Page 75 of A Luna’s Dynasty (Celestial #1)

A couple of vehicles hummed along the road.

They had finally embarked on their trip to Elysia.

Garrett and Kristen would take good care of the Black Ice Pack while they were gone.

That was at least one less thing to worry about.

Lita wasn’t worried about leaving the pack territory, but she was already missing that feeling of home.

She wondered if, in the future, she would feel that way about Elysia.

Overall, she was in good spirits. She felt a bit lightheaded, but it was probably due to nervousness.

She couldn’t help but get lost in her thoughts.

Why had her mother never returned? Did it have something to do with giving up her physical body?

Her father had gone to Elysia—he should have just said so.

Why just disappear and be so vague? Just that he went to be with his mate?

Maybe he was afraid of being followed. In either case, when she had children, she still planned to visit them.

She wouldn’t disappear from them just because she became the Queen of Elysia.

She felt nervous and excited about meeting her mother. What if she doesn’t like me? I mean, she is my mother, so of course she’ll like me, but what if she’s disappointed in the person I’ve become? What if I don’t have the right qualities? I’m driving myself nuts …Yeah, so quit thinking, self.

She heard a chuckle in her head. Just curious as to how many Litas are in there.

Asher laughed and tugged her into his side.

He kissed her temple and smiled against her skin.

He was glad to have their soulmate link.

It helped him know when his mate needed comfort.

She loves you, Lita, and I’m sure she’s missed you like crazy.

I can distract your mind for a while, if you want.

Asher looked over her body greedily. They were in the back seat together.

He wouldn’t mind indulging himself in her kisses.

Lita giggled and nestled her head into his side.

She was very grateful that she had Asher with her, now more than ever.

He helped calm her nerves. Thanks, but I’d rather not make out in front of Grayson and Caspian.

Lita glanced up to the front seat where the two men were sitting.

Caden and Rosa were in another vehicle with a couple of specialized warrior werewolves.

They had only brought a small group with them.

Asher did not want to leave his pack defenseless, but he also wanted to make sure that Lita was well protected.

The centaurs had left the pack a few days ago to return home to be with their families.

It had been nice having their constant strength around for extra protection.

At least Lita had the alpha and a guardian at her side.

Those two alone would make up for not having a large group of warriors.

Grayson turned onto a grassy road that dipped into the woods. Lita looked out the window as the scenery blurred by. They were lightly tossed about as they drove over the uneven terrain.

“Listen, if we encounter that demon, you two let me take care of it. Got it?” Grayson suddenly spoke up, looking in the rear-view mirror.

“Aww, papa bear is worried about us,” Lita teased, looking into Grayson’s unamused eyes.

“I mean it! He uses curses and poisons. I don’t want any of you mutts near him. Promise?” Grayson raised his eyes and waited for their response.

“If it’s preventable, then I will avoid him. He can be all yours, Grayson,” Asher finally agreed, eyeing his lovely mate, waiting for her to agree as well.

“What he said.” Lita winked at Asher and noticed the eye roll from Grayson.

“It will be preventable, because I’m attaching the two of you to my hip.

My number one priority is your two’s safety.

So please, just listen to me and let me do my job.

” Grayson sighed, sounding a little stressed out.

In fact, he was. If anything happened to them, it would be his fault.

It was his job to protect them. Okay, to be honest, it was more than just about his job.

They were both very important to him. Yes, Asher too.

They were his siblings, and he loved them both.

“I only have enough power to fully shield one person. I can’t hold it for long, but I can always hide Lita temporarily. I can at least hold the shield for ten minutes, possibly longer. Just in a worst-case scenario,” Caspian said quietly, trying to be of assistance.

“No no no. Worst case scenario means everyone is fighting and getting hurt. If this happens, I will be out there fighting too. I won’t hide in safety while I watch the people I love get hurt or die.

” She watched as Asher began to protest. “We already discussed this, remember? I will not yield on this issue.”

“Promise me this, then.” Asher looked at Lita, then glanced up at the mirror to see Grayson and Caspian. “If I run, you run. Will you agree to stick with me, no matter what? Even if it means hiding or running away while others are fighting?” He heard her breath hitch as she bit her bottom lip.

Lita didn’t like the idea. In fact, she hated it.

But if Asher agreed to run, then she would, too.

