Aiden POV
“This isn’t right. You know our fated mate should be our Luna. It will make us stronger.”
I had been arguing with Ronan, my wolf for our entire walk through the forest. I decided to take the scenic route on my way to my… proposal. The truth of it was I wasn’t only trying to convince Ronan, I was trying to convince myself.
I didn’t love Ciara, that much was certain, but I never necessarily thought love a vital component in a strong partnership. She was of a good bloodline and would produce strong pups. I knew her, we had shared each other’s bed many times. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was making this decision so difficult.
“Maybe because you know our fated mate is out there. What will we do when she finds us, bound to another?”
“Ronan, the Moon Goddess has had 10 years to bless me with my fated mate. We would have found her by now.”
“We did find her, you’re just too stubborn to admit it.”
“The mystery girl from the harvest? You’ve got to be kidding.”
“We share a soul Aiden, I know you’ve thought of little but her since that night….”
He was right. I’d been turning the pack inside out trying to catch any whiff of her. Anyone who might have some memory of her other than me. But every lead was coming up short. No one remembers the way the unmated males circled and chased her into the woods like a pack of crazed mutts. How they walked blindly past their potential mates intoxicated by her scent. Goddess, even the knucklehead she punched in the face had no memory of her. If I couldn’t recreate every line of her perfect face in my mind, I’d be convinced she didn’t exist at all.
I paused as I realised we were nearing the edge of the forest. Ciara’s residence was about half a kilometre from where I was.
“How about a run? You know, to take the edge off?”
“Alright, wolf. But then we must fulfil our duty, are we clear?”
“Crystal…”
Ronan’s voice echoed through my mind as I let him take control. It’s a risk, not maintaining control in wolf form, but one I often took with Ronan. He was far less animal than many of the other wolves, he rarely let his instincts interfere with his logic, and I could comfortably take a back seat and let him have free reign on our runs, or in a fight.
It didn’t take me long to realise Ronan was taking us into unfamiliar territory. We’d never been to this corner of the forest before. He was running at warp speed and felt eerily determined.
He came to a halt at a ledge overlooking a crystal blue pool below. The water cascading down from the river in a waterfall on the other side.
Then I saw her, sneaking out from behind the curtain of water. At least the way she looked nervously over her shoulder made her look like she was sneaking….
In our wolf form, her scent was overpowering. I wasn’t sure if it was through Ronan’s eyes alone, but she looked different. Her hair was platinum and fell in long braids down her back and her skin was luminous, pale and perfect, almost as though she was glowing.
“You knew where to find her?” I scolded Ronan.
“No. I had a hunch my senses might lead us to her if you let me have control though. It was a gamble that appears to have paid off.” He admitted a little too much pride in his tone.
“And what exactly do you propose we do now? Thanks to you not letting me in on your little theory, we are now in unknown territory, in wolf form and I don’t have any clothes. Shall we just shift back and approach her from nowhere like some kind of crazy naked stalker?”
“I’m sure she’s seen a naked man before. Besides, she is our mate.”
I rolled my eyes internally at his use of the word mate. But I couldn’t help but notice the flare of jealousy that ignited when he mentioned her seeing another man naked.
In any case, I was going to have to think fast. As I looked down, a pair of piercing sapphire eyes were staring directly at me.
