MoboNovel Lite
Chapter 1
Colette
“Leslie!” I call out down the empty hall, my heart racing and stomach twisting in fear. Of all the days for the Alpha’s daughter to disappear, she had to choose her wedding day. I frown at the door at the end of the hall, a sock on the handle, and I roll my eyes. She has found herself a partner for the night and overslept. Not unusual for her lately.
I jiggle the door handle, finding it locked, and groan in annoyance as I reach into my hair and withdraw a pin to pick the lock. The handle clicks, the door swings open, and I am slammed in the face with the divine smell of eucalyptus and cottonwood.
My wolf perks up, and my eyes grow wide when I step into the room, flipping on the switch, and my heart stutters. Leslie sits at the foot of the bed, wrapped in a white sheet, hair and makeup askew. She looks at me and her eyes grow wide, and then she covers her mouth as she runs toward the bathroom, retching along the way.
The sound of her vomiting floats through the silence, and I feel my stomach churning as well. I struggle with my wolf, trying like hell to resist the urge to look to the right and find the source of the smell.
My mate is in this room, but after seeing the state of Leslie, I’m not sure I’m ready to meet him. Not like this. My heart flutters and my chest aches simultaneously. If he is in here, then he’s been IN Leslie…and that’s enough to break my heart.
“Cole…” His voice is soft and full of regret, and it’s all it takes to break me. Grady. Heavens no…
“No…” I whimper, the tears welling up in my eyes as I clutch the bodice of the ridiculous dress Leslie asked me to wear as her aide.
His gentle hands grab my arm, the telltale sparks zipping through me, and my heart sinks further into my gut. Grady tugs me toward him, and the seconds bleed into what feels like minutes as I look up into my best friend’s face. The guy I have loved since I was little. The man whom I was hoping to find as my mate today…and I did. In the most horrible way possible.
“You slept with Leslie?” I ask, swallowing down the burn of acid in my throat.
“We didn’t know how to tell you,” Leslie says from the bathroom door, her eyes red and face white as the sheet hiding her naked body, but I can see the glimmer of pleasure in her eyes, the way she is relishing in my pain.
“You guys are…” I turn my face away, hating the taste of the words on the tip of my tongue. “Together?”
“No,” Grady chuckles dryly, tugging me to him, my body igniting with his addictive touch.
“Yes.” Leslie counters with a growl.
“What?” Grady and I blink at her, and her jaw clenches as she glares at Grady.
I wish I could disappear, escape from this awful nightmare as I try to free myself from his clutches. The room stinks of sweat and sex, and every second I stand here, the threat of falling to pieces turns into an inevitability. I need air. Fresh, untainted, clean air.
“I mean, you’ve been screwing me for months, Grady,” she scoffs. “We are more than fuck buddies at this point.”
“For months,” I repeat, her words echoing in my head as I yank free of Grady’s hold, trying to rub the filth of him off my skin. The hurt in his eyes makes me second-guess myself for a moment before I stumble back to get further from him. He is suffocating, his scent swirling around me, almost calming until I smell her on him. The overly sweet vanilla and cinnamon make me queasy.
“Almost three months, if you want to be precise,” Leslie says with an unbothered shrug.
My eyes fly wide, my head whipping to Grady for confirmation, and he drops his chin in defeat, shoulders deflating. His bare chest heaves up and down as though the air from the room is thin. For a moment, he glances up, his eyes pleading as he reaches out for me, and I flinch away.
“It was just sex, Colette, I swear. I want my mate, I want you!” he steps closer, and I shake my head no, a whimper slipping from my lips.
Grady growls as he paces away, his hands in his hair. He yells out in frustration. I notice something on his back, and my heart stutters. Long pink trails where her nails dug into his back, and there is no going back as the bile rushes up my throat, filling my mouth.
I push past Leslie, running to the bathroom, and I vomit the three cups of coffee I anxiously drank this morning in anticipation of today. The world spins around me as I lean over the toilet, feeling faint with the tears streaming as I heave painfully again.
I reach for a square of toilet paper and wipe my lips, tossing it into the trash, and freeze when my eyes glimpse the long, white item sticking partially out. My heart thuds in my ears as I stare at it. The little blue plus sign. A positive pregnancy test.
