Page 47 of Luna Ascending

Angus as my father's beta is in no position to take over – his every waking minute is spent placating an irrational, half-starved witch who still has no proper grasp on reality.

It might win me no friends, especially in the older generation, but we won't have a younger generation if someone doesn't take charge. I'll need to have an official alpha-blooding ceremony fucking soon to keep them on side.

The hostages we rescued regain their strength over the next few days and start to come before me to tell their pitiful stories. The extent of the experiments are horrific, and for my beta's sake I'm glad we made a move when we did. I don't know what he'd have done if Liz was put through what some of these shifters went through. At least she was only captive for a short time.

Some of the captives were tortured for information, others with genetics the Coven were interested in underwent horrendous testing. More than a handful have lost their shifter animal, and all of them are fucking traumatised.

I give them a choice – either I set them up with some money, clothes and food and let them go wherever they want, or, they swear loyalty to me and my pack and stay here under my protection, regardless of breed. A few slink away, unable to deal with what's been done to them, seeking solitude to lick their wounds. Others have a pack and family they want to return to.

A good handful of tough looking misfit shifters swear allegiance to me. It's an unexpected bonus. Now I have a group of shifters loyal to me, not my father or the old council, but to me. They're grateful for being rescued and they have vengeance on their minds – I need blood like this.

All the responsibility that comes with taking charge doesn't wipe out the image of Freya fighting alongside my men. It plays on repeat. I have one amazing, sexy woman, and thankfully she seems to have forgiven my loss of control. So when she approaches me with waggling eyebrows and suggests some alone time, I pounce.

I carry her squealing, slight frame up to our rooms and toss her lightly on the bed. I take my time looking her up and down, appreciating her – my fiery red-headed witch hybrid. Touching her makes my skin tingle.

I press my mouth hard into hers, possessing her. Mine. Her cheeky little tongue darts into my mouth teasing me. I pull away, breaking contact briefly to yank my shirt off, desperate to feel her against my bare skin. Her grumble of discontent at me moving away makes me smirk.

I watch, entranced, as she slips out of her top. Unable to just observe, I run my hands down her shoulders and across her breasts, watching delighted as the skin puckers and responds to my touch.

Freya reaches up and pulls me to her and I let my weight pin her down. My wolf is so near the surface, demanding I make her mine, demanding I mark her. I hold back with difficulty. Marciel rushed her; I need to let her take it at her own pace. Fuck me is it difficult.

I tug her trousers off and pull her panties to the side, rubbing my thumb across her clit and making her hiss. Fuck, she's so wet for me already. It's awesome she's so turned on. I tease her nipples with my tongue, trying to take everything slowly, at a pace I can control my wolf, but Freya wriggles and bucks her hips into my hand demanding more.

I crawl swiftly out my jeans and nudge her legs apart, positioning myself between them. I need this woman like I've never needed anything before. I take my dick in my hand and tease her slit with it, making her eyes widen. Hell, do I like that look of wanton need on her face.

“Aaron, please... I want you. Now”

“Not yet Freya” I murmur, nibbling along her earlobe before putting a finger inside her slit, teasing her. I won't be able to avoid marking her if I come, and I don't think she's ready for that... but I can sure as hell give her the best orgasm ever.

I flick her clit with my finger and nip down her neck to her breasts with my teeth. Her breathing's heavy and rapid and she squirms under me. I have to hold my wolf in tight check as she bucks under my touch.

I kiss lightly down her stomach and along her panty line before burying my face in her pussy. Her musky smell in intoxicating. I slowly tease her engorged clit with my tongue, while fucking her with two fingers. She gasps, grabbing my hair and letting out a low guttural moan, shuddering to a stop. I didn't realise she was so close. Wiping my mouth I sit up to look into her face, pleased with myself, and acutely turned on.

My wolf is still fighting me, demanding we mark her. When I feel her two little fangs graze my neck I loose it, and then she bites. Hard. She marks me, and it's like the world is exploding. I've never felt anything so carnal, so intense.

I let out an involuntary growl and my wolf takes over. I thrust my cock deep inside her making her gasp, and in the same moment I pin her hands back and bite her neck, mate-marking her, making her mine.

Mine.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Freya's POV

I can't believe Aaron could be so cruel. We've not known each other really all that long, but I didn't think he had that streak in him. In that cell, with the mercenary, his face was contorted and ugly. Hatred shone out of it. If I hadn't been so angry with him for loosing control, I would've been scared of him. I shiver, just thinking about it makes me cold inside.

I had to step up, I had to stop him. He looked shocked, dazed when I screamed at him. I had to flex my powers and compel him before he really snapped out of it. A little tingling shiver ran over my birthmark and into the back of my head, and he obeyed.

I felt his wolf balk at the intrusion, but sensing his mate, his wolf stopped resisting and Aaron the man obeyed. I had no idea I could even do that.

I'm still fuming with Aaron when I feel a force like a sledgehammer hitting me right where my majik lives. As I stagger sideways under the wave of malevolent power the whole pack house descends into darkness.

Suddenly I'm a little girl alone and afraid in the dark, and this darkness is moving. As angry as I am at him, I want Aaron here. He makes me feel safe. The house feels like it's being shaken by an unseen storm... but I can feel the thing that's shaking it, almost as if it were a part of me.

The energy flowing through the house is tremendous. For a split second I wonder if I've lost control of my majik before it hits me – it's my mum, it's Morganna. Aaron and Lyell must have gotten the collars off. Holy shit what have we unleashed? The tremors reverberate through the house and I hear people shouting and running in alarm.

Aaron dashes across the room, scoops me up and clutches me to him – all our anger forgotten. Even though I'm terrified the house is about to fall on us it feels good being held tightly against his muscled chest like this. I breath his scent in deeply and feel my wolf calm. I centre myself, ready to challenge Morganna's majik, when suddenly the surges of power stop.

I look up, hopeful she's managed to gain control of herself, and my heart sinks a little. She didn't – it looks like Angus knocked her out, and he's utterly distraught at what he's done. I try to comfort him – he did what had to be done to protect the pack, and Morganna.

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