CHAPTER 236: CHAPTER 236 LOVE AND REUNION

Freya’s POV

As the golden sunset painted the sky in hues of amber and rose, we finally returned from our woodland adventure. Isabella skipped ahead of us up the path to the pack house, her energy seemingly boundless despite our day-long hike.

"There’s my precious Bella!" Victoria called out from the wide front porch, her elegant figure framed by climbing roses that adorned the entrance. She opened her arms wide as Isabella ran to her, squealing with delight.

"Grandma! We saw magic fish today! They were singing to the water!" Isabella proclaimed, her eyes bright with excitement.

Victoria caught my gaze over our daughter’s head, a knowing look passing between us. She understood the significance of Isabella’s words better than most, given her own elven heritage.

"Did they now?" she replied, smoothing Isabella’s wild curls. "You must tell me all about these magical fish over hot chocolate and cookies."

Silvano placed his hand at the small of my back as we approached, the heat of his palm seeping through my hiking clothes and sending a pleasant tingle up my spine. After weeks of danger and separation, his casual touch felt like a precious gift.

"Mother," he greeted Victoria with a respectful nod, though his eyes softened with genuine affection. "Thank you for preparing dinner."

Victoria waved her hand dismissively. "Consider it my small contribution while you two were reconnecting with nature." Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she added, "Actually, I was thinking of having Isabella stay with me tonight in the east wing. We could have a proper grandmother-granddaughter evening with stories and stargazing."

Isabella bounced with excitement. "Can I, Mommy? Please?"

"Of course you can, sweetheart," I agreed, kneeling to kiss her cheek. "Be good for Grandma, okay?"

"Always," Isabella promised, though the impish gleam in her eye suggested otherwise.

Victoria smoothly guided Isabella toward the east wing, pausing only to glance back at us with a knowing smile. "Don’t wait up for us. And Silvano, dear, perhaps those pack reports can wait until morning?"

My mate chuckled, the sound low and rich. "Subtle as always, Mother."

"Subtlety is overrated at my age," she called back, already disappearing down the hallway with our chattering daughter.

Silvano’s arm slid fully around my waist, pulling me against his solid chest. "My mother," he murmured against my hair, "has many admirable qualities. Her tact, however..."

"Is exactly what we needed," I finished, tilting my face up to his. The hunger in his steel-gray eyes made my wolf purr with anticipation. "She’s giving us time."

"Time I intend to make full use of," he growled softly, his lips brushing against my temple. "I just need to send a few quick messages to the border patrols. Meet me upstairs in fifteen minutes?"

I nodded, my heartbeat already quickening. "Don’t be late."

As Silvano disappeared into his study, I climbed the grand staircase toward our bedroom suite, my mind already racing with possibilities. It had been too long since we’d had true privacy, too long since we’d reconnected not just as mates, but as lovers.

Our bedroom welcomed me with familiar comfort—the massive four-poster bed with its soft gray linens, the wall of windows overlooking the forest territory, the fireplace already lit against the evening chill. This space had once felt cold to me during Silvano’s curse-induced distance, but now it radiated the warmth of homecoming.

I slipped into the en-suite bathroom, shedding my hiking clothes and stepping into the rainfall shower. As hot water cascaded over my tired muscles, I allowed myself to truly relax, washing away the day’s exertions and the lingering tension of recent weeks.

After toweling dry, I opened the cedar chest where I kept my more special items of clothing—things far removed from my usual practical Luna attire or business suits. My fingers found what I was looking for: a champagne-colored silk nightgown that Silvano had gifted me on our last anniversary before the curse. I had never worn it, the timing of his gift coinciding almost perfectly with the beginning of his mysterious withdrawal.

The silk whispered against my skin as I pulled it over my head, the delicate material clinging to every curve. It was shorter than anything I typically wore, ending mid-thigh, with thin straps and a neckline that dipped low enough to reveal the inner curves of my breasts without exposing them entirely.

I left my hair loose and damp around my shoulders, the way Silvano had always preferred it, and dabbed a hint of jasmine oil—my signature scent—at my throat and wrists.

"Let’s remind our Alpha exactly what he’s been missing," I whispered to her, feeling her eager agreement ripple through me.

I had just arranged myself on the bed, propped against the pillows with one leg extended in what I hoped was an alluring pose, when I heard Silvano’s footsteps approaching. My heart raced with a mixture of desire and something akin to first-date nervousness, though we’d been mated for years.

The bedroom door opened, and Silvano stepped inside, his tall frame filling the doorway. He’d shed his jacket somewhere along the way, his button-down shirt open at the collar to reveal the strong column of his throat. His eyes found me immediately, darkening from steel gray to stormy charcoal as they took in the silk clinging to my body.

"Freya," he breathed, his voice dropping an octave. "You look..."

"What?" I suggested, my own voice huskier than intended.

He closed the door behind him, the soft click of the lock engaging sending a thrill through me. "Like everything I’ve ever wanted and been too stubborn to properly cherish," he corrected, stalking toward me with predatory grace.

I rose to my knees on the bed as he approached, meeting him at the edge. My hands found his chest, feeling the strong, steady beat of his heart beneath my palms. "We both made mistakes," I murmured, my fingers working the buttons of his shirt. "But we’re here now."

His large hands spanned my waist, the heat of them burning through the thin silk. "And I intend to make the most of every second," he promised, his lips finding my neck in a trail of fire that made me gasp.

I pushed his shirt from his shoulders, revealing the muscled expanse of his chest and abdomen—a canvas of power marked with the scars of battles fought for our pack. My fingers traced one particularly vicious scar that curved around his ribs, evidence of the fight that had earned him the right to lead Shadow Pack after his father.

"I almost lost you," I whispered, pressing my lips to the scar. "Too many times."

Silvano’s hands tangled in my damp hair, tilting my face up to his. "Never again," he vowed before claiming my mouth in a kiss that obliterated all rational thought.

His tongue swept past my lips, demanding and possessive in a way that made Selene howl with approval. I responded in kind, nipping at his lower lip and savoring his growl of pleasure. This was no gentle reconciliation—this was years of desire, weeks of fear, days of relief all converging into hunger too powerful to contain.

I tugged at his belt, desperate to feel all of him against me, but Silvano caught my wrists in one large hand. "Patience, Luna," he murmured against my throat. "I’ve dreamed of unwrapping you like this for too long."

His free hand skimmed up my thigh, bringing the silk nightgown with it. "Do you know how many nights I lay awake, imagining you in this?" he asked, his voice rough with desire. "Knowing I had to stay away to keep you safe, but wanting nothing more than to worship every inch of you?"

"Show me," I challenged, arching into his touch. "Show me what you imagined."