The reunion is overwhelming, but there's no time for explanations. The mate bonds strain dangerously, the magical imbalance growing worse each moment. My glowing marks pulse erratically.
"We need privacy," Ryder commands, his authority scattering the gathering crowd. "Now."
He doesn't release me as we move through palace corridors, practically carrying me while Nathan and Luca flank us protectively. His private chambers feel different now—the mate bond between us thrums with every breath, making his proximity both soothing and overwhelming.
"Explain," Ryder demands, pacing restlessly. "The bond activated four days ago. It nearly drove me insane—suddenly having a mate when I couldn't recognize one before."
"I'm Selena's descendant," I tell him, gathering strength. "The lost Snow Wolf heir. My real name is Coralina Snowborn. The return ceremony activated all three mate bonds."
Ryder stops pacing, silver eyes widening. "You're saying you're mated to—"
"All three of us," Nathan confirms. "The Goddess bound her to you, me, and Luca."
Ryder stares like I'm an impossible puzzle. Through our bond, I feel his mind racing. "I knew about you two being her mates. But learning I'm her third fated mate, that the Goddess bound us all together... the implications are staggering."
"The bonds need completion through the mating ceremony," Luca says urgently. "Leaving them incomplete is dangerous—the instability could hurt all of us."
Ryder's expression darkens. "The political situation deteriorated during your absence. Word spread about Coralina's heritage and the bonds. The court's fractured—some see divine blessing, others call it unnatural, a perversion of sacred law."
His shoulders tense. "Conservative pack leaders demand the bonds be severed, that Coralina choose one mate as tradition requires. The pressure for me to denounce this and find a 'proper' mate is intense."
"The Goddess's will is clear," Luca says vehemently. "The marks prove it."
We discuss implications for hours. The twins explain helping me, nearly dead from Sage's attack, the urgency of reaching him. Ryder shares the court's chaos, growing factions forming around this unprecedented situation.
That night, Ryder comes to me alone. Moonlight makes his eyes glow as he sits on the bed's edge.
"I need to understand what you want. Truly." His voice is carefully controlled, but I feel vulnerability through our bond. "Do you want all three of us? Are you certain? Because completing this publicly will trigger political chaos. I need to know you're choosing freely, not from obligation or magical compulsion."
His fingers ghost along my jaw, sending electricity through me. But beneath the magical pull lies something deeper—our connection from before, when I was just a woman in his harem.
"The bonds are real," I admit, pressing his hand over my heart where our bond pulses golden. "But Ryder... I loved you before knowing we were mates. I loved Nathan and Luca before understanding the dreams."
"You love all three of us?" Wonder colors his tone.
"Completely. Equally. Differently." I shift closer. "Nathan grounds me. Luca brightens everything. And you see me—not the adopted daughter or rejected bride, just me."
"Coralina," he breathes, then his mouth captures mine.
The kiss is desperate and tender, full of relief and hope. The mate bond blazes between us, alive and demanding. I taste his loneliness, years of knowing he'd die young, and beneath it, wild joy at this impossible gift.
"I thought I was hallucinating when the bond activated," he confesses against my lips. "It seemed impossible."
"Nothing about us has been conventional," I remind him, threading fingers through his hair. "Why start now?"
He laughs genuinely. "The council will riot."
"Then we give them answers. The Goddess bound four people together. Anyone who questions this questions divine will."
"I'm choosing this," I tell him firmly. "Choosing you, choosing them, choosing us."
He kisses me once more, sealing the promise. Through our bond, I feel his decision solidifying.
Because we're choosing each other.
His lips crash into mine, hot and claiming, and I feel it—the mate bond, raw and electric, pulsing between us like a live wire.
His hands are everywhere, his fingers digging into my hips, sliding up my sides, gripping the curve of my waist as if he’s afraid I’ll vanish if he lets go. I can’t think, can’t breathe, can only feel. The air is thick with the scent of him, sweat and musk and something primal that makes my thighs clench together in anticipation.
He breaks the kiss, panting, his forehead pressed to mine. “Carolina,” he growls, my name a low rumble in his chest, “I never thought I’d get this. Never thought I’d live long enough to have you like this.” His voice is rough, broken, and it sends a shiver down my spine.
I can feel his cock, hard and heavy, pressing against my stomach through the thin fabric of his pants. My own pulse quickens, heat pooling low in my belly, and I arch into him, desperate for more.
He tears at my clothes, his hands frantic, stripping me bare until I’m trembling before him. His eyes rake over my body, dark and hungry, and I feel the heat of his gaze like a physical touch.
His cock springs free, thick and straining, and I can’t tear my eyes away. He’s beautiful, all hard lines and tense muscle, and I want him inside me, stretching me, filling me until I can’t think of anything but him.
He grabs my hips, lifting me effortlessly, and slams me down onto the bed. The sheets are cool against my skin, but I barely notice.
His mouth is on me then, hot and wet, trailing down my neck, over my collarbone, lower. His tongue flicks over my nipples, teasing them into stiff peaks, and I gasp, my hips lifting off the mattress. “Please,” I beg, my voice shaking, “I need you.”
He doesn’t make me wait. His hands slide down my thighs, spreading me wide, and then his mouth is on me, his tongue plunging between my slick folds. I cry out, my fingers tangling in his hair, as he licks and sucks, driving me closer to the edge with every stroke.
I can feel the tension building, coiling tighter and tighter, until I’m trembling on the brink. “Please,” I whimper again, “I can’t—“
He pulls away, his lips glistening with my arousal, and I whine at the loss. But then he’s over me, his cock pressing against my entrance, and I gasp.
Slowly, so slowly, he pushes inside, stretching me, filling me in ways I’ve never felt before. I can feel every inch of him, thick and hot, and it’s overwhelming, the pleasure so intense it borders on pain. He pauses, his breath hitching, and I can feel him trembling with the effort of holding back.
“Little moon,” he rasps, “you’re so tight, so wet—“
I wrap my legs around his hips, pulling him deeper, and he groans, low and guttural. He starts to move then, his hips thrusting into me with a rhythm that leaves me breathless.
Every stroke sends waves of pleasure crashing through me, and I cling to him, my nails digging into his back. He’s everywhere, inside me, around me, his scent, his touch, his voice echoing in my ears. The mate bond pulses between us, amplifying every sensation, until I feel like I’m burning alive.
His thrusts grow harder, faster, and I can feel the heat building, coiling tighter and tighter. “Look at me,” he growls, and I do, his eyes locking with mine.
I can see it in his gaze, the love, the need, the raw desire, feel it through the bond, and it pushes me over the edge. I come with a cry, my body trembling around him, and he groans, his thrusts faltering as he spills inside me, hot and thick.
He collapses on top of me, his breath hot against my neck, and I can feel his heartbeat pounding against my chest. I’m still trembling, my body humming with aftershocks, and I know this is only the beginning. The mate bond thrums between us, unbreakable, undeniable, and I know I’ll never get enough of him. Never.
“I love you, little moon,” he whispers into my hair. The sincerety of it almost brings me to tears. “I love you.”