I pause as he watches me with bated breath, his chest heaving up in down in sad anticipation. No matter how right he is, no matter how much I find myself unable to trust him. I find myself equally unable to say the words. Words that I know will break him and I and I’m just so fucking sick of breaking all the damn time. I sigh deeply and close my eyes, needing to be free of his ache and sorrow and just focus on how I feel for two damn minutes. “I need you to leave me,” I whisper and open my eyes.“What?” He says, his brow furrowing. “I am trying to ensure I do just that… But with this bond…”“Lachlan, you are free to do what you will. You aren’t drawn to me like you were under magic. You can walk away of your own free will. But it will be YOU deciding to leave me, not you deciding for me.” I say, my temper flaring.“I wasn’t trying to force you.” He breathes.“But you were.” I insist. “You have lied to me, you have betrayed my trust and even though I truly believe those were things yo
***Falcon POV***I watch as she takes her place standing before everyone with Monty at her side. She looks tired, her clothes still drenched in blood as her eyes scan the area. It looks much less gloomy in here. The blood has long since been cleared away and they have laid the bodies of the deceased outside the temple for loved ones to come and identify. For the cluster fuck that this all was, everyone quickly came together to do as their Luna asked. I often wondered why it was a predestined Luna and not an alpha. But as I stand here watching her just look around, I can see why a Luna must lead. A Luna commands respect where the Alpha title demands it. She can not rely on an Alpha’s order for solidarity and loyalty. And though we all feel that connection with her, the desire to make her pleased, it’s not that overpowering we must all bow down and serve her as she tells us. It’s softer, like a mother’s hug, encouraging us, guiding us without force.The vampires seem to feel it too, as
*TWO WEEKS LATER****Laney POV***“We are here to see our daughter.” The tall brown-haired alpha says in a stern voice, watching me. I quirk a brow in interest when their son shoots me a scowl. I have no desire to keep this man from his daughter, though he still has yet to tell me who exactly he is and why he believes I am withholding her from him.“That sounds like it will be a wonderful reunion, but I’m not sure what makes you think I have anyone here,” I say. The only people here, staying here, are all consenting adults, not lost daughters who need their parents to save them, though I admit the act is sweet and warms my heart. “She was supposed to be the Luna.” the younger boy says. “The real Luna” he shoots me a scowl, and it all makes sense.“Jessie,” the woman hisses, “This is the real Luna.”The boy rolls his eyes and shrugs. “Not what you told me all my life or Rome.”He says, giving her an attitude that makes even my eyebrows quirk. “Rome?” I ask.“Yes! My sister!” He hisse
I drag my feet, heading to Rome’s room. There is a fear that lives deep-rooted in me that when I see her, it won’t be the same. She will look different, and feel different without her wolf. What if that bond we had in an instant is gone and we are just normal family members trying to find reasons to love each other, even though we are polar opposites? I smooth down my shirt in nervousness, trying to pat down the unsettling feeling in my stomach. Then it hits me like two tons of bricks. She must feel worse about her loss than I do. Here I have been avoiding her out of fear when she has been living it with only Monty to console her. I’ve been a shit sister. Even when she wasn’t allowed to see anyone after waking up for the first week, I should have insisted. Though Monty had told me she needed to learn to control her hunger. She needed to learn how to stave off the desire for blood from a source that had a beating heart and grow accustomed to blood bags. Apparently, she was a natural
It’s snowing here. The large tufts of white, fluffy icy rain down on us while the men grumble and I stare up at it in awe. It shouldn’t be snowing, it’s not yet mid-fall where the colors are at their height. Yet, here it is, tickling my nose and melting on my face as I giggle and spin. It’s absolutely stunning. “You always did like the snow,” Falcon murmurs, walking past me, a small smile on his lips as he steals a glance at my happiness. My heart skips a beat, watching him walk away. I remember the first time I ever saw snow. The second time he tried to fight against killing me but ended up going savage and doing it, anyway. It had been just as perfect then as it is now. The chill, however, makes me shiver and I tug my fluffy sweater closer. One repercussion of having these memories are the emotions attached to them. The fear I felt when he stalked me down, the ache in my side where he tore at my flesh. I wish I could push it away, remain in the glorious bliss of the perfect snow,
***Falcon POV*** I shouldn’t be touching her. There is a decent possibility that she will be upset with me about it later, but right now, she needs me. These touches, fleeting moments where my soul rejoices at her contact make every single minute apart even more agonizing for me. But right now, she needs me more than ever. I can feel it through our partial bond almost as much as I can see it on her freckled face. Laney feels so much, too much I would argue. She struggles with the constant dread of failing, yet right now, I can sense the growth in her. Being here, learning these small things about her past. The little intricacies that are woven throughout her life with others are eye-opening to the magic and way destiny worked to bring her this far. “It was only a matter of time before Abbie re-emerged.” Joffrey sighs, wiping his eyes. “We knew she would try. There was so much information about her and the dark magic she dabbled with, but it's hard to look into those types of things
“Would you be willing to walk with me?” Laney asks after a breath. “I have some things on my mind that only seem to process when you are around.”I try to hide my smirk and I nod and look down at my feet. It’s hard to say no when all I crave is her closeness. Not that I want to say ‘no’ anymore. There is a fluttering in my chest, burning for consolation and the chance to win her back if she would have me. I reach out and take her hand in mine, my eyes finally lifting and catching her deep pool of green. It’s impossible not to get lost in them for a moment. Flecks of her old golden eyes float around, uniting the past with the present. A foreshadowing, no doubt, of how much more of Laney remains, even with the past still ever prominent in her mind. Perhaps she isn’t so far gone from me as I thought. But can I live with myself if I let her accept me?“Would you like to discuss them? Or should I walk along in silence?” I ask her. She sighs, taking my hand and entwining our fingers. That
Laney stands in front of the growing crowd, Monty and I off to her right watching, waiting for the need to arise for us to either defend or help her in any way. Joffrey has called everyone in the coven to come to watch the proceedings. If that’s even the right word for what is happening, considering this is the first time this is all taking place. Joffrey excuses himself as he walks toward a line of five individuals dressed in green smocks, tied with a white rope at their waists. They hide their hands behind their backs as they walk in sync, following Joffrey, who leads them toward Laney. She glances over at me and Monty and I move on instinct to her side. Monty follows my lead as we flank her and I can feel her unease fade.The five selected stop in front of us, all of them nervous as they lift their chins and wait to see which of them will be honored with the role offered. A movement catches my eyes toward the back. The same woman from earlier who spoke so candidly with me about my