Chapter 723 Mate bonds
Seraphine loved the idea with every part of her. Her heart swelled so full it almost hurt at the thought of Voren’s mark on her skin, of belonging to him in the deepest way possible.
Yet after everything that had unfolded with Jasmine, curiosity still gnawed at her insides and refused to let go. She needed to know about the others before she could give herself over completely.
“Have you seen Damon? Sloane? Faye? Have they found their mates? What about those from other packs?”
Voren’s lips curved into a knowing smile. Amusement glinted bright in his eyes as he looked down at her.
“The moon goddess is wise, Sera. The elderly are all mated to their partners. Mom and Dad already marked each other, which is why you cannot see them anywhere around here tonight.”
Seraphine’s eyes widened. Her mouth fell open in pure surprise. She had never once imagined the older couple would be this eager, this completely consumed by the pull of the bond the second it settled.
“Yeah,” Voren continued, voice warm with quiet satisfaction. “Ravyn’s parents, Corvine’s, all the other elders and middle-aged couples are not separated for anything. Most of them already marked each other under this same moon.”
“No wonder the pheromone levels are so high,” she murmured, nodding slowly as the pieces clicked into place.
Voren’s smile held steady while he kept going.
“As for those Alphas and Lunas who thought the moon goddess would pair them with someone else so they could escape their sins, they got exactly what they deserved.”
Seraphine’s eyebrows shot up. A wicked little thrill ran straight through her. “You mean they were mated to each other?”
“Exactly. And some already marked each other under the blood moon. Others are still tearing through their differences and figuring out how to live with it.” Voren’s smile widened, sharp with satisfaction. “Zane and Emery are mated too.”
A long sign of pure relief slipped from Seraphine’s lips. Her shoulders dropped as the tension she had not even realized she was carrying finally eased.
“That is a good one.” Then curiosity sparked again, bright and insistent. “And Tallulah?”
Voren’s smile stayed warm and steady.
“She got mated to Beta Gordon and is torn between her work at MindNest and moving fully into the Silver Moon pack.”
Seraphine sighed again, her mind already spinning through every implication. These outcomes felt expected, almost inevitable, yet something in Voren’s expression told her there was still more waiting beneath the surface. Her eyes held a glint she could not quite name.
“We’ll have to organize send offs later for our pack members, and a welcome party for the newcomers. Some werewolves have decided to join their mates here instead of taking them back to their own packs. Corvine is handling all of that.”
He continued without missing a beat. “Oh, and Augustine is mated to Sloane. Callum is mated to Faye.”
This time Seraphine’s entire face reads up. Excitement bubbled bright and warm in her chest until she felt almost lightheaded with it.
“What about Nicole? I want her back here so badly, but it will still be okay if she has to settle somewhere else because of her mate.”
Voren’s smile deepened. A knowing look settled across its features and stayed there.
“Nicole was mated to her cheater of an ex, and she rejected him on the spot. Honestly, I had to force the bastard to accept her rejection.” His voice dropped lower, carrying a clear note of satisfaction. “I am sure she would have rejected even an Alpha, because she and Pete have been going steady for a while now, if you get what I mean.”
Seraphine nodded slowly, her mind racing ahead of her. It seemed her quiet experimental couple might actually work after all.
She could not wait to find out whether Pete was Nicole’s second-chance mate, and whether Pete would ever be able to accept their world. But finally the biggest question pushed its way out.
“And Damon?”
Voren’s smile froze the second the name left her lips. His expression hardened for a single heartbeat before he recovered and forced the warmth back into place.
“His mate is not here. But I am surprised you have not asked about Ravyn, Killian, Brad, Uri, and Curt yet.”
Seraphine laughed, the sound light and warm against the heavy night air.
“I have been away for barely thirty minutes and you already found out so much.”
“Forty-five minutes to be precise,” Voren corrected her, his smirk sliding back into place with easy confidence. “The moon goddess knows whose hearts are not ready. That girl you saved, Angela, got mated to Riven. And Gray was mated to a member of the Centenary pack.” He tilted his head, watching her reaction with careful attention.
“Ravyn is not mated, and I guess it is because of Daisy’s pregnancy. She is unmated too, just like Killian, Brad, Uri, and Curt. They are all still searching for their mates under this same moon.”
Seraphine felt a deep wave of relief wash through her from head to toe. No marriages had been broken. No existing unions had been shattered. The moon goddess was indeed wise, far wiser than any of them could have imagined even in their boldest hopes.
“Do you think the bond would still work between us like this in the human world?” she asked, her voice soft and almost vulnerable against the quiet of the grounds.
Voren’s smirk turned darker, more possessive, the kind of look that made heat coil low in her stomach.
“We just have to find out on our honeymoon.”
Seraphine’s heart fluttered hard. Excitement and anticipation raced through her veins until she felt almost dizzy with it.
“Yes. I cannot wait.”
Voren looked up at the blood moon once more. Its deep crimson glow bathed the entire pack grounds in an otherworldly light that made every surface seem alive.
The grounds themselves had grown quiet now, yet the heavy scent of mixed pheromones still hung thick in the air, a potent and living explanation of everything unfolding around them.
Werewolves and she-wolves were mating under the blood moon, answering the call of the goddess herself without hesitation or restraint.
He lowered his head and kissed Seraphine on the neck, sucking deeply enough to leave the beginning of a mark. She wasted, her body arching hard into his as she pressed herself against him with open need.
Her neck tilted farther to the side, offering him full access, baring herself to him completely. “Do it V, I can’t wait.”