19: Anything You Want

My pulse pounded frantically against my ribs as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. My body was overly sensitive, the ghost of his touch lingering everywhere. Then I felt a strange, insistent pressure deep inside me and when I looked down, I saw the unmistakable swell at the base of his dick, locking him within me.

I should’ve been terrified. Should’ve screamed, should’ve shoved him away. But all I could do was stare, my lips parted, my body still throbbing around the thick intrusion of his knot. My stomach twisted, not in disgust, but in awe. A sick, giddy fascination that made my head spin.

Raguel loomed over me, his chest heaving, his hair damp with sweat. His gaze burned into mine, but something flickered in them—something feral. A low growl rumbled in his throat, and for a second, his pupils dilated, the irises changing into a luminous amber. Even his shadow on the wall seemed to shift, growing larger, more predatory. My breath hitched.

He finally pulled away, his movements jerky as he fought to keep his wolf beneath the surface. He turned his back to me, his shoulders heaving. Even in my dazed state, I found myself checking him out before I caught myself.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I tore my gaze away, forcing myself to focus on the ceiling, on the peeling paint, on anything but the man before me. My fingers curled into the edge of the dressing table, the wood biting into my palms. I needed to get a grip.

“This is insane,” I muttered. “This is... it’s abominable, Raguel. What the hell is going on?”

Raguel turned around, his eyes slowly fading back to their dark, piercing red. He looked at the mess on my thighs, then back to my face, his expression entirely devoid of shame. “I don’t find it abominable, Lyra…”

I scoffed. “Of course you’d say that.”

“…especially not with the way your body welcomed mine. Especially not with my cum dripping out of you.”

I felt the heat rush to my face, my skin prickling with mortification at his bluntness. “Don’t. Don’t talk like that. This doesn’t change anything.”

“It changes everything,” he countered, stepping back into my space.

“It doesn’t change my decision to leave!” I snapped.

“You’re not leaving,” he said in that calm but authoritative tone.

“I am,” I insisted. “Whatever this is, it doesn’t mean I suddenly belong here. It doesn’t mean I understand anything you’ve been saying.”

“You don’t need to understand everything yet.”

“I need to understand enough to make a decision,” I shot back. “And right now, I don’t. I’d admit, the sex was incredible. It was the best I’ve ever had, okay? But I’m not being dragged into a world of monsters and shadows just because you’re good with your hands. I don’t understand this world, and I don’t want to.”

I sighed and forced myself to meet his gaze. “What do you even need this ‘prophesied Luna’ for anyway? You’ve clearly existed just fine for centuries without me. Go find someone else to play Queen.”

Raguel’s face hardened. “That is where you are wrong, Lyra. We have not been fine. Our world is on the brink of a collapse you cannot possibly comprehend. The factions are splintering, and without a sovereign Luna to anchor the throne, we will descend into a war. You are the only one who can stop it.”

“That’s not my problem,” I said, my heart beginning to race. “I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t ask for the bloodline or the prophecy. I just wanted a normal life.”

Before I could move, Raguel moved. He didn’t touch me, but he slammed his hands onto the table on either side of my hips, backing me up until I was trapped between the wood and his towering frame.

“Stop taking this lightly, Lyra,” he hissed, his voice dropping to a dangerous, authoritative register. “You’re treating this like it’s optional.”

“It is optional for me. This is my life. I get to choose what happens in it,” I replied immediately.

“This isn’t just about you.”

That made me pause.

“What does that mean?”

“Thousands, perhaps millions of lives, including yours and mine, depend on you. You are the key to our survival. It is the most serious thing you will ever face.”

I looked up at him, trapped by the intensity in his gaze. “And if I decide to stay…”

“You are staying,” he interrupted, his tone leaving zero room for negotiation.

“If I stay,” I repeated, my voice trembling with defiance, “what do I get in return? You’re asking me to give up everything—my life, my choices, everything I know. Why should I leave my whole life behind for a war I don’t care about?”

He was silent for a few seconds.

“If I even consider staying, what do I get in return?”

Raguel leaned in until his lips were inches from mine. “You will get the best gift of your life, Lyra. Something more valuable than the millions I paid for you. Something you haven’t even dared to dream of.”

“That’s too vague,” I whispered. “If you’re trying to convince me, I’d have you know that it isn’t working. You’re asking me to walk away from everything I know for something you won’t even clearly define.”

Raguel let out a short, dry laugh. “You don’t have a life, Lyra. You had a cage and a man who treated you like an afterthought. That wasn’t a life.”

I opened my mouth to shout at him, to defend the years I’d spent trying to build something with Aaron, but he held up a hand.

“Sleep on it,” he said, his voice remaining undeniably commanding. “In the meantime, think of anything else you might want in return.”

I frowned.

“What?”

“You heard me, Lyra,” he continued. “If you need something in return, just name it.”