Chapter 172

Claire's POV The pack house felt different as we entered it together as officially mated pairs. Every surface seemed charged with new meaning, transformed by the ancient bond that now pulsed between us with the intensity of shared heartbeats. The mating mark on my throat throbbed with a pleasant ache that reminded me with every breath that I belonged to the most powerful Alpha in our region. Theo's hands found my waist before we'd even cleared the entryway, his fingers gripping the ceremonial silk with barely contained hunger. The restraint he'd maintained throughout the public celebrations—the careful control that had marked every interaction with pack members and wedding guests—finally cracked under the weight of primal need that could no longer be denied. "Finally," he growled against my ear, his voice rough with the kind of desperate want that made my knees weak. "Alone with my Luna." The title sent electricity straight through my core. Luna. Not just his mate or his woman, but the