All Chapters of The Luna He Can’t Have: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

Jackson doesn’t let me fall.One arm snakes around my waist and he hauls me up against his chest so fast the air whooshes out of my lungs.“Jackson—”“Shut up, Regan.”His mouth crashes down on mine.There’s nothing soft or gentle about this kiss. It’s hard, possessive, and a little angry. His tongue sweeps in, claiming every inch of my mouth like he’s trying to brand himself there. I taste coffee and frustration and something that feels a lot like desperation.When he finally breaks away, we’re both breathing hard. His forehead rests against mine, eyes blazing gold.“Listen to me,” he growls. “I am not going anywhere with Lara. I am not taking over her pack. I am not leaving you. Not now. Not ever.”I open my mouth to argue (because that’s what I do), but he cuts me off with another kiss, shorter this time, but no less intense.“I told her last night,” he says against my lips. “Told her the second she started talking about me going back to Pasadena. I said no. Flat-out, no discussion

Thirty minutes of lying with my eyes squeezed shut convinces me that sleep isn’t happening. At least not anytime soon, so I decide to get up and get ready.I’m on my way to the bathroom to shower when I hear Lara’s voice outside.Since Jackson left, there’s been no other car or truck engine near the house. Frowning, I wander over to the window to figure out who she’s shouting at.At first, I assume it’s some wild animal because she’s screaming about not wanting any of its filth anywhere near her.When she demands to know why he’s carrying sweats in his mouth, I realize who it is.Riley.I forget about my shower and sprint for the door, yanking it open and hurtling down the stairs.Lara’s standing on the porch, still in the lace nightdress she was wearing before, but that’s all I see until I burst out of the door and see the sweatpants I gave Riley lying abandoned on the edge of the forest. It isn’t hard to work out what happened.I erupt furiously.“Why did you do that!”Lara sneers.

That was dangerous, and she was lucky—very lucky—she could still shift. Maybe the strength of her Alpha wolf helped her to keep that side of her alive, but this mangy wolf is no Alpha.I forget about my intention to not ask any questions.“How long has he been a wolf?”“About five years.”I struggle to take my eyes off the wolf because I can’t stop thinking about what it must be like to be human and be trapped as a wolf. I just can’t. When I’m a wolf, I never forget that there’s a human side to me, just as when I’m human, I always feel the wolf half of me. I couldn’t be without both sides. It would feel like someone had cut me in half, or like half of me was missing. I wonder if the shifter will ever get to the point he’ll forget he was ever human.“This mate of yours,” the Alpha starts.I jerk my gaze from the mangy wolf, preparing to tell him Jackson isn’t my mate. Only, I take in the sharp intensity of his blue eyes, and I decide to keep my mouth shut.“Uh, what about him?” I ask i

I have no idea if Riley is doing this alone, or if he spoke with Jackson back at the house and this is a plan that they cooked up together. But either way, my hands are free, which gives me my first bit of hope that I can get out of this. Somehow.Since I have no intention of wasting this opportunity, I spend the next several seconds recovering from my collision with the wall as I wait for a chance to make a bid for freedom. I make sure to keep my hands tucked behind me for the moment, since the last thing I need is for Derek to see I’m free.It’s not going to be easy to escape with Leon and Derek standing at the mouth of the cave. I’m also fully aware that I have more chance of Derek grabbing me and snapping my neck before I make it two steps outside of the cave than succeeding. Then there’s Riley, sitting quietly beside me. Whatever escape attempt I make has to mean he gets out too, because I’m not leaving him behind.As the seconds, and then the minutes tick by, I sit with my gaze

As I follow Jackson through the forest to face Derek, a shifter who filled me with terror only moments before, I don’t feel even the slightest trace of fear.It’s impossible to feel anything other than complete belief that Jackson won’t let anything happen. From the way his eyes flared at Derek’s threat to harm Riley, I know he won’t let that happen.In complete silence, we thread our way through the brush, past trees, and toward the half-cave that Derek and his pack of misfits made their home.It’s no mystery why Jackson is letting me come with him. I doubt it took him a second to realize I’d only follow later if he tried to force me to leave.Before long, Jackson stops a few feet from the cave. We’re so close I can peer through the gaps in the trees and spot Derek leaning against the rock wall. On the ground at his feet is Riley, unconscious and with a bloody face.The moment I catch sight of Riley, I dart forward, only for Jackson to use his shoulder to force me back. I curl my lip