KAIA'S POV
A sharp knock on the door jolts me awake from the most peaceful sleep I've had in years.
I blink slowly, trying to orient myself. The first thing I notice is the warm, solid weight of Ronan's arm wrapped around my waist. The second thing I notice is that we're both completely naked under the sheets.
Everything from last night comes rushing back. The mating bond. The way we claimed each other completely. The way our souls finally merged into one.
I look down at Ronan, still fast asleep beside me. His dark hair is tousled, his face relaxed and peaceful. He looks younger when he sleeps, less burdened by the weight of being an Alpha.
The knocking comes again, more insistent this time.
Carefully, I slip out of his arms and drag a robe over my naked body. My legs are still a little unsteady from last night, and I can feel the pleasant soreness that reminds me of what we shared.
I pad quietly to the door and open it just a crack.
A guard stands in the hallway, his face grim and urgent.
"What do you want?" I ask, keeping my voice low.
"I need to see the Alpha," he says. "It's urgent."
"The Alpha is asleep," I tell him.
"Ma'am, with all due respect, this can't wait," the guard insists. "It's about a matter of pack security."
I study his face and see genuine worry there.
"How urgent?" I ask.
"Very urgent, Luna," he says, and the title makes my heart skip. "Lives could be at stake."
Left with no choice, I close the door and walk back to the bed.
"Ronan," I whisper, gently tapping his shoulder.
He doesn't stir.
"Ronan," I try again, a little louder.
His eyes flicker open slowly, and when he sees me standing beside the bed, a sleepy smile spreads across his face.
Before I can explain about the guard, he grabs me and pulls me down onto the bed until I'm straddling him.
"Good morning, my beautiful mate," he murmurs, his hands sliding up my thighs.
I laugh despite the urgency of the situation. "Ronan, we have company."
"Do we?" he asks, not seeming to care as he starts kissing my neck.
"Yes," I gasp as he finds a particularly sensitive spot. "There's a guard at the door."
But he's not listening. He's too busy climbing over me, pressing me back into the mattress as his mouth trails down my throat.
"Ronan," I breathe, getting distracted by the way his lips feel against my skin.
"Mmm?" he hums against my collarbone.
I have to physically point toward the door to get his attention away from seducing me.
"Your guard is at the door, Ronan," I say firmly. "He says he needs to see you urgently."
That finally shifts his focus. He lifts his head and looks toward the door, then back at me.
"How urgent?" he asks, still not moving from on top of me.
"Very urgent, apparently," I reply. "Something about pack security."
Ronan looks like I just told him someone interrupted the most important task of his life.
"Which of the guards?" he asks nonchalantly, as if he's not naked and pressed against his equally naked mate.
"I don't know his name," I admit. "But I heard he's your Beta's brother."
That makes Ronan jump up from the bed immediately.
"Derek," he says, suddenly all business. "If Derek is here this early, something's definitely wrong."
He pulls on a pair of pants quickly while I adjust my robe.
"Come with me," he tells me, moving toward the door.
"Actually," I say, stopping him. "I think I shouldn't hear…."
"Kaia, you're my mate now," he reminds me. "And my Luna."
He opens the door and gestures for the guard to come in.
Derek steps into the room, his face grave. He's a tall man with sandy brown hair and worried blue eyes.
"Alpha," he says with a respectful bow. "Luna."
"What's so urgent it couldn't wait until morning?" Ronan asks.
I expect Derek to ask me to leave, since this seems like confidential pack matter. But to my surprise, Ronan gives him a nod that says it's okay to speak freely in front of me.
"Alpha, we've received information about the old case you asked me to investigate," Derek begins. "The rape and murder of Kelly Grimm five years ago."
My blood turns to ice. Ronan's hand immediately finds mine, squeezing gently.
"What kind of information?" Ronan asks, his voice carefully controlled.
"We know who did it," Derek says grimly. "The person who raped Kelly Grimm years ago was a Duskmore."
Ronan goes completely still beside me. I can feel the shock radiating off of him.
But I'm not shocked. I've suspected this for years. I'm just curious to finally know which one.
"Which Duskmore?" I ask, my voice steady despite the way my heart is pounding. "Which of the Duskmores?"
Derek looks between Ronan and me, clearly uncomfortable with what he has to say.
"Ma'am," he says quietly. "It was Marcus Duskmore. The illegitimate son of Alpha Raven Duskmore."