“Leslie…” I call out in a shaky voice. “Grady is the only male you have been seeing?” My eyes slide closed, a prayer on my lips begging her to say that she has been with lots of men, that maybe there is a hope that Grady isn’t the father.
“Of course, I take our relationship seriously,” she announces proudly, and I bite back a sob. Grady was my light spot. The star in the bleak sky that lit my life. And now that the star has turned into a black hole, sucking any chance I had at happiness.
“You are supposed to be getting married today,” I whisper, steadying myself in the bathroom’s doorway, my knees weak and vision blurry.
“Supposed to,” she says with a mischievous smirk.
“This isn’t just some random Alpha, Leslie,” Grady says, reminding her of her duty. She agreed to this union even though she doesn’t like the idea of it. And you don’t simply abandon the Alpha of Death because you don’t want to marry him AFTER you’ve agreed to it.
“I don’t want to be stuck with some ugly scarred alpha no one wants…” Leslie rolls her eyes.
“He is THE Lycan King of Hidden Shadow pack!” I hiss. “What he looks like doesn’t matter. You have to get dressed, otherwise there will be a war!”
“No.” She growls back. “No, he will kill me when he finds out.” She slides her eyes to Grady, who has found himself at my back, his hand resting on my arms as he gently rubs a circle on my skin, and I greedily accept his touch. I shouldn’t, but I am weak for Grady and anything he needs.
“Lots of women aren’t virgins when they mate or marry,” Grady offers.
He presses a kiss to the side of my head, and my heart aches. He is choosing me, making a show so she knows he wants his mate. He wants me, but he has no idea that it’s too late. I can see the pain in her eyes, but it is quickly replaced with a dark rage. Her hand flies to her belly, rubbing it and making a show.
“How many of them are pregnant with another man’s child, Grady?” She sneers, stepping closer to us. He tenses, his hands dropping from me, and my tears slide down my cheek, just waiting for it, the moment he realizes what all of this means.
“What?”
“I’m pregnant.” She whispers, a small smile on her lips. “We are pregnant, Grady. I can’t marry him. Not now, not with your baby growing inside of me.”
“No,” He breathes the word, his arms wrapping around me from behind as he presses into my back, clinging to me, killing me with every moment he holds on.
“Reject her.” She hisses, and he tightens his arms around me.
“Never.” He growls. Leslie scoffs and places her hands on her hip, acting like a petulant child, not getting her way.
“Then I will abort it.” She says with a sinister grin, then she shrugs. “Then Colette can have the constant reminder that your baby died because of her selfishness. We all know how much you would resent her.”
Grady’s hold loosens enough for me to know exactly where his mind is at. We have been best friends long enough for me to know how important family is to him. Unborn or not, that pup is his, and he would die for it.
I inhale his smell, pressing back into his chest, memorizing the feel of the mate bond. Every millisecond of finally being in his arms feels so perfect, but it ends too soon when he steps away, a sob breaking from him as he spins and kneels before me.
“Colette.” He whispers, clutching my hands. My body shakes, my throat aching from trying so hard not to weep in front of him. “Please don’t hate me.”
Tears stream down my face, my whole body shaking violently, and my wolf howling in my head, begging me to fight a battle I have no hope of winning.
“I, Grady, reject you, Colette, as my m-mate,” he stutters and sobs as I step away with a gasp. My fingers clutch my chest, my mind muddled and vision all a blur as I nod in agreement. Then I turn to run out the door.
— Where is she? — I hear the alpha in my head, and I grimace at the thought of telling him she isn’t coming. The door opens behind me, and I look over my shoulder, watching as Leslie saunters over.
“You need to inform Lycan King Merikh that I won’t be coming.” She smirks. I don’t have the strength to argue with her. “My father says it will be better coming from a weaker female.”
“And if I say no?” I ask, knowing the consequence is likely to be a beating.
“Can’t,” she shrugs, walking backward as Grady rushes out the door. He tries to come to me, but Leslie grabs his hands, pulling him away. “Dad will give you the alpha order any minute. Oh, and happy birthday by the way,” she grins as she preens over Grady, both of them watching me. I’ve had awful birthdays before, but today’s is by far the most painful.
