Page 49 of Moonlit Fate

“Here we are,” I echoed, glaring at him. The silence that fell between us was thick, heavy with unspoken truths and lies. “Your escapades with the Crimson Fang pack have not gone unnoticed. Do you want to share what it is you are doing with them? Are they not the enemy?”

Larkin leaned back in his chair with confidence that made my skin crawl. “While you think cavorting with Atticus and chasing fairy tales are what’s best for us, I’ve been working as an envoy and am trying to broker peace with the Crimson Fang. I have told Ragnar as much.”

I glanced at the bracelet and watched, horrorstruck, as its stones turned as black as the night outside. It was reacting to his deceit, to the malice hidden within his every word.

“Stop lying,” I said, my resolve hardening. “You’re hiding something. Your stories don’t add up.”

But the truth was, I couldn’t confirm what Larkin had been doing with Crimson Fang. I hadn’t seen it myself. All I had were Atticus’s claims, and even if I did tell my father, he wouldn’t believe me, and I would be criticized for believing in a rogue. No one in the pack would take the word of a rogue seriously.

And there it was, the crux of our world, where bloodlines and loyalty overshadowed the truth, leaving those who dared to defy the status quo to stand alone.

As if reading my mind, Larkin’s lips twitched into a vile semblance of a smile, one that made me want to vomit. “Oh, come now. Let’s leave the politics to your father while he is still alpha. You and I should have some fun together. If your rogue friend Atticus is getting his share, then your future mate shoulddefinitely be getting some.” His tongue flicked out, wetting his lips in a grotesque gesture that made me want to claw his eyes out.

“Shut your mouth.” The words erupted from me, raw and seething. “Don’t you dare bring Atticus into this.”

A shadow crossed Larkin’s face. “You’ve been spending too much time with that filth. It stops. Now. You will no longer see him. Do you understand me? I will no longer tolerate your attempts to humiliate me in front of the pack.”

“I fail to comprehend how Atticus or the time I spend with him is related to whatever self-esteem issues you have about your image with the pack.” I put my teacup on the table, aware I was now deliberately pushing his buttons. My temper was as close to boiling point as it had ever been.

Larkin slammed his hands down on the table, making the porcelain rattle. “Enough! You realize I can hear every word the pack is saying about me? Insulting me? Calling me a cuckold, a pussy?” His voice lowered, and his expression shifted into an evil sneer. “I’ve had enough. The pack will get what’s coming to it, they’ll see who the pussy is.” He shook himself, turning his attention back to me. “Speaking of pussy, if that bastard is getting between your legs, I think it’s high time you put out for me.”

No, I was taking control of my future and my autonomy. Larkin could go fuck himself. I glared at him, my whole body shaking.

“Never,” I said through clenched teeth, the word pure poison on my tongue. “I will neverput outfor you.”

Larkin advanced, each step deliberate and calculated, a predator zeroing in on its prey. He backed me into a corner, the cold wall at my back reminding me there was no escape. He brushed my cheek with a feigned tenderness that revolted me.

“Come now,” he cooed. “It’s only fair. You’re mine, after all. What difference will a ritual make? It’s not as if you’re pure.” He spoke about me, my body, as if I were nothing more than an object for his taking.

I tried to yell, to call for help.

“There’s no one around, darling.”

White-hot hatred flared within me. I gathered a mouthful of saliva and spat directly into his smug face. For a second, surprise danced across his features, and I seized the chance to bolt. But Larkin had quick reflexes. His hand shot out, grasping at my arm, and I stumbled, gravity yanking me down hard onto the floor.

Panic surged. My skin prickled, the wolf inside me clawing to the surface, desperate to protect, to fight, to survive. With a snarl ripping from my lips, I embraced the shift, my human form giving way to the sleek fur and powerful muscles of my wolf.

But before I could launch myself at Larkin, the door exploded inward, and Atticus burst into the room. Shadows writhed like living things, an extension of his will, and lunged at Larkin. They curled on his neck, hoisting him up against the wall, his feet dangling inches from the floor.

Larkin clawed at the shadows throttling him, his face turning a sickly shade of purple. In that instant, the predator had become the prey, and the sight gave me grim satisfaction.

The world contracted until there was nothing but the warmth of Atticus’s arms as I shifted back into my human form and collapsed against his solid chest.

“You’re safe,” he said. “I have you.”

In the haven of his arms, I allowed myself to break down. With each steady beat of his heart against mine, warmth spread through me. I looked up into his eyes, dark pools filled with a fierce protectiveness that made something within me yearn with a ferocity that startled me. Could it be possible to find comfortin this rogue who defied all expectations? The thought of a real future with him sparked a dangerous hope inside me. One that still seemed so impossible, yet increasingly less so as the days wore on.

A soft kiss on my forehead jolted me from my thoughts, and Atticus turned away, his attention shifting to the man who had cornered me. Shadows writhed at his command, tightening around Larkin. Larkin gasped and struggled, but the darkness held him in an unyielding grip.

“Clearly, no one ever taught you how to treat a woman,” Atticus said. “Let me make this crystal-clear. If your hands, or any part of you, touch Aria without her consent, I will personally ensure you’ll have nothing left to touch anyone with again.”

The threat hung in the air, a promise of retribution that was broken by the sudden appearance of my father. He looked between us, taking in the scene, a tableau of defiance and dominance.

“What the hell is going on here?” Ragnar’s words echoed off the walls, filled with the authority of an alpha unused to being challenged within his own domain.

The line had been drawn, and now a choice awaited me.

My father’s face was full of confusion and anger as he took in the chaos he’d walked into. Larkin, dangling from Atticus’s shadowy grasp, gasped for every strained breath.

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