Chapter 23

“So, Hailia is offering her assistance in tracking down the ones who’ve started the rumors. I can’t say I’m that surprised,” Jekia commented.

It was later that evening, and Selenia and I had returned to the palace together after our meeting with Hailia. I couldn’t say that anything about that meeting had gone badly, although I had wished that it had just been the two of us.

I hoped to still get that chance eventually. There were many things that I wished to know about Hailia that she would probably only tell me, including what it was like when she’d been living in the Farther Shores.

Not that I had any regrets about Selenia’s company. I had been enjoying it a lot both before and after our meeting.

Rayne’s little sister was so sweet and smart, and she certainly seemed to like me a lot. Jekia had been waiting for us when we returned, along with Rayne and Lana.

I had been expecting Rayne to be waiting for us to get back, but Lana was a bit of a surprise. I hadn’t gotten to see much of his mother recently.

She appeared to be rather busy. Of course, she was the Northern Mistress of the Veil too.

The three had been in the conservatory when we arrived, and Jekia decided that we’d all talk there as he looked over the many plants that were growing around us. Lana was also inspecting them and had a small basket on her arm filled with the ones she’d picked.

She looked as elegant as always in her long white dress. It had no sleeves, and the top accentuated her perfect hourglass figure.

Her long black hair fell over her shoulders, and her brown eyes were lively and bright. “You speak like you expected this all along,” she noted as she stood up straight and looked at Jekia.

“I cannot say I did not,” Jekia allowed.

“Of course not. You knew all along that Hailia feels a connection to Luna,” Rayne corrected.

He was standing beside me as I sat on one of the edges of the walls around the plants, his tail whipping around his legs, showing his displeasure with the entire situation. Jekia paid his attitude no mind.

“It is no surprise. Hailia may not have been born to a Fallen, but the aswang do have quite a fearsome reputation even here within the Veil. It could be safe to say that it can even rival that of the Fallen,” he went on.

“I must ask, how did all of that happen, Daddy? The affair story obviously covered something more if they were so feared. Did one of the females use him to have a child and then decide to abandon her?” Selenia inquired.

“I do not know the precise answer to that one, although it appears to be the case. I spoke to Emelio about it long ago and he told me that the aswang will occasionally lure in males so that they may breed with them.

“However, the male Fae that fathered Hailia had a very strong and prestigious bloodline, and that overrode hers far too much for her daughter to be an aswang,” Jekia explained.

“And that’s why she was left with him and his family instead,” I concluded.

“That appears to be the case,” Jekia confirmed.

Rayne was growing slightly impatient, crossing his arms as he remained standing beside me. “If this is all that’s come of this, then I’d like to return home with Luna now. We’ve already given up this day to take care of this issue.”

“Why must you always rush off, Rayne? You barely visit as it is. Can you not stay for just a while longer?” Lana requested as she stood up straight to face him.

“I promise I will soon, Mother, but I’d rather take Luna home for now,” Rayne answered.

“Soon is not an answer, Rayne,” Lana chided him.

“Your mother does have a point. Both you and Rin have fallen into a bad habit of avoidance in the last few years, and you need to curve it before it comes back to bite you,” Jekia warned him.

“We are not avoiding either of you, and Rin was the one who took off completely for a full year. I have no intention of doing that. I simply wish for more time alone with Luna. I already feel that I have messed up with that as it is,” Rayne countered.

“Perhaps,” Jekia slightly allowed, “but think about my words too.”

Lana also gave in, though not completely. “At least keep your promise and make your visits more frequent.”

“I will,” Rayne promised her. He helped me to my feet. “Come along, Luna. Let us take our leave.”

I did as he asked, saying my goodbyes to Jekia, Lana, and Selenia before following him out. My mind was buzzing as we walked through the courtyard and out of the gate, reflecting on my meeting with Hailia and what I had learned about her.

She was much like me. It was little wonder that she would be as interested in speaking to me as she had been.

But could the rumors truly have started in her sister’s House? If so, then why would Madame Lucille not have known about it? Was she a part of it?

Rayne stopped and turned to me once we were away from the gateway. “Is something wrong, Luna?” he asked me.

“Oh, no. I’m fine,” I answered as I came back to reality. “I was only thinking things over.”

Rayne let out a long sigh and gently ran a finger over my cheek. I could feel the tip of his claw as he did. “I know things have been rough for you since I brought you here, but we’re working them out,” he promised.

“I know you are, and I’m not worried about it. I’m much stronger than even I’ve realized,” I reassured him.

