Page 42

I stand by the bed in the same spot Cain left me, and I look around wondering what I should do. Do I grab a shirt and run after him? Do I mind-link him for an explanation?

Should I shift and run in my wolf form as he suggested? Probably. For my mental health.

But not tonight. I am so exhausted!

I turn off the lights and slam down naked on the bed. I don’t even bother to cover myself. It’s a full moon, so the moonbeam is illuminating my lean body and enhancing my powers of self-healing. It will help too.

I’m almost drifting off when I remember I haven’t brushed my teeth, so I stand up with a groan and do it before coming back to bed.

I’m tossing and turning and having nightmares, until Cain finally climbs into bed with me, in what feels like the middle of the night.

“I missed you,” I mumble half-consciously, one of the things I would never tell him if my mind wasn’t so foggy and desperate for sleep.

I try to snuggle my back against him as always. He’s naked and he smells amazing, and I can feel his cock getting harder and harder with every wiggle my ass makes.

I hear the rustle of a foil package.

“Cain?” I open my eyes wide.

He thrusts inside me in the side position we always sleep in. It’s the most delicious surprise, I instantly moan and arch my back to give him even better access. He lifts my top leg slightly, hooking it over his raised thick thigh, and tells me to hold it like this. I do. I would do anything he asks of me right now. He slides his hand down my belly to my clit. He rubs it in circles, simultaneously slamming into me. I moan with ecstasy.

“I’m obsessed with you,” he rasps.

I’m so sensitive after all the sex we already had today, that I surprise myself with coming so quickly and hard, that I barely know what’s going on. Cain follows me in finding his release while I’m still coming down from my orgasm, trembling, and I’m amazed at how well I can feel him coming inside of me. Those little twitching movements are so satisfying…

I wake up snuggled to Cain’s side, wrapped by his arms and a sheet, with my head on his shoulder, and left hand gently laying on his chest.

I move it gently to his sternum, my fingers caressing the spot I hit yesterday.

“Will you punish me?” I whisper, with my heart in my throat.

“Do I need to?” he grumbles, still sleepy, “You won’t do it again.”

I can’t help but smirk. He’s probably right.

I slide my fingers down his ridiculously chiseled abdomen with a sudden need to make him feel good, but he catches my wrist just before I can reach the best part of him.

“Hey,” I protest.

“You didn’t have enough after three times yesterday?”

“It wasn’t…”

The marking, the doors, and when he came back to bed. Okay. It was.

He chuckles at my silent realization.

“They were short. ”

“I like your enthusiasm, believe me, I do,” he puts my hand on his hard dick after all, but only for a second before putting it back on his chest, “but I need to work today.”

I forgot it’s not the weekend, and he’s supposed to go for a run or do some push-ups before office work—I should get my breakfast soon. But all that snuggling… It feels intimate.

So, I finally admit why he could feel my sadness the evening before.

He sighs deeply, “She was this beautiful, smart, and feisty girl, and I kept promising her I’d find a way to save her, but I failed.”

Cain seems calm now. But I keep thinking about him crying for her without shame, in front of everyone, and it makes me understand his bond with the pack on a whole other level. They all saw their Alpha in the most vulnerable state, while he was establishing his highest position. It let them fear him but love him too.

“Did you already know that to save your siblings your father would have to die?” I ask so quietly, only his werewolf abilities let him hear me. “Claudia told me about the blood laws. That they have to be written with the blood of the previous kings.”

I could probably exploit the opportunity, but there is nothing calculating in my questions. I just want to understand and help him deal with the pain, or whatever he needs. And maybe he can feel my intentions, because after a longer silence, he finally answers.

“Kind of. Not at first. I learned the whole truth when there were only two of us still standing,” he is as quiet as me. “And with the blood law… I can only become the King if I am the last one standing, anyway, so there never was any way to save her.”

I don’t quite understand all their laws and rules—and why he has to be the last one standing—but I know it’s not the time to ask any questions. “I’m so sorry,” I hug him tightly, inhaling his unique lemony scent. He kisses my head.

A few hours later, I’m done with prepping for lunch early, so I decide to go to the library just to keep up pretenses. I don’t have much time before lunch with Cain, but also, I don’t need to be there at all, so why not give it a go? It would be too suspicious if I stopped going there after visiting it every day, on every occasion I had.

I’m planning for the rest of the day, preparing mentally to visit mini wolves in the afternoon, despite the fact I’m not the biggest fan of kids. But I’m the Luna, and I need to at least look into their early education practices. I’m so occupied with my thoughts, that my muscle memory leads my legs past the few blushing teenage girls, straight into the ‘restricted’ section.

What I’m not prepared at all to see there is Cain sitting on a little cherry-wood table, where I left the book of rituals before our date yesterday.

I try to swallow the lump in my throat—it is still there and I start having problems breathing properly.

