Jaxon’s POV

I heard the old man mention something; it sounded familiar, like what I had been anticipating for months now. He muttered the words, 'You must unite," he was talking about union and mated bonds, and I couldn't hide the excitement; my wolf, Storm, stirred within me, obviously excited because of the new development. Our bond was all I could feed my mind with. I glanced back at Liora, watching her as she listened to all that the old man had to say. The prophecy, the artifacts, and the looming danger by Cornerstone all did not matter to me anymore. My focus was now on Liora, and Liora alone. Storm, my wolf, growled and I could sense he was as impatiently as his owner. He wanted everything finalized with immediate effect, as much as I do. This is the time to claim our mate, our Luna. All that mattered to me was just the union, and I would pursue it till I got it. Liora, my fated mate, a choice from the moon goddess herself. While the old man gave out instructions on how to go about everything, I tried to focus but it wasn't working. I decided to leave it for Liora, she would do a great job at storing everything in her brain. There were missions and there were missions. I chose the one that resonated well with me, and I would see to Its success. This was the perfect opportunity to make things right, to finally accept our duties to each other without fear. I was already picturing our wedding night even without the wedding taking place. I would be proving my love to Liora, and to the council that I can't be pushed anymore, and most importantly, to Rhys that he's a loser and will always be. I watched in my imaginations, as we stood under the moonlight, and the guidance of the moon goddess. It was time to be tied together as custom demands as the Alpha and the Luna, before the entire pack. Funny enough, my wolf followed me as I traveled in my imagination to a distant land, securing powers and protecting the pack afterward. This was a dream come true, it was time to solidify our bond. Liora is mine, and mine alone. My blood boiled just with the imagination alone. I had captured everything about our wolves merging in one picture. There would be no distractions, no struggle of who she is to be mated to, Alpha Rhys won't disturb us again, just Liora and I, and nothing would stand in our way to greatness ever again. A grin plastered all over my face before I could suppress it, and the old man watched me intensely, carefully observing my countenance, but his mouth was still moving as he talked to obviously not me but Liora , as I was occupied. '…and that's all you need to know about the location of the third artifact," the old man finished his story, his voice interrupting my thoughts, and I found myself lost in the present as I was already used to my imagination. We need to take our leave now. Storm, my wolf demanded, laying more emphasis on why we should go immediately. He stated that we had gotten the required information to make her ours. Therefore, there would be no need to waste time. The warnings that the old man was issuing were not part of my plan, as I was more concerned with the future I had together with Liora. Don't get me wrong, I am not showing a nonchalant attitude toward the affairs of the pack, but placing it above my happiness is what I won't dare do again. I had done that once, forsaking my happiness for that of those I love, but still, they betrayed me, backbiting me at the end. 'Jaxon, I hope you are paying attention?" Liora asked, narrowing her eyes at me. Her voice did the magic again, it snapped me out of my wild imagination. It was like she knew my mind had wandered away into the unknown. She must have seen me smile inappropriately when important matters were being discussed. I cleared my crooked throat, trying my best to hide my inattentiveness. A serious look took over me, and my wolf was not helping matters, making me giggle like a child. 'Of course I am, I heard everything he said," I lied, my voice betraying my confidence. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips; it was clear she wouldn't be buying into the lie. 'We have pressing matters, something more important compared to..." She trailed off, obviously catching the humor of the moment. Her cheeks were already red from embarrassment, and with that, she looked away. The old man just stared at us, his eyes holding a sinister smile, even his ancient eyes could tell there was something going on between us apart from what he was saying. 