The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two

“No,” Diana said softly but firmly, shaking her head. “You don’t understand. You are the Alpha King. You cannot leave your pack indefinitely.”

Inside her mind, Artemis whimpered, pacing restlessly. ‘Mate… ours…’

The sound nearly broke her resolve.

Clam

Diana pressed her lips together, forcing herself to stay grounded. She wanted him-Moon Goddess, she wanted him. But she couldn’t leave. Not yet. Not when the questions surrounding her parents’ deaths still clawed at her chest. Choosing her mate would mean turning her back on something unfinished, something that whispered to her every time she closed her eyes.

“What do you mean, leave my pack indefinitely?” Talon asked, his brows drawing together in confusion. His voice wasn’t sharp, but there was an edge beneath it-a king unused to uncertainty.

“I can’t leave this pack,” Diana said, lifting her chin even as her heart trembled. “Not yet. And you cannot stay here with me. Not when you have an entire pack depending on you.”

“Not leave this pack?” Talon echoed, stepping closer. “Diana, explain yourself more clearly. Please.”

She exhaled slowly, steadying herself. “My parents died in the last rogue attack.”

“I’m aware,” Talon said quietly.

Her head snapped up. “You are? How?”

“I received reports before I came here,” he explained. “And I spoke with Alpha Asher when I arrived.”

Diana nodded slowly, absorbing that. Of course he would know. He was the Alpha King-nothing of this scale would escape him.

“Yes,” she said. “They were killed by rogues.”

“You’re not saying something,” Talon studied her face carefully. “Why does their death mean you cannot leave?”

“My father was a warrior. My mother worked in the pack house,” Diana said, her voice steady but tight and her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “They followed the rules. Always. They obeyed every order- from the delta, the gamma, the beta. And especially from the alpha and luna. Not once in my entire life did I see them disobey pack law.”

She swallowed hard, memories rising unbidden. “But on the day of the attack… they weren’t in the bunker.”

Talon’s eyes sharpened. He remained silent, letting her speak.

“Everyone said they never went to the bunker,” she continued. “But we have strict rules. When there is a rogue attack, everyone goes to the bunker. Everyone received the pack-wide link from Luna Hazel ordering all pack members to take shelter.”

Her voice cracked just slightly. “So why would my parents-rule followers-run into the forest instead?”

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< Chapter Twenty-Two

Silence stretched between them, heavy and charged.

“I was fighting on the opposite side of the territory,” Diana went on. “Holding the line. And somehow, a group of rogues slipped past us. Past the deltas. Past the gamma. And they found my parents.”

Her eyes lifted to Talon’s. “Doesn’t that seem suspicious to you?”

Talon’s jaw tightened. “What did the alpha and luna say?”

“The alpha and beta were the ones who found them,” she replied. “The rogues were already gone-or dead -by the time I arrived. And the luna said she never saw my parents enter the bunker.”

“So now you see,” Her voice hardened with resolve. “I can’t leave. Not until I know what really happened. I need to know why my parents died. Why were they in the forest instead of where they were supposed to be?”

Emotion surged through the bond, raw and unfiltered. Talon felt it all. Her grief, her anger, her helplessness. Fenrir stirred restlessly within him, growling low with shared fury.

Talon stepped forward before he could think better of it. He reached out, cupping her face gently.

The instant his skin touched hers, the mate bond flared to life. Warmth spread from the point of contact- down her spine, into her chest, into places she didn’t have words for. Diana gasped softly, breath catching as the connection pulsed between them.

“I’m sorry,” Talon murmured, his thumb brushing her cheek. “You shouldn’t have to carry this alone.”

She looked up at him, eyes shining with unshed tears-and something else. Something dangerous.

Before either of them could stop it, Talon leaned in.

The kiss was gentle at first. Tentative. A question rather than a demand.

Then the bond surged.

Heat flooded Diana’s body, her instincts responding before her mind could catch up. Her hands rose on their own, gripping his shirt as the kiss deepened, desperate and consuming. Everything else faded-the pack, the questions, the world.

This was her first kiss.

She didn’t know what she was doing, but her body did. Her wolf purred in approval, Artemis basking in the closeness she had waited so long for.

Talon groaned softly, lifting her without effort. He carried her toward the back of the small cottage, guided unerringly by her scent. Her bedroom was obvious-the place where her presence was strongest, where she belonged.

He set her down gently, forehead resting against hers.

“Diana,” he said, his blue eyes burning with restraint and desire. “There are so many things we still need to discuss. So many dangers ahead.” His voice dropped, rough with need. “But I want you. I burn for you.”

Her heart hammered in her chest. Fear, longing, love-everything tangled together.

24

Chapter TwentY-TWO

“Yes,” Diana whispered.

That was all she said.

And it was enough

The word settled between them like a vow.

Talon exhaled sharply, as if that single syllable had snapped the last thread of restraint holding him together. He leaned his forehead against hers, eyes closed, drawing in her scent like it was air itself.

Fenrir roared in his mind. ‘Mate. Claim. Ours.’

Ctam

The mate bond flared-no longer a quiet hum but a living thing, bright and demanding. Diana felt it surge through her chest, wrapping around her heart, tightening until there was no space left for doubt.

Talon kissed her again, slower this time, deeper. Not desperate now-but reverent. As if he were memorizing her. Every brush of his lips sent heat spiraling through her veins, her body responding instinctively, ancient and sure.

She clung to him, fingers curling into his shoulders. Artemis purred, flooding her with warmth and courage.

‘We choose him, her wolf whispered. ‘We are ready.’

Talon pulled back just enough to look at her, his eyes glowing-blue edged with something primal, something eternal.

“Once we do this,” he said softly, voice rough with truth, “there is no undoing it. You will be my mate in every way that matters. My Queen. My equal.”

Emotion swelled in her chest, fierce and unyielding.

“I know,” Diana said. “I choose you.”

The mate bond snapped into alignment. Power rolled through the room, thick and electric. Diana gasped as something ancient and sacred settled into place, as if the Moon herself had drawn closer, watching. Talon pressed his forehead to hers, his hands firm but gentle, grounding her as the energy surged.

The world narrowed to breath and heartbeat and the pull between them. Time lost meaning.

When Talon finally stilled, holding her against him, the bond no longer burned–it anchored. Solid. Unbreakable.

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