The Luna He Can’t Have

Talis’s POVThe moon’s cold kiss grazes my bare knees as they sink into the damp earth, my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest. I’m kneeling in a forest clearing, surrounded by the Blackshaw pack, my new mate’s piercing iceblue eyes pinning me from across the circle. Dayne Blackshaw, my stepbrother and the ruthless alpha I’m now bound to, watches me with a hunger that makes my wolf stir, a forbidden spark igniting where fear and fury collide.The mating ceremony is a blur of ritual and tension. My uncle Glynn, his cruel smile cutting through the night, stands at the edge, his presence a reminder of the years he beat me into submission, convincing me my wolf was weak. I’m supposed to be a submissive, the lowest in any pack, yet Dayne’s gaze feels like a challenge, daring me to rise. My silk robe clings to my skin, the only barrier between me and the pack’s scrutiny. I want to run, to hide, but there’s no escaping this bond, this man, or the secrets I’ve buried deep.“Stand, Tali

Talis’s POVMy bare feet slap against the hardwood floor of the farmhouse kitchen, the sting of Dayne’s dismissal burning hotter than the mate bond pulsing in my veins. I saw Savannah’s hand on his arm, the way her touch lingered, and my wolf snarls, clawing at my control. I’m supposed to be his mate, but the way he looked at hertoo familiar, too guardedmakes me feel like an outsider in this pack I’m meant to call home.The kitchen hums with pack members, their laughter and clinking mugs a stark contrast to the storm inside me. Luka’s at the counter, tossing a grin at Regan, who’s flipping pancakes like it’s a normal night. It’s not. Not after that wolf in the woods, not after Dayne’s bite woke something in me I’ve spent years hiding. My neck throbs, the mark a constant reminder of him, of us, and I hate how much I crave his presence even now.“Talis, are you hungry?” Regan calls, her voice warm, cutting through my haze.I shake my head, forcing a smile. “Not really.”She frowns but d

Talis’s POVThe farmhouse living room feels like a cage, the pack’s eyes on me like I’m a bomb about to go off. Dayne’s hand brushes mine, a spark through the mate bond that makes my wolf want to lean into him, but I pull back, my heart pounding with the weight of Savannah’s words. Glynn didn’t just break mehe broke Dayne, too, and the truth of our shared scars makes me want to scream, to fight, to hold him all at once.I can still feel the sting of my arm, bandaged from the wolf’s claw, and the memory of my halfshift in the forestmy wolf’s silverblue eyes blazingmakes my skin prickle. I’m not the submissive Glynn made me believe I was, but standing here, surrounded by the Blackshaw pack, I’m not sure who I am. Dayne’s gaze, intense and unyielding, pulls at me, but Savannah’s lingering presence, her guilty eyes darting away, keeps my wolf on edge.“We need a plan,” Luka says, breaking the silence, his lean frame tense as he paces. “Glynn’s not waiting for us to figure this out.”Dayne

Talis’s POVThe farmhouse shakes with the howls of Glynn’s pack, their snarls clawing at my nerves as I grip Dayne’s hand, the mate bonds a lifeline in the chaos. Savannah’s betrayal of her text to Glynn, pinpointing my injury burns in my chest, but her tear-streaked face, pleading about her son, twists something inside me. My side throbs, blood seeping through the bandage, but my wolf surges, silver-blue eyes blazing, ready to fight, to prove I’m more than Glynn’s lies.Dayne’s eyes meet mine, ice-blue and fierce, his body tense like a coiled spring. “Stay close,” he says, his voice low, commanding, but there’s a tremor of fear for me, I realize, and it makes my heart stutter. Our bond, forbidden and raw, pulls us together, even as Savannah’s treachery threatens to tear us apart.“Lock her in the basement,” I say, nodding at Savannah, my voice steady despite the pain. “We will deal with her later.”Luka hesitates, his brown eyes flicking between us, but Dayne nods. “Do it,” he orde

Talis’s POV The farmhouse kitchen smells of antiseptic and blood, my wounds burning under Dayne’s careful bandages, but his touch steady, warm grounds me through the mate bond. The red-eyed wolf’s howl still echoes in my mind, a chilling promise of more danger, and Glynn’s escape twists my gut with dread. My wolf paces, silver-blue eyes flashing, urging me to fight, to claim my place, but the weight of Savannah’s betrayal and the boy’s tear-streaked face keeps me tethered to this moment.Dayne’s ice-blue eyes meet mine, his jaw tight, the bond humming with his unspoken fear for me. “You need rest,” he says, his voice low, rough with worry. “You’re pushing too hard.”I shake my head, wincing as pain shoots through my side. “We don’t have time for rest. Glynn’s out there, and that rogue wolf whatever it is it’s not done.”Luka steps into the kitchen, his lean frame tense, his knife still in hand. “The house is secure for now. Patrols are doubled, but we need to talk about Savannah.