— Stall the Lycan King until I can find a replacement, and inform him Leslie will not be coming. — The Alpha orders on cue, and I sigh, spinning on my heels and leaving my heart behind me.
I rush to the ballroom in record time, only a minute to spare before Leslie is expected to walk down the aisle. As I pass the mirror on the wall, I freeze, wiping my face before pulling in three ragged breaths.
“You can do this, Colette.” I recite, my nerves gnawing away at any real bravado I have, so I dig deep, turning to my anger and pain for strength as I move to the double doors and throw them open.
Chapter 2
The man at the end of the aisle is impossible to miss, his back to me as he speaks with one of his own clan. I can only assume he is Alpha Merikh, and my skin grows cold. My idle hands smooth the bodice of my dress as I try to focus on my erratic breathing, my nerves frayed as I march down the aisle toward potential doom. Each step brings me frighteningly closer to the mountain of a lycan.
I lick my lips, ready to give him the speech I whipped up, but I freeze as he turns to face me fully, my breath catching in my throat and eyes growing wide. I am utterly distracted by his looks. Eyes as green as emeralds, a facial structure carved by the heavens, and an imposing aura that entraps you, draws you in. And much to my surprise, no scar marks his perfect face. I tilt my head, confused.
This can’t be Alpha Merikh. I’ve heard stories of the Alpha of Death and the scars that have kept him hidden for years. But this guy…this guy is ethereal. He is handsome in the truest form; he is literal perfection. How am I supposed to tell him his Alpha is being stood up?
“You do not look like the picture provided,” he says, his eyebrow arched in curiosity.
“You are not Alpha Merikh,” I say, dumbfounded. He looks amused, shoving his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his feet.
“No?” He asks, and I furrow my brows.
“I mean, are you…Alpha Merikh?” I whisper.
“You do not think I am, so I must not be,” He answers with a shrug, and I feel a wave of relief come over me.
“I need you to give a message to your Alpha, or take me to him to deliver it myself. But it is urgent.” I rush out.
“I can deliver a message.”
“His contracted mate will not attend the ceremony,” I tell him.
“Are you telling me that the treaty is dead?” He asks.
“No! No, they are going to find him a new mate. A better one.” I squeak out, looking around for Alpha Bentley, praying he hurries up before Alpha Merikh makes his way out, expecting to start a ceremony that isn’t happening, at least not yet.
“And who could be better than the Alpha’s daughter?” He raises a brow.
“Anyone would be better than Leslie,” I mutter under my breath.
“Then I should choose a mate of my own liking.” He offers. I stare at him, horrified that he heard me, then his words settle in, and my horror turns to terror when I realize he is talking about himself, which means…
“Y–you are Alpha Merikh,” I whisper, awareness trickling down my spine as I force myself to meet his amused gaze. I just spoke like an equal to the Alpha of Death. The lycan king himself.
“I am?” he asks, a cocky grin on his plush lips.
“I thought you would look different.” I stutter, wringing my hands, unsure of how to act in the presence of royalty. Am I supposed to bow?
“You expected a face full of scars?” he leans forward, whispering. “I have scars. Just not where you can see them when I am clothed.” He winks at me, and my cheeks heat.
“Colette,” Alpha Bentley says, rushing up to me. I’m not sure I have ever been happy to see this man, but right now is an exception as he pulls Alpha Merikh’s attention from me. “Did you deliver the news to Alpha Merikh?”
“She has informed me,” Merikh says, his eyes locking back on mine as if we are in some silent battle I’m not privy to.
“I have found you a replacement for my daughter.” Alpha Bentley rushes out, his eyes pleading for mercy.
“No need,” Merikh says, turning to face me once more, mischief swirling around him. “I will be choosing my own mate.”
“Yes, I suppose that would be fair, given the circumstances.” Alpha Bentley grabs hold of my arm, dragging me away. “Come, Colette, Leslie requires you.”
Merikh growls possessively, taking my free arm and pulling me gently toward him. I gasp out in shock, an arm in each man’s hands as I look up at Alpha Merikh, confused.
