Claimed By My Ex's Uncle: The Alpha King's Mate

Kenzie POV:

I followed Gannon back into the ceremonial hall. Every eye was on us, a mixture of awe and probing curiosity. I could feel Gannon's hand, tight around mine, a public declaration of ownership.

On the short walk back, I had tried to pull away, but he'd only tightened his grip, his voice a teasing whisper in my mind. We're acting, remember? It starts now. It was infuriating.

The Elder who was officiating the ceremony, a man with deep lines of wisdom etched into his face, was already on the dais. He looked at us, his expression complex, but he gave a solemn nod for us to approach.

We stood before him. He picked up a ceremonial dagger-not silver, of course-to slice our palms and mingle our blood, a traditional part of the bonding rite.

"By the witness of the Moon Goddess," the Elder intoned, "Alpha King Gannon Stone of the Black Moon Pack and Princess Kenzie Emerson of the Silver Creek Pack are hereby joined in the sacred contract of mates."

I held out my hand, bracing for the symbolic sting. But Gannon stopped the Elder.

"Wait," Gannon's voice cut through the hall. "My Luna, my way."

Before I or anyone else could react, Gannon took my hand. He didn't use the dagger. Instead, he lifted my hand to his mouth and bit down, his own canine tooth slicing a shallow line across my palm.

A sharp pain made me gasp, but the sensation of his tooth against my skin sent a strange, electric shiver through my entire body. Without hesitation, he bit his own palm and pressed our bleeding hands together, hard.

The moment our blood mixed, a powerful energy surged between us. I felt as if an invisible cord had just been cinched tight around our very souls, a thousand times stronger than the flimsy connection I'd had with Kole. I looked at him in shock, his golden eyes burning with a possessive fire. I could have sworn I heard the satisfied roar of his inner wolf in the back of my mind, but I dismissed it as a trick of his overwhelming Alpha presence.

The Elder, momentarily stunned, quickly recovered. "Blood has mingled. The contract is sealed. Now, Alpha, you may kiss your Luna."

I braced myself for a formal, public kiss, the kind I had rehearsed with Kole. I was already planning to pull back immediately, to reassert my boundaries.

But Gannon gave me no such chance. His arm slid around my waist and pulled me firmly against the hard warmth of his body. His other hand settled at the back of my head, his fingers threading into my hair as he tilted my face toward him. Before I could gather my thoughts, his lips came down on mine.

The kiss stole the breath from my lungs.

His cedar-and-storm scent surrounded me, warm and overwhelming. His lips lingered against mine, pressing deeper with a confidence that made my pulse race. When his tongue brushed against my lower lip, I instinctively parted them, and the small surrender sent a shiver through me. My fingers tightened against his chest before I could stop myself.

The shocked murmur of the guests seemed to fade into the background. All I could feel was the heat of him, the steady pressure of his hand at my waist, and the unsettling pull that kept drawing me closer. A strange warmth gathered low in my belly, spreading through me with every second of the kiss. I hated how easily my body responded to him, how my resistance weakened even while my mind screamed at me to pull away.

When he finally eased back, he didn't let me go. His hand remained firm at my waist, keeping me close enough that I could still feel the warmth of his breath against my lips. I drew in a shaky breath, my legs unsteady beneath me.

My lips tingled, swollen from the kiss.

I lifted my eyes to him, intending to glare.

But his golden gaze held mine, dark and unwavering, with a quiet satisfaction that made my pulse quicken.

Now they all know whose you are, his voice echoed in my mind, smug and satisfied.

He held up our joined, blood-smeared hands for the silent crowd to see. "Honor your Luna!" Gannon's voice was a king's decree.

After a beat of stunned silence, the hall exploded with thunderous applause and cheers. They weren't cheering for a political alliance. They were cheering because their Alpha King had claimed his mate.

I looked at the excited faces in the crowd, then at the domineering, unpredictable man beside me, my mind a whirlwind of chaos. In his arms, I could feel the powerful, steady beat of his heart against my chest, and mine was hammering in a frantic, chaotic rhythm that seemed to be trying to match his.

My brother Elias raised his glass to me from the crowd, a knowing, almost smug look on his face.

And Brenna, forgotten in a corner, stared at us with eyes full of venom and disbelief. In that moment, I felt no victory, only the dizzying sensation of being pulled into a vortex far deeper and more dangerous than I had ever anticipated.

Gannon leaned in again, his whisper a promise and a threat. "Don't be afraid, Kenzie. This is only the beginning."