Page 17 of His Fated Luna

Lexia stood back, hesitant. She was a smart girl. She’d picked up on how my wolf reacted to Rose. She was trying to give me space.

With a sigh, I got out of Rose’s car and turned, watching as she slid over into the driver’s seat and started the engine. My gaze lingered a little too long as she climbed over the seats, eyes catching on the smooth curve of her thighs before I quickly looked away. Every instinct in me protested at the sight of my mate driving away from the safety of my home. Something deep insideachedfor her to stay.

“Do you still want me to stay the night?” Lexia’s hesitant voice came from behind me, wary.

She could smell Rose on me. It was obvious we’d kissed, and Lexia knew it. But she was choosing to ignore it.

Guilt weighed heavy on my chest. When I finally spoke, my voice was firm. “I think it’s better if you go home and see your family tonight, Lexia.”

I needed time to process everything. To clear my head.

“I know your wolf is controlling your actions…But what do you want? Do you still want to be with me?” she asked in a whisper, her voice trembling on the brink of tears.

“Lexia,” I said softly, pulling her into my arms. “Of course I want to be with you. It’s just that I need to figure out how to stay true to you despite the bond,” I told her honestly. “My wolf instincts are stronger than I anticipated. That doesn’t change the fact that I want you to be my luna.”

However when I said“my luna”, it wasn’t Lexia’s face that came to mind. It was Rose’s. Goddess, what was happening to me?

I pushed the image away, forcing a tight smile.

“I just need time to figure out how to fight the bond. And I don’t think we should be together tonight. I don’t know how strong this pull is now with Rose. I don’t want to cause her any undue pain,” I explained.

Lexia nodded in understanding. We both knew what happened after two destined mates met. If either of them was intimate with someone else, the other would feel physical pain. Before, Rose’s wolf had been dormant. She wouldn’t have felt a thing when I was with Lexia. But now? Now that she was on the brink of her first shift, my wolf had recognized her as my mate. And if her reactions were anything to go by, her dormant wolf had done the same.

My wolf couldsensehers. This overwhelming pull toward her—it wasn’t just me. Some of it belonged to Rose, too. It was like a tether, pulling us together.

I closed my eyes, exhaling in resignation.

After her first shift, the urge to mate would become even stronger. It was already practically unbearable. If Lexia stayed the night, and we ended up having sex, there was a real possibility that Rose would feel pain because of it. I couldn’t do that to her.

“Take my car,” I said at last. “I’ll get my luggage from you tomorrow. I have enough clothes here to last me one night.”

I pressed a chaste kiss to Lexia’s forehead before waving her off.

Then, bracing myself, I walked inside to face my family.

Chapter 8

"She had blue skin, And so did he. He kept it hid And so did she. They searched for blue, Their whole life through. Then passed right by– And never knew." —Masks by Shel Silverstein

Rose’s POV

“Now, Rose,” Josie instructed me as we sat cross-legged on the floor of the Moon Goddess temple. It was small, nestled deep within pack territory. The scent of burning incense lingered in the air, curling around us in lazy tendrils. Ancient carvings were etched into the gray stone walls, whispering of the past. In front of us lay an open book, its words written in a language long lost to man.

Josie’s gaze was steady as she spoke. “You know that I can no longer tap into my latent power of conversing with the elders because my mate, the alpha, has died. My son is now the new alpha, and since you are his mate, that responsibility falls on your shoulders.”

Her eyes flicked to my upper left arm, where the dark red phoenix-shaped birthmark stood out starkly against my pale skin. “Can you tell me what happens if the current alpha is overthrown by a new alpha?”

I took a slow breath, reciting from memory. “If an alpha is challenged and defeated, the old mate bond breaks. The new luna is always the mate of the victorious alpha. Mates are gifts from the Moon Goddess, but she set different rules for our pack because our ancestors were among the first werewolves to walk the Earth. The mark on my arm signifies that I am the most fit to be luna. The luna of the Bloodfire Phoenix Pack is always a female born on this land, chosen by the ancestors who have passed on.”

Josie nodded approvingly. “What other qualities does a good luna possess?”

I hesitated before answering, my voice softer this time. “The ability to calm her alpha and make him see reason when he’s being irrational. She must protect the women and children of the pack if her alpha is out in battle. She has to be willing to risk her life for any member of her pack. That is the responsibility of a good luna.”

“Good job, Rose!” Josie beamed. “But you forgot one thing—the luna is also the most fertile she-wolf in the pack so that she can give the alpha lots of pups.”

My face heated instantly. I had not forgotten, I just hadn’t thought it important.

Josie snickered at my embarrassment. “Oh, Rose. As animalistic as it sounds, and as much as I’d like to say brainsover beauty, we are still primal beings at our core. Mating is instinctual. Males are always drawn to the most fertile females of the lot. Look at glow worms—the males always go for the ones that glow the brightest.”