“Fia, stop,” he snaps. I glare at him, but at least he’s got a little of his spark back. “My wolf doesn’t give a shit. Talking about it isn’t going to change anything. I’m still going to go moon mad. It’s not like I have a say in any of it.”
“Bullshit. Stop blaming your wolf. My wolf wanted Luca the moment we found out we were mates. My human part was still going to reject him. Emily rejected her fated mate. Our wolves don’t control everything. You’re the problem, Ryan. You.”
“Ryan,” Luca interrupts. “You need to give it a chance. I get you don’t believe there’s any hope, and maybe there’s not, but how would you feel if the roles were reversed? If Sofia was going to let herself die rather than try to get help.”
My heart pounds in my chest, and I hold my breath. Tears well in my eyes again, partly because of the fear of losing my brother. Partly because of my gratitude to Luca for having my back on this. He doesn’t believe in mental health or therapy, thinking it’s a human issue. But he is backing me anyway.
“Please Ryan. Please don’t leave me like they did. Please fight. For me?”
Ryan drops his head into his hands and runs them through his hair. When he looks up at me again, he nods.
“Fine,” he mutters. “Set it up. Use my card. But I’m staying in the cells. I’ll do online sessions.”
And then the tears come. I couldn’t hold them back for another second. I sink to the floor, and Luca pulls me into his arms. Steady and strong. Everything I need right now.
He carries me out of the cells and back home—to our house. When did his place become home? Because it did. Somewhere along the way, I stopped fighting him. He refuses to put me down, despite my protests. And it’s nice. I’m tall and strong. I’m not the kind of girl who needs to be carried. But right now, Iwantto be cared for.
Luca heads straight for the bedroom when we get home, depositing me onto the bed. He takes my sneakers off and pulls the covers back. Like I’m breakable.
Well, I’m not.
“I have a few things I need to do. Can I get you anything before I go?”
Disappointment unfurls in my stomach, a knot tightening as the seconds tick by. My shoulders slump, and heavy weariness settles in my limbs. A subtle tremor runs through my hands as I stretch them out. A sigh escapes my lips, carrying the weight of unmet need.
“Princess?”
I look at him, my chest aching, heart raw. “Yeah, you.” My voice trembles. “I’m ready to accept the bond.”
I lick my suddenly dry lips when Luca winces, like he’s in pain. “Not now. You nearly died. You lost friends in the battle. You’re terrified of losing your brother. My wolf might be trying to tear through me to get me to shut up right now, but I’m not letting you accept our bond until you’re doing it for the right reasons.”
It would hurt less if he clawed his way into my chest and ripped my heart out. I draw my legs up and cross my arms, looking away from him. Feeling raw and emotional, like he stripped me of all my defenses, only to leave me alone.
“Just leave Luca; you’re good at that.”
“Princess,” he says, his tone taking on a dark edge. He clasps my chin and forces me to look at him. I hate this. I’m vulnerable, and it’s awful. “Have you not been paying attention to how utterly obsessed with you I am?”
He strips his henley top off, then opens his belt, moving slowly, staring at me all the time. He kicks off his boots before sliding his jeans and boxers down his thick thighs. I’m frozen as he climbs onto the bed. He spreads my legs and settles himself between my thighs.
My panties grow damp, and I hate this. The way he can make my body sing, unlike anyone else before. The way every nerve ending craves his touch. Extending his claws, he rips through my leggings and underwear. My top is next, then my bra, until I’m lying in the shredded ruins of my clothing while he hovers above me. Heat radiates from him, and his scent overwhelms me.
He notches my entrance with the tip of his hard length, rubbing it up and down my slit, gathering my wetness before circling my clit. I shudder and bite down on my lower lip to stop myself from moaning at the barely there touches that already have me ready to follow this male off a cliff.
He hovers over me, and I feel his stare burning into me as my own gaze remains firmly on his muscular, inked chest. My eyes sting with tears. I don’t know if it’s the humiliation of his rejection or the shame of still needing to be close to him that stings worse.
“Look at me.”
I shake my head, hating this version of me. But I can’t look at him right now. I can’t see his handsome face, his eyes that remind me of the bluest sky, the smirk he wears so well.
“You don’t get my cock unless you look at me.”
That does it. I might hate that I want him, but I can’t deny that it’s true. I hate how well he knows me. Shame burns me from the inside out, but I raise my eyes to him and give him my best glare. He sinks into me in one swift, firm motion, and I cry out.
“You’re such a brat.”
“Am not,” I snap back, looking away again. But he clasps my jaw and forces me to look him in the eye.
“You are the most infuriating female I have ever met. And I love every bratty inch of you,” he says as he thrusts slowly into me. “I, Luca Taylor, beta of the Lunar Eclipse Pack, accept you, Sofia Rivera of the Lunar Eclipse Pack. I’ve always been yours, Princess. And as soon as you’re ready to be mine, I’ll mark this beautiful shoulder of yours,” he says, kissing my marking spot.
