CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & EIGHTY THREE
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & EIGHTY THREE
Talia’s POV
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The doors closed behind them, and I stole a glance at Nolan. He had unbuttoned his shirt a little and was pouring himself another glass of wine. Only then did it truly sink in that we would be sharing a room for the night.
I felt my heart rate increase. I tried to calm down to keep Nolan from feeling my nervousness through the mate bond. I wish I had taken the suppression herb, so he wouldn’t be aware of everything going on with me.
“This is nothing new. I just need to calm down,” I told myself.
I slept in his room before. Nolan had been drunk and could have easily taken advantage of me, but he didn’t. Tonight was different. I have accepted him as my mate and vice versa.
There was no haze of alcohol to hide behind this time. My nerves were getting the better of me. There were too many life changing events happening for me to not be nervous.
My thoughts spiraled before I could stop them. Would he expect to solidify our mate bond tonight? Would he….
“Talia.”
Hearing Nolan call my name startled me out of my thoughts.
“Y..yes,” I stammered. “Did you say something?”
“You zoned out. Are you okay?” Nolan asked. “Are you worried about tomorrow?”
I hesitated. Should I tell him again I wanted him to mark me? I thought better of it and nodded. “Yes,” I said. “I don’t know what to expect tomorrow. Everything could go wrong.”
“It will go smoothly. If things do get hectic, we will handle it,” Nolan said. He reached over and gripped my hand. His touch made the mate bond flare. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
“Nolan… can I ask you something?”
“You don’t have to ask for permission,” he replied.
I took a breath and asked, “Can I really trust you?”
Nolan did not answer immediately. I stayed silent to allow him time to respond. Nolan smiled. He let go of my hand and brushed his thumb lightly along my jaw,
“You are my mate,” Nolan finally said. “And you are my Luna. I will stand by you, not because of obligation, but because I chose you. I always will.”
The certainty in his voice and feeling his sincerity through the mate bond released the tension in my chest. Before I could second -guess myself, I leaned forward and kissed him.
Nolan, surprised by my boldness, froze for only a second. Then he kissed me back. His hand slid into my hair as he pulled me closer. The kiss was deep, hungry, it was as if Nolan had been waiting for this for a long time. It left me breathless.
I barely noticed when we stood. He pulled me against him, and the next moment he lifted me and carried me to the bedroom. When he sat me down on the bed, he was on top of me in an instant. His hands roamed my body causing me to moan.
My hands tightened in his shirt as the mate bond pulsed between us. When his lips left mine and traced along my jaw, a shiver ran through me. I inhaled sharply when his mouth moved to my neck and froze. All the nervousness returned as I awaited his bite, but it didn’t come.
Nolan pulled back just enough to look at me. His expression had shifted from lust to concern. “You’re nervous,” he said quietly.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & EIGHTY THREE
+25 Bonus
I had not realized how obvious it was until he said it. “I am,” I admitted. “I want this, but everything feels… overwhelming.”
Nolan wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead. “We stop here,” he said.
“No, wait, I want this. I…” I started.
“It’s fine, Talia. We will have time,” Nolan said, cutting me off. “I don’t want you to feel pressured.”
“Thank you for understanding,” I told him as I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
“There’s something I want to tell you,” Nolan continued after a moment. “Something I should have said a long time ago.”
I lifted my head with curiosity. “What is it?”
“I fell for you the first time I saw you,” he admitted. “I was angry, bitter, and drowning in my own resentment back then. Every misunderstanding, every rumor, it all fed that anger. Instead of coming to you, I pushed myself away.”
“Honestly, I was afraid of you at first,” I admitted softly. “Not of you, really, but of what people said you were. Later… I realized you weren’t the monster they described.”
Nolan’s arms tightened around me. “Thank you for taking a chance with me, Talia.”
“I’m your mate. I’ll stand with you. And I’ll help you uncover the truth about your father’s death. Whatever it takes,” I promised
him.
We kissed again. It was slower this time and not influenced by lust from the mate bond. When we finally pulled apart, exhaustion settled over me all at once.
His fingers traced a slow pattern against my arm. “Get some sleep, my Luna.”
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