Page 67 of A Luna’s Dynasty (Celestial #1)

A few weeks later….

Caspian made a full recovery after the attack.

Things had been pretty quiet, except for the planning for the trip they would make the following week.

They’d made a lot of preparations to make this trip as smooth as possible.

Grayson had told them they could only travel part of the way in their vehicles and would have to hike the rest of the way on foot.

Asher was planning to leave Garrett in charge of the pack as the acting alpha.

But before they embarked on this little adventure, Asher had something up his sleeve.

He’d involved Caspian in his plan, and he was able to have his mind blocked from his mate link.

With their soulmate link, he needed help so that he could surprise Lita.

Asher had a small bag in his hand as he walked out of the pack house.

Grayson, Caspian, Kristen, Garrett, and Caden were outside with Lita and were all in on the fun.

Asher walked up to where they were all standing and pulled Lita back into his chest. She leaned her head back to look up at him, and he lightly brushed his lips against her forehead.

“Want to go for a drive?” Asher asked, and her eyes widened in excitement.

“Really?! Can we? I mean, can we really? You aren’t teasing? And—wait a minute … why can’t I read your thoughts?” Lita watched his grin widen and caught Caspian’s smile out of the corner of her eye.

“No reading my mind today. It’s a block Caspian cooked up special.” Asher grinned and looked over at Caspian.

“Yeah, I had to try to figure out a way to block your mate link that was separate from the mindlinking. A little bit of trial and error, but I figured it out,” Caspian said proudly of his accomplishment.

Asher was happy he was able to keep today a surprise from her.

He could see how excited she was, and it made him melt.

It was a shame that, because of everything, he hadn’t been able to do fun things with her more often.

Not anymore. He’d decided that, even after their trip to Elysia, they would just have to be cautious.

They had a life to live, and he had a mate to spoil. “Alright, everyone, let’s load up.”

Moments later, they were humming along in their vehicles.

Kristen, Garrett, and Caden took one car, while Grayson, who had insisted on driving his ‘baby’, drove his other truck, with Asher, Lita, and Caspian riding with him.

Lita and Asher sat in the back seat, while Caspian rode shotgun with Grayson.

It was a fun ride, full of laughter and teasing.

Grayson and Asher teased Caspian about his gold dust and how, with his attractant, he still couldn’t find a mate.

Caspian shot back, reminding them that one stern word from Lita would have them crumbling like overbaked cookies.

These people were Lita’s family, and she was happier at that moment than she ever thought possible.

The longer they were on the road, the more excited Lita became.

She had no clue where they were going, so she would glance out the window in anticipation.

They finally arrived in a nearby city, where there were sizable buildings that shadowed over their vehicles as they drove through.

She leaned up to peer out the front window, trying to catch a glimpse of their destination.

The truck pulled around the bend into a big open lot, and that’s when Lita saw it.

There was an amusement park in the distance, and they were driving right toward it.

Lita turned to look at Asher, who was grinning back at her.

Her eyes were dancing with excitement. This was better than anything she could have imagined.

It was pure fun, and exactly what she needed.

She had been to the carnival a few times with Drew before, but she hadn’t had much time for fun lately.

Not between studying to become a healer and then her new venture as a mate and a fairy princess.

“This is going to be so much fun!” Lita squealed as she bounced back into Asher’s side.

Asher reached up and held her ponytail in his hands, tugging it slightly. “This is the perfect leash.” He beamed. A small orange glow ignited in Lita’s hand as she turned her head to look at him.

“Still want to try to leash me?”

“We can save the fire play for later.” He winked at her, watching her cheeks stain red.

He chuckled and wrapped his arm tightly around her. He wanted to plan something fun for her where she could let loose and just be herself. Who doesn’t like the chance to feel like a kid again? Today, she wasn’t a princess or a luna… she could be just Lita.

Lita screamed, as the roller coaster descended from the slow, agonizing climb. Her body was pressed tightly into Asher’s while it tossed them around the track. The two were laughing as they exited, though Caspian and Garrett looked less than amused.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights,” Grayson teased as he looked back at the two of them.

“It’s not the heights … it’s the falling,” Caspian said with a grimace.

“I’m not afraid of heights, but man did that make my stomach flip.” Garrett held his stomach, looking a bit green.

“Aww … we were going to go get some snacks.” Lita frowned as she looked at Garrett, who suddenly appeared to be back in the game.

“I’m in!” Garrett cheered as Kristen gently nudged his side.

“See, you’re just being a baby. It isn’t that bad,” Kristen teased as she lovingly pecked his cheek. He smiled warmly and tucked her deep into his embrace. Everyone could see how crazy they were about each other.

“Let’s do the go carts next. I’ll race you fools!” Caden challenged as he pointed excitedly in the distance.

