Filed To Story: The Perfect Luna by Marissa Gilbert
He released her and felt her leave immediately, to his own disappointment. He desired so much more than this, but when the light dissipated and he was able to see again, he found himself alone on the shore.
Astrea was gone, and so was Joran.
Fenrir looked around and saw the serpent back in his domain, his scales glistening in the water as he waved him goodbye with his long tail.
Their time was up, but he wasn’t regretting it today.
His cheek still felt warm where she had touched him, and he rubbed his calloused hand over it, realising that something was on it.
Taking a closer look, the young wolf noticed that his skin had shimmering dust on it.
“Stardust,” he muttered, not quite believing his own eyes.
She was made of stars, this Astrea…
***
After Joran had finished the conversation with his brother over the phone, he gulped the whole glass of whiskey in his hand in one go and placed it back on the glass table, almost breaking it. He should have been happy because everything was falling into place just as he wanted. Still, for some reason, that familiar feeling of satisfaction he usually experienced when his plans worked wasn’t there now.
He’d kept Astrea close to lure his brother out of his hiding. He knew that the moment Fenrir saw her, he would be in his hands. The one thing he needed from him now wouldn’t be a problem. Sooner or later, he would give in.
For her.
So, why wasn’t he happy?
Joran restlessly tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair and closed his eyes. He had to go through with this. Fenrir would give him what he wanted, and it would all be over.
“She is here,” one of his trusted Firstborns announced, and Joran nodded with his eyes closed, still, trying to keep his dragon nature suppressed. Today it was a struggle. No matter how hard he tried to avoid it, his Dragonfly didn’t leave his mind.
“Master,” Niki’s voice was confident, making the corners of his lips turn upwards. She was still too young to not be afraid of him but managed to hide it well. She would be perfect…
“Please, Nikiah, take a seat. I have a special task for you and would like to explain its importance to you, along with some of the details of what is required of you.”
Niki swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and nodded curtly. Who knew that Astrea had trained her so well?
This girl would help him to get everything that he needed.
Astrea paced around her room, too agitated to fall asleep after the events of today.
She decided to skip dinner after her quick stroll around the fortress, where she noticed that the warriors were, indeed, stationed in the building now. She counted at least a hundred. That fact made her uneasy since they all were still technically rogues. Their Kingdom wasn’t acknowledged. Their packs were just groups of wolves without the connection of a real pack and its binding hierarchy that helped control the beasts inside them.
To become a pack, they needed to perform a ritual, swearing their loyalties to the Alpha and getting their blessing from Moon Goddess priestesses. Only then would they be able to mind link each other and work as one when necessary. The Moon Goddess’ intention was to give her children a family they could count on. Their very nature required it, which is why pack connections were so sacred.
Rogues were deprived of that sacred connection. Their wolves were slowly going insane in their minds, leading to all kinds of trouble which Astrea didn’t want to face.
She doubted any Moon Goddess priestesses were living here to help them build proper packs. Especially considering how rare forming a completely new pack was. Usually, they were created from existing ones by uniting them or… conquering them. All that plus needing an Alpha with alpha blood in his or her veins to lead them.
Her phone buzzed, and Astrea groaned, knowing that only one person could be calling her. A part of her wished she didn’t have to reply, but the snake tattoo on her neck moved again, and she sighed as she brought the phone to her ear to answer it.
“Dragonfly,” Joran practically purred, not even bothering to check if it was really her. It was like he knew, and her hand instinctively touched the tingling tattoo. The connection that was forced on her.
“Yes,” she replied calmly, still unable to use his name but knowing that if she called him ‘Teacher’ again, he would get angry. Something she couldn’t afford, so she chose not to call him anything at all.
“Any news for me?” he asked, his voice unnervingly tranquil.
“I’ve been to the city. It’s nothing special. Very underdeveloped,” she reported curtly. “Got attacked while there.”
“Hmm,” he hummed to himself, and she wasn’t sure how to read it without seeing his face. “I know you are not hurt. So, how did it go?”
“I defended myself and then–” Astrea stopped talking, almost biting her tongue.
“Then what?” Joran’s tone became sharper.
“The King arrived,” she confessed dryly, not knowing why she didn’t want to speak about it. It was literally her job.
“Did he?” The Teacher’s words were slow and deliberate, each dripping with malice, causing Astrea to feel a deep unease. She knew him too well not to pick up on the passive-aggressive notes in his speech.
“Yeah,” she cleared her throat, choosing her words carefully. “He is–”
She halted halfway, suddenly realising she didn’t know whom she was protecting, herself or… Fenrir? Why the hell would she be protecting him?
“What did he do?” Joran insisted.
“He killed everyone,” she admitted, thinking that the Big Bad Wolf could take care of himself. She had to think of herself and Niki. “It was quick.”
“What did you think when he did this?” The next question surprised her.
Did it really matter what she thought? He’d never asked her similar questions before.
“That he is an animal! A barbarian just as we expected,” she informed her mentor dryly, knowing that it wasn’t quite what she really thought, but it was a safe thing to say.
“Do you hate him?”
Again, a strange question.
“Hate is a strong word,” Astrea shrugged. “I simply don’t care.”
“Good,” Joran chuckled finally, and she secretly breathed out. Whatever test that was, she had just passed it. “Then you will have no problem with a change to your task.”
A knot formed in Astrea’s stomach, and her free hand instinctively balled into a fist. This couldn’t be good.
Don’t! Her wolf warned her, knowing how quickly she could get herself in trouble again.
“What has changed in such a short period of time?” she asked, knowing she could regret this.
“The Rogue King has something precious in his possession, and I want it,” Joran admitted, and a snort escaped her.
“That guy?” She scoffed. “His most priceless possession is his leather jacket, and trust me, that thing is as old as time.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?