Chapter 91 – The Perfect Luna by Marissa Gilbert

Filed To Story: The Perfect Luna by Marissa Gilbert

“Shame you didn’t mention the bomb in your packhouse, Ria,” Castiel tried to give her an arrogant smile, but it came out as a scowl.

“You are lying,” she looked at him with so much hate that his heart clenched. He never had a chance with her… He desperately wanted to believe that he did, but her eyes were telling a different story. And he hated that story so much. Why was he never getting what he really wanted? Why was it always like that? It was supposed to be his win, his triumph… But now his brother would have to finish what he started and win this war instead. Him. Again.

He could bet that his brother would even find a way to make Riannon stay with him if he wanted her. That bastard… He looked at her again and this time hate filled his heart. For his brother, for the lycan king before him, for the woman who did not fall for him, for the life that was slipping away through his multiple wounds.

He had seconds to make the decision… And he made it. He couldn’t go down like the loser king who got outsmarted by a woman and didn’t take all the creait for nis work, ne would know tnat tnis achievement was nis!

He opened the link with his last spy in Riannon’s pack, the one she didn’t figure out. Their eyes met and for a second he felt as if she understood what he was about to do. Her lips parted slightly while he said the code worked via the link.

“Blaze.” His man did not respond. He knew that once that word was said, he had work to do.

“What did you…” Riannon looked terrified now and he enjoyed that. Maybe that was what he had to do to her from the very beginning, not play nice to her as he did with the others.

“It’s done,” he laughed, coughing up more blood, “Right now… Your packhouse is gone. And you

…”

Gideon did not let him finish, realising what had just happened. One firm masterful movement of his leg and the fox’s neck was broken, ending the life of the controversial king. He couldn’t let him give any more orders to his spies.

Even the intel that he could give was not worth it. Castiel was too dangerous to for them alive.

He then to look at his mate who was already calculating what to do next. Her eyebrows furrowed and

Finally, she noticed him and their eyes met. Goddess, how much he missed her!

He would give everything to hug her, kiss her, take her… But he knew very well that he couldn’t. Everything was far from over.

He knew that Kyle and his Gamma would be able to fight off the ones who attacked the kingdom, but he had to be there to make sure everything went smoothly. He also knew that there was a disaster happening in Ria’s pack if

Castiel did not lie about the bomb.

“Who is missing?” Riannon asked all of a sudden and he did not understand at once what she meant.

“What are you…”

“Who is missing out of our people you brought with you here!” she was next to him in no time, her nails digging in his flesh. “Gideon! He gave someone an order via the mind link! It means that this person was within the range! It’s another spy in my pack! Or yours… But probably mine.”

She was muttering word after word but he knew where she was going with it. The house probably wasn’t exploded yet. There was still a chance to save people and even the building.

“I need a phone!” Riannon screamed and a young lycan appeared next to her at once, handing her what she asked. Her fingers pressed the familiar order of digits one by one and soon she heard her best friend’s voice.

“Yes?” Maya did not seem surprised. She was waiting for the news.

“Get back to the pack. Order to evacuate the packhouse! Now!” Ria screamed,

“And every nearby building too. There might be an explosion, so make sure people are at a safe distance. No one should be left inside. And place people around the perimeter. See who comes back first from the ones you sent and catch them if you can. I’ll be back soon too.”

“Sure you will,” her Beta said and, before hanging up added, “I will do everything.” Ria gave the phone back to the warrior and fixed the shawl on her shoulders.

They couldn’t even spare a second, but when their eyes met again, Gideon grasped her hand and pulled her into his chest. He kissed her hungrily, greedily.

As if she was air and he was drowning. As if his life depended on that one kiss.

As if it was the last time…

“No, Ria, come with me,” he muttered, not willing to let her go again. First he had to wait for her to feel their bond. Then she was taken from him. And now he couldn’t face parting with her yet again.

She was his. His woman, his love, his Luna, his Queen, his equal. She was his everything.

