Visena's stomach sank before Gideon quickly explained. "No, that came out wrong. I have always felt something, and now I know that it was the mate bond, so it's- it's a good thing."

She nodded with her eyes now closed. "Now, you don't need to worry about hurting someone else. That's cool. I still have no idea what it even means."

Gideon's steady heartbeat was like a metronome. "There's no rush. I just want to enjoy this. Enjoy you..."

Visena's slow breaths signalled sleep had finally taken her. Gideon held her tighter as he finished the journey to the Packhouse. He tucked her into his bed before checking on Prim. 

She was already up and walking around in the medical office. Esmerelda had helped draw out the wolfs-bane in Prim's blood while Kora checked for internal damage. Luckily it had missed her stomach and bowels so that Prim could heal at her usual pace. Her mate stood guard at the door with a pensive expression. Orion probably wanted to murder Zeir as much as Gideon did.

Prim's eyes were starry when she saw Gideon. "Alpha! How is she? She was so beautiful. I knew it! Seriously, I knew it!" Her ramblings were impossible to decipher and insanely loud as she flitted across the room, clasping her hands to her chest like a smitten schoolgirl.

"Slow down, Prim. What are you talking about?" Gideon got Prim to sit back on a nearby cot. The room still reeked of blood and wolfs-bane. Orion sent an appreciative glance at his Alpha from his post. It must have been infuriating trying to get Primalia to rest. Everything about her was frantic all the time. But she was loyal and a vital Delta to his Pack. If he had lost her... It didn't bode well to go down that mental path. Gideon's nails had already broken skin on his calloused palms. 

"I don't even know what to refer to her as now... Alpha Visena?" Prim carried on from her new seat. Her legs jittered up and down restlessly as she picked at scabbing cuticles. 

"I'm sure she won't mind being called Visena for now. She doesn't know anything yet." He gently patted her knee as a gentle reminder to find stillness which she ignored, jostling harder with vibrant energy. 

"As soon as Orion's scent repulsed her, I knew something was up." Her excitement was contagious, but Gideon was still confused.

"Seriously, Delta... What?"

Prim took a deep breath, squealed briefly, and clasped her hands in front of her chest. "When I was cleaning her up, she could smell Orion's scent on a fresh towel, and she was disgusted. Then when I... Um, I may have played a trick on you. By getting her to wear my clothes, you were repulsed and made her put your hoodie on, remember?" Prim looked very embarrassed, admitting to scheming against the Alpha. 

Gideon sighed with a slight chuckle. "And that's when you realised what?"

"You were mates, and she had to be a wolf..." Prim tried to hide the look, but her face seemed to say, 'Duh!'

"Eve realised something too but believed she was cursed to trick all of us..." Gideon hated to say it, but he would have been more inclined to believe Eve's hypothesis if he didn't completely adore Visena. He swallowed at the thought. No, he backtracked. It was more because adult Fae/ Wolf Hybrids were unheard of. Simply because they would all die in infancy, and mixing of any bloodlines was always considered unnatural.

Human and Fae mixes were more common but often non-consensual and still highly illegal by Council standards.

He didn't understand how Visena had survived for so long and appeared so powerful in both forms.

Prim humphed, finally letting her legs fall still. "I should have thought of that. Lucky Eve was wrong then..."

"Lucky." Gideon agreed. 

He said goodnight and looked for Esmerelda. She sat watching the moon on the Packhouse porch. The white crescent was growing as the eclipse came to an end. "Nice to finally meet you," Gideon said as he sat on a nearby chair.

Esmerelda had a small smile. "I know you well, little one."

Gideon nodded, not wanting to get sucked down a rabbit hole. "Is there anything you can tell me before Visena is included in the conversation?"

The Fae's iridescent eyes regarded Gideon thoughtfully. "Zeir will stop at nothing to mate her. His witch has made sure of that." 

Everything Esmerelda said was irritatingly cryptic.

"Would you mind if my pack witch comes to talk to you both? Maybe she can help with the memory situation."

"You are welcome to try, dear. But I don't believe what's done can be undone."Her gaze returned to the moon, and it was clear to Gideon that the conversation was over. After excusing himself politely, he headed to his room.

Visena lay on the opposite side to where he left her, snuggling into his pillow on his side of the bed. Of course.

After cleaning himself up, he climbed onto the bed behind her and stared at the roof. Nothing had changed, but at the same time, everything had.

He still knew absolutely nothing new about her except that the connection he had felt all this time was a mate bond. It still didn't feel like what had been described to him, but it must have been because she was only half-wolf.

And her wolf.

Damn.

She was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on.

Now, it all made sense why the Pack had warmed to her so quickly. Even they felt the Alpha bond. Although, Gideon could not understand why the Praelia wolves responded to Visena's call. The command of an Alpha only worked on their own Pack, but Visena seemed to influence Praelia and even the Malum wolves. 

His thoughts were a jumble, bolstering a blossoming headache until the source of his confusion rolled over and wrapped an arm across his chest. She was a little pale but cute as a button. 

Gideon trailed a finger along Visena's neck and brushed some hair off her face. Long, dark lashes brushed against lightly freckled cheekbones and her lips pursed. He resisted the urge to steal a kiss before pulling her into his chest. 

They slept that way long after the sun rose on Invictus lands. 

~~~

A/N

Isn't this just so darn cute? 

I mean the ending, not the beginning lol. 

Do you guys recommend doing warnings for sexy chapters? I'm conflicted about it. Like, I'll do it, but it sometimes feels like a mini-spoiler before the action. Am I crazy? 

Totally, but that's beside the point.

I better stop talking to myself now.

Until next time <3

xxx