Epilogue 1

Epilogue: Zara's POV

A blush immediately coated my cheeks as I slowly woke up from my deep slumber. The bed felt too cosy and I couldn't help but snuggle against Harper's body. His amazing body heat and the tingles that danced all over my skin whenever we touched made me let out a deep, sleepy moan. I felt Harper stir beside me and felt his arm settle on my bare hip, eliciting a heady warmth to settle deep in my belly. His thumb gently caressed my hip bone and I moved closer to him, determined to have as much skin contact as possible and leave no space between us. 

Harper's scent surrounded me, which brought an involuntary sleepy smile to my face. Even with my eyes closed, I could picture Harper's slightly upturned nose as he slept. It was too hard to resist his adorable expressions so most of the time, I didn't even try. My head rested on his shoulder and my face settled in the crook of his neck. Without needing to open my eyes, I leaned forward and planted an open-mouthed kiss on Harper's neck, exactly where I knew his mark rested. 

It has been exactly one month since he marked me and it was only last night when we finally completed the mating process and marked each other for as long as we lived. It was done now, it was final, set in stone and the realization brought me waves of pleasure.

Harper's skin is hot and it feels incredibly good to snuggle into him and steal his body heat because I never seem to be able to stay warm. Well, now I have my radiator sleeping beside me. I smiled in satisfaction when I felt him shiver at my kiss. Feeling brazen and supremely confident, I plant an open-mouth kiss on Harper's neck, swipe my tongue on the dental indentations, and graze my teeth around the slightly inflamed skin of the marking site. 

Vivid flashes of last night swarm my brain, of me and Harper undressing each other, our lips fused, our tongues battling for dominance, our limbs tangled with each other, and the magical extension of my canines so that I could pierce his skin landmark him as my mate. When my canines extended, I felt like a powerful animal, as if some dormant part of me had come to life. When I had looked into Harper's eyes, I had come across the deep green eyes of his wolf. It was at that moment that I understood that I wouldn't just be marking Harper, I was going to mark Harper's wolf, making both of them mine for as long as we lived. I knew then, that I would belong to both Harper and his wolf and vice versa. The power of that moment still brought a heady feeling in my being and I desperately wish to experience it again. 

The feeling of being in control, of sinking my teeth into Harper and marking him as mine turned me on. Harper groaned beside me and I felt flush. He could smell my arousal hanging in the air. Before I open my mouth to say something, I'm suddenly flipped sideways and Harper's heavyweight lands on top of me. I shriek in surprise but it is immediately cut off when Harper's lips nibble on my neck. 

I enjoy waking up like this, Harper's voice echoes in my head and I close my eyes as he continues his ministrations on my neck. A month ago, when Harper marked me, a mind link had immediately opened up between us. Hearing his voice inside my head, being aware of his emotions because of the mark I bore felt so overwhelming but I have pretty much gotten used to it now. It makes me feel closer to him. When Harper told me that it was a two-way connection between us, I couldn't wait to try it out. The mind-link has already fascinated me but it was pretty hard to control. As I wasn't an official part of the pack, I couldn't exactly mind-link the other pack members, but even projecting my thoughts to Harper was very tiring. This past month, Harper has spent a considerable amount of time getting me to try to learn how to use the mind-link. I'm at least able to convey the most basic emotions to Harper which has been a considerable improvement, only because of Harper's dedication to make me feel accustomed to it. He stressed that using the mind-link was the most effective way to alert him of any danger I may come across. He told me how helpless he felt when I was captured by the rogues and how he never wanted to feel that way again. Apart from the obvious advantages of the mind link, Harper showed me how using the link could be playful too. So, when he and I find ourselves in a public setting, all I can hear are the different ways Harper would like to bend me over a table and ravage me. 

I like the direction of your thoughts, Harper's voice once again echoes inside my brain, while he lowers his mouth and licks down the column of my neck. Another advantage of having a mind link is not having to stop kissing when you want to dirty talk. I grasp onto Harper's shoulders, all logical reasonings flying out of my brain. I gasp and arch when Harper cups one of my breasts. I pull at his hair and he obliges by meeting his lips with mine. Our lips slant against each other again and again. His tongue plunges in my mouth and explores every inch of my mouth. My tongue battles his for dominance but we both know it's a futile battle because he is going to explore me in every way possible and I won't want to stop him.

