Page 35 of Moonlit Choosing Ritual

“Yes,” she replied, looking out at the woods.

Chapter 18

Kimble

How could Josh betray me? It felt like the ground had crumbled beneath my feet. I had leaned on him so heavily, trusted him with everything, and then he plunged the knife into my back. And Talon… Talon was the one who pulled me from the edge of the abyss, just when I thought I’d been lost to the dark.

I didn’t want to appear needy, but over the past few days, touching Talon had become a necessity. I sought his body’s warmth.

I had never craved contact with anybody before. I was the only child of my mother and she made sure I slept away from her. And ever since I could remember, she only touched me when she wanted to beat me or ask me to do chores. I don’t recall her cuddling me ever. So I had to look after myself.

Whatever it was inside me that wanted to come out and break free—that was taken care of by her disgusting medicines. I was alone, inside out, and yet here I was, making a mess.

How could I roll to him and sleep on his chest every damn night? How could I find comfort in the wolf who had bought me? My logic failed me.

I would have been content if he were a wolf in sheep’s clothing. But Talon was a wolf in a wolf’s skin. He was sly, very shrewd, and not afraid to stoop low if he wanted things to go his way. That’s what he did. He would untie me every night without touching me because… whatever.

After he had killed that warrior who was flirting with me, I felt… aroused. This was the most bizarre reaction I’d ever experienced. At the same time, I was scared to look at any wolf around me, and they were equally scared to look at me. Overall, male wolves avoided me at all costs.

The servants in the manor had started hating me with more intensity than ever, some of them murmuring behind my back about how I was responsible for ousting Aria. How Aria was their Luna and I was the reason they couldn’t have her. And most importantly how I’d triggered Alpha Talon to kill an innocent wolf. He wasn’t innocent because he was talking roughly about his intention to have sex with me. Gross.

I felt like lashing out at them that it wasn’t my fault and that it was their Alpha’s doing. But I knew better than that. I stayed quiet because soon I was going to ask him to increase the price of staying in his bed. On my eighteenth birthday, I would ask him to touch me and each touch would obviously cost him the extra five thousand I had negotiated. I had done my math. In less than a year, I would be free. I chuckled at the thought that it had been me touching him every time so far.

Liam would drift into my thoughts sometimes. I had his number on my phone, but that number miraculously disappeared. I couldn’t help but compare him with Talon. Liam said he could marry me even though I wasn’t eighteen. That meant he could fuck me after the wedding. But Talon didn’t touch me because of a promise. And he could do anything to me since I was at his mercy. Or whim.

Nobody told me anything about Aria. Jackie visited me often and even she was tight-lipped about it. Eventually, I stopped asking.

I thought about Josh a lot. He was the only person who’d understood me well, but after Talon told me what he did, the last thread that tethered me to that feeling of love snapped. Still, I wanted to ask Josh about it myself. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

As we drove through the dark woods, I was surprised that the Moonlit Choosing Ritual took place here. It was a little scary,to be honest. “Are you taking part in the ritual?” I asked. It had been on the tip of my tongue for a long time.

“Yes.”

I clenched my fists in my lap. “That means you’ll be choosing your mate.”

“Yes.”

My lungs seized. “Then what about me?”

He brought the jeep to a screeching halt. He turned to look at me and said, “I haven’t decided.”

Now I wanted to scratch his face. I seethed, “You want to choose your mate, and you want to keep me. How ridiculous is that? You’re practically telling me that you’ll cheat on your wife with me.”

He cocked his head and smirked. “Are you jealous?” He got out of the jeep.

Yes, I was. What? Wait.

“Heck, no! But that’s not right!” I said, jumping out of the jeep. Something inside me slammed like a whisper, a tendril, making me stop in my tracks. I sucked in a sharp breath.

He stopped and turned his head over his shoulder. “Is everything okay?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Yeah!” I replied, as I gulped in more air. The same feeling returned.

He stared at me for a few seconds and then sauntered toward a thicket just a few yards away. He stood there with one hand in his pocket, holding a torch with the second one.

I stormed to him and opened my mouth to reproach him, but he cut me off. “What do you think of that tree?” he said, pointing the torch to a cedar tree that was thick and sturdy and a little secluded from the rest. Its leaves susurrated in the gentle breeze, sparkling under the soft moonlight.

“Why are you showing me a tree?” I asked, irritated.

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