Page 15 of Losing My Siren Luna (Hidden Cove #1)

“Well, not directly, no. He had Beta Nilo tell all the staff you are his true Luna and to treat you as such.”

“Hmm,” I ponder the possibility of him feeling the mate bond like Val suggested. It seems more plausible now.

I twirl the ring around my finger; the wedding ring Lachlan had given me earlier today. Even the ring with this marriage is different. My first was dull and thin. It was a cheaply made ring to match our cheap marriage.

This ring is elaborate and beautiful. It may be the most beautiful accessory I have ever had in my possession.

Well, besides the necklace, but Lachlan said that the necklace was given to me by someone else.

The individual just asked for Lachlan to be the one to give it to me for some odd reason.

I wish I knew who it was from, or wish Lachlan had finished explaining to me why he was the one to give it to me before all those women interrupted him.

I would love to know who had access to siren or fae magic.

There is so much difference in this life. Maybe he does feel the mate bond….

“ I told you,” Val mutters,, “ It wouldn’t hurt to ask him.”

“What if he doesn’t, though? We would be left to explain to him why we asked if he doesn’t feel it, and then we might be forced to tell him we are a hybrid, and could be condemned by his entire pack. Forget freedom. He might put us in the dungeons.”

Val is still wanting me to ask, willing to risk it. I’m not, though. He may be different in this life, but not in the ways that matter. He is still a womanizer and will only hurt us if we give him the chance.

“Okay, Luna-....I mean, Ela. If there is nothing else you need assistance with, I think I’ll leave you to relax for the night.”

I smile sweetly at my favorite person in this castle. “Okay. Thank you for all your help today. I hope you have a good rest of your evening.”

“You as well, Ela,” she smiles, moving towards the door as I grab a throw blanket out of a basket in the corner by the bed and head to finally sit in the winged-back chair. I want to let the waves lull and calm my soul.

Her startled gasp as she opens the door catches my attention and I look up from staring out the window to see her face-to-face with Lachlan.

“I’m sorry, Alpha. I was unaware you were there,” she manages to choke out after recovering from her surprise.

“It’s fine, Niomi,” he smiled stiffly, looking up and meeting my eyes. His smile turns hesitant before looking back down at her. He steps to the side, giving her room to leave, and she hurries along, unnerved by the brief altercation, I’m sure.

“I didn’t expect to see you again tonight,” I say softly, turning to look back out towards the sea. The waves crashing into the shore seemed to be calling me, beckoning me to join them in their dance in the moonlight.

“I told you I wished to share your bed, Elelira,” his deep voice husks, finally calling me by my name. If I didn’t already know better, the way he spoke to me would have made me swoon, the bond I feel swelling with elation.

I do know better, though. This has nothing to do with the bond. He likely just wants my body before going off and having relations with those other women. Curiosity probably got the better of him.

“Fine,” I mutter, , standing to my feet.

I set the blanket on the chair, and made my way over to stand before him, unbuttoning the front of my nightdress in the process. “If this is what you want, let us be done with it. It would be rude to keep the others waiting for you all night.”

“Lira,” he says, reverting back to that damned nickname while stepping forward, resting his hands over mine, stopping my movements. “Stop. I just want to sleep tonight. I’m not here for….for that. Not until you learn to trust me.”

Val is purring, practically doing somersaults in my head, but I am not convinced.

I scoff. “You really just want to sleep in the same bed as me? Nothing more?”

He nods his head. “Like I said, not until you trust me, Lira. I want your trust before anything else.”

“You may be waiting a long time,” I murmur, , looking down and re-buttoning the front of my nightdress.

His fingers tilt my chin up to stare at him. The touch of his hand makes fireworks erupt on my skin. “I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

Despite myself, my face leans into his touch. Stupid mate bond. He obviously does not feel it like I do, or he would be much more unnerved. As it is, a small, triumphant smile graces his lips.

“I do wish for something of you tonight, though,” he tells me.

I move my chin out of his hold so I can think properly. I knew he wanted something.