Caspian smirked and looked at Caden. “You think you have what it takes, turtle?”

Asher and Grayson instantly locked eyes with each other. They wouldn’t miss an opportunity to compete. “I wonder if bears are faster on the track than they are as animals.” Asher grinned. His wolf was faster than Grayson’s bear. One had power, while the other had speed.

“I guess we’ll have to find out, pup.” Grayson punched his fist into his hand, firing himself up.

“Don’t feel too bad, guys. Someone has to come in last place.” Garrett beamed widely as the other men turned and glared at him ruthlessly.

“Kristen and I will go get some snacks for when you’re finished.” Lita pointed in the direction of the concession stands.

“Toots and I aren’t getting involved in your battle to pump testosterone. You know, Lita, it’s silly. They act all big and bad, but if you gave them a harsh look, you would hear the lot of them whimpering from miles away.” Kristen giggled as she walked up to Lita, who snorted in agreement.

“I’m going to need a basket of fries and two cheeseburgers for my victory feast.” Asher pecked Lita on the lips as he declared his inevitable win.

“That’s a pup’s snack. I need four corn dogs and a batch of onion rings for my victory feast.” Grayson smirked as another competition began to brew.

“Ah ah ah. Stop. We’re not competing to see who can eat the most. We’ll get a spread of things.” Lita reached her finger up to Asher’s lips to stop him from countering Grayson. He smiled and gently nipped at her fingers.

Asher winked at her, and the guys walked off toward their speed battle. There was no second place, only the first loser and down. All of them had their eyes on one prize—victory.

Kristen and Lita chatted happily as they approached the food court.

The two had become best friends, and it was a friendship they both had craved.

Kristen could come off as a bit abrasive, even though she wasn’t much of a fighter as a werewolf, and girls avoided her because of it.

Lita loved her tongue-in-cheek ways and felt a closeness with her that she’d always longed for.

The girls ordered enough food for an army and had to have some of the employees help them take it to a table.

“A lot of food for you two pretty ladies,” one of the young men said, eyeing the two girls with interest.

“We’re here with a big group. Trust me, they’re going to smash this.” Lita giggled, knowing the appetites of the savage animals that were with her.

“Any of them your boyfriends?” the other man asked, his eyes fixated on Kristen intently as he ogled her.

“Yes, we both have our boyfriends with us.” Kristen smiled. She didn’t mind having the attention as long as it stopped there.

“How committed are you to your boyfriend?” the first young man said as his hazel eyes met with Lita’s emerald ones.

“Sorry, I’m pretty crazy about him. There are plenty of other single young girls here, though.

I’m sure you’ll have luck with one of them.

” Lita was politely encouraging him to look elsewhere.

Mira seemed agitated with these young men, but as far as she was concerned, they hadn’t crossed a line.

They were just showing interest, and there was no crime in that.

He gave her a small smile and glanced around. “The good ones are always already taken. Sure, there is quantity here, but very few are quality. Like you. Enjoy your meal.” He took a few steps away and waited for his co-worker to follow.

Lita turned and saw that Kristen looked uncomfortable now. The other man was standing close to her, his eyes piercing into her almost greedily.

“I would recommend leaving soon. Not that we can’t handle ourselves, but her boyfriend is possessive. I don’t think he would appreciate your close proximity to her. I know I don’t.” Lita’s green eyes bore into him with evident disdain.

The man snapped his gaze over to Lita with irritation.

Lita watched as the man tried to appear intimidating, and she couldn’t stop the smirk that spread over her lips.

This was a simple human. He didn’t smell like a werewolf.

Most humans were blissfully unaware of the existence of anything but themselves.

He might be a guy, but he was a human guy, and he was no match for a female werewolf.

Kristen wasn’t a fighter, and she had not developed the means to push her werewolf strength forward, but Lita had, obviously. Intimidate her? As if.

“You look like you don’t like me.” The man straightened himself up and looked Lita over, his eyes wandering over her body as he licked his lips.

“I don’t know you.” Lita walked in front of Kristen to protect her friend. “I do know that she doesn’t like you being so close to her. I also know that you’re going to find yourselves in a bad situation if you’re still here when our boyfriends get back.”

The guy openly scoffed.

“Come on man, we need to get back to work. Take the hint,” the other employee urged him.

The guy smiled down at Lita. “Why didn’t you just say you were jealous and wanted the attention all to yourself?

I can oblige you.” His lips pulled up as he looked over the beauty in front of him.

He reached for her. Lita stood there, looking at him defiantly, all but daring him to continue. She would lay him down flat.

Then, a blur passed in front of her, and the opportunity was gone. The crowd hushed as the man laid on the ground, blood trickling from his nose. Some meddling guy had taken away her opportunity.