Interstellar

Shortly before dawn, Titan awoke in a daze. A moment of fear overtook him before he felt the warm weight of his mate within his arms. He melted into her, brushing the curls from her eyes before gently placing a kiss to her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open at his touch, a smile gracing her lips instantaneously.

“Good morning,” he whispered, his voice still husky from sleep. A soft growl cracked through his chest as she stretched against him, each casual brush of her skin causing blistering heat to course through him. She settled back against his chest, her hand casting a spell over him as she ran delicate fingers down his side. She explored the valleys and peaks of his figure, hardened from years of conditioning.

Nova turned onto her back and stretched again, the blanket dropping down to her waist. Titan raised up onto his elbow to take in the full glory of her figure. His other hand came to rest once more against her stomach, her skin soft and supple beneath his calloused palm. His hand traveled up her chest, pausing between her breasts. Her heart beat slowly, in time with his own. His gaze was torn between her figure and her face, and he desperately wished to be able to appreciate her wholly in an instant.

“I wish we could lay here forever,” Nova sighed toward the ceiling before sitting up in bed, the tattered remnants of her previous day’s outfit hanging loosely around her hips. She walked toward a dresser across the room, slipping out of her torn shorts and undergarments before digging a t-shirt from the drawers. It hung loosely across her shoulders and waist, but hugged the wider expanse of her chest and hips. The hem settled too high to be worn alone and she continued digging through the drawers to find a pair of his boxer briefs. They fit her snuggly, dimpling the soft flesh of her thighs. She turned to face her mate, his hungry gaze consuming her, and she fought the urge to take him again. “Are you ready for this?”

Titan dragged his legs over the edge of the mattress, a sigh heaving his chest, before he stood. He stretched his tired muscles, sore joints cracking with his movements, before lazily padding toward his mate. He followed her lead to grab clean clothing and dresssed himself under her inquisitive gaze. He reached out to grab her hand, warmth spreading through his chest as she eagerly laced her fingers in his, before leading her out of his room. The thought crossed his mind that he may never see that room again, but he shook it away quickly. The moment Nova accepted him, none of that mattered any longer. She became his sacred space, supplying all the comfort and safety he would ever need.

The house was still dark as they exited Titan’s room, only a sliver of light shining beneath the library door. Faint voices could be heard within, unmistakable belonging to the Alphas. Devastation and disbelief hung onto their every word, occasionally pierced with an anger that caused the fine hairs on Nova’s neck to stand on end. Titan grasped her hand tighter, an attempt to offer comfort that he desperately wanted in return. In 19 years, he had never once had a reason to stand up against his father, and it seemed cruel that his first reason would be fighting for his mate. Nova felt Titan’s insecurity and raised a hand to cup his cheek, pushing her fingers into the thick waves of his hair before pulling his forehead down to meet hers.

“You are not alone,” her voice rang light and clear, softly enveloping him in a blanket of her protection. “We both have a story to share with them.”

Nova withdrew her hands from her mate and walked ahead to the library, gently knocking on the heavy wooden door. The voices within stilled, creating a desperate silence that yearned to be left alone. A moment passed, the silence still thick and choking out all the air in the room. Nova glanced back at her mate, her expression almost hopeful despite her sad eyes, before she returned her attention to the library and knocked again. Her knuckles rapped the wood with force, with a demand to be acknowledged, before she pushed open the door without invitation.

Titan was quick to follow but could not pass the threshold as easily as his mate had. He froze in the doorway, a stabbing pain piercing his chest as he saw his parents’ tear-stained cheeks and reddened eyes. His father’s eyes burned with such a hateful intensity that Titan stepped back, unsure of whether he would be greeted by man or wolf.

Nova broke the heavy silence by sitting on the floor across from the Alphas, tucking her knees beneath her. Her lips parted long before she could find her voice. “You two didn’t sleep at all, did you?”

Leon’s gaze softened when he turned from his son to the young woman before him. He shook his head, desperately reaching for Stella’s hand, siphoning whatever strength he could from his mate to find a response for the woman he so desperately wished to claim.

Nova rubbed her hands against her knees, the skin darkening from the friction. “I know that we,” her eyes darted to Titan, empowering him to step into the room with her loving gaze before returning to look at the Alphas, “have caused an unspeakable amount of pain. I never intended for this to happen,” she briefly raised a hand to gesture at Titan, “however Goddess had plans that only he was aware of. I regret so much, but I do not regret accepting his claim.”

Stella reached for Nova, gently gripping the younger woman’s fingers. Her gaze conveyed so much she was unable to speak, words that Nova was not sure she could have listened to without bursting into tears of her own. Nova laced her fingers in Stella’s, giving the older woman’s knuckles a loving caress.

