Page 83 of In the Light of the Moon

Meredith held her cigarette between two elegant fingers, and her face was pinched in haughty indignation at Graham looming over her. Ana and Jasper stood behind him, but they blanched when they saw Orion and I heading toward them. “… and if you think for a second that I give a shit about who you are, you’re sorely mistaken.” For good measure, Meredith blew smoke in their faces.

The joy my mate had been experiencing thirty seconds ago completely evaporated, and that fact made me more upset than anything. The records he bought were in a paper bag clutched at his side, but his posture was rigid. The softness in his eyeshardened in an instant, and I felt the energy around him start to churn.

“You come to my territory without asking permission? I think my pack and I have been quite hospitable in letting it go this long.” Graham spoke low enough to obscure his words from the festival goers wandering around. But he was growing more brazen.

“Get away from us, Graham, and take your followers with you,” Orion’s voice was beginning to rumble, but when Graham’s attention directed to me, he let loose a full out growl. Passersby looked around, certainly hearing something but unsure of where the noise came from with no animals around. I wondered how in the hell all of this was kept a secret from most people. How it’d been kept secret frommefor so long.

I pushed forward, despite Orion trying to keep me shielded behind him, “Don’t make me keep good on my promise. Leave all of us alone.”

“As if I give a fuck about you or your little threats,” Graham sneered, and that was it.

I lurched forward.Hurthurthurthurt,was a constant string blaring between my ears, but I was thrown behind a wall of comfort and restraining protection. Orion’s arms circled around me, holding my shaking body.

I had just enough sense to not start swiping at him, but I was seething, looking for any other way to get at Graham, to get at his throat, to scratch deep lines in his arrogant face. To make him pay for bothering us. To make him hurt. “Baby, you need to let me go. Let me go let me go let me go,” my hands were down at my side, opening and clenching at nothing. Orion, though, was strong enough to keep me immobile.

“Mo ghrá,” his voice was strained, stiff, “I will handle it. Please let me take care of you.”

“Orion,” I jerked in his arms, but it just made him hold me tighter and kiss my temple, “I love you, but get the fuck off of me, I will fuck him up—” I flailed and thrashed, but he held on tight.

His words were a mixture of sweet and harsh, “Sylvie,stop. I know you can take care of yourself, but we are in public, and I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret. You letmehandle this.” He placed another kiss on my temple, took a deep breath, and held it for a few moments. He exhaled, then started on another inhale, and I found myself mimicking the action.

Orion still wasn’t letting me go, but the breaths were helping. I was feeling less and less like my skin was too tight on my bones. Like I wasn’t going to search for the nearest thing I could use as a weapon.

“Yourthreats and posturing are completely asinine, and how my son hasn’t taken his rightful place as Leader is beyond me. But what Idoknow, is that I have no time for someone who’s decided to make his daddy issues everyone else’s problem. Now, get away from us before I remind you how to respect your elders.”

“Get your?—”

“Hey, okay, let’s all just calm down!” A new voice rang out between everyone—Jasper. The murmuring of humans around us was coming more into focus, and Orion must’ve sensed my calming down because his arms loosened enough for me to turn my head. My cheek was still smooshed into his chest, but I saw Ramona’s wide eyes going between us, her mom, and the pack members we were facing.

“Graham, now is not the time. My mother has done nothing wrong, and your resorting to accosting those connected to me when I’m not around just shows you to be weak. Unless you want me to shift and blow up all of this shit right here and now, I suggest you leave.” Buried in my loose hair, Orion’s claws scratched soothingly at my scalp.

“Fine. Next time, it’s you and me, White One,” and the smile he gave, instead of making the rage flare again, chilled me to my core. He didn’t spare any of us or his pack members another glance before turning and walking further into the holiday market.

The people that’d been lingering around to eavesdrop eventually started to dissipate, unaware that the simple brawl they’d expected could’ve gone a completely different way.

Meredith dropped her cigarette butt to the ground and crushed it beneath her heeled boot. Her shoulders were thrown back gracefully, but when she looked up at Orion and I, I saw the dimming glow at the edges of her eyes.

The four of us stood for a moment until Ramona broke the silence, “So, would anyone care to tell me what the fuck that was?”

Orion grunted, but the sound was strained and not the usual resounding response he’d been giving his sister. His body loosened further around me, and I let him tug me by the hand toward a bench close by. His steps were not his usual smooth gait, and he all but collapsed onto the cold metal. Orion pulled me into his lap and latched himself onto my neck. My hands automatically went around him, even with the thicker layers we wore making it a bit more difficult. He breathed and scented at my throat, snuffled in my hair.

Now that I’d calmed down, the pack members no longer in sight, I noticed the faint tremors wracking Orion’s body. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve assumed he was shivering from the cold. But I knew that he didn’t ever really get cold, his Wolf nature making his body equipped for harsh winters.

“Baby? Are you okay?” I tilted his chin so that I could see his face. The dark circles under his eyes were even darker on his pale skin. His was looking off to the right, but he left his face open for me to examine.

He gave a wan smirk, and at least his eyes looked as clear and bright as usual. “Yeah. Just need a second.”

“Why?” Ramona and I asked at the same time. I glanced toward Meredith whose face was now pinched in concern, even with her standing a few paces away.

Orion brought his lips to mine, and I accepted the nuzzling of his nose. Even with the tenderness, he winced and breathed between us, “You’re very strong, my little witch,” and then louder and meant for his sister and mother, “just give us a minute.” I pulled back in horror, reading the true meaning behind his words.

Meredith started murmuring to Ramona, explaining the requirement of some packs for shifters visiting the area to notify the local Pack Leader, but I only caught bits and pieces while I continued to search Orion’s drained face.

“Orion… did I hurt you?” Tears started to well and, despite my better efforts to blink them away, fall. My skin was still flushed from our encounter with Graham, but the tears felt cool in the winter air.

I brought my hands to his face and felt the clench in his jaw. He was trying to figure out what to say to me, and that was enough confirmation on its own. More tears fell, but I pushed past my shame for something far more pressing. I thought of calm, of delightful rest after a long day, and sent the feeling through my touch to him. His white lashes closed over his eyes, and the rumbling purr he let loose was low and content.

Orion stopped shaking, and his breathing deepened. Soon, he grasped my wrists and gently pulled them off his face. He placed sweet kisses on my wrists, one by one, and this time he met my eyes. His lids were lowered a bit, but it made him look peaceful, maybe sleepy. Orion smiled at me, “I love you, Sylvie.”

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