Page 39 of Nyte's Rejected Luna

“Oh, how fun!” she cheered. “I was meeting up with a friend there! He loves the sights in the peninsula area and told me I had to come to see them for myself.”

I frowned, looking her up and down. She wasn’t exactly dressed for the cliffs, but I didn’t say anything. Maybe this friend of hers was a rebound date to get her mind off Nyte and her delusions of grandeur at his side. I’m sure she just wanted to look her best for this date, even if the location and her outfit weren’t exactly matching up.

“Yeah,” I continued the conversation, not wanting to ride in a quiet car with her. “The cliffs are beautiful. Tourists love them, so it gets crowded, especially at sunset. But come nightfall, that’s the best time to be there.”

“You go there often?” she asked innocently, her eyes on the road.

“Yeah. I grew up in the area. Grandma held our coven meetings there when I was a kid. Human cops intervened, however. They told us we needed to have a permit if we had more than a certain number of people gathering there after dark. So, Ama opened her own shop with a big warehouse on the back, and that’s where they meet now.”

“Humans are ridiculous with their permits to gather places,” Katya chuckled. “It’s like they see a group of people and just assume they must be up to no good. They never stop to think that someone alone with no ties to anyone or anything is the real danger.”

I looked over at Katya, enjoying this new side of her that I was seeing. She looked brighter now. And though I could tell she was gorgeous before, downright celebrity material, with the ease of our conversation and getting along, she somehow looked even more beautiful.

“So, this friend,” I prodded, watching her shoulder stiffen a bit at the mention of him. “Is he a friend, friend? Or is he a potential more than friend, friend?”

She giggled, sparing me a glance as she wiggled her eyebrows. “That is for me to know and you to find out.”

I joined her in a laugh, shaking my head. “Well, You certainly are dressed like a girl trying to impress, so if you’re aim is more than friends, then you’re a sure thing.”

Her cheeks blushed, turning her eyes back to the road as we entered the cemetery. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome, Katya. And thank you for picking me up. You aren’t as bad as I had thought you were.”

She smiled and shrugged. “Yeah, well, I’m a complicated girl. What can I say?”

The rest of the drive was quiet. Katya turned on the radio; the two of us occasionally sang along with a song as it came on. I mostly stared out the window, watching the landscape and buildings change in a blur. The last time I had been up this way was with Nyte to attend my family’s dinner, it had been the first night out around my family since he had marked me.

I had felt so guilty then, believing I was deceiving them with my mateship to Nyte. Every time Ama had praised our pairing, a piece of me had died a little. I couldn’t enjoy my family’s joy for me because I believed it was all fake. I sighed under my breath, the music on the radio drowning out the sound as Katya sang along at the top of her lungs.

Why couldn’t Nyte have just been honest with me?

I know the cards had been vague when they pointed me in his direction, but that came with the territory of premonitions and fortune-telling. The powers often enjoyed sending you on a quest without all the facts. But Nyte was different. He should have trusted me with the truth. You weren’t ready to know. That was what he had told me. Who the hell was he to decide what I was prepared for? I wasn’t a child. I’ve helped to save people with my visions. I wasn’t fragile to crazy news. Not with the things I’ve witnessed just by closing my eyes. So, what made him believe I wasn’t ready to know the truth about him being my mate?

I sat a little straighter in my seat, my eyes widening as another thought rose. How long exactly has he known? I have been so angry up till now that I assumed he had known since I approached him with the idea of faking it. But he had to of known before then. Werewolves could smell the bond the moment it fell into place, and Nyte had practically lived at my home until then.

When exactly did he know that I was his mate?

The car began to slow and turn, the change of speed and movement pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked around then, immediately recognizing the parking lot to the cliffs and beach.

I smiled at Katya, gathering my bag and reaching for the door handle. “Thank you for the ride,” I said.

“Wait!” She gasped, grabbing my arm to keep me from leaving the car.

I looked back at her, confused, raising my brows. “What?”

“I have no idea where he wanted to meet. You said you come here a lot. Just help me find the meeting spot, and then you can go. I helped you. Now you help me.”

I sighed, rolling my eyes as I nodded. “Alright, alright. I’ll help you. Where did he say to meet him at?”

Katya’s face brightened with an Academy Award-winning smile, clapping her hands together excitedly. “Yay! Thank you!” She grabbed her phone, pulling up the message, and read it aloud. “Meet me at the sea caves. I’ll be just inside.”

“Of course,” I sighed, opening the car door and getting out. “I know where to go. It’s as big an attraction as the cliffs themselves. Come on; I’ll show you.”

“You are such a lifesaver! I’m so glad I didn’t leave you on the side of the road.” Katya laughed, meeting me on the passenger side of the car and linking her arm with mine. “It’s too bad we got off to such a rough start. I can see us being great friends.”

I laughed, leading the way to the path towards the sea caves. The area was surprisingly bare of people. Only a few tourists passed us, making their way up the path. I could hear a few grumblings about the sea caves being closed, frowning as I looked back at them. The sea caves only closed at high tide, and the tide wasn’t high at this time. So why would they think they were closed? I looked back at Katya, watching her smile, looking around at the scenery in awe, completely ignoring the humans as they passed us.

“Hey,” I said, her gaze moving back to mine. “Are you sure he said the sea caves?”

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