CHAPTER 409: THAT WAS PERFECT

Oscar:

The sun stood high above the training yard, sharp rays gleaming off the polished armor of the elite warriors assembled before me. My voice carried clearly through the courtyard as I issued the next set of instructions - precise, deliberate, disciplined.

"Rotate the perimeter guards every four hours. No blind spots this time. I want every corner of the Academy grounds under constant supervision. Report anything unusual directly to me or Commander Ryel," I said, my tone clipped and firm.

The men and women before me nodded, taking notes or bowing their heads in acknowledgment. I was in the middle of explaining the changes in patrol routes when...

I felt it.

It hit me so suddenly that I lost my breath for a fraction of a second. The connection pulsed through the bond I shared with her - warm, wild, and... overwhelmingly intimate.

Evaline.

Her emotions washed over me like a crashing wave - shock, surrender, deep love - and something more powerful than words could ever describe. My heart skipped a beat, my wolf immediately stirring within me as recognition followed.

Draven.

He had marked her.

For a moment, everything around me blurred - the voices, the movement, even the weight of my own body. The emotions flowing through that bond were so raw and vivid, it was like being pulled into a storm made entirely of her heartbeat and his. My wolf reacted instantly, not with jealousy or possessiveness, but with something purer... relief.

She was finally Draven’s - fully, eternally - and I could feel the completion of that bond resonate through every thread that connected us.

"Alpha?" one of the warriors called cautiously. "Is everything all right?"

The question snapped me back. I blinked, realizing the entire team was staring at me. I must have paused mid-sentence. A few of them exchanged uneasy glances, sensing the sudden shift in my energy.

I cleared my throat, straightened my back, and quickly masked the smile that was threatening to escape my control. "I’m fine," I replied evenly, though I could feel my voice carrying a trace of warmth that hadn’t been there before.

They didn’t look convinced. One of them, a young guard named Lian, tilted his head curiously. "You, uh... seem shocked and... happy, sir."

Happy. Stars, that was an understatement.

"I just remembered something," I said simply, keeping my tone neutral. "Focus on the formation drills. I’ll be checking them personally in the afternoon."

The warriors exchanged puzzled looks but obeyed immediately, resuming their work. I turned away, exhaling slowly, struggling to contain the smile that tugged at my lips. My wolf was pacing inside me, tail high, letting out small growls of delight that I couldn’t suppress no matter how hard I tried.

And before I realized it, I was grinning like a fool in the middle of a military drill.... all because of her.

Because of the way I could feel her joy radiating through the bond. Because I knew what that moment meant.

Draven had marked her.

Finally.

A part of me had been waiting for this since the day she entered our lives. The bond had sealed - an eternal promise, one that tied her even more deeply to us.

And instead of jealousy, I felt peace. Complete, bone-deep peace.

For a while, I just stood there, silently watching my warriors move across the yard, my heart beating to the rhythm of the connection I could sense faintly thrumming inside my chest. I could feel her - soft, glowing, and safe.

When I finally pulled my phone from my pocket, I already knew what I had to do.

I dialed Kieran first.

He picked up on the second ring. "Oscar," came his voice, low but calm as ever. "I assume you felt it too?"

"I did," I said, my lips curving in spite of myself.

There was a brief pause before Kieran chuckled. "Draven," he muttered under his breath. "That impatient wolf."

"He’s been waiting just as much as we have," I reminded him.

River’s voice entered the background of the call, deep and amused. "We were on our way home when it hit. Felt like lightning through the bond."

"You turned the car around, didn’t you?" I asked dryly, already knowing the answer.

River grunted. "She deserves privacy, and Draven deserves his moment."

I smiled wider. "Then I’ll make sure the house stays quiet until evening. You two take care of your business."

"Already on it," Kieran replied. "We’ll check in with Scarlet at the company and then head home by sunset."

"Good," I said softly. "And, Kieran..."

"Yeah?"

"She’s happy," I said, almost in a whisper. "I can feel it. She’s... really happy."

The line went quiet for a moment before Kieran responded, his tone gentler now. "And that’s all that matters."

We hung up, and I slipped my phone back into my pocket, unable to wipe the soft smile off my face.

It took another hour before I managed to wrap up my duties at the Academy, though truthfully, my mind wasn’t in it. Every thought kept circling back to her, to the faint echo of warmth that now pulsed constantly through the bond.

When I finally made my way home that evening, the golden hues of sunset painted the world in a soft glow. The moment I stepped into the house, a sense of calm wrapped around me - a warmth I could only associate with her.

I took off my jacket as I stepped toward the living room. But the sight that greeted me made me freeze in place.

There she was.

My mate.

Wrapped safely in Draven’s arms, her head resting against his shoulder. Lioren was nestled between them, his tiny hands clutching at Eva’s dress as the little one babbled softly.

The three of them looked so utterly... peaceful.

Draven’s fingers were brushing small circles along Eva’s arm as she smiled down at our son. The faint mark on her neck glowed gently in the warm light - his mark.

The mark that said she was his eternal mate.

For a long moment, I couldn’t move. I just stood there, watching them. My chest tightened, but not from envy. No, what filled me was something gentler - longing, yes, but also pride.

Pride for my brother. Pride for the woman who had changed all of our lives.

And love. Stars, so much love.

This - this was what we had all been fighting for. What we had all been waiting for.

I didn’t realize I was smiling until Draven looked up and caught my gaze. He gave me that lazy, knowing grin of his - the one that always said, you are next, brother.

I shook my head slightly, a quiet chuckle leaving my lips as I stepped closer.

Eva turned toward me then, her eyes soft but glowing in a way I hadn’t seen before. That glow of completion, of belonging.

She whispered, "You are home."

And in that simple phrase, I felt everything - the bond, the family, the life we were building together despite the chaos surrounding us.

"Yes," I said quietly, my voice thick with emotion. "I’m home."

Lioren let out a happy squeal, reaching his little hands toward me, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I reached for him.

Eva handed him over carefully, her fingers brushing mine, and through that small touch, I could feel the bond pulse again.

She was happy. Safe. Loved.

And that was enough to set my entire world right.

Still, as I cradled the pup in my arms and watched the soft smile she gave Draven, I couldn’t deny the flicker of yearning deep within my heart.

One day soon, it would be my turn.

One day soon, I would hold her this way - not just as my mate through the bond, but as the one I had marked with my own soul.

But for now, this moment belonged to Draven and to her.

And that was perfect.