That same night, under the full moon, there was no celebration. Only a silent calling, as if the island itself had decided the moment had come. The temple wasn't the simple chapel I had imagined, but an open structure surrounded by ancient columns covered in moss, set in the clearing of a forest illuminated by torches and the silver glow of the night sky.
The ceremony was private. Only us, Lady Melyra, and an officiant whose voice seemed to rise from the earth itself. The wind did not blow. Not a single bird sang. Everything seemed to be held within the tense breath of that instant.
Declan stood radiant under the moon, dressed in a dark tunic that fell over his shoulders like liquid shadow. The faint wind moved through his hair, and his eyes, when they met mine, shone with a restrained emotion.
He stood firm, but there was something in his posture... a tension in his shoulders, a doubt behind his confidence. As if he already knew that what came next would not be easy for either of us. As if, despite everything, he still feared losing me.
— Sereniah — said Lord Declan, his voice lower than usual, as if every word were woven with contained emotion — Tonight, you become my wife. I cannot promise you peace, nor a life untouched by shadow. But I can promise this: every part of me—even those I barely comprehend—shall be bound to your will. I will never use my power to subdue you, only to shield you. Should the world collapse, you will still be my anchor. I vow to guard you, even from the darkness within myself.He paused for a second, swallowed hard, and added:
— Let me prove that I am the man you've been searching for. — His words carried far more than he had ever told me before, and I understood they were tied to the reason I was here on this island. — And if you ever doubt me, let your heart remember this: I have belonged to you long before I met you. May this truth, someday, become "ours".
With steady but gentle hands, he placed the ring on my finger. A ring that looked as if it were made of iridescent glass, glimmering with shifting colors like trapped moonlight, sacred and alive, as if it held fragments of starlight within. If there had been no other proof that he wasn't from this world, this alone would have been enough.
— Our truth — I whispered, realizing too late that I had said it out loud.
The liquor spun lightly in my head, and part of me felt like I was acting inside a vivid dream.
A nervous laugh escaped me, but Declan only squeezed my hand tenderly, as if he understood that dizziness was also a form of surrender.
And when our hands joined, the air vibrated. A murmur rose from the forest. It wasn't human.
It was as if the earth itself sighed. The torches trembled in unison. For a moment, the sky seemed to open — a shooting star crossed the firmament, bright and slow, right above us.
I didn't understand the words spoken around us, but my body reacted. A heat ran down my spine, my chest, my hands. And when I looked at Declan, his eyes shone again, filled not with fear this time, but with certainty.
There was no kiss. We weren't ready for that. But that closeness felt more intimate than anything else. We were like two magnets, intoxicated by each other.
I could... feel it.
His presence spoke to me, though I couldn't describe what was happening.
The world — or my world — had changed. And I had changed with it.
...
The night didn't end with the ceremony.
When we returned to the house, silence followed us like a third invisible companion.
Declan didn't touch me, but walked close enough that the warmth of his body surrounded me.
I already had another glass of wine in my hand, without remembering when I had poured it.
I was caught somewhere between lucidity and haze, where everything felt slower, denser, more real.
As we entered, Melyra awaited us with a lantern in hand and a look heavy with meanings I couldn't yet read.
— You should rest tomorrow — she told Declan softly, though I heard it all the same — You both know what's been done. The island... reacted.
I didn't understand everything, but my skin did. There was a tingling on my neck, a kind of inner echo that hadn't been there before. Something had changed. Something had marked us.
And though I felt exhausted, I knew that this night would be the last I'd remember as my former self. The next... would be another story.
The day had been so long it had left me no time to think, and now only one question circled in my head: the wedding night.
I began to remove my wedding dress with clumsy fingers, undressing slowly as if I still didn't understand what had just happened. The half-full glass of wine still sat on the table. I finished it.
When Declan knocked on the door and entered, I saw him standing by the frame. No tunic. Just a linen shirt, unbuttoned, and loose trousers. His hair was damp, his eyes darker than usual.
But what surprised me most was his expression: it wasn't desire that I saw. It was patience. Tenderness. And a faint spark of amusement. My face flushed with panic, and he noticed it right away.
— Need help with that? — he asked, nodding toward my dress.
— No! — I shouted, my nerves stronger than my voice.
