Page 42 of The Wolf Moon

“What is wrong with you?” We both snapped in unison.

“Me?” I cried out in response.

“You could have died!” Roman snarled, his anger rushing through my veins. I rubbed my arms absently in response. “You could still die! Do you think this is a game?”

I glowered at him, narrowing my eyes as though I couldn’t bear to see him.

“How would you have felt, huh? If I would’ve had my arms wrapped around someone else when you came back, stupid face and all, announcing to the world ‘Oh, this is my new… whatever’?” I felt that green emotion flare up within me just at the memory of Lillian’s touch on Roman’s arm; the insinuation that he was hers. Roman scoffed.

“You’re jealous. Even now, you’re jealous,” He announced in surprise.

“I’m not jealous!” I snapped defensively. I blocked that emotion, but closely behind it was blue. I huffed, my hands trembling from the whirlwind of feelings within me. It was confusing. “How could you? You let me mark you and then you just left. For months. And then to come back with some other woman as though I never existed?”

Roman stared me down without a word. And then he made a noise in his throat before turning around and storming up the stairs without answering. I opened my mouth and watched him go for a moment. But then the red fury only rose further within me. He wouldn’t get away that easily.

I stomped up the steps, determined to follow him.

“I’m not just going to go away and you know that,” I said with anger as I stormed into his bedroom. Roman was pacing within the room, his own anger throbbing within him. “Why are you always so angry, huh? Do you have nothing to say?”

“Oh, I have plenty to say,” Roman growled dangerously.

“By all means, go ahead! Tell me just how wrong I am. You act like I just pranced into the woods, tralala’d my way to your village, interrupted your life, tried to kill you, banished you to shame timeout, tried to kill you again, banished you to starvation, tried to kill you again, BIT YOU FIRST-”

“You don’t understand anything,” Roman interrupted me seethingly.

“Tried to kill you again,” I continued.

“I gave you direct rules to follow while I was gone. You ignored,” Roman began to count on his fingers sarcastically before scoffing, “Oh, I’m sure all of them.”

“That’s not why you’re angry,” I ignored his statement. “Forced you to shift… to shift! I didn’t even know I could slightly shift…”

“You’ve been fighting with the warrior wolves. You’ve been hunting. You were apparently almost killed during that hunt. You’ve directly ignored orders given by Beta Caleb. I have no doubt in my mind you participated in the lost religion,” Roman began to talk over me, his anger only growing.

“That’s. Not. Why. You’re. Angry.” I hissed furiously.

“Why?!” He finally snapped, storming towards me. I tensed, feeling his power towering over me and blanketing my own emotions. He reached for me, making me wince, but only grasped my upper arms roughly to pull me towards him. “Why did you challenge her? I don’t understand it.”

I was at a loss of words almost immediately.

“I was protecting you, you idiot,” Roman continued furiously. “You have no idea what it means to be a wolf, much less the Queen Luna. There are… countless steps in between, steps you couldn’t even begin to take as you are.”

I swallowed heavily, but then set myself determinedly. “The steps don’t matter. I’m Queen Luna.”

“No, you’re not,” Roman stated firmly.

“I am the Queen Luna,” I told him just as stubbornly.

“No. You’re not.”

“I am Queen Luna and if you don’t shut up I’ll be the King Alpha next!” I cried out, lifting my arms up before sharply ripping them down and out of his grip. I took a stumbling step back, my breath heavy, but then stood tense and determinedly before him. Roman stood in confusion, tilting his head as the confusion battled the anger within him.

“Why? Why do you even want the title?” Roman asked slowly. I looked from him to a random spot on the floor, thinking about the question within. I didn’t want the title. I didn’t want to be Queen Luna in the first place, so why did I risk my life to have it? Why do I continue to risk my life to keep it? I thought about the small space of time between having completely denied ever willing to be the Queen Luna to the moment I took up the challenge, and I hesitated.

“Because… I can’t stand to see another person by your side other than me,” I admitted truthfully, an embarrassed blush rising to my face unlike myself. I refused to look at Roman again, waiting for him to laugh at the statement or otherwise shame me.

I felt him move closer to me, but my skin still was heated from my words and so I remained still. Roman slipped a finger under my chin, lifting my face so that the only option I had was to look at him. I expected more anger, admonishment, or anything equivalent but instead I was greeted with a look of interest and suppressed desire.

“So nothing I can do will persuade you to relinquish it?” I stared at him openly now, uncertainty creeping its way into my veins. I shook my head no, afraid if I spoke I would probably chicken out after all. “Then we must finish our ceremony, don’t you think?”

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