Arwen & Kaleb Dual POV
Arwen POV
"I still don't like your hair." He snapped to Kaleb angrily.
Kaleb didn't even glance up from the ship console. "And I still think your eyeliner's doing more work than your sword arm."
Arwen huffed and paced the deck like a pissed off jungle cat. "Don't test me, wolf."
"You'd lose, pirate." He snarled right back.
The tension between them had been simmering since they boarded this flying wolf den of a ship. And with a third mate out there suffering, Rhiannan half wrecked from it, and Sasha being a sassy robotic pain in the ass, neither of them were in the mood for diplomacy. They had worked on some things yesterday but they were far from peaceful.
But something had shifted since Rhiannan's scream and her plea for them to find the new mate. Urgency. Need. They had to fix this between them so they could be what their Goddess needed.
"So," Kaleb finally said, closing the screen. "You going to keep snarling or are we actually going to talk about this shit?"
Arwen slumped into the chair across from him and blew out a breath. "You first, wolf boy."
Kaleb leaned back, arms crossed. "Fine. I was raised in a pack of war strategists. My mother's a seer, my father's the Alpha. I was trained to fight before I could walk. I've led armies. Won battles. Lost people I loved. Never thought I'd find a mate, much less a goddess who sets my soul on fire and drives me feral if she stubs her toe."
Arwen blinked. "...Well damn. That's a flex."
Kaleb shrugged. "Your turn, eyeliner."
Arwen leaned back with a smirk. "Fine. My name isn't really Arwen. It's Arkanis. I changed it after I abandoned my birthright. Born a Royal fae prince. Hated every second of it. I left the throne to sail the sea, find treasure, fuck pretty things, and avoid all responsibilities. I've killed kings and kissed monsters. But I've never felt anchored. Until her."
Silence.
Then a low whistle from Kaleb. "Shit."
"Yeah," Arwen muttered.
Without thinking, they both leaned forward, clasped forearms in a warrior's grip.
That's when the marks on their necks flared.
A new star appeared under each one of their existing bonds, bright, pulsing, and connected by faint lines of shimmering magic.
A jolt surged between them. Not painful. Just… powerful.
Arwen gasped.
Kaleb's eyes glowed faintly. "What the hell was that?"
"Sasha," Arwen barked. "Don't be a bitch, explain."
The ship AI's voice chimed in sweetly, dripping with sarcasm.
"Aw, are the boys bonding? How precious. Don't cry on the control panel, it's expensive."
Kaleb growled. "Sasha. Now."
"Fine, fine. You're experiencing the early stages of pentacle synchronization. It's rare. Ancient. Sexy as hell if you ask me. Once a goddess chooses her six, and the bonds are sealed, the pentacle becomes a living conduit of shared power. Strength, magic, emotion, everything is amplified. You boys just leveled up."
Arwen blinked. "Shared power?"
"Uh huh. Think Voltron but hot and kinky. When all five are sealed, your little group will be the most powerful fae cluster since the War of Realms. Goddess touched. Goddess bound. Capable of bringing entire nations to their knees, or raising them from ash. Your girl is no basic bitch. She's divine fury with a side of chaos sprinkles."
They both sat there, stunned.
Kaleb finally muttered, "She has no idea how powerful she's becoming."
"No," Sasha agreed. "But the gods do. So does the enemy. And now… so do you."
Arwen whistled low. "We hit the Goddess jackpot. Our girl is gunna change the world." Kaleb nodded mutely.
They sat in silence for a while, absorbing this new information. They could do so much good.
Two warriors, one bond, a rising goddess, and four mates still out there.
But for the first time, they felt ready. confident and united.
Or at least… ready enough to try.
Rhiannan POV
She padded into the bridge barefoot, licking peanut butter off her thumb and carrying what looked like a glowing fae churro in her other hand. Her hair was loose, wild from sleep and dreams that didn't belong to her. The stars on her neck pulsed faintly under the soft light of the ship, her magic simmering like an ember ready to ignite.
The snack machine was the best thing she'd found in days. It made anything. Literally. Just imagine it, speak it, and boom, hot molten chocolate or deep fried sugar or the strawberry iced croissants from her childhood she hadn't thought about in years. Her toes curled in anticipation. Yummy. She loved food. All of it. And the fae realm did not disappoint.
Sasha called it the Confectionator 9000.
She called it her emotional support slut.
But her smile faltered as she stepped onto the deck and saw them, Kaleb and Arwen, sitting side by side, no weapons drawn, no snarls. Just… talking. And glowing.
Their marks shimmered. A new star had appeared on each of their necks. Her power hummed with recognition. Her pulse skipped.
They were linking, bonding.
And she hadn't even realized they could. She smiled genuinely, her entire soul lighting on fire with happiness.
Her bare feet whispered against the polished floor as she came closer. The robe she wore was thin, sheer in the light, draping off one shoulder like moonlight caught in silk. Her skin glowed with that divine shimmer, like she'd been kissed by starlight and shadows both. Freckles dusted her cheeks, and her big brown eyes were unreadable, soft and stormy all at once.
She looked like magic.
But inside… chaos, worry and happiness.
The pain from earlier still throbbed in her soul, Sable's scream echoing like a broken violin string. She didn't know him, hadn't even seen his face, but her heart knew. The mate bond was real. And he was in hell. Literally. She could feel his love already. How hard he was fighting to not come near her with evil. She wanted to free him.
She should be shaking. Falling apart.
But she was a goddess now. She steeled her jaw and clenched her fists.
And goddesses don't crumble.
(Except when they sneak away to cry into glowing churros.)
"So," she said quietly, walking up to them with bare legs and sugar on her lips, "what did I miss?"
Kaleb stood, immediately moving to her side. "You look..."
"I know," she cut him off. "Divine. Glowy. Hauntingly powerful with just a hint of murder. Get to the important shit."
Arwen chuckled and handed her a datapad. "Turns out, you're even more of a freak of nature than we thought."
"Aw, thanks babe." She snarked at him.
They explained, about the new stars, the shared power, the pentacle, the prophecy Sasha had spilled with her usual amount of sass and side eyes.
Rhiannan listened, silent and still, the churro slowly forgotten in her hand.
"So… if I bond all six of you," she said slowly, "we become… what? Weapons of mass destruction?"
Kaleb's voice was soft. "Weapons. Shields. Gods. Whatever you want us to be. We can change the world Rhiannan. Do you have any idea the suffering happening in Andopeer? It would crush you. We can stop all that shit."
She looked at both of them. Her mates. Her chaos. Her grounding.
"I didn't ask for this," she whispered. "But if we can do all that, then let's fucking do it. Let's save fucking Andopeer."
"No," Arwen said gently. "But neither did we. And yet… I'd die for you. I'll follow you into battle, I'll follow you anywhere."
Kaleb nodded. "We both would."
Her throat tightened.
She was scared. Terrified.
Still broken in places she didn't fully understand. Would she be able to be strong and hold on? Could she really save an entire realm of fae?
But if this was her path now...Her war....her people...Her power.... She would fucking win it.
"I don't know how to do this," she admitted, voice barely above a whisper.
Kaleb took her hand.
Arwen pressed a kiss to her shoulder.
"Then we learn together," they said in unison.
She exhaled slowly.
Then shoved the churro into her mouth with a groan. "Mmmphf.....fuck, this snack machine's better than therapy."
Sasha's voice crackled overhead.
"You're welcome, sugar tits. Try the moonberry cheesecake next. It slaps."
The goddess laughed. Her men held her tightly and she felt safe and loved.
And for the first time that day, the fear in her chest eased just a little.