Chapter 181
Lily POV
The drive through winding forest roads had taken us deeper into the pack territory, away from the university, away from the pack house, away from all the watchful eyes and careful restrictions that had governed our lives recently. When Kai finally pulled the SUV to a stop, I understood why he had chosen this place.
We were at a secluded clearing overlooking a pristine lake, its surface like polished glass reflecting the afternoon sky. Trees surrounded us, their branches creating a natural roof that filtered the sunlight into dancing patterns of gold and green. The only sounds were the gentle lapping of water against the shore and the distant call of birds hidden in the canopy above.
I stepped out of the car and immediately spread my arms wide to the sky, closing my eyes and breathing in the clean air. After days of hospital antiseptic and the formal atmosphere of Luna training, this felt like coming back to life.
“This is so beautiful,” I said, spinning slowly to take in the entire panorama. The stress of the morning—the history lecturer’s confusing behavior, the weight of expectations, the constant vigilance against supernatural threats—seemed to melt away.
“I hoped you’d like it,” Kai said. His voice warm with satisfaction. I turned to see him watching me with a soft smile, and my heart did that familiar flutter it always did when he looked at me that way.
He moved to the back of the SUV and retrieved a wicker picnic basket that I hadn’t noticed before. When he set it down and opened the tailgate, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“What is that?” I asked, gesturing at the basket with amusement.
Kai looked almost embarrassed, running a hand through his hair in the gesture I’d come to recognize as his tell for nervousness. “I missed breakfast this morning. My mother insisted on packing this for me, but I didn’t want to eat alone p>
The thought of Luna Helen carefully preparing a picnic basket for her son was so endearing that it made my chest warm with affection for both of them. Despite all the formal protocols and careful planning that surrounded our relationship, there were still these small, moments of maternal care.
Kai shouldered the basket and took my hand, leading me toward a grassy spot near the water’s edge. The ground was soft with moss and fallen leaves, creating a natural carpet that seemed designed for exactly this purpose. He spread out a plaid blanket, then sat down and stretched his hand toward me in invitation.
The afternoon sun caught the gold flecks in his eyes as he looked up at me, and I felt that familiar tug of attraction that had nothing to do with the curse and everything to do with the man himself. I took his offered hand, expecting him to help me sit gracefully beside him.
Instead, he pulled me down with just a little too much force, causing me to tumble forward and land directly in his lap, my legs automatically straddling his hips to keep my balance. The intimate position sent heat flooding through my body, and I became immediately aware of the evidence of his desire pressing against my thighs through the fabric of our clothes.
“Kai,” I breathed. My face was red already. I was embarrassed. I tried to shift away, but his hands came to rest on my hips, holding me gently but firmly in place.
“It’s you I’m hungry for,” he said, his voice rough with want as one hand moved to cup the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair.
The intensity in his gaze made my breath catch. This wasn’t the careful, controlled Kai who had been so worried about the curse’s effects. This was my mate, raw and honest about his need for me, and the sight of it made my pulse race.
When his lips found mine, the kiss was nothing like our desperate reunion in the parking lot. This was slow, deliberate, a thorough exploration that spoke of patience and reverence rather than urgency. His mouth moved against mine with a gentleness that made my heart ache, as if he were trying to memorize every sensation.
I melted into him, my hands sliding up to frame his face, feeling the slight roughness of stubble against my palms. The mate bond hummed between us, amplifying every touch, every breath, until I felt like we were sharing the same heartbeat.
His lips trailed from my mouth to my jaw, pressing soft kisses along the sensitive skin until he reached the spot just below my ear that always made me shiver. When his teeth grazed the sensitive flesh there, I couldn’t suppress the small sound of pleasure that escaped me.
“I’ve missed this,” he murmured against my throat, his breath warm against my skin. “Missed touching you, holding you. The curse makes me forget sometimes, makes me doubt what we have p>
“Never doubt this,” I whispered, my fingers threading through his hair to hold him close. “Whatever the curse does to your thoughts, to your memories, this is real. We are real p>
He pulled back to look at me, his eyes dark with emotion. “When I’m holding you like this, everything else fades away. The curse, the threats, all of it. There’s just us p>
I leaned forward to rest my forehead against his, breathing in his familiar scent, letting it ground me in this moment. “I love you,” I said simply, the words carrying all the weight of everything we’d endured, everything we were still fighting for.
“I love you too,” he replied, his voice thick with emotion. “More than I can express, more than the curse can touch p>
Tentatively, I reached for the buttons of his shirt and was rewarded with a slight groan.
He reached for my lips again.
My hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer as his tongue swept across my lower lip, seeking entrance that I gladly granted. The kiss became hungry, almost frantic. He tilted my head to deepen the kiss further.
I could feel his heart racing against my chest, matching the wild rhythm of my own. We broke apart for a minute and his mouth left my lips trailing down to my neck.
“Lily,” he groaned again, reaching for the hem of my blouse and tugging them until it was at my neck. We paused for a minute as the shirt went over my heart.
“I need you,” he whispered against my throat, reaching for the clasp of my bra. “I’ve tried to stay away, tried to be strong, but p>
I silenced him with another kiss, unfastening the buttons on his shirt one by one.