Dawn was just beginning to break over Dravengard when the convoy of cars rolled through the gates, their headlights slowly fading against the pale light creeping up over the horizon.
The courtyard was already full. Word had clearly travelled fast, because Nana stood right at the front of the crowd, arms crossed, her expression somewhere between fury and relief.
Kai and Jessica stood close together, Jessica practically bouncing on her heels. Claire waited a little further back, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, and beside her stood Braxton, arms folded, flanked by a handful of his own men, all of them looking like they hadn’t slept a wink.
The moment Derek stepped out of the car and reached back to help Kira out, the whole courtyard surged forward at once.
"Oh, goddess. What happened out there? Are you all alright?"
Nana was already firing off questions before Kira’s feet had properly touched the ground, her sharp eyes raking over her from head to toe, checking for herself rather than trusting anyone’s word for it.
"How are you?" she demanded, pulling Kira into a tight hug. "We heard what happened at Pinewood. Are you hurt? Is the baby alright?"
Claire reached her next, pulling her into a hug so tight it nearly knocked the breath out of her, then pulled back to look her over properly, hands framing her face, checking her eyes, her colour, everything a mother’s instinct demanded she check.
"Let me see you properly, darling," she said.
"We heard everything," Kai said, walking up to Derek.
"I’m fine," Kira said, laughing despite the exhaustion still weighing on her limbs. "Everyone, honestly, I’m fine. Just tired."
"You’re really alright?" Claire asked softly.
"I promise, Mum. I’m alright."
Braxton hung back through all of it, saying nothing, simply watching his sister with a mixture of relief and frustration.
Only once the fussing had died down a little did he step forward, giving Derek a short, respectful nod.
"Your Grace."
"Alpha Braxton." Derek returned the nod, and something passed between the two men, a silent, knowing look, the kind shared by men who understood exactly how close the night could have gone very differently.
While Nana and Claire went back to gushing over Kira, fixing her hair, fussing over the state of her clothes, Braxton’s voice slid quietly into her mind through the link.
What exactly did you think you were doing, exposing your powers like that?
Kira kept her expression pleasant for the benefit of the fussing women around her, even as she answered him.
I used my power to save people. That’s it.
Save a lot of people. Or save the King?
I saved my husband, Kira shot back, a little sharper now, the father of my child, and every single Lycan who would have died in that courtyard tonight if I hadn’t done something.
Braxton let out a long breath through his nose, visible even from where she stood. You just showed everyone exactly what you are. How could you be that careless? Do you have any idea what happens now?
Kira met her brother’s eyes across the courtyard. Have you ever once wondered why the goddess sent me here in the first place? What use am I to anyone if I never use these powers for what they’re meant for? It’s high time I stopped hiding from everyone, Braxton.
You know exactly why I’m worried, Braxton said, and something in his tone shifted, softer now, edged with old fear. The last Nexus was betrayed by the very man she loved. He used her power for himself.
Derek isn’t going to do that to me.
Before Braxton could answer, Derek’s hand closed gently round Kira’s elbow.
"Alright, that’s enough for tonight," he said aloud, to the whole courtyard. "She needs rest, all of you. There’ll be plenty of time for questions later."
He guided her towards the mansion, and the crowd parted, still murmuring, still watching, as the two of them disappeared inside.
***
Once everyone had drifted off to their own rooms, Braxton found himself pacing back and forth in front of Claire, who sat perfectly still in her chair, watching him with a calm that only seemed to wind him up further.
"She’s going to be the death of me," Braxton muttered, dragging a hand through his hair. He stopped and looked at his mother properly. "How are you so calm about all of this?"
"Because," Claire said simply, "Serene was always going to reveal herself eventually. She couldn’t keep something like this hidden from her own husband forever."
Braxton let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "Husband? Mum, she’s divorcing him. Or have you forgotten that little detail?"
"Serene and Derek are officially back together," Claire said, unbothered by his tone. "There’s no divorce happening. And I’m in support of it."
