Page 6 of Luna Rising

“No.” His alpha pull retreated like a wave rolling back out to sea. “I’m asking you to be there as my mate, as one half of the alpha couple. Because I need you by my side, and the pack needs to see you are ready to lead them. That you are above petty relationship drama.”

“Excuse me? Are you serious right now? She tried to kill me. I mean, technically, she did kill me, Ewan. This isn’t some teenage love triangle gone wrong.”

“Actually, that’s exactly what it is,” he deadpanned.

I was too incensed to stop mid-rant, so I just kept going as if he hadn’t interrupted. “She and I have had problems for centuries. Centuries. Do you know how long that is? And she tried to kill me. I cannot stress this point enough. Because murder is way worse than stealing someone’s boyfriend. Besides, you were mine first.”

I regretted the last part immediately, fully expecting Ewan to remind me that I had given up any claim when I rejected him. Thankfully, only one of us was feeling petty tonight, and it wasn’t him.

He reached for my hand and slid his fingers between mine. “I was yours first. I am yours now. I have always been yours—heart, body, and soul. Never doubt that. And that is an order from your alpha.”

His words sent a happy shiver down my spine. He leaned in and captured my bottom lip between his sharp teeth. The tension in my muscles subsided, and I slid my arms around his neck and crushed my mouth to his, still annoyed but no longer fuming with anger.

Tears filled my eyes as if the abundance of sudden and overwhelming emotion needed an outlet. Under very different circumstances, this would’ve been a happy occasion. Ewan and I should’ve been on our honeymoon, holed up in some island resort where we never left the suite because we were too busy in the bedroom. Instead, I spent the days after my bonding ceremony in a mental prison of tortured memories from past lives. It wasn’t right.

Ewan cupped my face, his thumbs brushing away the tears that leaked down my cheeks. “I love you, Zara,” he whispered. “I chose you, just as you chose me. Nobody will ever come between us again. Please, let’s put Angelica to rest, and then we can truly move on with our lives.”

My hackles rose as her name crossed his lips. Bile burned my throat as the anger returned, and I had the urge to kill her all over again. And yet, I nodded. Not because Ewan made me. Deep down, I knew he was right. Putting her to rest would give us all closure. And then I would never have to hear her name again.

“Okay,” I murmured as he wiped more tears from my cheeks. “I can be the bigger person. For you. For us.”

His fangs peeked out when he smiled. “That’s my girl.” A shadow washed over his expression. “First, you need to get the bloodlust under control.”

My throat itched the moment he mentioned blood. Until that instant, the thought hadn’t crossed my mind.

He tilted his head so his neck was on full display. My gaze fixed on the blue vein running beneath his pale skin. He cupped my jaw, gold and crimson swirling in his irises.

“Where do you want it from?” he teased, voice thick and sultry.

My mouth went dry, fangs fully extended. I nipped the skin between his thumb and forefinger, scraping my teeth just hard enough to draw two thin lines of red. Ewan’s chest heaved as he sucked in an unnecessary breath. I bite down harder.

His blood washed over my tongue and down my throat, soothing the ache. He captured my gaze. Gold blazed in his eyes as I drank from him. Each pull of blood strengthened our connection.

For those several blissful minutes, nothing else in the world mattered. I didn’t care that our bonding ceremony had ended in tragedy. Nor did I give a shit that we weren’t on our honeymoon. Ewan and I, after centuries and multiple lives, were finally together. My love for him was so intense, I worried it verged on unhealthy. Maybe obsession.

I grew tired the more I drank. My eyelids fluttered, and I fought to stay awake. The dreams were too much. I wanted to stay in the here and now with the man I’d loved and lost so long ago.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, stroking my hair as I curled up in the pillows and he stretched out beside me. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Ewan gathered me in his arms, my head resting against his chest.

“Promise?” I whispered, slurring the single word.

His lips brushed my forehead. “I’ve waited so long for this–for us. For you to be mine, and for me to be yours.”

My lips curved into a lazy smile as my mind began to drift. “I’ve always been yours.”

He squeezed me tighter. “Now it’s official.”

Darkness took over. I concentrated on Ewan’s touch, hoping the memories would be pleasant. With his blood running through my veins, I felt strong enough to face the past. The dreams were important. They showed me my mistakes and my triumphs, and somewhere in those memories was the key to defeating Mat. To stopping the eternal king from executing his plan. I wondered if that was why Ewan always gave me his blood, to direct my dreams.

Voice distant, he spoke inside my head. “You are mine. No one else will ever feel the pierce of your fangs.”

The words soothed me, his possessiveness oddly welcome. Maybe it was because I felt the same way about him. Now that we’d sealed the bond, he was mine, and I wouldn’t share him with anyone.

“That better work both ways,” I thought.

The dream sucked me in before he could reply. I steeled myself and focused on Ewan’s power coursing through me.

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