Thalor held the shimmering bead out, his hand still trembling slightly from exhaustion. The pearl didn’t look like a typical gemstone; it looked as if a drop of the ocean had been frozen and polished, radiating a soft, pulsing light that seemed to respond to the beat of my own heart.

​"I didn’t want to bring it up until I knew you were ready," Thalor whispered, his voice gaining a tiny bit of strength. "But I wanted to be prepared. For whenever you decided it was time."

​I took the pearl from his palm. It was cool, almost vibrating with a strange, dormant energy.

I looked at the three of them—my husbands, my guardians—and felt the weight of what I was about to do. This wasn’t just a physical act; it was a permanent carving of my soul into theirs.

"The process of using the pearl is," Thalor began, his words more directed to the others than me, since I already knew. "Mouth to mouth." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

​"So," Noah said, his lips curving with a lopsided grin. "Mouth to mouth, huh? Sounds like the snake is in for a very good three days."

​I flushed, tucking the pearl safely into the small pouch at my waist while Phina finished her meal and yawned lazily, her lashes fluttering as she prepared herself for a morning nap.

"Thalor explained it to me. The pearl acts as a catalyst. It dissolves during the mating, and as our energies merge, my intentions—how I feel about him, my love, my promises—they get carved into the mark. The deeper the love, the more intricate the pattern."

​"Then Damar’s mark is going to be a masterpiece," Fenric rumbled, standing up to take Phina from my arms as she drifted into a milk coma. He looked at me with a rare, soft expression. "Go. He’s waiting, and he’s not the patient type."

​I did the same for Raiden, making sure both babies were full and content.

I felt a pang of guilt about leaving them for three days, but I knew Noah and Fenric would protect them with their lives. Plus, with the palace doors locked, this was the safest they had ever been.

​"I’ll be back with Lira first before I start."

I walked ahead and arrived at the Sovereign Wing. There, I picked up Lyra from him, saying I would be back, returned to the Side wing, and sat down to feed my little prideful baby girl.

She sucked slowly, making me quite impatient since I was eager to carry out the marking.

Lyra was the epitome of ’unbothered’. Even with the palace in a state of high alert and her father vibrating like a live wire in the next wing, she took her time, her tiny fingers curling and uncurling against me.

She had that same regal, stubborn streak as Damar; she wasn’t going to be rushed, not even for a marking ritual that had nothing to do with her, obviously.

"You really are your father’s daughter," I whispered, brushing a stray silver tuft of hair from her forehead.

Finally, Lyra let out a soft, milky sigh and pulled away, her eyes fluttering shut as she slumped into a deep sleep. I kissed her cheek and carefully tucked her into her cot next to Phina and Raiden.

Noah was leaning against the wall, watching me with an unreadable expression.

"You look like you’re heading off to war, Little Tiger. Or a very long, very exhausting vacation."

"A bit of both," I admitted, smoothing down my top and checking the pearl one last time.

"Don’t worry about the cubs," Fenric added, his voice low and steady. "We’ve got them. Just... try to come back in one piece. Damar isn’t the only one who wants to be marked, you know."

I let out a weak laugh, gave them both a final nod, and walked out.

The walk back to the Sovereign Wing felt longer this time. Every step toward those heavy doors was a step away from logic and into the primal.

But my stomach gave a loud, unqueenly growl that reminded me I hadn’t eaten since yesterday’s chaos. If we were going to survive a three-day marathon, we needed fuel.

​I made a quick detour to the palace kitchen.

It was quiet, but the scent of woodsmoke and salt lingered. It was a good thing I had some salted and smoked meat stored here just in case.

I just didn’t think I’d use it for this situation, haha.

I grabbed a large pouch and stuffed it with several strips of roasted jerky—tough, seasoned meat that would keep us going—and a flask of water.

​When I finally pushed open the doors to the Sovereign Wing, I found Damar sitting exactly where I had left him. He hadn’t moved an inch, but the air around him was thick with a magnetic tension.

He was stripped to the waist, his pale skin and silver scales catching the morning light. His eyes followed me as I locked the door, the click of the lock sounding like a gavel.

​"The children are fed," I said, my voice sounding breathy. "The guards are set. Unless it’s an emergency, we won’t be disturbed. But before we start..."

​I held up the pouch of jerky.

​"We need to eat. Thalor was very specific—the marking takes a lot out of both of us, and once the pearl dissolves, neither of us is going to be thinking about food."

​I climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged in front of him, handing him a strip of meat. He took it stiffly, his gaze never leaving my face.

​"Eat, Damar," I urged, taking a bite of my own. "While we chew, listen. The pearl... It’s a catalyst. I’m going to pass it to you, mouth-to-mouth. Once it dissolves, it triggers the rut, but it also opens a bridge between us. Everything I feel for you—every memory together, every bit of love I have—will be what carves the pattern into your skin. It’s not just a mark; it’s a mark of my heart."

​Damar swallowed the jerky, his emerald eyes dark and focused. He didn’t seem interested in the logistics, only the result.

He reached out, his hand cupping the back of my neck with a firm, grounding pressure, pulling me forward until our foreheads rested against each other. His breathing was already ragged.

​"I have waited long enough for your mark, Ari," he rasped.

Yeah, I’m sure he has.

​I set the half-empty pouch aside, my heart thumping against my ribs. I reached into my small bag and pulled out the blue pearl. It was shimmering with a frantic, iridescent light now.

​"Then don’t be surprised if the pattern is a bit... overwhelming," I whispered.

​I took out the cool, smooth pearl and placed it into my mouth. It tasted like salt and ancient magic. A bit like jelly, too.

I had no time to waste and quickly leaned in, closing the distance, and as our lips met, I pushed the pearl forward with my tongue.

​The pearl was successfully transferred to his mouth, and the reaction was instantaneous.

​The pearl dissolved as soon as it entered his mouth and created a burst of searing heat. Damar let out a low, predatory growl against my mouth, his hands sliding down to my waist to pull me flush against his chest.

His pupils dilated until his eyes were solid pools of emerald, and I felt the first wave of his rut snap into place—a raw, undeniable hunger.

​I wrapped my arms around his neck, my mind filling with every memory and promise as our tongues began to intertwine.

Carve this into him, I thought, as the room began to tilt and the air began to thicken. Let him never doubt where he belongs.