Jess walks slowly, his pulse pounding like war drums in his ears. Every cheer from the crowd feels distant, as if coming from another world.
His eyes remain locked on Tanner, who hasn't taken his gaze off him for even a second.
Tanner's eyes stay fixed on Jess, his gaze intense, almost hungry.
There's a quiet pride in the way he looks at him, like he's marveling at how breathtaking Jess appears.
Not just pride... longing. As if he can't wait to pull him close, to have him. His fingers twitch slightly at his sides, his expression unreadable but deep.
Perfect.
Jess thinks. Let him burn with desire. Let that fire grow until it consumes him whole, until he's so far gone, the truth will shatter him.
As Jess reaches the front, the priest steps forward. A silver pendant glints on his chest, the sacred mark of the Moon Goddess carved into the metal. He raises a hand, and the crowd quiets instantly.
"We gather here today under the blessing of the Moon," he begins, his voice deep and resonant, "to witness the union of Alpha Tanner Hale and his chosen Luna."
Chosen. Jess swallows a bitter laugh. If only they knew. The moon goddess must have had other reason than just making him a Luna by choosing him to be the one standing here.
Tanner holds out his hand. Jess hesitates just a beat before slipping his fingers into his.
The warmth between their palms jolts through him like lightning. His wolf stirs again, howling quietly within. Mate.
Jess ignores it.
Tanner's thumb brushes his knuckles, hesitant but gentle. Jess doesn't look at him.
"The bond between Alpha and Luna is sacred," the priest continues. "The Moon Goddess sees into the hearts of wolves, and her choices are not made lightly. Today, before all your people, you will pledge yourselves to one another."
Jess feels his chest tighten. This is it. No more masks. No more running.
Let the game begin.
Tanner speaks first. His voice, steady but quiet, carries weight.
"I, Tanner Hale, take you to be my Luna," he says, his voice steady, eyes never leaving Jess. "I vow to protect you, to honor you, to cherish you above all. I will stand beside you, lead with you, and fight against anything that dares to come between us. I promise loyalty, desire, and truth… I want to belong to you, only you, from this day onward."
His words are sincere. Too sincere.
Jess almost flinches.
He should be gloating right now, this proud Alpha pledging himself unknowingly to a man, but instead, there's something in his voice Jess can't quite mock. Something raw. Real.
When it's Jess's turn, silence settles heavily around him.
For a moment, he seriously considers rejecting Tanner right here in front of everyone, humiliating him at the altar, making a public spectacle of the proud alpha.
He imagines the gasps, the fury in Tanner's eyes, the chaos it would cause.
The Alpha and Luna would probably rip him apart right after, but it wouldn't matter. He's going to die anyway.
But then, another thought creeps in_ cold, calculated.
No. Humiliation would be too quick. Too easy. If he walks away now, Tanner will just find another woman to marry, bury the shame, and move on.
But the other plan is better.
To let Tanner kiss him, touch him, desire him, to believe, even if just for a night, that Jess is the one. And then, when the truth finally comes out, it won't just be shame Tanner feels, it'll be disgust, betrayal, confusion. It'll haunt him. It'll wreck him from the inside out.
That's much better.
Not a moment of embarrassment. A lifetime of torment.
Jess lifts his chin and begins, loud and clear, even as emotion claws at his throat.
"I, Luna," Jess says, letting the title roll off his tongue with a hint of mockery, "take you, Alpha Tanner Hale, as my mate."
"I vow to stand beside you, through every glorious moment... and every glorious mess you create."
"I vow to smile sweetly while you pretend to have everything under control."
"And most of all, I vow to be the one thing you can never quite explain away."
A few murmurs ripple through the crowd, brows furrow, but no one speaks. No one understands what he's saying.
And to them, it might sound poetic, just a little strange. But Tanner… Tanner looks at him like he's already under a spell.
Every word slips out of Jess's mouth, like a challenge.
The priest nods solemnly. "Bring forth the mark."
An older woman steps forward, carrying a silver ceremonial dagger and a small bowl carved from obsidian. She offers it first to Tanner.
Without hesitation, he slices his palm, blood welling instantly. Jess watches the red drop into the bowl, thick and vibrant.
The blade is offered to him next. Jess takes it with steady hands, though his heart is thrashing. He cuts across his own palm, and the pain bites like ice.
But the wounds closes immediately like there was nothing.
Their blood mixes.
The priest lifts the bowl to the sky. "Under the Moon's gaze, your souls are bound."
Then he dips a finger into the blood and marks each of their foreheads with a crescent shape.
"You are now bonded. Alpha and Luna. Mate and mate."
The crowd erupts in howls and applause.
Jess just stands there, numb, hand still in Tanner's. It's official now. Irrevocable. The bond, though not a true mate bond in the traditional sense, now carries the weight of the pack and the Moon's will.
Tanner turns toward him, a strange look on his face, like he wants to say something but can't find the words. Jess stares back, lips curved into a small, mysterious smile.
Let him wonder.
Let him ache with the pull that he doesn't understand yet.
Let him drown in the desire that will soon haunt him.
Then Tanner leans in slowly, almost cautiously as if afraid the moment might shatter if he moves too fast.
His lips brush Jess's cheek first, light as air. Then, with a breathless pause, they find his lips.
The kiss is soft. Measured. But charged. Tanner doesn't pull away right away.
He lingers, his hands twitching at his sides like he's holding himself back from cupping Jess's face, from pulling him close and deepening the kiss.
Jess feels the subtle tremor in Tanner's body, like a man trying to fight the instinct to claim what's his.
And Jess? He hates how his body reacts. Hates the way the bond pulses in his veins, dragging him under.
He wants to pretend it's all an act, a performance, but his heart stutters, aching for more. Just one more second. One more breath.
Tanner pulls away reluctantly, as if it takes effort to let go.
The crowd erupts in cheers, whistling and clapping. But Jess stands still, dazed.
He can barely breathe.
That kiss, soft and fleeting burns hotter than wildfire. It shouldn't matter. It shouldn't feel like this.
But it does.
And just for a second, Jess's carefully built walls crack. A thin line, but a dangerous one.
No. Not now.
Not yet.
He still has a role to play.
And too much to ruin.