BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 275: I FUCKING MISSED YOU

Chapter 275: I FUCKING MISSED YOU

{"Missing someone is your heart’s way of reminding you that you love them." }

ROU’S POV

I hadn’t realized how much I missed the scent of these woods until I stepped past the tree line and caught the earthy blend of pine and sea air. Bay Shifter Pack. Home, in a way I hadn’t allowed myself to admit until now. I moved silently across the familiar grounds, the mountain’s weight still lingering in my bones, but it wasn’t heavy. Voices quieted around me as shifters noticed when we walked in.

And then I saw Elle, she was cutting through the crowd like a blade through mist, her hair pulled back in that signature braid, her shoulders squared, her eyes locked on mine like a guided arrow, and before I could move, she was in my arms. I caught her easily, instinctively, wrapping her against me as if my body had been waiting for this exact moment. The feel of her strong, certain, and burning like wildfire hit me harder than anything I’d faced on the mountain.

My hands curled around her back, one sliding to the base of her neck, anchoring her to me like she might vanish, and everyone around us gasped.

"Commander Elle?"

"Are they—?"

"Wait... they’re mated?"

Elle heard it too. I felt the grin curve against my shoulder before she pulled back just enough to look at me, and she turned her head, finally acknowledging the stunned crowd. I expected her to step away to play it down. Instead, she kissed me, right there, in front of everyone, slow, unapologetic, and unshakeable.

My beast purred under my skin, wild and proud. I hadn’t marked her yet, not officially, but she was mine and I was hers. When she pulled back, she raised an eyebrow and said, "I think that clears up the speculation."

I couldn’t help the laugh that rumbled from my chest. "You’ve always been subtle, Elle."

She rolled her eyes. "Try not to run off again."

"Not without you," I told her, simple and true.

From the overlook, I could just make out Alpha Tor and Freyr watching us. Tor looked like he was trying not to laugh, but I loved that they had been happy when I informed them that Elle was my mate, and this was one of the things I was looking forward to when we returned to the Bay shifter pack.

Hours later, Elle and I stood in the centre of the living room, no words passing between us, just breath and the weight of everything unspoken. The moonlight filtered through the windows, silvering her features, making her look ethereal and grounded all at once. Her scent wrapped around me, cinders and honeysuckle, strength and comfort. It calmed my beast and made my chest ache in the best way.

She stepped closer, her bare feet brushing the rug, slow and deliberate. My gaze traced the curve of her neck, the rise of her chest with each breath, the tension in her shoulders melting the longer we stood together in silence.

"I still can’t believe you’re here," she whispered.

"Bloodstone Mountain was treachery. We are lucky to be back and alive."

Her lips parted slightly, but she said nothing. Instead, she closed the distance and pressed her forehead to mine. I let my eyes fall shut. Her hands rested lightly on my chest, over my heart, steady and sure.

The bond between us wasn’t screaming. It wasn’t demanding but remained steady. A flame that had always burned low, waiting, now flickering brighter as we stood in each other’s orbit again.

My hands slid up her arms, down her sides, memorizing the feel of her. "You still smell like home."

"And you still smell like trouble," she said, her breath brushing my cheek.

I chuckled under my breath. "Good. I’d hate to have changed too much."

This moment wasn’t about urgency or desire, it was about knowing. About standing still in the eye of the storm and choosing each other without question. Her fingers curled into my shirt. Mine rested at her hips, drawing her close until there wasn’t even air between us.

"I missed you," she said finally, voice barely audible.

"I missed you, too, Elle," I replied, and her soft laugh was the only sound that mattered in the world.

I had just started to lean in. Her lips were right there, soft, parted, inviting, when the knock thundered through the house like a war drum.

Elle groaned, and I froze, growling low under my breath. "It is urgent or else —"

Elle rushed to the door and flung open before I could finish, and one of the guards, barely out of breath but flushed with urgency, stood at the threshold.

"Alpha Rou! Commander Elle! You’re needed in the Royal Garden. The rest of the council has assembled, and Beta Spark sent me to inform you.

I blinked at him. Blinked again, and Elle was the first to move, stepping back and grabbing her boots.

