Page 53 of The Barren Luna

I looked away shyly.

“I can’t wait to show you my house,” he said out of nowhere.

“I thought this was your house,” I frowned.

“This is the palace. But my house is on the other side of the town, I had it built after I returned from one of my longer campaigns. It sits on a big plot of land and has a huge porch. I can’t wait to show you the kitchen, and all the other rooms,” he winked playfully, but he had this faraway, wistful look that made me wonder whether he was happy in the palace.

We were both quiet for some time. I kept replaying everything that had been said during dinner.

David came up to me, lifted me from the armchair, and sat down before depositing me back onto him as my new armchair. He put his arms around my waist and his chin on my shoulder.

“Ask me,” he said. “Ask me if I waited for you.”

“Did you?” I asked almost inaudibly.

“Yes.”

He was now stroking my thighs again, and again they fell open at his touch. I could feel his heart beating on my back.

“I love you so much, Gina, I cannot wait to give all of myself to you, to share that experience with you. But not yet. I have to tell you something,” he said without stopping his hands fromrubbing up and down my thighs. My chest was heaving and my nipples were straining against the dress.

“I have to go to Spruce Mountain for two or three months,” he said into my neck.

I stiffened, but he kept caressing me until I relaxed again.

“I need to deal with distributing the pack money and relocating the pack members, you know already how much needs to be done. If I stay here, the bond will just pull us to each other until we give in, and I would much prefer it if you had some time to talk to a healer, build your body back up, untangle your mind, and then when I come back to you, I hope you’ll be ready for a life with me,” he lifted his chin and turned to look at my face.

“What if I’m not ready?”

“I’ll be making myself ready for a life with you as well. I'll give you whatever you need to thrive,” he whispered in my ear as his hand inched closer to my panties.

“David,” I moaned as I lifted up my dress to give him easier access.

His fingers immediately sank into my wet folds, and we both moaned at the sensation while his other hand covered my breast. It was overwhelming. The attraction and the affection I felt for him threatened to drown me. The tiny jolts of electricity his fingers sent into my core consumed my body, and before I knew it, I was grinding my ass against his front and panting as we both reached our peak while still fully clothed.

“Fuck,” he breathed heavily with his forehead on my shoulder.

“I’m gonna miss you so much, David.”

“Me too, love.”

19 - Regina

David kissed me some more and then walked me to my room. We held hands and went as slowly as possible, often bumping sides as if we were being pulled together by strong magnets. In front of my door, he stopped and leaned his shoulder against the wall, crossed his arms, and looked at me in a way that could only be described as lovingly.

“When do you leave?” I asked, squirming under his intense gaze.

“The day after tomorrow.”

“So soon?”

“Yeah, we’ve been working on the process for a while now, and I was debating with myself whether to go or not. I really didn’t want to, but I think it’s for the best. My wolf hates me,” he laughed. “But he loves you more, so he’ll be fine. Speaking of him, I want to give you something to hold onto while I’m gone,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny white braid that looked like it could fit into my palm nicely.

“What is this?” I asked as I reached for it.

“It’s made from my wolf’s fur, it’s a mating custom from my mother’s pack.”

“Oh, that's so sweet! And slightly creepy,” I frowned, thinking of another braid. “What is it supposed to symbolize?”

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