I heard the words, but I didn’t understand them. I knew he was speaking but by that point all I understood was that Jules was moving his lips. I watched as they moved. They pressed together and parted. When he stopped talking, he gave a small sigh, then he leaned down and closed the space between us. He brushed his lips against mine. They were warm and sent a bolt of electricity through me. He did it again. That time, I closed my eyes, and everything melted. I saw the forest and the trees. I felt the moonlight on my skin. I saw flashes of Jules and me. Jules and me. Jules and me. I saw moments we’d shared throughout our lives. I saw laughter. I saw inside jokes and shared knowing looks. Raised eyebrows and lopsided grins. Angry words. No words at all. I felt his presence beside me. Always beside me. All my life, all my days, it was always Jules. It had always, always been Jules.

When he pulled away, I was reeling. My head was spinning. I’d heard about omegas becoming intoxicated by alphas, but I didn’t know the name of what he’d done to me. Intoxicated didn’t begin to describe it.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he got to his feet.

I shook my head and when I blinked, my eyes rolled back in their sockets. “I never been sho high,” I slurred.

His mouth dropped open. Blue, green, and purple streaks of laughter burst out of his chest and flew into the night, flapping like long ribbons in the wind, as they made their escape. I looked at him in amazement. I remember it clearly. The mist that had formed around us had drawn close. It had cut us off from the rest of the world. We were an island. That was the moment, that was the precise moment I recognized Jules for what he was.

The most magickal man on the planet.

He held out his hand to me. “Let’s go inside.”

18. Eighteen

18

He undressed me slowly. I lifted my arms and my legs mechanically. Arms up. Right foot up then down. Left one, too. I did what he wanted without him having to ask. When I was naked, he took a couple of steps back and moistened his lips. His gaze was intense. Unapologetic. I liked how it felt to be looked at like that. He unbuttoned his chinos. I hyperfocused on his zipper. As each tiny tooth sprang free, so did my wildness. By the time his clothing was on the floor, I was growling and the room had gone lighter.

“I want you,” he said.

“I know.” I smiled. “It’s the heat. I get it.”

“It’s not just the heat. I’ve been wanting you for a while.”