'You'll get what you want, Alpha. The Moon Goddess has approved it, no need to be in a hurry." We finished the most important part of the discussion, the details finally laid out before us, or would I rather say before Liora, and I was more of a third party than a part of the plan. The pull from the bond was beyond my control, even to the point of distracting Liora. By the time we finally set to leave, my mind had already captured what I would do. The hunt for the artifacts could wait, that would only come second. We would follow everything according to their order of importance. The main thing is how to solidify our bond, unlock the powers that would save our pack, and hunt for the artifacts later. It wasn't just my over-ambitiousness to have Liora as my Luna; it was exactly what the old man said would save our pack. We finally left the hut that gave us the answers to our many questions. We were burdened, moving around aimlessly, but this hut was able to give us what we couldn't get in months within minutes. I am personally indebted to the wisdom here, and the creature managing its existence. I took a glance at Liora, her hair was another part of her beauty that I'm yet to get over with. It flowed freely under the breeze, some scattering on her face as she made to pack it in a ponytail. Her mind was somewhere far from me, maybe thinking about all we encountered today, but my worries were different from hers. I wanted to only focus on our union, and that's exactly what I would do. 'We need to start making some preparations without wasting time," I said, trying to draw her back to the present. 'For the hunt of the artifacts right?" Liora asked, her sharp blue eyes shooting up immediately. It must have been so hard for her these few months without doing anything with her power. I could see a lady very eager to return back to what she was known for. I smirked, a naughty smile forming on my lips. 'The preparation is for our wedding." She opened her mouth wide, shock evident on her face as she tried to figure out why I was less bothered with the main mission. On catching the humor, she bent her head, her cheeks flushed at the thought of getting married to me. She raised her head, her eyes fixed on me as she tried to talk but was disappointed at her voice. She could hardly hear herself talk more of me hearing her. 'Jaxon" she called my name with the most romantic tone. She whispered the rest of her speech and I paid no attention to it. I was just watching her lips move. 'What about the mission of getting the artifacts? When do you want us to hunt for that?" 'I understand you," I said, as I drew close to her and brushed my lips against her ear. She shivered immediately when my tongue touched her earlobe. I bet she would be able to say something meaningful again, not after my tongue had done wonders in disorganizing her. 'But the simplest mission is the one that would start with us. You are aware of everything the old wise man said. Our union is the most important thing in getting your power functional again." Liora's breath became irregular, that was exactly the effect I wanted to have on her. It hitched, and as expected, the bond kept pulling her toward me. She was no longer in control of herself again; we were both being controlled, and I loved it. This was the best solution in existence. >>>>>>>>>> Storm, my wolf, paced restlessly inside me; to him, I was wasting time in claiming her to be ours. He wanted me to discuss something else other than marriage plans. I truly understand him; the magnetic pull was affecting him as well, and as expected, it was unbearable. Liora's presence was carved like air, and good enough, she was also responding to us. Storm pushed me forward, urging me to make the move that she was ready to welcome me. He growled in frustration, but I told him to calm down a bit. I didn't want to rush things and spoil our beautiful moment. I took a deep breath, I might be walking into the lion's den, so I needed to be sure of what I was doing. Everything had been put in place, following the guidance of the old man. The only thing remaining was the execution of those plans and, of course, carrying out the first one. 'Are you about this decision?" I asked. It was a useless question as I already had my answers before asking. She didn't say anything, she kept mute, and I could see her chest beating and her face radiating from the moonlight that managed to penetrate the dense forest. She was determined, her mind was made up. 'I'm more than sure, Jaxon," she said sweetly. 'We'll announce it, but first to Elder Marcus, then we would proceed to inform the council. Preparations for the ceremony should start immediately, in my opinion. " Storm jumped up inside me, making me flinch as I wasn't expecting the reaction. He was more excited than I was. She's my mate, my Luna. My fingers reached to hold her one more time, to feel us again. But I restricted myself, I don't want to be too forward. We continued the rest of our walk-in dead silence, but nothing close to awkwardness. Rather, the air was filled with unspoken words of anticipation. Each step had its meaning, a reminder of what would soon be. The moonlight kept following us as if waiting for us to do something. Its light shining brighter than usual; the moon goddess must be watching us, waiting for us to do it. And we did it. It happened!