Braxton stared at her. "What do you mean, back together?"
"I mean exactly what I said," Claire replied. "They’re soul bonds, Braxton. Their bond is strong. Derek will never hurt his soul bond."
Braxton opened his mouth, then closed it again, staring at his mother in complete, dumbfounded silence, utterly out of words for possibly the first time in his life.
***
Later that night, Kira lay in bed listening to the sound of water running in the bathroom.
She could hear Derek in there, and something about the stiffness she’d noticed in his shoulders all the way home told her he was still turning tonight over and over in his head, still caught somewhere between disbelief and worry.
She knew exactly what he’d be thinking about. Her. How he was meant to protect her and their pup now that half the kingdoms had watched what she was capable of.
She rose, started walking towards the bathroom door, stripping out of her clothes, and slipped quietly into the bathroom.
Steam curled through the air. Derek stood with his head tipped back under the water, his back to her, water sluicing down over broad, tense shoulders.
Kira crossed the tiles and wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her cheek against his back.
Derek’s hand came up to cover hers at once, rubbing gently over her knuckles. She pressed a soft kiss between his shoulder blades, then let her hands slide free, moving instead to knead gently at the tight muscles there.
"Your shoulders are like rock," she murmured. "You need to relax."
Derek turned in her arms, and his eyes moved slowly over her, taking her in properly for the first time that night, before settling on the soft, still flat curve of her stomach.
"You shouldn’t be in here," he said, voice rough. "You need rest."
Kira raised an eyebrow. "And you need to stop worrying so much. We’re both here. Let’s take care of each other."
They stood there together under the water, taking their time washing each other, talking quietly.
"I know you’re scared," Kira said eventually. "Because of me."
Derek didn’t deny it. "I’m thinking about a lot of things," he admitted, his voice low. "I thought once everything was over, we’d finally have peace. Now every greedy king or Alpha out there is going to want you for what you are. And I am not ready to lose you. Or our baby."
"It won’t happen," Kira said firmly, pressing a kiss to his jaw. Then, quieter, "I’m sorry for keeping this from you."
"I understand why you did," Derek said. "Trusting me with something like this, after everything I put you through. And knowing what happened to the last Nexus."
His jaw tightened. "Her husband betraying her in the worst way, making her submit herself to the Shadow King just to get revenge on him, and him using her until she couldn’t take it anymore and ended her own life. It’s understandable that you hid this."
"I know you won’t do that to me," Kira said softly, cupping his face in her hands. "That won’t be my fate. I know it won’t."
Derek looked at her for a long moment, something raw moving behind his eyes, and then he kissed her, slow and certain, like he meant to prove her right with everything he had.
Slowly, the kiss turned more fevered. Kira’s hands wandered lower, wrapping around his hardening cock.
Derek’s breath hitched. Soon their hands were grabbing and fondling each other, desire rising fast. Derek pressed Kira’s back against the tiled wall, grabbing her leg up, his erection poking against her entrance as he kissed her neck, down her breast.
Kira’s let out a low moan, tilting her head back as his lips covered her nipple. He sucked and bit until she let out a loud moan, her fingers curling into his hair.
Derek dropped to his knees in front of her, lifted one of her legs, placing it over his shoulder, and buried his face between her thighs.
Kira moaned loudly as his tongue found her folds, parted it, and licked her up and down, slow and deliberate at first, then faster.
"Oh..." she purred.
He sucked on her clit, then thrust his tongue inside her pussy, tasting her deeply. Kira’s fingers tangled in his wet hair, hips rocking against his mouth.
"Derek..." she gasped, her body trembling.
He didn’t stop. He licked and sucked her clit until her legs shook and she came hard against his tongue, crying out his name as her pussy clenched and juices coated his mouth.
Derek stayed there, licking her gently through the aftershocks, savouring every drop, before rising to his feet and kissing her deeply, letting her taste herself on his lips.