I stared at the guard, jaw clenched. "Of course it’s urgent," I muttered, dragging a hand down my face. "It’s always urgent the second I try to kiss someone."

Elle burst into loud, full, and unfiltered. She nearly doubled over as she pulled her uniform jacket on, her shoulders shaking. "Oh gods," she gasped between breaths. "You’re pouting. The big bad Rogourau Alpha is pouting."

"I’m not pouting," I grumbled, yanking on my shirt with probably more force than necessary. "I’m scowling in dignified frustration."

Her grin only widened. "Well, Your Alpha Highness, you better bring that dignified scowl to the garden before the council sends a search party."

I grunted as we both headed for the door, side by side. "I’m starting to think the realm is allergic to me getting a sweet moment with you."

"Don’t worry," she teased, bumping her shoulder into mine. "I’m not going anywhere. You’ll get your moment."

I gave her a sidelong glance, and the corner of my mouth tugged upward. "Count on it." And with that, we disappeared into the cool morning light, our unfinished moment tucked between us like a secret promise.

Hours later, they were still talking, but not impressively enough to hold my attention. Not when Elle was standing two paces to my left, in full uniform, sunlight dancing across her golden hair, and that damn smirk tugging at the corner of her lips like she knew exactly where my mind had gone. I’d been staring. For too long, probably. My beast was practically vibrating beneath my skin, tail lashing in frustration. The bond between us was a live wire, and every time her fingers twitched, every time she shifted her weight slightly closer to me, my beast growled his approval.

"Alpha Rou?" someone called.

I blinked, dragging my gaze back to the present. Tor had asked a question about the mountain routes and patrol coverage. I responded automatically, voice even, expression neutral. Years of discipline and command had taught me how to mask distraction. But Elle knew. She knew. I felt her eyes on me before I looked. She didn’t say a word, just raised an eyebrow challenge and promise wrapped in one look. I clenched my jaw, struggling not to roll my shoulders like a restless cub. My hand flexed at my side. If I touched her now, I wouldn’t be able to stop.

"This meeting," I muttered under my breath, "is dragging more than a wounded elk."

She leaned slightly toward me, voice soft but teasing. "Poor Rou"

I exhaled sharply through my nose. "You think this is funny?"

"I think watching you squirm is very entertaining," she whispered, and then turned back to the council with maddening calm.

Stars, I was going to lose my mind, and this time it was Alpha Tor who finalized the meeting, and my patience had worn thin. My gaze locked with Elle’s again. No smirk this time. Just heat. We weren’t going to make it through this meeting. And I didn’t care, and I leaned in and murmured, "The second this ends, you’re mine."

She didn’t even blink. "I’ve been yours." And just like that, the rest of the garden, the council, the realm, all of it faded into background noise.

We sneaked out of the royal garden and the moment we stepped through the door of her home, the air shifted. Elle turned first, closing the door behind us with a gentle click, then leaned against it, arms folded, eyes locked on mine. The tension that had built up through that entire council meeting, the teasing, the promises, the restraint, hit like a crashing tide. We stood there, breathing each other in. Her scent wrapped around me like wildfire smoke and citrus and something hers. My wolf purred under my skin, ears pinned back, heart hammering like a drumbeat for her.

I took a slow step forward. She didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Just watched.

"You’re staring again," she said softly, but there was no teasing this time.

"Can you blame me?" My voice was lower than usual, hoarse with everything I wasn’t saying.

Her mouth twitched. "Say it, Rou."

I reached out and cupped her cheek, my fingers brushing her jaw, my thumb resting just beneath her lips. "You drive me mad, Elle."

"Good," she breathed. "Because I’ve been mated for you since the moment you walked back into the Bay Shifter pack."

I studied her, this woman who could command a legion, who could disarm with a glance, who stood by my side not as a shadow, but as an equal. My mate and I kissed her. It wasn’t soft nor slow. It was raw and deep, our mouths crashing like thunderclouds, every suppressed second from the council gathering unravelling in the heat between us. She pulled me closer by the collar of my shirt, and I lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around me as our bodies collided with perfect familiarity. We stumbled back toward her bedroom, every step a silent vow: we were not going to stop.