Selene POVAs I slipped through the portal to the mortal realm, I was careful to ensure I wasn’t followed. It had been a few days since the events of the harvest and I had been able to think of little else. Despite my best efforts my mind kept drifting back to the green-eyed wolf. I couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t affected in the same way as the other wolves. I knew I wasn’t going to get any answers in my realm, so I had to risk punishment and venture back to the mortal realm.It was easy to find the portals that lead to Ireland. The land was coated in magic and the fabric that separated the gods from men was flimsy at best. There was once a time when the two worlds weren’t separate at all. Gods and magical beings lived amongst the mortals freely. Now there are only traces of the ancient world left here, werewolves, vampires and the occasional demon, all the species closer to humans than the gods, elves or fae
Selene POVWe apparated in what appeared to be the living room of a cabin. We stood in silence both staring at our connected hands. The sparks running through our bodies from our touch had confirmed what Liana had said. This wolf was my mate.“So… pants?” I said awkwardly as I broke contact and turned away from him. I pretended to look around the room while he headed upstairs. The truth is, I needed to not be looking at him in order to make any sense of my thoughts. My head was racing with questions, many of which I’m sure he shared and neither of us held answers to. The thing that made me the most nervous was how intense my need to be near him had become at the slightest touch. Our wolves and our bodies responded instantly to the mate bond. Thankfully, my willpower was still intact… so far.I heard the sound of his footsteps as he made his way back down the stairs, I turned to face him an
Aiden POV “I can’t believe you just implied she is a witch, you know she is a wolf, we have seen her in wolf form” Ronan was incredibly unimpressed with me, but what did he expect? She just filled the kettle with water and lit the fire with a flick of her wrist. Granted, I hadn’t responded well, but she had just used actual magic. “Yes, like the magic she used to get us here. You are a damn fool at times Aiden.” Ronan was right. I could be a real idiot at times. I had no idea the impact my idiotic ways were about to have though. “Ok… I believe you’ve heard of the Moon Goddess?” That question caught my attention. Of course, I had heard of the Mood Goddess. She was the mother of all wolves. The Goddess who we served and who blessed us with our wolf-forms and our mates. And she was asking if I’d heard of her? “Oh, she’
Blake POV“What do you mean missing?!”Alpha Donal was a fearsome man at the best of times. I had been doing my best to keep the fact that no one had seen Aiden since he left to propose to Ciara under wraps. But it had been 3 days now with no sign of him. As Aiden’s future Beta, it was my duty to break the news to Alpha Donal.“I’m afraid that’s all the information we have Alpha. Aiden was last seen 3 days ago, by me, before departing to issue his proposal to Ciara as his chosen mate and future Luna. According to her, he never arrived and no one has seen or heard from him since.”I flinched but tried to remain calm as Alpha Donal’s fist collided with the wall dangerously close to my face. I was a competent warrior, but no match for an Alpha, even an aging one. He moved in close, his menacing expression fixed directly at me.“Find him pup. D
Selene POV“I think we should go back…”“And say what to him Liana? Sorry I freaked you out with my magic, and then disappeared into thin air like a crazy person?”“It’s a start… he’s our mate, he will forgive us.”“He shouldn’t have to… I handled that whole thing terribly.”I rubbed my temples and stared down into the pool. I’d apparated back to the portal entrance, but had been procrastinating about going back. The truth is, I didn’t think any of it was a mistake, and I didn’t want to leave Aiden. Liana was angry with me and I can’t blame her. I’d acted rashly and now I was alone, embarrassed and with no idea what my mate thought of me.“Selene…”I looked up to see a very naked Aiden, breathing heavily. He was starin
Aiden POVI kissed her feverishly. I knew we needed to talk, but that could wait. I wanted her more than I could stand.My eyes grew wide as she took a step back from me and unwrapped her dress, letting it fall to the floor and exposing her body to me. Every inch of her was perfect. Her full breasts rose and fell with her shallow breaths. Her arousal flooding my senses.As we collided again, I was doing my best to keep Ronan at bay. He wanted us to mate and mark her as soon as possible, but the human side of me wanted to pleasure her. I wanted to take my time exploring her body before completing the mate-bond. As my hand started to roam south, almost at her folds, my attention was torn from her at the sound of a familiar voice bellowing through the cave.“Aiden! What the devil are you doing!?”“Blake? What the devil am I doing? What the devil are you doing!?&rdq
Selene POVI suppose it was a good thing Aiden and I were interrupted before we could complete the mate bond. Obviously, there was much to consider, and the intrusion of the highlander was conveniently timed.I wanted Aiden more than I’d ever wanted anything before. But when Blake mentioned us going back to the pack and me being introduced as Luna, reality came crashing down around me. I was a deity, practically a goddess. Immortal. Aiden was a werewolf, a powerful one, but his life was as mortal as any human. We hadn’t even begun to consider what this union would mean for either of us.Was I to remain young and beautiful only to watch him grow old and eventually die? My heart ached at the thought of it. Or, if I completed the bond, would the gods force me to relinquish my immortality?There was too much unknown.Then there was Blake; he seemed completely oblivious to
Selene POV“As we enter the realm of the gods, as mortals, there are a few key things you must remember. One, assume that anything has the potential to kill you, even if it looks harmless. Two, trust no one other than me. And three, keep your wits about you, distraction could get you killed.”“Right, everything will kill us. Got it.” Blake said teasingly, typical highlander.“This is serious. Aiden is at risk from anyone who comes to learn what he is to me. But in particular, my mother and…. One other.”My mother would be an obstacle, but she was faithful to the old ways and the decisions made by the all-father. In time, I felt she would come to accept Aiden as my fated mate. I had grave concerns about Gabriel though. The archangel was deadly and made no secret of the fact that he was in love with me. How I’d managed to evade him these last few days wa