Filed To Story: The Perfect Luna by Marissa Gilbert
“Don’t look at me,” Bastian grinned at him, folding his hands over his chest. “I have already spoken to them both and told them I am going to travel and search for information about the Hunters.”
“Warg! My man!” Devoss quickly switched to his other friend.
“Nope,” the first lycan shook his head, enjoying the irony.
“Kara!” The fox turned to glance at the last one left, the Valkyrie, but she let out a mocking laugh.
“I am the only one literally created to travel between realms.
I am too precious to stay in just one,” she pointed out.
“Then who-” The fox locked eyes with Fenrir, who gave him a devilish smirk, then peered at Astraea, who offered a reassuring smile
“You are going to do just fine!” The wolf had a hard time holding back a laugh.
“And all the martinis will be yours,” Astraea added.
“But- 1 am a terrible choice!” Devoss grumbled, trying to persuade them to reconsider.
“You are literally the only one with an experience of being a king.” Fenrir was not going to let it go.
“Yeah, but my country was destroyed!” The fox looked at his friends pleadingly.
“And it wasn’t your fault.” Fenrir placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.
“But-“
“You were always the one who was meant to bring the East back to life,” the ruler of Asgard insisted.
“My brother would never tolerate this,” the fox reminded him.
“Your brother will have to deal with it.” Warg patted him on the back, making the fox deity cough from his strength.
“But-” Devoss still tried to object.
“You’ll do great!” Kara ruffled his hair.
“Hey, watch it! Don’t ruin the ‘do!” He yelled at her, and they all burst out laughing.
“Don’t worry. You are still the prettiest of us all, even with your messy hair.” Bash scoffed, leaning over the balcony rail.
“So, you leave me all the dirty work and everyone but Warg is leaving me?” Devoss sighed gulping his drink and tossing the goblet over the ledge. Someone yelped from below the balcony, and they all stepped away from the rails so as not to be seen.
“Actually, there is something I would like to discuss with you,” the first lycan said. “I have a request.”
“Already?” Devoss whistled. “It’s exactly as I remember.
Everyone wants a piece of me.”
“I want to be your ambassador in the South,” Warg met his gaze, and everyone went silent. “We still need to get Salome out.”
“Sure,” the new King of the East nodded. “Bring her back home, but then you two stay with me forever. Got it?”
“Fine!” The first lycan hit his shoulder in a friendly matter, almost knocking Devoss over.
They continued to sip their drinks and make jokes until a tranquil silence enveloped them, causing their collective gaze to shift towards the breathtaking Asgardian sunrise.
“It just occurred to me,” Devoss turned to face his friends,”
this is probably the last time well all be together like this.
It’s like the end of an era.”
“No,” Fenrir pulled Astraea closer and kissed the top of her head, “it’s the beginning of a new one.”
When the royal couple of the West returned to their hidden home in the woods, Riannon dashed up the stairs. Her heart was set on seeing the man she loved as much as Gideon, if not more.
She found her son sleeping peacefully in his bed with her Beta, Maya, sitting next to the crib while her own daughter, Danielle, was crawling on the prince’s fluffy playmat surrounded by toys.
“Hi,” Riannon smiled, her eyes on her beloved baby, who looked like a little angel. “How was he?”
“No episodes,” Maya smiled understandingly while Dany destroyed a building cube tower.
“Good,” Ria let out a deep sigh of relief. She was sure the Moon Goddess would have sent her a vision if anything was wrong, but after Fenrir’s and Joran’s bodies disappeared in front of her eyes, a faint but persistent doubt gnawed at her soul. What if they didn’t win? After all, she hadn’t had a single vision since they parted ways and she didn’t know how her sister was doing.
They managed to leave the South unharmed, but the political situation between the countries left much to be desired. The North was accused of despicable things, and it was possible that soon they would have a choice to make. Neither of the options was good. They would either drop their biggest ally, The Northern Lycan Kingdom, or… they would take their people to war. Probably the latter, if she was honest with herself. Gideon would never abandon his sister’s kingdom, and she, personally, felt safer allying with the Northerners, considering they could be trusted. The South turned out to be a bigger problem than she anticipated. Barely anyone there wanted peace, and from what she saw, it looked like they were ready for war.
However, all that left her thoughts when Rafael made a cute little noise and opened his eyes. Right now, she was a mother first.
“Mummy is here,” Riannon smiled and played with the blonde curls on his head before picking him up. “I missed you so much.”
“He missed you too,” Maya confirmed. “And we are almost out of milk, so-would you mind?”
“Of course not.” The Queen’s lips curled. She loved their little connection.
“Was it as bad as it looked on the news?” the Beta wondered, sensing her Alpha’s distress.
“Yes, and no. It’s complicated.” Riannon walked to her favourite armchair and settled in for a breastfeeding session. “We will have to have a long debrief today. Clear your week for strategizing and logistics.”
“Got you,” Maya nodded. “I will call the babysitters in. The Gamma and Delta are already on the border.”
“Good.” Ria nodded. Luckily, her Beta was prepared for anything.
The unmistakable scent of a dirty nappy filled the air.
“Dany, again?” Maya sighed, rolling her eyes as she realised her baby needed yet another change. “I swear, sometimes this werewolf sense of smell is a curse.” She walked out, leaving Riannon in peace with her son, but when the Queen lifted her gaze, she saw Gideon leaning against the door frame.
“How is little Raf Raf doing?” He asked, trying not to display his concern in front of her. Her husband always did that. He stayed strong so that she had the space to fall apart if she needed to.
“Maya said he has been great,” Riannon replied, undoing the buttons on her dress and offering her son a meal. The little lips found the breast in a second, latching on to it as his little hands entangled in her blonde locks. Rafael’s sweet scent enveloped her, and if she could, she would stay like this forever, alone with the two most important men in her life.
Gideon watched his family with pride, not wishing to disturb them, and yet he couldn’t help himself from saying,
“You’ve never been more beautiful than now.”
Ria chuckled, knowing exactly how she looked after their long fight: hair dishevelled, yesterday’s makeup, circles under her eyes. Yet Gideon still looked at her as if what he was saying was true, and she loved him so much for it.
Rafael made a displeased noise, not happy to have her attention anywhere else, and she returned her gaze to him.
“He is going to be one possessive Alpha,” his father noted and then froze as his Beta Reid mind linked him. “Ria, I need to go. A few urgent decisions have to be made.”
“I’ll see you at the debrief, then.” She nodded, knowing that he wouldn’t have left her if it wasn’t urgent, but at the same time he would have told her what it was if it required her presence. They had that King and Queen thing figured out.
“Love you both.” Gideon quickly reached his wife and son, giving a soft kiss to each of them, and left the blue coloured room.
Riannon savoured this time together with her son, and as she gently settled the exhausted Rafael back into his crib, she felt a presence in the room.
Her sister’s aura was so different now. She could sense the divine energy and wasn’t sure how to behave.
“You should have told me,” Astraea appeared right next to her. She was wearing a long, flowing silver dress with intricate bead patterns adorning it, and her hair was much longer than the last time they’d seen each other.
So different again. Ria smiled to herself, remembering how every time she saw her little sister, she was able to change her identity. From the innocent Astrid at The Luna Trials to Astrea the assassin, Now, her sibling was a serene goddess who could alter the entire universe with a snap of her fingers. The Queen of the West did not know how to handle that
“You should have told me,” Astraea repeated more firmly.
“You had a lot on your plate as it is,” Riannon admitted. “
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?