Chapter 146: New home

"Wait."

I was already stepping out of his study when Magnus’s heavy hand caught my shoulder from behind, spinning me around to face him. My legs were still weak, and the sudden shift nearly sent me off balance.

Before I could utter a single word, he slammed me back against the heavy wooden door, his massive body pinning me in a wave of crushing, radiant heat. Lips locked onto lips. Magnus kissed me with a raw, ravenous hunger, mercilessly stripping away the last fragile shreds of composure I had so painstakingly gathered after he had claimed me in the shower.

I burned with shame. My own low, breathless whimpers had echoed against the walls of the study, and Magnus had given me no chance to hold them back. Whenever I had tried to stifle my voice, he had pushed me straight over the edge with his scorching touch, making me forget my own name.

And now, he was doing it all over again.

"I’m ready to take you again right here," he groaned, his lips finally tearing away from mine.

"We just did this... several times," I whispered, wanting nothing more than the floor to swallow me whole. Yet in stark contrast to my embarrassment, I caught the intense clash between burning lust and raw self-control raging in his silver eyes.

"It’s impossible to pull away from you. We lost far too much time, and I want to claim every single moment back. Every night, every day." His hands moved with a possessive mind of their own, tracing electric tracks across my bare skin until I felt on the verge of catching fire once more.

He leaned in, ready to claim my mouth again, when a muffled voice echoed down the corridor outside.

"Moooom! Dad! Where are you?"

Magnus closed his eyes, exhaling a long, harsh breath as he forced himself to step back. I took a few rapid breaths to steady my racing pulse before slipping out the door. Matthias was standing a short distance away near his bedroom. The moment he spotted me, a brilliant smile broke across his face, and he sprinted down the hall into my arms.

"This house is so huge..." he muttered softly against my shoulder.

"Did it scare you, sweetie?" I asked, smoothing down his unruly hair.

"No way! I’m an Alpha," our son huffed, puffing out his small chest with pride.

Magnus stepped up beside us and effortlessly scooped him into his arms. Matthias immediately beamed up at his father. As I smiled at how identical their expressions were, a sudden wave of panic hit me—I was standing there in just an oversized t-shirt and shorts, my collar bare, and my skin covered in dark, unmistakable mark-bites.

"Magnus, where are the bags they brought up?"

Without a word, he took my hand and led us to a room adjoining his master suite. Matthias leaned over to whisper something in his father’s ear, but I couldn’t hear a word over the pounding of my heart. When we stepped inside what looked like a spacious walk-in dressing room, our bags were resting on the bench untouched. I let out a quiet breath of relief—the mere thought of strangers going through my intimate clothing made my skin crawl.

Pulling out a soft sweater and a pair of jeans, I stepped behind a small screen and changed quickly. But even with the high collar, the dark mating marks on my throat were barely concealed, leaving me deeply self-conscious. Everyone downstairs was going to see them. I had never wanted to parade our private life in front of the household.

"They will already smell it on you anyway. You’re worrying over nothing, Jane." Magnus spoke as if reading my mind, sensing my unease before I could voice it. "I told you before—it is none of their concern. If anyone dares step out of line, they will be thrown out."

He took my hand, his large, warm fingers lacing through mine as we walked down the grand staircase together.

The main drawing room was packed with people. I recognized almost every face in the crowd, and I knew they recognized me too. Even though my hair color had changed and I had abandoned the contact lenses and fake freckles I used during my infiltration weeks ago, the resemblance was undeniable.

Magnus hadn’t known me back then, but these staff members had seen my face every single day. Now, seeing me return on the arm of their Alpha, the shock plastered across their faces was impossible to miss.

"I have gathered you all here to deliver an important declaration," Magnus’s voice boomed through the room, heavy with absolute Alpha authority. "As of today, this household, as well as the pack, has a Luna. You will obey her without question—her word in this estate is absolute law."

He rested a broad hand on my lower back, pulling me firmly against his side.

"Jane Pharean is my true mated pair, and our son, Matthias, holds the same authority over this estate as I do. The fundamental rules of this pack domain remain unchanged: no private information leaves these walls. Security and loyalty come above all else."

A deafening silence settled over the grand hall. Every gaze in the room remained locked on me and my son in stunned, breathless silence.

Matthias perched comfortably on his father’s arm, studying everyone in the room one by one with unsuppressed curiosity.

"Are these people going to obey you?" he whispered to me, not bothering to be particularly quiet about it.

"Yes."

"Cool," he pronounced with the air of a man who had just received confirmation of something deeply important, then leaned back to rest against Magnus’s broad shoulder.

A soft ripple of exhaled breath passed through the room, sounding suspiciously like stifled laughter. The suffocating tension broke, and I was more grateful to Matthias for that moment than he would ever realize.

"Any questions?" Magnus surveyed the crowd slowly, taking his time.

A dense silence hung in the room. Not a single soul dared to speak.

"Good. Return to your duties."