“Yes, you are,” Rayne agreed. He looked a bit remorseful. “I feel guilty too. I’ve put you through so much since I brought you here, both by not being here for you and not realizing those horrible things that were being said. I hate thinking of what an improper alpha I’ve been to you.”

“I don’t see it that way at all, Rayne. We cannot change those things now that they’ve happened, and I refuse to dwell on them. Having you here with me and supporting me is what is important to me,” I informed him.

Rayne shook his head. “Even if you say that you haven’t had much experience outside of servitude, you always know what to say to me.”

“That could be because I’m now connected to you. You did choose me to be your beta,” I reminded him.

“I don’t consider it that way. Alphas meet their betas by fate, not by choice.” Rayne caressed my cheeks, his eyes softening. “I hope you never doubt my love for you, Luna. You are everything to me, and I fear losing you more than I ever thought I could fear anything. The only others that could be equal in those fears are my family.”

He was so sincere as he said this, and it took me a lot of effort to not allow the tears to sting my eyes. How did I ever get so lucky as to be fated to one like him?

“I have no doubts about your love, and I would say the same in that I hope you would never doubt mine. You treat me so well, and I cannot imagine my life without you in it,” I confessed.

“You will never have to,” Rayne promised me. The two of us looked up as we heard the loud shriek of what sounded like a bird in the distance.

The sky was darkening as clouds moved in, signaling that some storms may be developing. Rayne took my hand. “Let us return home before the weather becomes bad. I smell quite a storm brewing.”

“You have a good nose for the changes in weather, don’t you?” I noted as he picked me up.

Rayne smiled at me. “It’s a necessary talent.”

It didn’t take us long to get home with him carrying me. Rayne was quite fast, and though our home wasn’t terribly far from the palace, it would’ve taken us at least fifteen minutes if we’d simply walked back.

I confess that it did feel better to be back in that glen after everything that afternoon, although some of that may have been from my fears about what could happen after my meeting with Hailia. One could say that my encounter with that snake had scarred me a bit mentally.

The two of us settled into the cabin after arriving back, and it wasn’t half an hour later that the storm Rayne had picked up on came. The skies turned very dark, and the wind picked up quite a bit before the driving rain and thunder followed.

I sat by the front window to watch the scene, taking in the fury of this storm. I always enjoyed watching them roll in and what they could do. There was quite a beauty in the chaos.

I was sitting there watching when I felt Rayne sit behind me. He pulled me back against him, kissing the side of my neck.

“There’s beauty in storms, isn’t there?” he whispered in my ear.

“I agree. I enjoy watching them, and the aftermath where it all becomes clear. It’s almost like life, isn’t it?” I responded as I leaned back against him.

“It is.” Rayne kissed my temple. “There are many storms in life, but we make it through them. You and I have before, and I know we’ll continue to do so together.”

“Are you that concerned about what may come of my talk with Hailia?” I had to know.

“Perhaps a bit. I simply worry about what else could happen for now. You could say that the incident the other day scarred me a bit as well,” Rayne confessed.

I turned in his arms so that I could snuggle against him. “It’ll be all right. I’m safe with you, and I know that Hailia is not against me. She will help us find the one who is.”

Rayne’s chest rose and fell as he let out a long breath. “You may be right. I am simply worrying too much, though I can’t help it. I waited so long to find you, and I fear ever losing you even in this short amount of time,” he whispered as he held me.

“I’m not going anywhere, and nothing will happen to me. You’re here, and you’ll always protect me,” I reminded him.

“I will. I’ll give my last breath for you,” Rayne promised.

I knew he meant every word that he said. I just hoped that it wouldn’t ever come to that point. I would stay with Rayne forever if I was able to.

Even if every doubt about myself was planted in my mind, I could never give him up. I simply refused to ever do so.

We sat like that for a while, watching the storm slowly die down into steady rain. The air was moist and warm, and Rayne ended up cracking a few of the windows so that the cabin wasn’t so stuffy.

Everything was so quiet around us save for our breathing and the steady sound of rain. It was relaxing, and I was starting to drift off.

But as I drifted to sleep, that familiar feeling of falling into darkness returned. My body began to heat up uncomfortably, and I swore I heard that same deep voice in my ear.

“Give in to your true nature….”

I awoke with a start from that, my entire body hot and tingling. It took me a few seconds to register that I was lying in my bed.

All of the lights in the cabin were off, bathing it in darkness save for a dim light coming from the washroom, where I could hear water running. Rayne must’ve laid me down at some point and decided to take a quick shower.

