Filed to story: Confirming His Luna by Eyes Novel >>
It did not surprise me when my scouts returned with a report that they’d discovered my mate’s scent leading to a mysterious new territory high in the mountains.
It did not shock me when my spies reported that the kingdom was filled with creatures that were only supposed to exist in scary stories.
What did surprise me was the look in my Bata’s eyes when he returned.
Nico had seemed positively shaken, distraught beyond consolation. He looked like a wounded puppy, devastated by what happened in the vampire’s castle.
But Mark? I’d seen him angry plenty of times, but never like that.
“I don’t know why or how, but they made her into one of them.”
“Are you sure?” I demanded.
“I watched her feed on the vampire king himself,” Mark replied, something between fear and fury burning in his eyes.
“She did that to protect us,” Nico protested, and I couldn’t be sure who he was trying to convince.
My council sat around the dining room table, our food untouched.
“She wouldn’t have had to protect anyone if she had just come with us when we told her to,” Mark retorted bitterly.
“Maybe she couldn’t. Maybe they were forcing her to say that. Are you sure this Night King wasn’t threatening her somehow?” Lucy asked.
“No, she wanted to stay there. She chose to remain with those… monsters. Goddess knows what else they’ll do to her,” Mark replied, his voice low and raspy.
His mate set her hand softly atop his, something curious flashing over her exotic features.
“Careful,” Amara said, a hint of teasing in her tone. “Such fury and concern. You’re starting to sound like you might actually care. Tell me, my love, do you have a soft spot for our little flower?”
He only growled angrily in reply, shooting her a threatening glare.
“Of course he cares about her,” Lucy said with a snort. “My brother may be an ass, but he’s not heartless. We all care about her. She’s our friend.”
It’s true. It seemed that without meaning to, the girl made a mark on each of us. In her own quiet way, she carved out her place in my home and in my pack, and now, the house felt too large and empty without her. Even the garden seemed duller in her absence, with a few of the plants withering and the flowers only smelling half as sweet.
“Then why did she abandon us?” Mark asked angrily. “Why did she abandon her own mate?”
Lucy glanced at me and then lowered her gaze to her hands.
“We don’t know the whole story,” Nico protested cautiously. “She attacked the Night King to protect the two of us. Why would she do that if she was one of them and not one of us?”
“Perhaps she is both,” Amara replied, and all eyes turned to her. “Things are rarely black and white, and we know better than most that appearances can be deceiving. Perhaps her allegiances are torn. Or perhaps she was turned into a vampire against her will.”
“She also said the ball being thrown was in her honor. She told us she wanted to stay,” Mark huffed, sinking back into his seat.
It didn’t add up. None of this made any sense. All I knew was that I ached for her.
I still do.
Even now, as I stand on the edge of a precipice, watching the vampire’s fortress in the distance, I can sense her. I feel the space between us and the absence of her by my side, and it’s driving me mad.
Maybe coming here was a mistake. If Mark’s fears prove to be true, it’s likely we’re walking into a bloodbath. But from the moment Mark and Nico returned without the girl, I knew I would go back for her. There hadn’t been any doubt in my mind, not for a single second.
I brought an army to the doorstep of the vampire’s kingdom, and I will not leave until I see her. If the vampires hurt her, then I will kill every last one of them. If she is truly one of them and this is the home that she chose for herself… then I will see to it that she is safe in it. I will fight for her until my dying breath.
It’s strange to think that I’d been so afraid she would betray me, just as my Elaine betrayed Ector. I’d stayed away for countless nights, imagining all the ways in which such a small, sweet girl could destroy me. But I think I finally understand my father. At long last, I forgive him.
I used to think he gave up in the end. I believed he was weak for loving my mother until it killed him, and I blamed him for letting go. But I realize now that there are things a man cannot walk away from. Whether it is because of the mating bond, some greater destiny, or just because of her… I don’t care. I chose her. Whatever that means, and whatever it takes, I chose her.
This nameless girl with her violet eyes and kind smile has consumed me. I can’t shake away the softness of her touch, the curious awe in her gaze, the gentle caress of her lips on mine.
There was such silent strength in her. I saw it the first time I met her when she fought back against her cousin. I saw it again when she took my hand and accepted an unknown future by my side. When she woke screaming from the nightmares of her past, she held me with such tenderness, such care. When she tended to the garden, she did it with pure joy, finding bliss in something so simple. Just when I thought she could not surprise me any more, she bared herself to me, challenging me and drawing me in all at once.
Her courage is written on the scars on her skin and in the hope in her eyes. Such hope… even after everything she’d suffered. She’d survived. Just as Sophie had said, not only had the girl endured, she’d thrived. She’d blossomed.
Like a haunting tide, every time something pushed her away from me, she pulled me back in. Now I cannot let her go. I see her eyes every time I close my own and hear her voice in the depths of my dreams.
“Tristan.” My Beta’s voice pierces through my thoughts, and I turn to find Mark approaching me with a grave look on her face. “Our forces are ready to move on your command, but we just received word from the vampires.”
Is it from her? Did the girl receive my message?
“What did they say?”
“The Night King wishes to meet with you directly. He will wait for you at nightfall on the bridge that leads into the fortress.”
“Any word from the girl? Will the king meet me alone?”
A meeting between two kings before the battle. It could mean anything. The vampire lord might try to discuss an alliance or a treaty, or he could just as easily challenge me to single combat.
“Doesn’t say. It could be a trap,” Mark grunts, but he knows just as well as I do that it won’t stop me.
“You know your orders. Stand your ground and don’t engage. If things go sideways, protect the pack and find the girl. Keep them safe,” I tell him, and for once, he doesn’t talk back or argue.
“Please don’t go… You’re not my enemy, Tristan Lyall… I want to be here, and I don’t want to be scared anymore… Don’t hold back… I will never run away from you, my King.’
Even if she broke her promise to me, I will not break mine to her. I will protect her from whatever comes next. Or I will die trying.
I can sense Tristan on the other side of the gates.
Now that my senses have come alive and my body is changing after feeding, I can almost hear his heart beating on the bridge outside.
As the gate opens, the cool night air hits my face, and I can feel my own pulse quickening. My father stands by my side, tall and imposing as ever. The tender, awkward man I’ve come to know and care for is buried deep beneath the cold and commanding expression of the Night King.
He’s asked to meet with the Rogue Alpha. With any luck, this could be my only chance to clear up this horrible misunderstanding. I’m not sure what I’m going to say to Tristan yet, but if my encounter with Nico and Mark taught me anything, it’s that the truth is better than even the most well-intentioned deception. Besides, I’m not sure if I could lie to Tristan even if I wanted to. I was startled and confused when Mark and Nico appeared in the nightwalker’s court, but this is different.
This is my mate. If revealing everything to him makes him hate me… then so be it. If he wants to be with me even after knowing everything… then I will deal with that as well. The Goddess’s cursed mark is still there, a permanent reminder of what we can never have. Maybe telling him about it will be enough to end this whole mess. Maybe he’ll understand why I had to stay away.
All I know is that I can’t let this go on any further, and I certainly can’t risk war between my family and my pack.
I clutch the yellow tansies in my hand as we step through the gate. The bridge that connects the mountains and leads into the fortress is an imposing and awe-inspiring structure. It stretches across a deep chasm, with nothing but a bottomless pit below. The bridge is made of dark stone, carved intricately with intricate patterns that seem to glimmer in the moonlight. The sides are lined with tall, sturdy columns, each one carved with the intricate details of twisting vines and snarling beasts.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?