All Chapters of MARKED BY MOONLIGHT : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

~ KILLIAN ~ "You’re burning the bacon," Ronan says, nodding toward the skillet, arms crossed with that usual unreadable expression on his face. "Not sure how Tess feels about crispy pork, but Lyra isn’t a fan." A growl vibrates low in my throat as I flip the sizzling strips. Smoke curls upward, stinging my nose and reminding me that I’m not where I want to be. The second I heard Tess’s voice float down the hall, fragile but alive, I nearly bolted—ready to scoop her into my arms, see her with my own eyes, make sure she’s safe. If it weren’t for Ronan, I would’ve done exactly that. But he held me back, insisted Tess needed to hear things from Lyra first. Said she had to be eased into the truth, not ambushed by a wolf vibrating with territorial rage. Maybe he’s right. Maybe not. All I know is that every muscle in my body is wound tight, vibrating with the need to be near her. My wolf is pacing beneath my skin, snarling every second I’m away from our mate. The back door swin

~ KILLIAN ~ I’m fighting my damn instincts, holding my wolf on a tight leash—but hell, Tess smells too damn good. Too sweet. Too fucking tempting. There’s a glow to her now, like moonlight dancing on skin, radiant and otherworldly. It’s like my very presence draws the light from her, feeding something ancient inside me. "Killian, please," she whispers, her voice barely audible—soft, broken, yet full of need. The sound slices through me. I groan, the sound torn from deep in my chest, and cup the back of her head. Her red hair slides through my fingers like silk, warm and soft. I close the space between us in one breathless moment and crush my mouth to hers. Her lips part without hesitation, warm and pliant. When her tongue flicks out to meet mine, it’s like touching fire—hot, electric, impossible to ignore. I devour her with slow, aching strokes. My groan rumbles against her mouth, and the air punches from my lungs. She tastes like heat and honey, like something sacred I’ve bee

~ TESS ~ I close my eyes and try to shut down the part of me that won’t stop thinking about sex. I haven’t been this turned on since high school, back when I decided to finally see what all the fuss was about. To my disappointment, it hadn’t lived up to the hype. Just another thing the movies lied about. But now, I’m practically burning from the inside out, and I’m starting to wonder if there’s more to it than I ever knew. Maybe it’s a werewolf thing. It has to be, right? “Easy, Sunshine,” Killan whispers beside me, his hand squeezing my thigh. “It’s okay.” “No, it’s not,” I breathe. My chest is too tight, my head too light. The world feels like it’s tilting, nausea churning in my stomach. “I think I’m going to be sick.” He pulls over just in time. I fling open the door and stumble out of the car, gagging hard as I double over. Nothing comes up—thankfully—since I haven’t eaten since yesterday. A tiny blessing in a moment filled with humiliation. Killan is at my side i

~ KILLAN ~ I wrap an arm beneath Tess, scooping her off the ground like I’ve been craving to do for weeks. She fits against me perfectly. Like my body was carved to hold hers. “That’s all I’ve been wanting to do, baby,” I murmur low against her ear, letting my breath skate across her skin. She shivers, and I feel it everywhere. My other hand slides to the nape of her neck, fingers weaving through her strawberry red hair—soft, thick, and wild like her. She’s tense, a little bit uncertain, but her body leans into mine like it already knows where it belongs. “Put those pretty little arms around my neck, Sunshine,” I whisper. “Come here.” She does—slowly, but willingly—wrapping herself around me with a soft sigh. Her arms cling to my shoulders, and her lips hover close, so close I can taste her breath. When our lips touch, I won’t close my eyes. I want to see her. See every reaction. Every tremble. Every soft gasp that escapes when I claim her mouth. To my complete undoing, h

~ KILLAN ~ As I wait for Tess to respond, Astrid climbs back into her car and drives off without another word. I need to call Ronan. He has to know what just happened. But I can’t make that call until I get Tess out of here. She comes first. Always. How does this keep happening? One minute, it feels like I’m turning a corner—like we’re finally finding our rhythm—and the next, something drags us right back into the fire. “She’s the woman who tried to kill Lyra,” Tess finally says, her voice quiet, all the fight drained out of her. I can feel the shift in her energy—the weight of what she’s just faced settling over her like a lead blanket. And damn it, part of me wishes I’d let her take that swing at Astrid. “She’s the one responsible for everything that’s happened to me, isn’t she?” So Lyra had time to tell her what we suspect. Not only had Tess come face-to-face with the woman who nearly ended her best friend’s life, but possibly the same woman who led to her own attack. If