He leafs the book. And by the chilling smile that appears on his face, I know he can hear my heart beating faster and faster with every step I somehow manage to take toward him.

“Why did you call me here, Alpha?” Atlas's voice is coming from behind me, making me stop. He stands next to me, looks at the book in Cain's hands, and then eyes me suspiciously, “You look guilty, Luna.”

“Because she is,” Cain answers with a calm voice, that can do anything but calm me down.

He lifts his fine ass from the table and puts the book on it; opened on the pages about rejecting your true mate.

Shit, you are in trouble . My useless wolf part of the brain is going into panic mode. Very helpful, very.

I realize I haven’t uttered even one word yet, just adding fuel to the already suspicious situation, but I can’t… I…

“Do you want to tell us why you were looking for this?” Cain points out the exact words I wanted to say to him the day before, to save my life from drowning in more lies.

And here I am, drowning in more lies .

He lifts his eyes at me and I’m lowering mine, not able to withhold his intense gaze.

The only words coming to my mind are the cursed ones I learned by heart, to sever the bond last night. Under the wisdom of Father of the Night, against the guidance of the Holy Mother of Wolves, I reject—

“You knew I didn’t want you to do it. It’s dangerous,” Cain says, with some kind of sincerity in his deep voice.

As if he would care for real if something happened to me—I fight the sudden need to roll my eyes at him. He doesn’t care.

“I have royal alpha blood; it wouldn’t be so bad,” I lift my head and say the first words in this conversation.

“And what would it get you?”

What?

“I… I thought you would prefer—”

“You know damn well you would get a second chance mate. You are a fucking princess,” he spits, and I glance at Atlas for some support, but the guy is too occupied with staring at the book. “Now, at least, your mate is in a different Kingdom, and you never see him. What if he…”

He looks at me with narrowed eyes and then smiles. His navy-blue eyes remain cold and my pulse rises even higher.

“Tell me,” He sits on the edge of the table again, thighs wide, hands connected, acting all relaxed and confident. “Who do you think your second chance mate would be?” he surprises me by pushing all the power of alpha command into this seemingly innocent question.

“Atlas,” I’m compelled to say, and I immediately cover my mouth with both hands. I look into his angry eyes with dread.

I can’t believe I said that!

I notice Atlas taking a step away from me.

“Alpha, I can cut all contact with her, I’m sure Delta will do great with guarding her from now on.”

“Nonsense. You will continue to be with her. All. The. Fucking. Time. Everywhere.”

I always knew Cain, the Rogue Prince himself, is the best at torturing, but this weird punishment? I would be impressed if I wasn’t so mad at him for turning my life into one enormous stress!

“What did you think I’d—”

“You have my fucking mark on your neck!” Cain doesn’t let me finish, and I realize he wanted me to say it would be him . “We are so compatible it’s fucking ridiculous, and you moan my name every—”

“You have a mate!” I shout cutting him off.

He looks at me taken aback.

“You can’t be my second chance mate, because you still have your first true mate,” I try to reason with him calmly, bending the truth to my advantage. “Atlas doesn’t, not anymore.”

“She has a point,” Atlas chips in, to his demise.

I look in slow motion, as Cain draws one of his knives and throws it at his gamma, giving my adrenaline a rush.

I look down at my left shoulder in shock. I didn’t even know that I sidestepped in front of Atlas. Not truly. Not until I felt radiating pain from the deep cut by Cain’s blade.

“Seriously?” my dear husband asks me, annoyed as if instinctively protecting your pack member was all the confirmation of cheating he needed.

“Seriously?” I repeat his question with my own annoyance, taking his knife out of my flesh. It was at the height of Atlas’s heart. “You are the most confidently arrogant prick I’ve ever met, and somehow you are still the most insecure, jealous—”

The rest of my rant is muffled by Atlas's hand covering my mouth. “Watch your tongue, Luna.”

I shudder at his warm breath on my cheek. Sometimes he could be as creepy as his Alpha.

Cain takes a step to me, so I give him his knife back with a huff. I’m still muffled by Atlas’s hand, and by the look of Cain’s eyes on me, it’s approved.

He tosses the bloody knife on the unlucky book, and comes to me so close; I’m getting pushed against Atlas’s body.

I’m stuck between them like a sandwich, and Cain grabs my strawberry-blonde hair at the back of my head to tilt my head up. Atlas hand slips down my side.

“You like that?” Cain asks arrogantly while leaning his head down, his mint breath fans my face. “You like being squeezed between us? Do you want Atlas to take your ass from behind while I’m fucking your pussy like this?”

I’m stunned by his vulgar proposition, only made, I’m sure, to torture me more.

“We both know you would never share me,” I say with defiance.

“Because what? I’m a jealous, insecure prick?” He licks my cheek. “Let me show you how not jealous I can be.”