“What is it?” I ask in an untrusting tone.

“I wish for you to accept these,” he smirks, then whistles loudly.

A string of maids floats in, each with arms full of gifts.

They all smile kindly, setting the presents on the floor, on the furniture, and around the table.

Some have bouquets of flowers, dozens and dozens of fragrant roses filling the room with their romantic aroma.

There are packages in all shapes and sizes, some as small as my palm, others the size of furniture.

When the last maid makes her way through, she hands a velvet box to Lachlan, then murmurs a soft greeting to me before bowing and leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

My eyes must be as wide as saucers. What is all this? “Are these more wedding presents?” I ask. I don’t remember having anymore than what Mimi was organizing on the table the first time we wed. Did he keep the best gifts for himself last time?

“No, my wife. These are not wedding presents, but birthday gifts for you.”

My mouth drops. “From who?” I ask, touching the pendant on my neck, the magic in it helping to settle me in this confusing moment.

“Me,” he shrugs, a cautious smile on his handsome face. “Happy birthday, Lira.”

“You bought me gifts for my birthday?” I asked in amazement. No one ever gave me gifts besides my mother. No one even celebrated my birthday before. It was just another day until the birthday in my other life when I turned twenty and had access to my magic for the first time.

Lachlan nods, a broad smile on his face as he cautiously rests his hand on my cheek. “I plan on showering you with more and more gifts every year on your birthday, and for every milestone and holiday we share together. You’re my wife, Lira. You deserve no less.”

I am absolutely stunned. He never would have done this in my first life. The only thing he had ever given me was scorn and hatred.

“Maybe this isn’t the same timeline, Ela,” Val tells me, “ It can’t be.”

She is almost in tears of relief, that hope of being accepted by our mate blossoming inside her once again.

“ He would have told us if he felt the mate bond, though. Remember how you were the first time we laid eyes on him? If my uncle had not been holding on to us as we walked down the aisle, you would have made me run to him.” His indifference and cold demeanor is what prevented me from saying anything to him when I finally could speak to him at the reception, away from my uncle.

His attitude was like ice water dousing me and waking us from the spell the mate bond cast over us.

“ You are being pretty cold to him in this life. Maybe he is just too scared to say anything, just like you were.”

“Well, I’m not going to be the first to say it now, either. If he feels the mate bond, he will tell me.”

Val growls, but doesn’t argue further. She knows the dangers as well as I do what revealing our hybrid blood could bring.

Lachlan is staring down at me, hesitation all over his face. “Um, do you want to open your presents?” he asks cautiously.

My eyes leave his to trail around the room. “There are so many,” I whisper.

“Well, start with this,” he extends the velvet box towards me.

My fingers twitch as I hesitate to decide what to do. Slowly, I reach out and take it from him, then lift the lid cautiously, curiosity getting the better of me.

Inside, the most gorgeous pair of emerald earrings lay, as well as an intricate bracelet. I twist my hand in the air to look at my wedding ring and noticed that the earrings and bracelet matched my ring perfectly.

“This is too much,” I murmur, , running my fingers over the delicate jewels.

“Nothing could ever be too much for you,” he smiles, seeming pleased by my reaction.

“Alpha, I can’t accept these,” I look at him warily, “Where would I even wear them?”

"Please don't call me alpha, Lira. You are my wife," he says, making me furrow my brows.

He wouldn't let me call him anything but alpha before.

“How about assisting me on visiting the village tomorrow?” he asks.

“I overheard Cherum saying he would show you around the castle. Let me show you around the town. We can make it our first official date.”

“I would be assisting you with a date?” I ask, confused by his wording.

“You would be assisting me with visiting the village and our people, so everyone can see the face of their new Luna; then we can go on a date.”

I quirk my brows, not sure how to respond. After a few nervous seconds, I mutter, “I’ve never been on a date before, and these seem far too fancy to wear on a simple date.”

“There will be nothing simple about it,” he smirks, “Trust me.”