“I want Colette. I will be taking her as my mate,” he announces, and my mouth goes dry.
“Me?” I rasp out, shocked, my eyebrows shooting up to my hairline as I try to process his insane request.
“Absolutely not.” Bentley tugs me toward him harder, and Merikh releases his hold with a growl, his eyes growing dark. “Alpha Merikh, you don’t want her. I’m not sure you realize she is a maid. She takes care of Leslie and-” Alpha Bentley stammers, looking panicked.
“Colette, do you accept my offer?” He asks me directly.
“She does not get to speak for herself.” Alpha Bentley hisses, pushing me behind him.
“I don’t think you understand, Bentley.” Merikh steps into him, his imposing frame casting an ominous shadow over us as his lip twitches in anger. “I will have Colette, or we will have a war. Is that understood?”
“You don’t want me,” I whisper as he reaches around Bentley and pulls me to his side, ignoring my protests. “I’m no one. I have no status. My mate rejected me.” I try like hell to get him to see he doesn’t want me. That I will eventually let him down, and then he will just have to kill me off.
“I have made up my mind,” he turns to face me. “If you wish to back out, then speak now, and I will prepare my warriors for attack. I do not have time to make you feel like I want you for your virtues or your looks. Truth be told, you are oddly small and thin.”
His words aren’t loving or kind, and I get the feeling I am nothing more than a pawn in some game. Yet the more I process his question, the more I realize this is my way out. Forget the years of suffering or torment, I need to run away.
I need a place to go so I don’t have to watch the man I love raise a child with the woman whose life goal is to make my everyday literal hell. Alpha Merikh may look like an angel of death, but his offer is the only one that promises me a life.
“Do you accept, Colette? Yes or no,” he asks once more, and I nibble my lip and slowly nod my head.
“Yes,” I whisper, my chest hurting, and the room feeling suddenly smaller.
“Excellent.”
The next few moments move in a blur. Someone speaks, thanking everyone for gathering or something to that effect. I can’t focus because I am too stuck staring at the man who is forcing me, of all people, to be his mate. No, not forcing. Maybe he is saving me. But that doesn’t feel right either…
He takes my hand in his, leading me to the center of the aisle where we face each other. Our hands remain joined as he focuses solely on me.
“I, Alpha Merikh Hidden Shadows pack and The Lycan King, choose you, Colette, of the Black Mountain pack, to be my mate, my Luna.”
His words are firm and final as he speaks loudly for all to hear. I draw in a shaky breath. It should be me saying these words to Grady, promising myself to Grady, yet here I am acting on a broken heart and impulse. I hope when Grady hears of this, it hurts him just as much as his betrayal is hurting me.
Merikh clears his throat, pulling me back to the here and now, and I shake my head, my eyes closing as I focus on the task at hand.
“Uh–I, Colette of the Black Mountain Pack, choose you, Alpha Merikh, to be my mate and my alpha,” I say, softly.
Merikh gives me a tight-lipped smile, and my body buzzes with electricity. His eyes turn black as he pulls me close to his chest. Weak sparks flutter from his contact, and I inhale sharply at the shock of it. I didn’t realize that chosen mates could also feel the sparks, and my heart patters in delight.
Maybe this whole thing won’t be so bad? With Grady out of the picture, I have nothing to lose but myself if I stay. This was my only choice. No, this was the right choice.
“Stop!” Leslie roars, her voice echoing off the walls. Her cheeks are pink and her eyes black with rage as she barrels toward us, donning her scarlet red dress that clings to her curves.
Merikh loosens his hold on me, and I adjust my dress, a sense of dread raining down on me as he watches her. A movement in the back draws my attention, and my heart stutters when I see Grady, his eyes red and puffy, and his face full of conflict as he watches me. Guilt rips through my core, and I feel tears welling, threatening to spill down my cheeks.
A sudden pain blazes through my cheek as my head whips to the side, and I blink, trying to understand what is happening. When I turn to look at Leslie, I find myself facing Merikh’s back as he stands in front of me protectively.