He starts lifting my dress, so I try to escape their hold, but Atlas is helping him keep me in place—probably on Cain’s mind-linked command—and I don’t have a chance with two huge rogue werewolves crushing me between them.

Not these two.

I can’t concentrate on healing my pulsating and actively bleeding shoulder, while I have to tug my dress down to not get exposed in the fucking library. My true mate’s presence doesn’t help at all, maybe because he is the one who stabbed me, or perhaps because I’m simply too distressed right now.

“Cain stop, please. ”

They don’t stop. Cain yanks my dress very high, and grabs my waist in a bruising hold.

“Take off her underwear” He directs Atlas with an alpha command, and my eyes grow even wider. I feel another pair of hands on my hips. No no no no!

“No, wait, stop!” I try to break free desperately, feeling unknown fingers hooked under my panties.

I don’t like it, I don’t like it at all! I feel caged, humiliated, and almost as scared as when Rogue King attacked me.

I get flashbacks of that old monster’s hands on my fly when I squeeze my eyes shut for a second.

Cain takes a step back and nods at Atlas. He lets go of me too, and I move away from them and push my dress down.

“You sick fuck,” I draw the curse through my clenched teeth.

“If you want to play victim, maybe don’t get aroused next time,” Cain says in an arrogant tone.

My hands shoot up to my face. I can’t believe he just said that! I feel my nails elongating into claws, and I’m so frustrated that I almost rake them through my face.

“You marked me!” I scream, pointing a claw at Cain. “I’ll be fucking wet around you all the time, no matter what!”

I groan, and run away from him before he decides to berate me for even more ridiculous things.

I can’t believe he did all of that because I subconsciously think Atlas could be my hypothetical second chance!

Speaking of the wolf. Atlas is catching up to me and I roll my eyes.

Of course.

He has to follow me everywhere, because Cain wants me to feel uncomfortable and scared of his jealousy .

Fuck him.

Part of me wants to mess with his plan and make him jealous on purpose, but I’m really not interested in anyone but Cain. Suddenly I shudder at the thought of even flirting with anyone but my true mate, maybe because he marked me and it messes with my head.

Or maybe because he’s my husband and I’m just a decent human being.

I put a polite smile on my face when we are nearing the dining hall, and I even let Cain kiss my cheek when he joins us a few minutes later—as if the library never happened.

But it did.

I try to eat my skin-charred fish with lemon zest baked broccoli that I helped prepare, but Claudia is staring at my bleeding shoulder.

“Just say it already,” I mumble to my plate, not looking at her.

Or anyone.

I can feel Cain starting to stare at me, too. And Atlas. And Beta. Shit, I know I can’t properly close the wound my marked true mate imposed, but come on, it’s deep. It’s not that suspicious. Yet.

“I just can’t wrap my mind around you two, dominating wolves having sex with each other.”

I shoot my eyes and brows up. Claudia looks at my mark, the indisputable proof that we indeed had sex good enough to complete the sacred werewolf ritual.

“What?” I almost spit out my broccoli, because I was not prepared for that question at all. I thought she was staring at my wound.

“I mean…” I notice Claudia suddenly glancing at Cain, like she wasn’t sure if she could say something. “I know first-hand how dominating our Alpha is, an d you are an alpha-blooded wolf too… It must be hard for you to act submissive for him.”

“Thank you!” Cain exclaims with satisfaction, and turns to me again. “That’s exactly what I said yesterday. See?”

Why do we publicly talk about my sexual life, again?

I open my mouth but close it again. I thought I would be more dominant too. But that damn time I forced him to kiss me in that bathtub, and he quickly turned it around dominating me instead, I melted in his arms like fucking butter… I didn’t lie to him yesterday. I really don’t mind submitting to him. I like it. Maybe it did start because I was scared of him, but it continues because it’s exhilarating to give him control—especially after all the fighting for dominance in every other aspect of my life.

I turn to Claudia, “If what you are both suggesting was true, there would never be true mate bonds between two alpha-blooded wolves, and there are plenty of those.”

“So, you do like it?” she furrows her brows.

I sigh heavily.

“If you must know, I don’t mind giving up control in bed . I do it because I want to, so technically I’m still in charge anyway, and I would appreciate it if we would never talk about our sex lives in front of the whole fucking pack!” I hiss at her, and shoot a death glare at Cain—who looks at me with narrowed eyes, as if he still doesn’t believe it's not an act.

He would believe me if he knew he was my mate. Of course, I like to submit to him in bed because he is dominating. And of course, he likes to dominate me, when I’m apparently gladly submissive after a long day of reign. We are annoyingly perfect for each other in every aspect.

I hate Moon Goddess.

“Luna!” Claudia gasps, looking at my shoulder this time, and abruptly stands up knocking down her chair .

I already know what I’ll see, because I can feel my dress getting very damp, very quickly. Wet actually. I glance down and it sure is. My front is red from gushing blood and I’m getting dizzy.

So dizzy…