I don’t. I don’t trust him at all. I know he can see that on my face because his smile falters.

He runs his hand repeatedly through his hair as he seems to think.

“You accompanying me would free Niomi to move her room from the bunkhouse to one in the castle so she can be closer to you.” He then says, “If you are here, she will need to be trailing you all day, catering to your needs. If I take you out, it will free up her time. I could have Nilo assign a few warriors to help her move as well.”

Mimi does have a bad room in the bunkhouse....Well, if it was for Mimi, I guess I could go with him.

“I still don’t think wearing this jewelry is appropriate, though,” I say softly, running my fingers over them again.

They are exceptionally beautiful, but not practical for a trip to town or the orphanage.

“Your pack has suffered greatly from war. We could sell these and provide for widows or the children orphaned from losing their parents on the battlefield.”

A radiant smile graces his face, and a breathless chuckle leaves him, making my heart flutter momentarily.

“You are going to be such a loving Luna, Lira,” he runs his knuckles down my cheek, making Val purr and my muscles contract in a weird way from the bond.

Tingles travel down my neck, making me shiver and I know he doesn’t miss the action.

His eyes dance like he is elated by my reaction to him.

“I provide for the widows, Lira. They receive their spouse’s retirement wages and we have housing specifically for them that is guarded and watched over by our top war-retired warriors.

As for the orphans,” he purses his lips, thinking for a few seconds, “Would you like to see them tomorrow? We have facilities throughout the territory, but the one in the village we can visit. The children would enjoy meeting you.”

I cock my head to the side, more to get away from his touch so I can think again. Val is now a panting mess in my head and I’m feeling foggy and confused. Not just by his kindness, but by the way his kindness makes me feel.

I never knew he took care of the widows and orphans like that.

Is this different too from my previous life, or was I just ignorant of the happenings of his pack before?

I had never tried to get to know his territory or ventured into the village before.

I really didn’t leave the castle at all except to do my laundry up the river in the deeper part of the wilderness.

I really do want to see the village in this life if I can.

“We can go,” I whisper hesitantly, “But I still wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing these.” I close the lid on the velvet box and hand it back to Lachlan.

He purses his lips, nodding and staring down at the box. If I didn’t already know him, I would think the action was quite attractive, making his facial muscles tighten and contort his rugged face.

I know not to go down that road again, though. Not just yet anyway. I’m not convinced yet that the Lachlan in front of me is different from the one I experienced before.

“I’ll have to find an occasion for you to wear them, then,” he smirks , looking up at me with hooded eyes and a crooked smile.

He sets the box on the table with the many other gifts, then stretches his arms dramatically, making me want to chuckle. Even the yawn he produces seems forced. “Well, I’m tired. How about you? Do you want to open up the rest of these tomorrow while I am away at training?”

I am tired. Exhausted, really. I was getting ready to mentally and physically endure the pains of betrayal before he showed up with all these gifts, but it seems as though I will not have to worry about that. At least tonight.

I bite my lip and nod, , looking from him to the bed, wondering what his plans were exactly.

He holds his hand out to me, a soft, reassuring smile on his face that stretches wide when I take his hand.

He leads me over to the bed, encouraging me to sit with a wave of his free hand. He then kneels down at my feet and pulls my slippers from my feet.

“Thank you,” I murmur. .

“You are welcome, my wife,” he smiles, lifting one of my feet and kissing the top of it, making me gasp. The sparks from his touch travel up my leg, and combined with his heated, mesmerizing stare, I’m left not knowing what to do.

“ He feels the bond! He has to!” Val practically screams in my head.

“ He said wife. Not mate, but wife,” I tell her, “ He would have called us mate if he felt the bond.”

“But he is different,” she argues, “ He seems to care for us now.”

“We will see,” I tell her, “ We have two years. That is enough time to tell if he is different or if this is just some momentary fluke. We have until our twentieth birthday. That is plenty of time to see if he really does care for us.”

“But that’s so long,” she whines.

“ No. It’s really not that long at all.”