Semua Bab His Midnight Luna: Bab 11 - Bab 20

MIAThe bruise on my hip had turned a spectacular purple by the time I got back to my dorm. I was lying on my bed with an ice pack, staring at the ceiling, when my phone rang.My stomach dropped when I saw an unknown number. I debated answering the call. But the thought of everything else going on that I didn't know made me swipe the screen and put the phone to my ear.“Hello?”“Mia.” My father’s voice was cold ice, which was perfect because I felt like I'd just been frozen. “We need to talk.”I sat up too fast, my hip screaming in protest. “How did you get this number? I changed it—”“Did you really think changing your number would keep me from reaching you?” He let out a humorless laugh. “I’m disappointed. I raised you to be smarter than that.”No, you raised me to be obedient, I thought. But I kept my mouth shut.“The Alaric family has been asking questions,” he continued, his tone conversational now. Paternal, even. Which somehow made it worse.Growing up, I had a sweet and kind f

MIAI hadn’t slept in three days.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw myself running through forests I’d never seen, under a moon so bright it hurt to look at. Running from something or toward something, I could never tell which. Other times, it felt like I was running in circles.I’d wake up gasping, my mother’s necklace burning hot against my chest, the dream already fading into fragments I couldn’t piece together.I attributed it to stress. Entertaining any other thought seemed too dangerous, like a problem I wouldn't want to solve. I already had enough problems overflowing my plate, I wasn't going to add another one.Between my father’s ultimatum, Silas showing up at the game, and Xavier’s increasingly unhinged behavior, my subconscious was probably having a breakdown and causing these equally crazy dreams.I had less than seventy days before my father dragged me back to become Mrs. Silas Alaric.I’d started counting down without meaning to, the number sitting in my brain like a co

MIAI could still feel the ghost of Xander’s breath against my lips. The softest touch of his lips, how close we’d been to crossing a line we should never think of before his phone had buzzed and he’d run like the devil was chasing him.I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, Esme’s empty bed across the room a reminder that I was alone with my spiraling thoughts. She’d texted earlier saying she was staying at her boyfriend’s place tonight. Some romantic dinner thing.Which left me here, obsessing over a kiss that didn’t happen with a guy who… I didn't know all that well. Besides the fact that he was hiding something and danger radiated off him in waves. And my body reacts to him in a way I didn't even know was possible.The crushed umbrella was on my desk. I’d tried to bend the metal ribs back into place when I got back to my dorm. It had been fruitless.I rolled onto my side, punching my pillow, trying to get comfortable and stop thinking about amber eyes and claw marks and the way my e

XAVIERI shifted back to human form, pulled on the clothes I’d stashed in the woods, and drove to pack lands with my hands shaking on the steering wheel.Kane was still too close to the surface and my control was hanging by a thread. Every instinct I had screamed to go back to Mia’s dorm, to stand guard, to make sure she was safe.But the Alpha’s summons weren't optional. And the last thing I wanted was for my father to get even more suspicious and start keeping a closer eye on me.Pack lands were quiet at 4 AM, only patrol wolves could be spotted every once in a while as they made rounds. The main house loomed ahead, every window was dark except one.My father’s office.I parked and forced myself to walk as calmly as I could with adrenaline still buzzing in my blood. I tried to calm my breathing, to look like I had any semblance of control. I failed spectacularly.My father was waiting in his office, standing by the window with his arms crossed behind his back and his back to the door

MIAThe bathroom door clicked shut behind me, and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. My reflection in the mirror looked pale.I splashed cold water on my face, trying to wake up, trying to ground myself. But my thoughts kept circling back to Xavier. The way he’d looked at me just now. To the way his presence felt like gravity itself had shifted in my direction.How was I going to last the whole night in this apartment with him?It wasn’t small by any means. I didn’t even know students had apartments this large. But he seemed to be in every room. It didn’t help that scent was everywhere too. Every inhale was filled with his pine scent.I grabbed the towel, dried my face, and stared at myself for another moment. My hair was a mess, my eyes were shadowed with exhaustion, and I was wearing a thin tank top that suddenly felt entirely inadequate for spending the night in Xavier’s room. That was definitely the wrong choice on my part.God, what was I doing?I turned toward the d