“Rescind it,” Leslie growls. “Take back your claim on him, Colette, and I’ll forgive you for this screw up.”
Merikh laughs lightly, leaning closer to Leslie, who squares her shoulders, trying to look tough, but she reeks of fear. He is unreadable as he tilts his head, looking her up and down.
“You will forgive her?” Merikh says, sounding bored. He takes a menacing step toward her, “Do you think I am stupid? I do know what you have been up to over the past few months.” He growls, and she scoffs as though he is crazy.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” she says coolly, looking away from him. “No doubt lies from a servant.”
“She is a Luna,” He sneers, taking a step back from her like she isn’t worth his time.
He moves behind me, and the panic in Leslie’s eyes overtakes her usual brown, jealousy clearly lacing its way through her. She looks to the outskirts of the room and licks her lips before stepping closer to me. Merikh growls in warning, but she ignores him.
“Grady is waiting for you.” She whispers, moving closer to me, and my heart skips a beat, my eyes drifting to him against the wall, where I see hope on his sullen face. “You have loved him as long as I can remember. You still have time to rekindle the bond. I give my blessing; all you have to do is take back your oath.”
Merikh chuckles like it’s a joke, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. My heart yearns to be with Grady and reignite our bond. For as long as a girl can have a crush, my heart has beat for him. My skin has longed for his touch. Is it really possible to back out, to save the bond that has already been broken with Grady?
I give in to the stare I can feel from Merikh, looking up at him over my shoulder, a glint in his eyes as he tries to read me. Then I look over at Grady, hope written all over his face, his attention focused on me. Merikh’s face blocks my view of Grady, and he reaches out, taking hold of my chin with his fingers, making sure he has my undivided attention.
“You are mine now, little mate. Look at him like that again, and I will kill him.” He whispers.
Chapter 3
I can feel Leslie’s heated stare as I blink at Merikh, trying to keep my fear at bay. With his lighthearted teasing, I had almost forgotten who I mated myself to, but I see his true nature in his eyes now. The feral Alpha of Death who commands respect wherever he goes. I understand his reaction to my looking at Grady. I am his Luna, as he keeps saying. Looking at another man longingly is a slap to his face.
“I understand, Alpha,” I bow my head to him, trying to figure out how to do this Luna thing. “Alpha Merikh,” a man says, stepping up and whispering in his ear. He is slightly shorter than Merikh, and his red hair highlights his pale face and little freckles. He looks much friendlier than his alpha.
“Colette, excuse me for just a moment,” Merikh whispers in a low voice, stepping a few feet away from me to have a heated conversation with the redhead.
It takes Leslie a whole two seconds before she swoops in for another verbal assault.
“I can’t believe you would be such a backstabbing cunt,” she hisses, while offering smiles to those who pass and offering congratulations to me.
“I did nothing wrong.” I insist, finding a little inner strength when I catch Merikh looking in my direction with curiosity in his eyes.
“If I had known he wasn’t an ugly, disfigured alpha, I would never have slept around so much.” She mutters to herself with an irritated groan. I furrow my brows, trying to process everything she is saying.
“I thought you said you were only sleeping with Grady?” I ask, my voice breaking at the mention of his name. Leslie rolls her eyes and scoffs.
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is, you stole what was mine the second you found out he was attractive.”
“He chose me,” I tell her, shocked. Her head falls back as she laughs loudly, her sardonic tone echoing back at us.
“No one would willingly choose you. Are you that idiotic? You are a weak, simpering, sorry excuse for a werewolf. You have only successfully shifted like, what? Twice in three years?” She crosses her arms over her chest, waiting for an answer, and embarrassment stains my face.
Leslie is right. Merikh wouldn’t have accepted me if he knew my wolf hardly ever came forward when beckoned. But then again, I tried to tell him, and so did Alpha Bentley, but he insisted he wanted me.
“Why would you even want him now?” I ask. “You are pregnant with Grady’s pup. Is he not good enough now?”
“Of course he isn’t.” She scoffs, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “I never wanted Grady. I just knew you wanted him, so I figured, why not fuck him? It was enough knowing I was destroying your precious little heart. But now you think you can choose someone more powerful? This is about you, Colette, always needing a reminder of where you belong. In the dirt, at my feet,” she growls out as she lunges at me.