“I need to get back to my pack,” she swallowed, glancing at him through her lashes. “I am the Alpha. This is what Alphas do. If the explosion happens, I need to make sure I am there working with everyone. If it’s prevented, I will bring my people to fight on your side as per the agreement of the Union.”

“Riannon,” he wanted to object, he was even considering forcing her for the first time ever. But seeing the inferno of determination in her eyes, he knew that it would be useless. He loved an Alpha, not just a Luna. He had to respect that.

She had to go and save her people just the way he had to go and save her.

“Gide…” she started saying, but he covered her lips with his again. This time roughly and briefly, but with the same immense desire as before.

“This is the last time we are ever apart,” the lycan king told his mate and she nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

“Last time,” they entwined their fingers together and both their breathing became ragged.

“Go,” he told her, “Go before I decide to abandon both my kingdom and your pack and just run away with you. Just you and me, no crowns, no exes, no psychos, no obligations…”

“The dream,” she smiled and added right before turning into her wolf, “But we would get bored fast, don’t you think?”

She sprinted away, followed by her people, and Gideon made a few orders to the people he was leaving in this house, before getting into the car and driving all the way back to the Western Kingdom for the final battle.

***

Riannon was so close to her pack when she smelled the burnt scent. She howled to let her people know that she was near, she was with them.

It was painful to see the house she loved so much in flames. But she knew that she still wasn’t allowed to be weak even for a moment. Maya was talking to one of the warriors, giving him orders on how to put down the fire. She lowered her head at the sight of her alpha and gestured for one of the omegas to bring her clothes.

“I am sorry, Alpha,” she said, “We were in the middle of the evacuation when the detonator worked. It is my failure and I will understand if…”

“Don’t say nonsense,” Riannon quickly threw on a simple pair of jeans and a white t-shirt with short sleeves that someone handed to her and started putting on shoes as well. “Did you manage to get the people out?”

“Almost everyone…” the Beta responded, “I suspect that there might have been a few omegas in the storage room. We couldn’t find them after the explosion and were about to go and search for them. Plus the prisoners in the dungeons. I didn’t get to them… But I think we got the traitor you were looking for. Ash caught one of the warriors in the woods. He had a device that looked like a remote control with a radio transmitter, and we suspect that he used it to trigger the bomb that was pre-installed in the building earlier. Do you want to see him now?”

“No,” Riannon shook her head, standing up, “There will be time for that. People’s lives should come first. I will go inside to look for survivors too.”

“Maybe it’s not the best idea,” Maya did not feel comfortable endangering her

Alpha. But looking

“I’ll go with you,” Brayden appeared in dirty clothes and with smudges of cinder all over his face. It looked like he was helping to clear the ruins. And they could use all the help now,

Riannon did not care about the looks that Maya was giving her ex. An extra pair of hands was what they needed now.

She was walking for a few minutes inside what was her house once. The marble floors were cracked now and some of the columns were broken too. The staircase survived by some miracle but she did not go upstairs. She wanted to look for survivors.

It was weird to have Bray by her side at a moment like this. And she would have given up a lot for it to be Gideon instead.

“Would you look at that?” she went up to a huge mantiepiece that was also broken now. There used to be a silver-plated spear placed about that, a replica of what the Moon Goddess used, according to the legends. It was gone now. Like most of her belongings… “I wasn’t such a great Alpha after all. Just a few days and the packhouse is down.”

Brayden stopped walking over pieces of glass that were crunching under his feet and stared at her.

“You must be kidding me right now, Riannon,” he said simply, and she turned to face him. “The damage would have been so much bigger without you. Ash already got the main suspect and Maya managed to evacuate people. You can always rebuild the house. But the lives are priceless.”

“Look at who is back to his senses,” she gave him a vague smile and went to the next room. Brayden followed her, not saying anything else. She reached the door that led to the dungeon’s staircase when he placed her hand on hers.

“I feel like I am back to my senses,” he said, standing right behind her.

“Everything became so clear to me and, Ri, the way I treated you…”

“It’s water under the bridge now,” she brushed him off. This was neither the time nor the place for that conversation. However, it did not stop Brayden.

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