— Let me help you. I promise to behave. — his voice was calm, almost gentle.
I turned around so he could unbutton the dress at the back of my neck. My cheeks — maybe my entire body — were burning. He traced his fingers softly along my skin, button by button, His fingers brushed against my skin, deliberate and unhurried, tracing each button as if memorizing me. Heat climbed up my neck, my breath uneven, caught between fear and something I couldn't name, but I didn't dare move.
— There.
How much time had passed? Minutes, hours? Days?
That moment felt like eternity.
He placed a robe over my shoulders, taken from one of the chairs, and then spoke again:
— Were you expecting something... more immediate? — he asked, crossing the room slowly.
I blushed.
— No... or yes... I don't know — I said, more drunk on nerves than on wine.
He gave a half-smile and sat at the edge of the bed, leaving space between us. He didn't touch me.
— You're beautiful — he murmured — But you're trembling.
And I was. Not from cold. From everything I couldn't process.
— Tonight I won't cross any boundaries — he continued softly — I just want you to sleep knowing that you're safe. That I will protect you, no matter what.
He watched me for a moment. Then, very slowly, he leaned closer.
His fingers brushed my cheek — barely a touch — as if he didn't want to frighten me but couldn't resist.
— Your skin reacts to me when you're nervous — he murmured, his warm breath brushing my collarbone — It isn't just sensitivity... it's recognition, it's electricity. As if some part of you already knows me. I can feel it, every time I get close.
His lips didn't touch my neck, but they came close enough for me to feel the heat.
And then, as if that single gesture had been enough to seal the moment, he pulled away, lay back on the blanket beside me, arms crossed behind his head, as if just being close was enough.
As if his promise was stronger than any physical touch.
I couldn't process all these reactions.
The silence was interrupted by the sound of birds passing over the house. It was as if they were singing for us under the moonlight.
— Is that...?
— The island celebrating in its own way — he said, unfazed.
— Your calmness drives me crazy.
— Remember, I've lived here almost my whole life. I'm used to it.
— Exactly. I'm not. I have so many questions, and so few answers. And yet, somehow, I feel oddly calm. Does this island have some kind of drug I don't know about?
He let out a quiet laugh but didn't answer.
— A living island, birds singing... — I kept murmuring.
— You're more worried about birds in the sky than about a man lying next to you?
My face went up in flames. He was right. Why did it feel as if this wasn't the first time?
As if it were something normal, something familiar. It was true: there was a man half-dressed lying just inches away, and instinctively, I sat up awkwardly, unsure, staring at everything but him.
Declan noticed the exact moment I realized what was happening. The wine had done its magic for a few hours, but it was wearing off.
— Do you want me to sleep on the floor? — he asked. I couldn't read his face.
I hesitated. What did I want? What did I really want?
And the only thing I managed to say was:
— What if the island knows? Can others feel it the way you do?
— No, but they can sense things. It's hard to explain. The island is connected to me in part, but they can understand certain vibrations.
I sat there, thinking, without having the full puzzle.
— Well, this bed is big. We can put a pillow in the middle.
He laughed — an honest, surprised laugh, as if he hadn't expected that answer at all.
My eyes widened.
— What?
— You never stop surprising me — he said, taking a pillow and placing it in the middle — All right then, my lady... or better yet, my dear wife. — he said slowly — Sleep well.
And just like that, as if nothing had happened, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Damn it. For him, nothing was happening. How could he be so calm? There were so many things I wanted to ask. But for tonight, I was simply content that the vow was made.
I had fulfilled my promise to my family—to marry this man.
Even if this marriage was far more complicated than my father could have ever imagined, that part was now my responsibility. And I had decided to accept it.
A fleeting memory surfaced. When I was a child, I used to imagine a life full of adventure.
One night I asked the moon for a single wish: not to live an ordinary life.
I suppose, in the end, my wish came true.
I turned to look at Declan again.
He was fast asleep.
How could he trust me so easily?
His face, so serene, brushed perfection, at least to my eyes.
Without realizing it, I was tracing every line of his features under the candlelight.
This man is my husband, I thought. And a second later, I snapped back to reality.
I stared at the ceiling. Beside him. In silence. And for the first time, I understood what restrained desire truly meant. A man who knows how to wait... is the most dangerous kind.