MARS
Lying in bed beside Aurora, I smiled at her sleeping figure. She shifted in my arms and curled into my chest, resting her head in the crook of my shoulder and mumbling something about Ruffles in her sleep.
I rubbed circles with my thumb across her bare forearm and inhaled deeply. Mixed with the scent of salt from pretzels we’d had earlier, she smelled like lemons on Sunday mornings when Mom used to bring Charolette and me to Buckleberry Farm to pick fruit.
After sinking into the sheets, I turned onto my side and laid one arm around her waist to pull her closer to me before I slept. The Luna Ceremony was over a week away, and this woman made me want her more and more every single damn moment.
I didn’t think I’d be able to resist her. I’d barely gotten through tonight.
Either way, she’d be ours, and she would forever be ours. In just over a week, we’d announce her to Sanguine Wilds as the new Luna to the Ironmane Pack. And she’d finally get the respect that she deserved.
My only wish was that Mom could be here to meet her. I wanted to make her proud.