“I don’t regret our time. You mended a part of me that, for so long, I thought was broken beyond repair.” Nova reached her other hand for Leon, expecting him to recoil from her touch. She relaxed into his hand when he accepted her offer. “Thank you for seeing me when I could not see myself. Out of all my regrets, your hurt is the one I wish I could undo the most.”

Titan slowly approached his mate, standing behind her. He reached down to squeeze her shoulders, and when their eyes met, he silently pleaded for her to stand. She gave the Alphas’ hands a final squeeze before separating herself and rising to tuck herself into her mate’s side. He could not look at his parents, but he felt their hateful stares. “Nova does not deserve to hear your thoughts of me. Her heart aches enough for all of us.”

Stella’s voice was soft, her words broken. “Please don’t go before telling the pups goodbye. They love you more dearly than any of us.” She could not conceive an scenario where Nova would not pack her bags and leave before breakfast.

Nova nodded and slid out of Titan’s comforting grasp. She contained her tears until she left the library, the first sob of many wracking through her as the door shut behind her. Leon rose to his feet the instant he heard her grief, but his son blocked his path. Nova’s scent was heavy on his son’s skin; he nearly lost control of his senses. She smelled like sweet earth after a spring rain, like wildflowers dipped in honey. His heart shattered at the thought of never carrying that scent again himself.

“You will not stand in my way, pup,” Leon’s first words were piercing, his tone fatal. Titan remained steadfast in his path, causing Leon to swallow his pride and his anger before continuing, “How did I fail you so miserably?”

Titan struggled to remain civil, his entire being screaming to release the months of pent-up frustration at watching his father seduce his mate. “Your only failure was not recognizing she was not yours for the taking. I lost count of the times you slapped the shit out of me when I caught a glimpse of her during training. Do you even understand the amount of self-control it took not to break your arm every time you hit me for gazing at my own fucking mate!”

Leon’s tone was firm, that of Titan’s Alpha rather than his father. “You were distracted. Distraction is what gets us killed.”

“How easily you shift from father to leader. If you spent more time being my father, you’d have realized why I was distracted. No man should have to fear sharing their Goddess-blessed joy at finding a mate because their father happens to be obsessed with her.” Titan’s anger cracked, revealing a glimpse of the despair he’d been so intentionally hiding all this time.

Stella rose and placed a hand on her mate’s shoulder, guiding him away from their son. “When did you know?”

Titan steeled himself to respond, refusing to direct anger toward his father at his mother, “I suspected it the night she arrived. Her scent, her voice, they brought me a calm I’ve never experienced before. When I heard dad flirting with her that night in her room, my wolf took over and ran me ragged until dawn. He would not give me back control until he knew I had to arrive for drills. I knew later that morning, the first time I laid eyes on her. She was wearing that white sundress and was laying in the wildflowers. When she stood and shook the petals from her hair, that was it.”

“You should have told us,” Leon said under his breath. If Titan had claimed her first, before Leon had gotten a taste of her divinity, maybe things would have turned out differently.

“Every waking moment I wasn’t training, my wolf had control. I was so repulsed by her scent lingering on you both, I couldn’t bring myself to get close enough to say anything. After a while, I accepted that I would have my chance once you grew tired of her, as you always have in the past. I would bide my time and carry the suffering alone. I didn’t expect you to pray to Earth Mother to claim her!”

Stella’s gaze hardened, “If you want to make adult decisions, you need to be prepared to deal with the consequences. Do you recognize the suffering your choices have caused? Not just for me or your father, not even for yourself. You hurt Nova. You’re hurting your siblings. You chose to risk tearing the pack apart because you were not a strong enough man to accept Goddess’ gift when it was presented to you.”

Titan chilled at his mother’s admonishment. He shrunk back from her, no longer able to hide his anguish. Stella matched each of his steps with one of her own, maintaining the distance between them as fury built in her gaze. Her words stung like venom when she spit them at her son. “You do not deserve a pack. You do not deserve a mate.”

“Mom-” Titan’s voice failed him.

Leon felt torn between his mate and his son. He shared her fury at how things had turned out, but he also saw all too clearly how he’d failed their son. The young man before them hadn’t even come of age to set off to forge his own path. Even if he had, Leon had never focused on teaching the skills he’d need to become a leader. He focused on battle strength, assuming his children would inherent the rest. He stepped between his mate and his son, relief washing across the young man’s face.

“I’m so sorry, dad-”

“It is what it is, pup. Go to your mate, offer what comfort you can, and then report for drills. Our issues will not extend beyond these walls.”