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’s been mentioned here and there…” I couldn’t help but tease sarcastically. The look on her face told me this didn’t impress her.
“Well…” she continued, ignoring my quips with more grace than I deserved. “She is my Mother.”
“She is all of our mother, we are werewolves…”
She rolled her eyes. I sensed at this point I needed to do a little less talking and a little more listening.
“I’m sorry love, I won’t interrupt you again. I’m listening…”
The frustration lifted from her beautiful features as her face softened and she looked at me gratefully.
“She is not my mother in the sense that she is yours. She is not my goddess, she is my mother. As in, she who gave birth to me…”
“Say something” Ronan snapped from my mind as I stared at her in disbelief.
“What do I say to that? She just told me that she’s the daughter of the Moon Goddess! I don’t know what’s worse. That she said it, or that I believe her!”
“Of course, you believe her, she is our mate. She would not lie to us.”
Wolves were such simple creatures. Unwaveringly loyal to the mate bond. Ronan was already committed to her, body and mind. There was nothing she could say or do to sway him. The blessing or curse of our human side is our suspicious nature. Although I was drawn to her in a way I had no way of describing, my trust was not as blind as my wolf’s. I knew nothing about her, and I needed to understand far more before I could give myself over to the mate bond. Despite every bone in my body urging me to stop this conversation in its tracks and claim her mouth with mine.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” She asked, a hint of hurt in her voice.
“No… I mean yes, I do believe you. I think that’s the problem. Shit. I’m sorry. This is… a lot.”
She took a step toward me and for some reason, I took a step back. Idiot. She looked pained at my reaction and I felt like an arse. There was much I didn’t know about her, but I knew I was in no danger.
“This was a mistake… I should go…”
Before I could make a move to stop her she was gone. She had disappeared right before my eyes. Shit.
“Now you’ve done it…”
“Yes, thank you Ronan for your keen observation… How about instead of sarcasm, you offer me something useful, like, I don’t know, a solution on how the hell we find her?”
“Our mate is the daughter of a Goddess, skilled in ancient magic. Do you think it’s going to be easy to find her, especially if she doesn’t want to be found?”
“Well let’s hope there is part of her, even if it’s just the wolf part, that does want to be found. Come on wolf, let’s find our mate…”
Ronan growled with approval as we made our way out of the cabin. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Her scent was faint, but it was there…
If I wasn’t certain before, the second she disappeared, I knew it. She was mine. And I was hers, and this would be the last time I would ever make her feel like she needed to run from me….
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
Aiden POV“Selene! What’s happening to him?”I tried to rush toward my Beta and best friend, but my mate held me back. She was a strong little thing.“You must give him space, the transformation has begun.”“Transformation? What do you mean transformation?”“He is a Highlander…”“Love, I’m quite aware of his roots, I need to know what the devil is happening to him.”I was beginning to panic. After Blake took a sip of the stream water he immediately fell to his knees. He arched back as the light began pouring from him in streams. He was screaming in what appeared to be utter agony. Shifting rapidly from wolf to human over and over. As if in some kind of internal battle.“No, He is a Highlander…”
Selene POVI wanted to follow Aiden but Blake stopped me.“Leave him, Luna. He needs to be alone….”“Was it something I said?”“Perhaps, not intentionally. I don’t think he likes needing to be protected, especially by his mate. He is an Alpha, Selene. He is always the strongest wolf in the room, second only to his Father.”“I understand….”I looked in the direction Aiden had headed when I sensed it. We were not alone, and whoever was with us was powerful.When I apparated, I found myself standing firmly between Aiden and a tense-looking Gabriel.“Selene, I had received word of your return, although I wasn’t expecting you to bring home a dog.”Gabriel cocked his head to one side and looked Aiden up and down. The growl that rumb
Aiden POV“Wait… You want us to mate? Here? Now?”I was looking at Selene and feeling dumbfounded. Wasn’t it her idea to hold off on mating until we understood the consequences of this pairing? All of a sudden after a run in with her ex she wants to rush in and complete the bond. Ronan was in a frenzy.“What are you waiting for? Claim her, mark her!” He growled from inside my mind.I used all of my willpower to keep him at bay. I wanted her as badly as he did. But something about this felt… forced.“If we present ourselves with an incomplete bond, we are vulnerable. Once the bond is complete we will be stronger. You will come into your full strength as Alpha, we know that much…”“And how could it affect you?”I didn’t miss the glance sideways she made before