She would follow her mate’s lead. “I’ll stay with you, Asher.

” She tried to see what he was thinking, but his mind was blank.

Whatever it was, he was purposely blocking it from his mind so she wouldn’t know.

She leaned into his body, feeling his arm grip her tightly.

It was weird. She felt more energized in his embrace.

It was probably because he helped ease her nerves.

She felt the heat of his breath and his soft kisses brushing the top of her head.

She smiled internally. At first, he was like a drug.

Now, he was like her caffeine fix, calming her nerves and giving her energy.

She blinked as she realized the vehicle had come to a stop.

She sat up and looked around them. There was a wall of trees in front of the truck, and behind that, she could see some movement. Grayson smirked as he turned to look at them. “This is as far as the vehicles can go. Time to walk.”

“Are we expecting company?” Lita asked as she peered into the thick trees.

“Yep. I’m not taking you on a trip like this without extra insurance.” Grayson smiled as he stepped out of his truck.

Lita turned to Asher, who only shrugged.

He didn’t know either. Asher hopped out of the truck and turned to grab Lita.

He swung his arm around her waist and gently lowered her out of the vehicle.

Caden, Rosa, and the other wolves from their pack walked up to them and stared out toward the woods.

After a few moments, a group of ten men came forward.

Lita recognized some of them. They were warriors from the Cedar Pack.

Then, what she saw next made her gasp in shock.

Eight centaurs came up to them, and one of them was Brad.

Lita turned and looked at Grayson, who shrugged. “I feel better making this trip having some extra muscle.” Lita smiled warmly as Brad came closer.

“Thanks for coming.” Lita grinned up at him and he smiled back down at her.

“Are you kidding? I’ve missed you. This gave me the perfect excuse to see you again. Plus, as a bonus, the potential promise of fighting demons sounds like the perfect win. How have you been? You being treated well?” Brad asked, looking at Asher.

“Very well.” She leaned into Asher. Maybe this trip would be fun. It gave them all time to nurture their new friendship. An alliance with werewolves and centaurs would be the first of its kind. Hopefully she and Asher could continue to be that bridge.

“How about you? How does it feel being the future king of Elysia?” Brad grinned widely as he looked at Asher. All of those connected to the fairies knew of the alpha prince. He might have been one of many alphas, but he was the only one who was the prince of the fairies.

“If I can just master all these new powers, I’ll be good. I’m still having trouble discovering them, even though I can feel them.”

“Give it time, young prince. Some of those skills get released with age. Others get discovered in the moment. You’ll learn them soon. I see you have a couple of bags? Carter and Crater will carry them for you.” Brad motioned to two of his men, who quickly packed the bags on their backs.

“Well, let’s not just stand here like motionless targets. Let’s get going,” Grayson ordered, appointing himself as the leader of the expedition.

“We have a nice trail that leads to a clear encampment that we can use for the first trek of our journey. It’s well used by centaurs.” Brad pointed in the distance behind the wall of trees.

“Perfect.” Grayson motioned for Brad to lead the way.

Lita walked in the middle of the group with Rosa.

Asher and Grayson were near the front with Brad while Caspian and Caden were walking just ahead of the girls.

They had been traveling by foot for a couple of hours.

Centaurs in the front and werewolves in the back, with Lita sandwiched between them.

She didn’t mind, though. She was happily chatting away with Rosa.

They were talking about their likes and dislikes.

Rosa voiced her distaste for scary movies, and Lita felt like she had a comrade in battle.

Finally. Maybe with Rosa around, they could tip the scale of power in their favor.

The world suddenly tilted, and the ground looked warped in front of her.

A brief wave of exhaustion flowed through her.

She took a deep breath and tried to push it back.

She couldn’t be tired. She used to run for hours without getting winded.

She stumbled a few steps forward and Caspian immediately caught her.

“Are you okay, Lita?” Caspian looked her over with concern in his eyes.

Lita forced a giggle. “I just managed to trip over air. No big deal,” she lied, straightening herself up from his arms and continuing to walk, couldn’t think about it.

She couldn’t analyze it, because it would alert Asher.

She had to ignore it. She had to focus her mind on traveling and force her head to think of everything and anything else.

But no matter how hard she tried to force it, a wave of dizziness seized her again. This time, everything went black.