Her hand tangles in my hair as I gasp and clutch her wrist, trying to keep her from tossing me around. She grunts in pain, her body going slack and her eyes growing wide as I look up to see Merikh with his hand squeezing her throat.
“Release my Luna. Now.” He whispers menacingly.
When she does, he steps away from her and moves behind me. The red-headed lycan sidles up behind her as he lifts his leg and kicks the back of her knees, sending her tumbling forward with a crack of her kneecaps and a cry of pain.
“Ask for forgiveness.” He growls, squatting beside her, murder in his eyes.
I feel Merikh’s heat, his hand coming to rest on my shoulder.
“For what?” She shrieks, looking around for someone to save her, but the hall has emptied, everyone rushing to the dining area for the promised feast.
“For insulting my mate.” Merikh’s chest rumbles, sending a jolt down my spine. “I was patient. I afforded you more slanderous words than you deserved because of the treaty that was just established between our packs, but now… now you are bordering on declaring war.”
“I was just joking with her,” Leslie stutters, her eyes filling with fear as she looks up at me. “Tell them Cole… I call her names all the time. It’s our little game?”
I look over my shoulder at my new mate, pondering what it will be like living with him. He seems so gentle one moment and volatile the next.
“What are you going to do with her?” I ask him, and he smirks.
“What would you like us to do with her? She has offended you too many times, and in doing so, she has insulted me personally and our pack. Where we are from, that is punishable by death.”
My heart drops to my feet, blood draining from my face as I swallow the dryness. Death? He wants to kill her? Leslie sobs, her hands reaching out for my ankles, her nails embedding into my skin. “No,” I squeak. My mind swirls; the only thought: saving the unborn pup of my best friend that is growing inside Leslie’s womb. I shake my head, pleading, and he seems to frown. “She is pregnant,” I whisper, and he seems surprised.
“Who is the father of the unborn child?” He asks Leslie, his foot pushing her hands away from me. “Grady…” she says in a whimper, a sob breaking from her. “I think…”
My heart aches. She thinks? I was rejected on the notion that Grady might be the father, and she isn’t even sure. I feel my world spin, and a hand wraps around me, steadying me at my lower back. Merikh holds me close to him as he exhales.
“Get her ass out of here and keep her and Grady away from the feast.”
I hear Leslie’s quiet sobbing fade to silence as Merikh spins me to face him. He searches my face with a look of disappointment before sighing.
“I will allow you a few moments to feel sorry for your loss, Colette. This will be the one and only time I will allow you to mourn the loss of your mate.”
“But the broken mate bond gives me a month,” I whisper to his chest, my eyes slowly lifting to his face.
“One month, and you can move on and find your second chance, mate, yes. But you have me now, Colette, and my rules are very different, yet set in stone. If you wish to cry, do so now, or where I will never hear of it. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I murmur, as his gaze finds mine, and it feels like the air is sucked from the room.
He is devastatingly handsome, even without being fated to him. My insides feel like jelly. Merikh’s fingers tickle the line of my jaw, and little sparks blossom on my skin, making me shiver. I must make a sound as he chuckles deep in his chest.
“See, the bond is already sparking to life.” He murmurs. “Now, let us go to the feast. We are expected.”
The feast is uneventful as wolves get drunk and dance while others eat their fill, and I sit next to Merikh, unmoving, as he looks uncomfortable every time someone asks him to dance with me. After what feels like forever, Merikh stands and takes my hand in his.
“I would like to thank you all for coming to celebrate this union and our new treaty, but my new Luna and I are eager for some time alone. Please stay and party to your heart’s content.” Everyone cheers as my cheeks, once again, grow red with the implications behind his words. He pulls me up as a chant breaks through the crowd.
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Everyone slurs the words, but the meaning is there as their glazed eyes watch us with merry glee.
Merikh turns to face me, his hands sliding around my waist as he swoops down and steals a chaste kiss from my lips. My first kiss. My eyes nearly pop from my face in shock, and he looks satisfied. “Come on, Alpha Merikh!” The redhead from earlier hollers, “You can do better than that!” Merikh scowls at his friend and sighs heavily. I feel sick, like I am some cheap party trick, and he looks at me.
