His Reluctant Luna

Ch 29 - I Killed My Mate

I watched her tremble as she took in my wolf, he was fierce but I hated that she feared him. He should be her greatest protector, where she felt safest, instead he had become the monster that threatened to tear us both apart.

"I'm not going back with you." Her voice shook, though defiance was clear on her face. My mate looked tired. Her pack looked heavy on her back, I'd been stupid to give it back to her. Stupid to listen to my mother who insisted she would feel better with familiar things.

The breeze caught her hair, lifting it enough to show me a bruise on the left side of her face and I knew who was the culprit. Rage boiled in my gut, white hot. I pressed my claws into the earth and breathed, focusing on her to calm me. Not her eyes, they were too defiant to calm my wolf, not her mouth, those lips were too dangerous to be soothing. I focused on the beat of her heart, the pulse of blood in her veins. If I lost control, the beat and pulse might stop forever. I let the rhythm of them calm me before letting go of my wolf, exchanging fur for skin.

Her blue gaze ran over my naked body and I let it. I wanted her to look at me and my wolf preened with pride as her heart rate picked up. She liked what she saw. She wanted me and without thinking, I took a step towards her. She flinched away.

"Don't come any closer!" She warned and I stopped in my tracks, my hands raised. Was she really so afraid of me? Some foolish part of me had thought she'd be pleased to be found after having been attacked and lost in the woods.

I wanted to grab her, claim her and drag her back to my pack but that wouldn't work, not yet. I needed to keep her calm. I straightened, pulling myself to my full height, letting her get a good look at the strength of my body. I was designed for her, to draw her in and from the look in her eyes I could see her yearning.

"Iona, come away from the edge." I kept my voice calm, coaxing.

"I'm not going back!" She yelled, trying so hard to sound fierce. "I won't!"

She would. She had no choice.

Her small hands trembled with exhaustion and fear. The alpha in me reached out to soothe her, knowing how easily I could calm her but as soon as my power touched her I knew it was the wrong move. She backed up a step, her gaze furious.

"Don't you do that to me! I'll jump I swear."

"Okay, okay..." I raised my hands again, trying not to lose my shit as she stepped ever closer to the edge. "Iona, please. Come back with me. My people, they need -"

"- I don't care!" She yelled, "I can't let you do that to - stop moving!" My wolves had been fanning out around me, slowly inching closer to her. She took another step back and they paused, each wolf watching, tense. I could see their hind quarters ready to pounce. Konnor shifted.

"Luna, we're not going to hurt you, we can talk and-"

"Liar!" She screamed. I stared at her, searching for the stoic woman I'd come to know, the one who'd stared me down as I'd muzzled her, who hadn't flinched at any threat or warning. My Luna was fierce, this woman was terrified.

In that moment, I felt like a fool. A fool for not looking past her tough veneer to see just how frightened of me she was. The mask had been ripped off now and I felt the pain of her fear deep inside.

"You're lying. He's going to hurt me." She flung an accusatory finger at me, her eyes wide like a cornered animal. If she was frightened of me now, I could only imagine how frightened she would be after the ceremony.

"I won't, just come away from the edge, please." It was a lie. Hurting her was inevitable but that was a problem for tomorrow. Right now, all I could see was how close she was to falling and how close she was to taking my mind with her. She wouldn't jump, I was sure of that much but falling was too easy.