BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 279: FEELS LIKE HOME

Chapter 279: FEELS LIKE HOME

{"Where we love is home, that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."}

The fire had died down to embers by the time we reached the edge of the cliffs. Above us, the stars scattered across the sky like shards of forgotten gods. Below, the forest slept the kind of sleep only a place steeped in magic could know. Every sound was hushed. Even the wind whispered softer, like it knew tonight did not belong to it. Elle stood in front of me; her arms wrapped loosely around herself. The bond mark still shimmered faintly around her wrist, like starlight caught under skin.

I moved behind her, slipping my arms around her waist. She leaned back without a word, her body fitting against mine like it had always belonged there.

"You’re quiet," she murmured, her voice soft. "That’s rare."

I kissed the curve of her shoulder, bare beneath the robe. "I’m thinking."

"Dangerous."

I huffed a laugh against her skin. "Not tonight."

She turned in my arms then, hands finding the edge of my jaw. Her thumbs brushed the warpaint still streaking my face, smudging it. "You haven’t looked at me like this before."

"Like what?"

"Like I’m real."

I swallowed. Let my fingers drift to her waist, grounding me. "You are," I said. "But tonight... it hit different. You walked through the worst parts of me and still came back. The bond just—" I shook my head. "It makes it louder. Clearer."

"What does?" she asked, brow furrowing.

"My need for you." Her eyes darkened slightly, but not with lust, with emotion.

"I saw everything in that trial, Rou. And I did not flinch."

"I know."

"You have carried so much shame for being what they needed. But I did not see a monster." She stepped closer, our bodies flush. "I saw a protector. A survivor. A man made of wildfire who never learned how to be loved until now."

Her words lodged under my ribs like a blade, only they did not cut. I leaned down, pressing my forehead to hers. "You are everything I never thought I deserved."

She brushed her lips against mine. "And yet, here I am. Yours."

The kiss deepened slowly, not rushed, and when we finally pulled apart, I scooped her up into my arms. She gave a soft gasp, followed by a laugh, and curled against me.

"Rou—"

"I want to hold you tonight," I said, voice low. She nodded once, pressing a kiss to my throat. So, I carried her back to the stone cabin at the edge of the high peak, the one the Elders had given us as the new Guardians. Inside, the hearth still glowed, and the fur blankets were thick. We undressed each other with reverence, and we made love like it was a promise not to never be hurt, but to heal together when the hurt came. When she finally drifted off in my arms, her head on my chest and one leg tangled with mine, I stared at the ceiling for a long time. Not because I was afraid anymore, but because I could not stop whispering the truth that had settled into my bones.

"She chose me. And I will never let this be undone."

***********

One week later, the smell of pine hit first. Then the salt from the nearby bay drifted in like a memory.

But it was the sound that told me we were back in the Bay Shifter pack, laughter. Boots crunching on gravel. The thud of training drums. Bay Pack’s rhythm was war-tempered, but alive, thriving, not surviving. I stood beside Elle at the edge of the border, our travel cloaks dusted with mountain ash, her hand warm in mine. The late-afternoon sun cast long shadows across the timber-laced cabins and sandstone watchtowers. Pack soldiers had already begun to gather whispers blooming like sparks when they saw us.

Then a voice, low and amused. "Well, you did not fall off the mountain. That is a relief."

I turned, and Ralph, my son, stood still, built like he could shoulder a mountain himself. His hair was darker now, streaked with grey at the temples and cropped shorter than I remembered. But his eyes... those were mine. He stepped forward, stopping just in front of me. Then, with no warning, he pulled me into a tight embrace and clapped a strong hand on my back.

"You came back," he murmured gruffly.

"I did," I whispered, and he pulled away slightly to look at Elle. "You brought him back with both arms and his pride mostly intact. Impressive."

Elle smirked. "It was a challenge."

From behind Ralph, General Tiger appeared, leaner, sharper, eyes like flint." Rou." He spoke up with a nod, and then he turned to Elle. "You did well, Commander."

Elle dipped her head. "He made it easy."

I snorted. "Don’t lie."

That got a low laugh from both Ralph and Tige,r and then the rest of the pack began to circle in, murmurs of welcome blending into warm calls and howls of celebration. Ralph leaned in; his voice lowered so only I could hear. "I never thought you’d find me a new mother, Pa," he teased.

I looked down at Elle, who was already being pulled aside by some of the pack’s warriors, proud, smiling, happy to see their Commander return. "Shut up, brat," I responded, and then added, "She fought for it. And I decided to stop running."

Ralph nodded. "Then I am glad. Because, for what it is worth, I am proud of you."

That hit harder than any blade ever had "I’m proud of you too," I said, and this time I meant every damn word.

Early the next day, Elle was already gone when I woke. Not far as I could feel her through the bond, warm and close, but she had left the bed just before dawn, and I knew he had gone to find her family. By the time I made my way down to the communal ring, I spotted her near the training grounds, her back straight, her arms wrapped tightly around someone much older, broader, and it was General Mortas. She stood with her face pressed to his shoulder, eyes closed, no armor between them. Beside them, her brother Troy waited arms folded, trying to look stern but failing miserably.

I could not hear what they were saying. Did not need to, but the weight in Elle’s posture melted as her father cupped the back of her head and held her like a soldier returning from war. So, I turned and headed for the stone path that led deeper into Bay Pack’s southern edge toward the Alpha’s house, as Ralph had informed me that Tor and Frey were planning to leave for Hanka Island the next day.

The guards let me in and I found Tor and Freyr but the far wall as they watched the view outside. Both looked up when I entered, and "Thought I smelled ancient beast," Freyr said with a smirk.

"You always were the dramatic one," I replied, stepping in.

Tor stood, slow but solid, and crossed the space between us. "I am glad you are back, "He offered his forearm.

I gripped it hard. "It’s good to see you."

"And you," Tor said. "The guards brought back news of how Elle passed the test, and you joined the Elders of the mountain as Rolan took the role of the Alpha."

"She did more than pass," I said. "She commanded it."

Freyr gave a low whistle. "So, the mating is sealed, then?"

I nodded once. "Before the Elders. And I have accepted the mantle Guardian of the Rogourau Peaks."

I nodded again and decided to dive deep into the matter that had brought me to his home: "The Omega Sanctuary is waking." That pulled the smirk from Freyr’s face. "I need you both to hear this straight," I said. "We don’t know the full extent yet, but I can feel it in my bones.s"

Tor nodded, and then he spoke up, "We leave for Hanka Island tonight, no one must know we shall be gone."

I nodded at him as we discussed the plans, and I left soon after. Outside, the sun had begun to rise over Bay Shifter Pack’s cliffs, casting gold across the rooftops. Elle was waiting for me by the garden path, her father and brother gone, her expression soft with the kind of peace I rarely saw in her. She did not say a word but just reached for my hand. And for the first time in a long while, I felt the stillness of being home even as war brewed beneath the earth.

I did not say anything at first, and I just watched her the way her jaw tensed, the way her eyes narrowed as though she were listening for something too far away to name. Eventually, I stepped behind her and slid my arms around her waist, pulling her back into my chest.

"You feel it too," she said quietly.

"Like something’s shifting beneath the skin of the world," I murmured.

She nodded, leaning back into me. "Since the trial... it has not stopped. It is like the mountain gave me a thread, and now it is pulling. Every night, every breath. Something is calling from deep below, and I do not know if it is pain or hunger."

"It’s both," I said. "It’s waking up starving and angry."

Her fingers brushed over mine. "Do you think we’re ready for it?"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.