Shattered Bonds: A Second Chance Mate - Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Francesco didn’t say a word.
He just took my hand — large, calloused, warm — trembling faintly with the remnants of the battle, and led me away from the others.
No one dared stop us.
The presence of the Lycan Alpha moving through the halls was too overwhelming, too commanding. The warriors and Alphas stepped aside, bowing their heads, understanding that this moment was not meant to be interrupted.
His grip on my hand was firm but careful, as if afraid I might slip away if he let go even for a second.
The hallways blurred past as we climbed the grand staircase of the Blackpine mansion, the world blurring around us, his pace urgent but careful, like he was barely holding himself together. until he reached the private guest quarters reserved for him — a heavy oak door at the end of a deserted hall.
Francesco pushed it open with one hand and pulled me inside, closing the door with a quiet but final thud.
Silence fell. Heavy, charged.
We just stood there, facing each other. Breathing heavily. Eyes locked.
The adrenaline from the fight still crackled in the air around him, mingling with the intense, primal pull between us — the ancient call of mates finally about to be fulfilled.
Francesco took one slow, deliberate step toward me, then another, until he was standing so close that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
He reached up and gently cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away the silent tears that had escaped down my cheeks.
"You are mine, Ellaine," he said, voice rough and broken. "I cannot— I will not let another day pass without you knowing it... without the world knowing it."
His forehead pressed against mine, and we stayed like that for a moment — breathing each other in, grounding ourselves in the reality of what was about to happen.
"I will never let anything harm you again," he whispered fiercely. "I will protect you with my last breath. I will cherish you until the end of time."
A sob escaped my throat, my heart aching with the sheer depth of love in his voice.
"And I will stand by you, Francesco," I whispered back, my fingers tangling in the front of his shirt. "I will be your strength when you are weak. Your light when the darkness comes. Always."
A low, deep sound rumbled from his chest — part growl, part sigh — as he pulled me into him, crushing our bodies together.
His mouth found mine, and it was nothing like the sweet kisses we had shared before.
This kiss was desperate, devouring, claiming.
He kissed me like a starving man, like he had been drowning for a lifetime and I was his only breath.
I gasped against his mouth, my fingers threading into his wild hair, tugging him closer, needing him closer.
He kissed me with the full force of everything he felt — desperation, devotion, reverence.
Francesco's hands roamed down my back, gripping my waist possessively before lifting me easily off the floor.
I wrapped my legs around his waist instinctively, my body melting into his, as he carried me toward the massive four-poster bed in the center of the room.
He laid me down carefully, like I was something precious, and hovered over me, his wild golden eyes searching my face.
"Tell me to stop," he said hoarsely, his entire body trembling with restraint. "Tell me now, or I won't be able to."
I reached up, cradling his face between my hands.
"I don't want you to stop," I whispered fiercely. "I want to be yours. Truly. Completely."
The last thread of his control snapped.
He kissed me again, slower this time, deeper, his hands moving reverently over my body as he undressed me piece by piece — worshiping every inch of exposed skin with his lips, his hands, his whispered words of devotion in Italian.
"You are perfect... divina... bellissima..." (divine... beautiful)
When he bared my neck, his breath hitched audibly, and he leaned down, brushing his nose along the sensitive skin where the mating mark would be.
His Lycan growled low in his throat, the sound vibrating through me, awakening every nerve ending in my body.
"You are mine," he growled, voice rough and primal. "And I am yours."
He needed me — not just physically, but soul-deep.
He stripped off his own torn battle clothes with shaking hands, revealing the full expanse of his powerful body — broad chest marked by scars of battles fought long before I knew him, muscles coiled with barely contained strength— a warrior’s body, fierce and breathtaking..
But his eyes... His eyes were soft. Vulnerable. Full of worship.
Francesco lowered himself over me, our bare skin meeting, sparking an explosion of heat and electricity.
He lowered himself over me, his warmth enveloping mine, and kissed me again — slower now, deeper, pouring all his emotions into it.
When he finally entered me, it was with a groan torn straight from his soul — slow, careful, giving me time to adjust, giving me time to accept him fully.
I gasped at the feeling — of fullness, of completion — as he moved inside me with a rhythm that spoke of love, not just lust.
Our bodies moved together in a dance as old as time, and the bond between us crackled to life, bright and overwhelming.
I cried out, not from pain, but from the overwhelming flood of emotions as he moved inside me with agonizing slowness, murmuring words in Italian against my skin.
"Ti amo... ti amo, mia luna... sei il mio destino..." (I love you... I love you, my moon... you are my destiny...)
Each thrust, each kiss, each whispered vow stitched the shattered pieces of my heart back together.
I held onto him, meeting every movement, matching every kiss, until the world blurred and only the two of us remained.
When I was close, when my whole body trembled under him, I forgot how to breathe, my nails digging into his back, Francesco lifted his head and looked deep into my eyes.
"Let me mark you," he pleaded, voice breaking. "Let me make you mine forever."
"Yes," I gasped. "Yes, Francesco. Always."
With a deep, guttural growl, he sank his fangs into the curve of my neck — not enough to hurt, but enough to claim me irrevocably.
A searing heat rushed through me, the bond snapping fully into place, flooding my mind with Francesco — his emotions, his love, his fierce protectiveness.
I cried out, overwhelmed by the rush of sensations, by the power of the bond sealing us together.
Francesco shuddered against me, his own release tearing through him as he felt the bond settle.
But I wasn’t done. Panting, trembling, I pushed him slightly so I could reach his neck. He stilled, realizing what I was about to do, his body going completely still under me.
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to the spot where his pulse beat wildly.
"My mate," I whispered fiercely. "My love. My forever."
And then I bit him — marking him with the same reverence, the same devotion he had given me.
Francesco let out a deep, broken roar, his arms crushing me against him, his Lycan rising inside him in a triumphant, wild surge of power.
The bond flared even brighter, binding us soul to soul.
Ours. Forever.
He rolled us gently, cradling me on top of him, his massive hands running soothingly up and down my back.
Tears streamed down both our faces as we held each other tightly, our bodies still trembling from the force of the bond and the depth of our emotions.
"You are my everything, Ellaine," he whispered into my hair, voice thick with emotion."My Luna. My mate. My heart."
"And you are mine, Francesco," I whispered back, pressing my lips to the fresh mark on his neck."My Alpha. My mate. My home."
We stayed like that for what felt like eternity — tangled together, hearts beating in perfect synchrony, our souls at last whole.
Outside, the moon rose higher, casting its silver light over us like a blessing.
We were no longer broken pieces.
We were complete. Two halves of one whole.
Bound by love. Sealed by destiny.