Page 31 of The Wolf Moon

I leaned against Cate’s warm form on instinct, resting my eyes quietly and listening to the sounds of the night in the distance. I found myself reaching for Roman hesitantly, feeling his breath in his lungs and the strength in his limbs. His hot skin felt just under mine, flushing over me powerfully, and I knew in a pause of his step that he could feel me just the same.

Within a span of a moment, he shifted like liquid from one form to another, his wolf towering and powerful. A howl ripped through him, reaching for the pack that was out of control around him, and lifting into the air so tremendously that it easily found me as well. I gasped, sitting up straight with widened eyes and looked to Cate quickly who had become more alert as well.

Silence followed the call, the forest stunned into a quiet that I’d only ever heard before when I had demanded it of the wildlife myself. When nothing more happened, I relaxed cautiously in my spot again, listening to the peace that had finally fallen over the trees.

* * *

I awoke shivering and alone. Overnight, the snow had blanketed the Earth with silent precision and with the sun rising over the horizon, the white of the scenery was nearly blinding. I looked around for Cate, but she wasn’t nearby and there was no evidence of when she had left among the snowfall.

I dropped from the trees quietly, rubbing my arms for warmth and huffing to make clouds of breath in front of me with amusement. I looked around for tracks to follow Cate back to the village, but it was as though she had disappeared from existence overnight.

I began to move in the direction I hoped would lead me somewhere useful. It wasn’t as though I was in too much of a hurry to get back to the lycans, but the air was awfully cold around me and the chill was only growing deeper despite the light of the sun. I began to consider ideas of what I would do if I truly became lost when I felt a jolt within me.

I twisted around sharply and took a step back.

Roman stood not too far away, his form tall and intimidating as he peered at me hesitantly. My thoughts flashed to the delirious way in which I had willingly kissed him and my eyes immediately glanced at his lips in response just briefly before a flush of red flashed over my skin embarrassingly.

“Why are you here?” I asked, as though this were my home and not some random place in the forest that I had wandered to.

“I came to bring you back to the village,” He stated quite obviously.

“I can find my way back by myself,” I responded firmly before turning away to continue on my path determinedly. I ignored the growing cold throughout me and the way Roman’s presence tugged on my insides, demanding my attention.

“You’re going the wrong way,” Roman finally told me. I paused and then turned with the intention of declaring my flawless directional skill. My response was silenced when I realized just how close he had been following me, his body just inches away from me. I looked from his chest up to his face, momentarily startled. Roman only stood solidly, tilting his head as he looked at me.

“I was… taking the scenic route,” I answered halfheartedly.

“You’re cold and hungry. I don’t like the discomfort. Follow me. I have some ground rules we need to discuss,” His features had shifted into one of familiar coldness; a distrust that I was beginning to recognize was his way of proceeding forward despite the demands of the Goddesses.

“Ground rules?” I narrowed my eyes with my own suspicion.

“I’ve allowed you to mark me. We are now linked. However, I refuse to allow you the title of Queen Luna, being that you’re barely a lycan as is. And I won’t allow you to run around doing as you please. It’ll be a distraction every time I have to wake up to the feel of your self-destructing decisions,” He abruptly announced, tensing immediately for my reaction as though I might try to attack him as I’d clearly done before.

“You won’t allow me to do anything because I don’t need your approval to do as I please.” I tried to control the growing anger that was warming my body despite the cold around us. Roman stepped forward, lifting his hands to wrap around my arms easily. I gasped at the fire in his touch, any shivering felt before fading away almost immediately.

“You feel this?” Roman demanded more than questioned. He moved closer, lowering his face over mine dangerously so that his scent and power seemed to flow over and through me. I was stunned by the heat of it, lifting my own face most agreeably as though enthralled by him.

“You’re my mate. But you are also my prisoner,” Roman growled firmly against me, “You are an oracle and you are of the humans. You are not an equal nor are you fit to be Luna, much less a member of my pack. If it weren’t for the cursed Goddesses, you would be dead or banished by now. You will learn to obey me or I will make your life much more uncomfortable than you can imagine.”

I ripped myself from him just as abruptly, gasping from his touch with surprise. I thought about the Roman who had kept me in his room for the past month, angry but also not at me. I thought of him saving me from a horrible death only last night. This Roman was not as appealing. He was cruel and horribly mistaken if he thought I would be intimidated by the feelings the mate mark forced on me.

“Go ahead, make my life uncomfortable. An injury to me is an injury to you, right? It would make me the happiest person in the world to know you are suffering, even if I am, too,” I mustered every ounce of venom into my words dangerously, just so they would land home with great satisfaction.

Roman stepped towards me sharply and I turned to escape but was far too slow. His arm suddenly snaked around my waist and I was lifted from the ground. I screeched loudly and began hitting Roman’s arm and kicking him violently.

“Roman! Roman, let me go!” I cried out angrily.

“Stop throwing a fit like a child and I might,” He answered simply. I stopped struggling momentarily, waiting just as he took another step and twisted my foot around his. The effect was immediate. Roman stumbled and I struck with my elbow to attempt to hit his face. We both fell to the ground, the landing rather rough.

Roman was above me, his torso half over me as though he had to catch himself from crushing me entirely. I paused only a moment and began to twist away in order to make a run for it.

“I’m leaving,” Roman suddenly said to me with frustration, making me stop in my attempt with confusion. I rolled onto my back, facing him with a frown.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what I said. I’m leaving. I wanted to go over the ground rules in a more suitable place, but you’ve made it clear you prefer the wilder things,” He huffed and shifted above me as though to get more comfortable. I was stuck on the initial statement, wondering what exactly that meant if he was leaving.

“Am I leaving, too?” I asked with a deepening frown. I didn’t like the idea of going further away from my home village without any idea on which direction to go if I could escape back to them. Roman watched me for a moment without any hint to his thoughts.

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