He shrugged his gigantic shoulders, and the muscles rippled beneath his tight t-shirt, drying her mouth. "If you want to make the attempt to shift, I won't get in your way.""Yeah, that's never going to happen. My wolf is almost non-existent. And if I even attempted that now, I'd end up on my butt. My powers are just barely working." She breathed in deeply and looked upwards.The full moon shone blood red, tinting the clouds surrounding it and bathing the sky in its warm, rusty light. It hadn't yet peaked in the sky, but there wasn't much time left. As much as she wanted to deny it, the strange light was suited for Luthor. It made him so strong and so intimidating. The way his huge body stood out against the scrawny trees in the distance made the space feel cramped, like it was just big enough for him, and as if everything else was just there to amuse him.Luthor leaned forward, "When did you ever even try?""Years," she admitted. "Occasionally I feel the shifter half of me patrolling
There was a salt tang to the evening air and the scent of dozens of wolves congregated in one place, and Sharon Spark's nose was tickled. She did not want to be at the red moon ceremony tonight, but Luthor Michaelson was not having no as an option for her participation. Faking it and not wanting to get noticed, she pulled her cardigan around her more tightly and leaned into the back of the pack.They were all stood around the bonfire, chatting and munching as they prepared for their moonlight run. This was always one of the biggest pack rituals, but it was one Sharon did not particularly enjoy. When the moon was blood-red, the shift would be boosted, but being an Omega and delicate in shift, there was no reward for her. All the moon did was put into perspective the fact that she was different from everybody else and that she was at the bottom of the pack.Bonfire aside, she'd nearly been sure that maybe, just maybe, the arrangement that she'd been bullied into would be bearable. Lutho
"She was a pack member for two decades before she ran," he reminded her. "She has no reason to betray us.""I suppose not," Deborah pushed up her sleeves and kept washing. "Good to see that she's putting roots down in town. I guess that means she knows you aren't going to let her leave anytime soon."He froze. "What do you mean by putting down roots?"Deborah shrugged. "I stopped into that new coffee shop downtown, and she was working. Alexander was tucked into a corner booth, reading. Don't worry. Both of them looked pretty content."She continued to ramble on, but he stopped listening. Instead, he could only hear a low buzz in his ears. Sharon had a job. His mate was out in town working at some little café he had never seen in his whole life. It was all well and good that she was looking after their boy and assisting with the household, but the idea of her considering going into town and getting herself a job like he would permit her to have a life independent of the pack or even in
His smile was wicked, and she was mesmerized as his tongue darted out to wet his lower lip. She’d been trapped, pinned down by his size and proximity, and all she could do was breathe. She couldn’t help but look at his face, his eyes, and his lips, which had touched hers. Luthor was the moon, and she was in his gravitational pull. Part of her would do anything to be closer to him. That didn’t mean she wanted to, however. She swallowed and pushed down the bond. It was biology. Nothing but biology.He snarled low in his throat, and she was sure that he would devour her. “Say the word, and I’ll back off.”“The word,” she spat.He scoffed, but for a moment, she could have sworn that she also saw disappointment on his face. His scent was causing her to squirm out of her skin, an unwelcome hunger coming to life between her thighs. Finally, just when she was sure that her willpower wouldn’t hold out much longer, Luthor stepped back. She was relieved to have the space to breathe and to push t
“Mama?” he whispered, his voice thick from sleepiness, “Gonna stay here forever?”Her heart tightened even as she forced a smile, “For now, sweetie. We’ll see how things go.”Alexander yawned, wrinkling up his face before he buried further into the pillows. The bed was bigger than the one at home, made of thick, old wood carved hundreds of years ago. The rest of the room reflected the cabin-like feel of Luthor’s house—lots of deer antler furniture, forest landscapes, and lush green colors.“I like this house, but I liked our old house, too. Will we ever go back?”The lump abruptly materialized in her throat, and swallowing it was difficult. “Maybe someday,” she fibbed, not sure if Luthor would ever let them go. “For now, this is home.”He softly grunted a response, already asleep. It was a kindness because she didn’t know if she could answer another tragic question. It was just one day, and she already missed her small cottage horribly. She sat with him for a bit, watching the rise an
Sharon tensed, but slowly forced a smile up at him and let her hand slip out of his. She even made the effort to squeeze his fingers back, a small squeeze to tell him she would do what he wanted her to do, but as their eyes clashed, there was something dark and angry in them. She didn’t have to say anything. He knew. This was not how she had envisioned her return home; he could tell she didn’t approve of it. That being said, Luthor couldn’t blame her, but he wasn’t exactly interested in hearing what she had to say. The issue was, she was his mate, his Omega, and he’d be damned before he let her get away from him again.Mark interrupted, “Luthor, are you ready for me to perform the ceremony?”“Yes. Proceed then.” He did not enjoy spending time outside on the grass longer than necessary. There was always the chance of one of the other nearby packs making a grab for Sharon or Alexander when they were not yet bonded to him. Sharon was wheezing harder by the second, and though she made no