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She didn’t say no.
The words repeated over and over in his head. They were the mantra that kept him padding along the forest floor, his wolf scanning the trees for signs of danger. Her words offered just the tiniest bit of hope that he wouldn’t be forced to live a life without her.
Draven shook the rain from his fur, wishing it would take with it the pain of rejection. The throb of it radiated so deep he was sure it would linger long after the anger faded. Because there was anger beneath the pain—it just wasn’t directed at his mate.
No, it was his and his alone to own.
Draven raised his head and let out a long, lonely howl to the moon above. He wasn’t sure if it was a plea or hate filled cry to the Goddess. All he knew was that he’d possibly fucked up the only thing he’d ever let himself dare to dream of. He may have never spoken the words out loud, but in the silence of his heart, the yearning for a mate of his own had always been there. Even after they found the stone, when the Goddess was supposed to bless his people, he hadn’t held hope for himself. He was a hybrid. He may have identified more with his wolf, but he’d never thought he would be wolf enough to be seen by the Goddess, let alone be mated.
You’re an idiot. She didn’t reject us. Go back. Make her see that we are her future. None of her concerns matter. We will protect her. We will provide for her. She’s ours.
She wasn’t though. She'd made that abundantly clear.
Flora was her own person and that was just one of the things he loved about her. She wasn’t like the female wolves he’d grown up with. Hell, she wasn’t like any of the damn wolves.
Love. The word carried so much weight and yet it wasn’t something he deserved. Not from her. Not after everything he’d put her through. Would continue to put her through. He couldn’t force her to be his any more than he could have hoped to have found her. Flora wasn’t meant to be tamed, despite how much his wolf wanted him to.
No, his little Luna challenged him. She’d looked him directly in the eye and told him exactly where he could shove his declaration. Flora thought for herself and even when she wore the face of a fearful little doe, she never ceased to surprise him, coming out stronger and ready to face the predators who threatened her.
His wolf wanted to protect her. To watch over her more fiercely than the moon did the earth, but that isn’t what she needed from them. Flora didn’t understand the weight of a moon mating. It was everything. It consumed him, mind, body, and soul. He may have chosen pack before, but there was no way he could make the same choice again. She was the air he breathed, and he’d gladly suffocate without her in his life.
Draven’s wolf pushed harder, circling the cabin from inside the woods so she wouldn’t see him. This place was nothing like he’d ever seen before, and he’d seen a lot of shit policing the supernatural world. From spells gone wrong that left parts of Central Park covered in dildos, to vampire dens painted red with the blood of their victims and everything in between. The colors in this realm were unnatural and the wildlife smelled off in a way that raised the hair on the back of his neck. He panted, sucking in what was left of Flora’s scent on his skin to calm his frenzied need.
We need to protect her.His wolf pinned back his ears and let out a warning growl.Claim her.
Flora needed an equal and while Draven may have understood that, his wolf didn’t.
The problem was, he wasn’t sure she could be equal in his world. She was a human, and he was the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moon Ridge Pack.
Maybe.
Even that wasn’t certain.
If he did somehow convince the pack tribes he was worthy of the title, that he and his moon mate were the future for the Moon Ridge Pack, he wasn’t sure she would be up to being his Luna. Not that she couldn’t thrive; Flora had all the makings of an incredible leader if she’d trust herself. Being Luna carried a weight all of its own, one he’d watch his mother handle with tenacity and grace. It wasn’t for the faint of heart, not that Flora fell into that category, but female wolves looked to their Luna, and well, they could be straight up bitches.
The scent of a small animal caught in his nose, and Draven remembered Flora’s grumbling stomach. He put aside the swirling emotions in his brain—he couldn’t worry about what would come when they left this godforsaken realm. They had to escape it first.
Draven refused to take hold of their shared body. Refused the shift and pushed his wolf to the forefront. “Then we do so in the only way we can right now. The only way she needs us to. We feed her and try to find a way out. And until we can, we clear the realm of shadow wolves so she can live safely while.”
His wolf snarled and waited for Draven to take the forefront.
But he never did. If Flora wanted him to play by her rules, he’d gladly do so. She was his moon mate, and he was going to do everything in his power to ensure she had the time needed to realize he was her future.
Fine. Let’s go hunting.
