Page 21 of Marked By Moonlight
Once seated, I feel the power lift and my self-control return.
I take a deep breath, afraid it will be my last. Looking up, the stare of fifteen handsome alphas devour us like dinner. If Isolde’s power scared me, the power they wield is absolutely terrifying.
Say you don’t feel a bond with any of them,Rowena’s words pop into my head.
I don’t know how I could deny any of them. A warm tingling spreads through my core, my lips part, and my body aches as if I need one of these males to live. My mind spins with desire, and I can barely think through the flaming heat beating in my body.
“Welcome,” Isolde says, her voice carrying through the crowd. “Welcome wolves, witches, and vampires to this month’s offering.”
Chapter 9
Lumi
Isolde’s words cause my stomach to twist in on itself as I stare up at the people gathered on the hillside in a different light. There aren’t just shifters here—there are also witches and vampires. Staring around the hillside, I have no idea who is what.
I thought witches and vampires were our enemies. Or at least, I thought they didn’t care to interact with us. I was told we all keep to our own kind.Why would they care if we broke our curse or not?
There’s so much I don’t know, so much my father kept from me. Or our separation from the other packs kept the truth from all of us, including my father, this whole time.
“Three curses plague our different species. Three curses we have all suffered under for twenty-one years. But they will all be broken soon—starting with the shifter curse,” she continues.
I hang onto her every word, as it’s all brand new information to me.Three curses? How did I not know that? Are they all tied together? If one is broken, are they all broken?
“The prophecy states that the shifter curse will be the first to lift. Once it has been, the others will soon follow. For the wolf shifter curse to be broken, a shifter must find and mark theirtrue mate. Once the bond is sealed, the curse will lift for all wolf shifters,” Isolde says.
All eyes are on her, and no other voice speaks as everyone listens intently. I’m sure they’ve all heard this information before, but I wouldn’t be able to tell.
Isolde turns to us. “Thank you all for agreeing to the offering. You hold the hope for us all.”
I shiver at her words.
“We shall begin,” Isolde says with a sly smile.
I don’t trust her. I don’t know if it’s that she’s a witch and my wolf instincts tell me not to trust her or if it’s the woman herself I don’t trust.
“Moonlight’s offering,” Isolde says.
“My name is Rowena.” Rowena stands, ignoring Isolde’s outstretched hand. Her long golden hair blows gently in the wind, and her body seems to glow brighter under the moonlight above. With her shoulders back and a focused look on her face, she walks forward with all the confidence in the world.
“Moonlight’s offering is Rowena,” Isolde announces to the crowd.
I hold my breath as the male alphas stand and form a circle on the opposite side of the stage. Rippling muscles, sharp cheekbones, and cutting gazes—every man is more attractive than the next, each shirtless with black pants.
Arousal and desire flick through me in spades, my body coming to life on its own accord. My mouth waters, my nipples harden, and wetness drips between my legs.
I want them.Allof them.Anyof them.
My female instincts have taken over any common sense. Any of these strong alphas could be my mate. I can smell each of their scents from here—musky, fresh, woody, citrusy, spicy. Somehow, each one seems like my own personal drug. I’m drawn to every smell for different reasons.
My eyes lock on Rowena as she enters the circle of alphas. The circle closes behind her as soon as she steps inside, the fifteen males caging her in.
I stare at the backs of the men closest to me. Their bodies are so large that I can barely see past them to the others. It takes everything inside me to stay seated instead of running into the circle and begging them all to kiss me, to lavish me, to choose me.
Somehow, I stay seated.
I hold my breath as I watch her through the gap between the backs of two of the men. I don’t know what to expect. Through the heat pulsing through my body, I feel fear for her. She’s the closest thing I have to a friend here, and she’s moments from death if one of the alphas mistakenly chooses her.
Live—Rowena. Live.
