Chapter 8

After Raina left Kian at the training grounds, she had immediately rushed to the privacy of her own living quarters. It was a small room, but it overlooked the property. The pack house wasn’t a small by any means, it was actually a mansion with sprawling grounds. The main grounds were gated and fenced in, but the property line continued way beyond that boundary. That space between that fence and the property line was where the rogues could temporarily camp out provided they were given permission.

She had watched Kian disappear into the forest from above and she knew it would be awhile until he returned. She sighed, deciding to just buckle down for the night and get some well needed sleep. For the past week, she had gotten used to him pleasuring himself late at night and it became her guilty pleasure to also get off on his pleasure. Grateful that she had only felt him when he was about to get off rather than being always connected to his all his emotions. She supposed it was their mate bond demanding her to answer his call, daring her to seek out the forbidden.

It took a bit, but she had finally given in to sleep until she was wrenched awake by overwhelming sexual passion burn through her body. She flushed, feeling her own arousal flare too quickly that it was almost painful and her urge demanding her to answer his needs.

Unable to help herself, her hand reached down between her legs to the juncture of her thighs. The guilt would return after it was done, but her body was crying out for relief. Her fingers plunged inside of her. She was already soaking wet and her fingers slick with it. Her free hand reached up and toyed with her breast, teasing her nipple into a hardened bud.

She could feel his pleasure building and building and she moaned in excitement as alternated between rubbing that sensitive nub and sinking her fingers inside of her. Her breathing came out in pants until his pleasure reached the ultimate peak and her body tensed as she felt him tip over the edge. She had to bite her bottom lip from screaming out his name as her back arched off the bed. Pure searing blinding heat burned her up from the inside out.

It had been the most intense orgasm ever torn out of her, even when he had been with Mia, it had never been like that. Her heartbeat thudded in her chest, so quick and so noisy that she swore everyone in the pack house could hear it.

What in the world had he been thinking about to get him so worked up like that?

* * *

Kian had called a meeting the mind link. Raina was on her way to his office when she almost ran right into Elder Richmond, Elder Samson, and Elder Luca as she rounded the corner. She silently cursed her nonexistent luck as of late as the Elders looked her over until mutual looks of judgmental disbelief crossed their face. She didn’t need to hear aloud what they were thinking. It was quite plainly written in their face and displayed on their faces.

“As I said last night, you’re not Luna material,” Richmond told her, raising an eyebrow as if he was questioning her to prove him wrong. “You will see soon enough that all Kian needed was some encouragement to see things our way.”

The ominous warning lodged into her heart. What were they planning? Richmond looked over his shoulder and her eyes followed his direction. Everything in her seized up as her eyes focused on Mia Amato speaking with Kian and Sebastian outside of his office. Mia was back after three years away. She had finally come back and fear consumed Raina. She remembered the constant pain her body was always in, because Kian couldn’t get enough of her. Her body remembered all of it and her heart sank at the realization that Kian must have off last night because she returned. That had to be it. It had to.

Were they now going to reconcile? Was the procedure now off? Was Kian finally going to chose Mia as his rightful Luna. She swallow the uncomfortable lump in her throat and she heard Richmond chuckle darkly, drawing her focus back to him.

“You know what this means,” he told her. “Gracefully back down. Know your place Beta. You’re a powerful warrior — I’ll even admit that. You’re meant to protect your Alpha and Luna. Remember that.”

With that Richmond and the other two Elders walked past her, leaving Raina to force herself to approach the reunited couple and Sebastian. Kian’s dark eyes met hers. For a moment, her heart clenched like a vice. Her heartbeat felt like it slowed for a moment before it started to beat steadily again. She tried not to stumble as she pressed her hand against her chest for a moment before she dragged herself over to where he was. What the hell just happened?

Nervously, her eyes focused on the beautiful blond with crystal blue eyes standing too close to Kian to be just a friendly acquaintance. Mia frowned, glancing back and forth between her and Kian before she arched her eyebrow like her grandfather was known to do.

“It was good to see you again,” Mia said, drawing Kian’s attention naturally. She beamed up at him and he offered her a small smile. “It’s been too long since we’ve caught up. Maybe we should catch up privately some time?”

Raina caught the implication. Her poor stupid heart fractured, knowing that this private time would mean her own personal hell. Sterling said she couldn’t handle it anymore. She realized she couldn’t handle it anymore. It was time to come clean to Kian, she decided, as fear spiked. There was no way Kian went let Mia go now that she had returned.

“Raina was chosen by Kian to be his Luna,” Sebastian abruptly cut in and she tensed at what he had revealed.

Mia’s eyes widened at that. “Is that so? I had heard that you finally chosen your Luna,” she said as her eyes scanned Raina from head to toe, assessing her. A similar smirk crossed her lips. “What about finding your fated mate, Kian? Have you given up on that?”

“No, I haven’t given up on that,” Kian finally spoke. Raina couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “Raina and I are having a child through a surrogate. When our child is born, I’ll claim her as my rightful Luna.”

“Oh, I see,” Mia murmured, crossing her arms over her chest. “It doesn’t even seem like it’s a love match at all.”

“It’s not.” Raina hadn’t meant to say it, but it came out like a panicked reflex. Mia’s eyes snapped to hers, searching for something in her eyes. “It’s not like that. He needed someone to help produce an heir so he could secure his bloodline and legacy.”

Realization and relief flooded Mia’s eyes. Raina could sense it as Mia relaxed finally even though everything was falling apart in Raina’s mind and body. She watched the blond switch her attention to Kian and reach out to touch Kian’s arm affectionately. She forced down her instinctive reflex reaction to shove her away from Kian.

“It’s good to see you again,” Mia gushed, leaning up on her tiptoes to press a light kiss on his mouth. “Let’s not be strangers.”

With that, Mia walked off, but not before Raina saw the smug expression on her face while she looked her straight in the eye. Raina swallowed, trying to stamp down the bundle of nerves fluttering about her belly. The panic, the fear, and the impending pain circling her brain and heart.

“Raina--”

The way Kian said her name like an apology frightened her so she quickly launched into: “I understand, but we need to talk before...”

She couldn’t look him in the eyes. She didn’t want to see his face. She knew his expressions way too well not to know what he would say or do. His shoes were in her eyesight as he stepped up in front of her. She gasped when he gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

“Everything is still going according to plan,” he told her, holding her gaze. “Nothing has changed--”

Anger flared, Raina shook her head, trying to get away for his touch. “No, you’re going to fuck her and I’m going to feel it--”

She wasn’t prepared for his mouth to capture hers, cutting her off effectively. One of his hands cupped her cheek to keep her face in place and the other gripped a fist full of her shirt at her hip as he dragged her forward into him. She tried to hold back the moan he was dragging out of her, but his mouth was relentless, slanting over hers as he continued to kiss her senseless. Her heart pounded against her chest, like a bird flapping their wings drying desperately to free itself from their cage.

When he pulled back, she felt his breath ghost over her swollen lips. Her eyes drifted open and met his eyes burning into hers. His eyes sang dark lusty promises like a siren to sailors and her body sickeningly responded enthusiastically.

Her body was a traitor as it pressed against his wantonly and he groaned as his hand that gripped her shirt at her hip swept around her back to hold her tightly against him.

“I told you,” he whispered against her mouth as his leg wedged between her legs. “The only thing you’re going to feel is me fucking you to the mattress until you’re screaming out my name. I’ll make you want it so bad that you’ll be begging me for it all the time.”