Page 49 of Luna's Forgotten Vow

"Wild?" I echo, wrapping my fist around the gun and pushing the pointer against his chest.

He laughs a little. "Yes, wild." He looks like he wants to say something else, but Eric's voice suddenly rises, drawing our attention.

"You cannot be a part of it. You aren't even from here," Eric repeats and my heart sinks when I see Ronan adjusting a crossbow.

Soren frowns, approaching the pair and for a moment, their voices rise, mingling. Ronan wants to be a part of the Hunt. Eric says it is not his place. Tova doesn't understand why the hell Ronan would want to be a part of this, but she also doesn't like that Soren is refusing to let him take part.

I watch them argue like teenagers over who'll kill the bear formyson.

And in a blink of an eye, everything spirals out of control and there's yelling and words are flying here and there.

"This isn't a fucking spectacle, Callahan. It's tradition. A rite. Afather'srite," Soren growls, voice low.

Ronan takes a slow step forward, the tension between them stretching so tight it could snap.

And now it's a pissing contest. What are they going to do next? Measure dick sizes?

I am so wrong because Ronan's next words make everyone still, the weight of them unsettling.

"Then I should be there. He is my son, after all. Not yours."

Soren exhales deeply through his nose, trying to steer the conversation back under control, but I can see the gears turning in their minds, the way they note Ronan's blonde hair and his face. And my heart's racing because they're turning to look between me and Ronan, like they can almost imagine it, see it.

And when Tova looks at me with disbelief, hurt, betrayal and hate, I want nothing more than to crawl into a hole and hide.

CHAPTER 16

SERAPHINA

My throat constricts as the weight of every gaze presses down on me from every angle. Mortification slams into me like a brick wall and I plant my feet into the ground to steady myself.

I haven't done anything wrong.

But why do they all look at me like that? With such judgment, I can almost smell the words.Cheat. Liar. Whore. Like I am guilty of something so despicable. Like I am guilty of something worse than falling in love and getting rejected.

"Y-your son?" Tova stammers, voice shaking as she shoves past the stunned crowd. She grabs Ronan's sleeve, yanking him around. "Landon isyourson?" Her wide eyes snap to me. "Sheis that Seraphina?!"

When Ronan doesn't deny it, Tova lashes out, fists pounding into his chest and face. He doesn't stop her. Doesn't even flinch. Eric bands an arm around her waist, pulling her off him, but she doesn't stop trying to claw out his face. "You lied to me!" shescreams, the words shredding her throat like glass. "You lied to me!"

I flinch, stumbling back a step, and it shatters whatever spell held him still. Ronan turns to me, his expression screaming one thing:Fuck it. Fuck this.

He moves, like a man with a single mission.

I glance at Soren, though I don't know why. His face gives nothing away, but if I had to guess? Glee. This is what he wanted. To break Ronan. Make him cave into his biddings. Ruin him. And though I do not understand why they hate each other so much, why Ronan scarred him, I know that I do not deserve to be used by either of them.

And I hate Soren for what he's done. For making me believe this place could be a home for me and my son, only to orchestrate this entire mess and strip it away. Just how cruel is he?

Ronan's hand closes around my wrist. "Enough of this. You are coming back home with me."

I blink. Tova's falling apart and he's focused on taking me back with him? I jerk my arm, but his grip holds firm. "I looked for you. Everywhere. For months! You've made your point and I accept it. I was a fool to reject you. I was bitter and angry and drunk and I wasn't thinking straight." His voice breaks. "I missed you. Come home."

Tova sobs behind him, a second away from tearing out of Eric's grasp to hit Ronan or me, I can't tell. I have no idea what's happening or why Ronan is doing this, out here, in front of everyone. Maybe he thinks a public declaration would be more than enough to erase the past. "Ronan stop?—"

"I never stopped loving you."

His words drop inside like a stone into a pool and the impact feels like a whiplash. "You loved me? How—" I catch myself before I can reveal what I know. That Idoremember.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hidden the truth, but I knew you would leave. And I panicked. I locked you in," he breathes, remorse shining in his eyes and I don't buy it. He must sense it because he shakes his head. "I'll explain everything later, Fina, after you come with me. You can't stay here, not with my son. He belongs with me, in my pack, like you do."

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