The world seems to spin on its axis as he brushes the hair gently from my face, his eyes scanning me before he cups my cheek and, ever so tenderly, he presses his soft lips to mine. My hands find his chest, squeezing gently as I lean into him, into the kiss.
When his mouth opens, I follow his lead, and his tongue traces over my lips before closing and returning more forcefully. I hear nothing as I get lost in the kiss, my body responding in ways it only ever has for Grady, and I moan enough for him to hear.
Just as quickly as this kiss came on, he is tearing away from me, raising his arm, cheering like a wild man. I look for his eyes to find me again, trying to find comfort there that maybe this was more than some silly show for the people screaming for entertainment, but it never comes as he drags me down the hall.
Merikh saunters over to the edge of the bed, loosening his tie as he sits, all the while his eyes stay trained on me. My mouth goes dry when he undoes the top button, and I clench my fingers into a fist. I’m his mate now, and along with that title comes… certain expectations. The kind I have never experienced before. I glance away, my cheeks burning with embarrassment as I wait for him to instruct me.
“What is wrong?” he asks, standing. His fingers move deftly down his button-up shirt. I gulp, the mate bond we created drawing me towards him. My wolf whines to be near him, to touch him, and feel those sparks we were so convinced we would never get to feel again.
“I have…” I swallow, “How do you…”
Merikh chuckles, removing his shirt from his body as he takes a step closer. I step back on instinct, bumping into the chair behind me with a surprised ‘Oh!’. He isn’t just massive; he is a literal wall of defined muscle. He is perfection. My heart thumps wildly, and I feel lightheaded.
“Calm yourself, Colette. I can sense your panic and your worries.” He sighs, sounding bored. “I’m a virgin,” I blurt out, watching his eyebrows shoot into his hairline, his lips twitch, and then he shakes his head. “I-I am not sure I can do this… yet…”
“Did I ask?” He responds, sounding amused.
“No… It’s just that… I mean… You are huge.” I fumble over my words. He takes another step toward me, his lips in a full smile as he observes my freak out. “I don’t mean huge as in down there—I mean, I guess I haven’t even seen it to compare, so I can’t really say it’s not. But in general, you are a big alpha, that is what I mean.”
“And you are scared?” He asks with a cocked brow.
I bite my lower lip, my legs shaking in fear. Will he force himself on me tonight? Do I not get a say in when we mate?
“We won’t be consummating this union today.” He says, reaching out and tilting my chin up with his index finger. His eyes find mine, making sure I am giving him my undivided attention.
“We won’t?” I ask, tears of relief burning my eyes as I clutch my nervous stomach. “Not tonight, my little Luna. Not tonight.” He murmurs, “For now, we rest.” He strips out of his black slacks, and I swallow, spinning away from him.
“S-should I sleep on the couch?” I ask hopefully. His soft chuckle breaks through the room as the lights turn off, and I hold my breath.
“I may be huge, as you say, but there is still space on the bed for you,” he teases.
“I don’t have any clothes in here,” I whisper into the darkness, and he sighs. After a moment, something hits me in the face, and I quickly change into the oversized shirt. The chilly breeze nips at my exposed flesh as I run and jump into the bed, yanking the covers over my cold body.
“Merikh…?” I whisper, and he groans. “Can I ask you a question?”
“What?” he says after a moment, with an exasperated sigh.
“Does it bother you that I am a nobody?” “Clearly not, if I accepted you.” He says dryly, and I press my lips into an unimpressed smile.
“I am a maid. To the Alpha’s daughter.” I murmur, “My wolf is weak, hardly ever surfacing when she is called, and my mate rejected me hours ago…”
He says nothing, and for a moment, I convince myself he has gone to sleep. Then the mattress dips beneath me, and the light flickers on. Merikh turns to face me, his hand reaching out as he pulls some hair from my face.
“I know exactly what you are, my little Luna. Question is, do you?” He hums, twisting a strand of my hair between his fingers with a victorious smirk on his lips.