Page 61 of Forsaken Desire
The way he took command really did something to me. I squeezed my thighs together. I’d been needy all day . . .
“Here you go,” a female chirped, setting a plate in front of me. Slices of meat with cheese adorned the porcelain plate. “I’ll bring your drink.”
“I can get it myself,” I blurted out, awkwardly.
She paused, her eyebrows raised, and her mouth opened and closed like she didn’t know what to say. Her eyes continued to flick from side to side.
I inhaled, catching her scent.
“You’re human.”
“Yes, Luna,” she murmured, bowing her head similar to how others had in a show of respect.
“Humans can be part of a pack?” Galina was human, but I’d never had the chance to ask questions because I didn’t want togive them a clue into how blind I was to shifter information. I wasn’t sure how wolves mated with humans. Tiptoeing around what we were seemed like such a headache. “But how . . . if humans can’t know about us?”
“It’s frowned upon, but their bond eventually appeared, giving him the go-ahead to tell her,” Alex explained, pulling Lucian’s chair out so it wasn’t so close to me. He straddled it, arms resting on the top of it. “Samantha’s mated to a low-ranking Beta.”
“You had to mention his rank,” she muttered.
“Yup.” He smirked at her as she turned to walk away. “Wait.” She stopped. “Lucian might behead me if he sees me alone with her.”
Samantha sighed and sat on the chair nearest to her on the other side of the table.
“You’re joking, right?” I asked, an uncomfortable laugh leaving my mouth. She wasn’t acting like it was said in jest.
They both gave me a strange look. And as if synchronized, both their gazes flicked down to the indents of his teeth bruising my throat, but they didn’t say anything. Alex scratched his scalp.
“Do you know your mate?” Samantha asked as I moved my hair forward to block the bruised but healing bite.
“You’re making me feel like I don’t,” I muttered and cleared my throat.
“I don’t rue your position,” she commented, a wry smile on her lips. “He’s always been terrifying.”
“And it was made clear no one was to approach you.”
“How, he’s been with me the entire time?”
“Bruno,” Samantha announced.
“He’s taken the place as his right hand.”
Cierra had been that before him. The awkward looks on their faces made it clear the topic made them uncomfortable.
“You should eat, Luna,” Samantha said.
I peeked at the food and plucked up some meat from the plate.
After being used tofeed, or whatever spread I could come up with from the items I purchased from the commissary, my palate had been pretty limited. The smell of savory BBQ filled my nose. My mouth watered, and I gave in. The smoky tang of sauce exploded on my tongue. With my bite into the meat, juices filled my mouth. Fuck, this was delicious. I took another bite, almost taking my finger with it. Alex and Samantha watched me with their eyebrows raised.
I straightened and cleared my throat, trying to play off my salivating.
“It’s really good,” I said, putting down the meat. “I’d been meaning to ask Lucian, but can you explain what happens tonight?” They both stared at me like I was talking nonsense. It was the Blood Moon, and all this was set up because of it, but I wanted to see if they dislodged any more information from my broken memory.
“I was rogue,” I offered instead of telling them I didn’t remember shit from my past. A little tidbit from Tate. Rogue shifters had no pack. They were rare as hell, especially since shifters thrived in groups. And it was safer.
Samantha’s mouth formed a circle, nodding.
“Only under the energy of a Blood Moon can mates claim each other. Challenges and ceremonies are also events just for Blood Moons.”