I moan when I feel his fingers probing against the juncture of my thighs. My legs open for him reflexively and he settles himself between my thighs, not stopping to take a breath even for a second. His fingers slide inside me and I moan inside his mouth, not caring about who could hear me right now. He moves lower and takes a nipple in his mouth and I whimper at the onslaught of pleasure on my nerve endings. The orgasm hits long and deep and I'm still floating in a never-ending bliss when I feel Harper slide himself inside me. I felt my insides stretching to accommodate Harper and I felt his taut body moving over me. I anchor myself by holding onto Harper, moving my arms over his broad shoulders and caressing his muscled arms. 

We separate our lips and I feel Harper lean away from me so that he can look into my eyes. He still moves inside me, slowly thrusting inside and out, our bodies slick with sweat and the smell of sex hangs blissfully in the air. I gaze into Harper's eyes as he looks into mine. Let go, Harper's voice chimes in my head, and I find myself obeying him. I let go and fell victim to the amazing orgasm that had been building inside me since he moment Harper penetrated me. I don't close my eyes, I look into Harper as he moves inside me, and I watch as he loses himself in me. He slumps over me and his face settles in the sweaty crook of my neck. "I love you", He doesn't mind-link the words this time, but softly whispers them against my skin and I find myself holding onto him a little more tightly. 

"I can't believe this day is finally here." He leans in and plants a butterfly kiss on my lips, which makes me want for more. "You'll finally be a part of this pack. You're going to lead the pack, lead beside me and I can't be any more happy." 

I smiled demurely, the traces of my orgasm trying to pull me in a sleepy haze again. "You're not going to sleep again." Harper laughed and I smiled at his declaration. He has been saying this since the morning when we woke up and started our marathon rounds of sex all over again. Before I could press my case, I squeal when Harper lifts me from the bed. I immediately move closer to him to bask in his body heat. 

I circle my arms around his neck and lean closer to hum. "I can't believe that we are finally here. In a few hours, I will be a part of this pack, their Luna, and your mate for life."  After Natalie had stepped down from the post of Luna but was marked by her mate, the position of Luna had become open for me to take whenever I wanted. Harper had told me that he wanted me to be the Luna of the pack as soon as possible, but with everything that had been happening all around us, he asked me if he could be my mate before having to share me with the rest of the pack. He told me that we would have the luna ceremony when I would feel ready. He promised me he wouldn't rush me like the last time. He told me that he would be there to support me every step of the way, should I ever need it. So, we decided to mark each other and become mates in the truest sense and then have the Luna ceremony whenever we felt comfortable. It was only last night that I had completed the mating process by marking him that I had told him my desire to have the Luna ceremony today. Harper was only too happy to comply. 

Harper tugs my naked body closer to him and I snuggle against his neck. He walks towards the ensuite bathroom and I sigh in pleasure at the thought of the hot water shower I'm about to enjoy. Harper chuckles as he realizes my train of thought and I blush to my roots at being so transparent. 

We take a long bath after which I force Harper to leave me alone so that I can dress up for the ceremony that I expect to happen in front of all the pack members in a few hours. We find it incredibly hard to keep our hands off of each other and being naked doesn't exactly help. 

I finger the off-white maxi dress I ordered two weeks ago without telling Harper, wanting to surprise him about my decision regarding the Luna ceremony.  I kept second-guessing myself until last night, when finally, a part of me felt completely ready to take on the vast responsibilities of being a Luna and leading a pack. I'm supposed to wear the most basic of clothing and be without makeup, I'm supposed to be as natural as possible so that all the pack members can see who is going to lead their pack. 

***

I take a deep breath and watch myself in the mirror, ready to go downstairs and become the pack's Luna. Nobody is allowed to see me before the ceremony commences, not even Harper, so I have been one here for the last few hours and took great trouble in making myself as presentable as possible. 

When I realize it's time, I stand up on shaky legs and walk out of the alpha suite. I take a deep breath and without overthinking, I settle my hands on the brass handles leading to the pack grounds and open them. 

The doors swing open and I'm greeted by a soft wind blowing in the pack grounds. My eyes land on the numerous yellow lamps casting a soft glow that has been set up in regular intervals along a path strewn with white jasmine petals. The path winds from the entrance of the packhouse, where I stand, towards a huge dais, where my eyes meet Harper's. A faint blush rises in my cheeks when I realize that I have been staring at him. 

My eyes widened when I realized that the whole pack was present there and everyone was watching me. A serene quiet has descended over the pack grounds where everyone is waiting for me to walk over the dais. I lift the main dress in my hands, square my shoulders, and start making my way towards the dais, where Harper is waiting for me.