Page 18 of Ruthless Moon

For these few stolen moments, we can pretend there’s nothing standing in our way. For these few moments I can revel in the way his tongue explores my mouth, tasting every bit of me.

One of his hands moves and cups the back of my head, angling it to give him more access. And his other hand drops to my back and then to my ass, pulling my hips harder against his aroused body.

He swallows my selfish moan of pleasure and his wolf rumbles in his chest again. Not an angry growl this time. More of a pleased you-belong-to-me growl.

Which is dangerous.

Because I don’t.

Because I never can.

I fight the war inside my heart and tear myself from his grasp, my breaths coming in hard pants. My wolf is so close to the surface. So angry at me for fighting this.

“Gen.” He says my name and it rips another piece of my soul from my chest. The pain is more than I ever thought I could bear. But I will find a way to manage, knowing he’s safe. I have to, because the nightmare of my father finding out and killing him in front of me is so much worse.

“I can’t. We can’t. You know we can’t.” I pull his shirt over my head and let my wolf out. And then I run.

And run.

And run.

Chapter Six

Being the Honorable Man Sucks Sometimes

LIAM O’CONNOR

The moon is high over my head, bathing me in soft white light. The wind gusts every few moments, bringing the scent of pine and living whispers of the forest that surrounds me on all sides. The stillness mixed with unseen chaos is fitting, reflecting the turmoil in my mind.

I lean back against the side of the truck and wait for Bast. The video of Gen naked plays on a loop in my head. Breathtaking. Then her wolf. Beautiful. Then her fleeing back up the mountain runs in my head on a loop. Pain. It mixes with the memory of tasting and touching her.Fuck.

Bast is going to be pissed. Hell, my whole family is going to be madder than a bull being strapped to ride. The weight of their expectations and the future of our pack press down on me, making it hard to breathe.

After we talk to Aiden, I’m packing my shit and leaving. I won’t make it here, not another day. The temptation to sneak up that mountain and steal her away is too great.

My heart races, adrenaline still courses through my veins like wildfire. I clench my fists, digging my nails into my palms to anchor myself to reality. I can’t give in to my desires.

Once she’s married to Aiden and living in our territory, it will be too hard. I don’t want to hate my cousin.

Fuck.

I won’t be that man. I won’t be the one who looks jealously at another man’s wife. Their marriage will be hard enough with Aiden’s grieving heart and Gen’s broken one.

The image of them together, trying to build something out of this messed-up situation, haunts me. I can’t be the storm that destroys everything Aiden has built to keep the pack safe.

I won’t be that selfish. If there’s any chance of this working out and our pack’s independence being saved, I have to go.

I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with cool mountain air, and steady myself. The decision to leave is a stone settling in my gut, heavy and immovable. A raw ache claws at my chest, each breath an effort, each step a defiance against the torment.

But I will press on.

For the pack. For Gen. For a future that has no place for me.

Tomorrow I’ll disappear. And then it will get easier.

I hear my brother before I see him. The trees loom over his head, their branches reaching out like skeletal hands, grasping at the air.

His golden gaze reflects in the moonlight, looking for me. Shadows dance across his face, hinting at the turmoil within. He senses the change in me, the dark cloud that’s settled over my soul.

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