The cabin was warm, and I could feel where I’d been sweating a bit. I slowly moved to the side of the bed, allowing my legs to dangle there and taking my hair out of the braid.

My mind was spinning as I thought of that dream. What in the world was all of that? Was it the darker side of me wishing to come out more?

I was well aware of that side of me, even back when I was a child. I couldn’t deny that it was there, no matter how hard I tried.

I knew that I’d inherited the lustful traits that my father had, and they certainly had awakened since meeting Rayne. It even frightened me a bit how I longed for him as I did.

The heat in my body intensified, and I held my arms, curling up slightly to keep the desire at bay. This was no good.

There was no way I could deny this feeling within me, especially when Rayne may come out there any minute. I needed release and I needed it badly.

Was there really any choice in this? I knew I couldn’t deny my own biology, even if I worried about how it may end up affecting my alpha.

But would it really? Rayne had seen this side of me several times now, and he appeared to thoroughly enjoy it.

Sometimes I felt like Rayne’s sexual appetite was even more voracious than mine. I was pulled out of those thoughts as my body tingled more, all of it moving to the center of my pelvis.

I took in a shuttered breath, slowly standing up and untying my dress to let it fall to the floor. It did feel a little better to be standing there in just my underwear, though not much.

The arousal going through my body was almost painful now, and I ended up lying down and curling up, doing my best to quell it. The soft sound of rain hitting the cabin helped soothe me a little, though not by much.

I don’t know how long I lay there before I felt the bed shift slightly behind me. I remained still as I felt Rayne lean over me.

“It’s happening again, isn’t it?” he guessed, keeping his voice soft.

“You can tell?” I whispered.

“It’s hard to ignore such a pleasant smell as you give off when you enter these states,” Rayne informed me. He gently kissed my shoulder, making me shiver.

“It’s okay, Luna. You never cause me harm in these states, and I quite enjoy them too.”

I slowly turned onto my back, touching his cheek and caressing my fingers over his soft skin. He was such a handsome sight, even in this dim light, and his eyes were so beautiful.

“I’m beginning to wonder if you are even more sexual than I am,” I softly confessed.

“Perhaps.” Rayne held my hand and kissed my palm. “But you are the only one I will ever want.”

His kiss was searing, and I couldn’t stop the moan that escaped me as his tongue caressed my own. I could sense that Rayne had come to our bed feeling rather lustful, but it was just as well.

At least I could feel like this was mutual and not just me being needy. I could feel his hand roaming down my body, the tips of his claws tracing along my skin.

They danced over my belly and hip, then up to my left breast, tracing around my nipple. I groaned as he gently twisted it between his fingers, the mixture of pleasure and pain even more arousing.

Rayne looked pleased as he continued to massage my breast. “You’re quite aroused already. I want to see you continue to lose yourself to your instincts,” he teased, his voice deeper with lust.

“I’m not sure you could handle that,” I teased back, sitting up with him and kissing him again.

“You think not?” Rayne asked me between these passionate kisses.

“Is that a challenge?”

“Maybe.” Rayne smiled at me as he sat back, stroking his quickly hardening manhood. “After all, I do enjoy it when you let go of that part of you.”

I couldn’t hold myself back anymore as I saw and heard this. I moved on my hands and knees to kiss him again, allowing that side of me to overtake me.

“If that’s what you want, then who am I to deny you?”

I kissed him lightly, running my hands down his strong body until I settled between his legs. His manhood was hard and erect as he let it go, the tip glistening with moisture from his arousal.

I smiled as I saw this, slipping off my underwear before leaning down and running my tongue around his head. Rayne drew in a sharp breath as I did, sitting back against the wall.

Feeling pleased, I slowly took him into my mouth until his tip was touching the back of my throat, then ran my tongue slowly around his shaft. I heard him moan in pleasure as I continued and slowly pulled back before taking him into my mouth again.

After a few times of this, I let him out of my mouth, licking under his head. Rayne gasped and groaned as I did this, his manhood twitching and a small stream of liquid pumping out.

I grinned and licked up his shaft, tasting the saltiness of it on my tongue. Yes, that got him every time. Just under the head of his manhood was certainly one of his most sensitive spots.

“Want me to make you release?” I offered.

“Not yet. Draw it out,” Rayne breathlessly requested.

“Draw it out, huh?”

I could feel the satisfied smile cross my face as I pumped him. I could think of plenty of ways to do that, but I admit that I was feeling pretty needy too.

I really needed to feel his huge manhood inside of me. So I moved onto my knees, slowly going down on him and closing my eyes as he entered me.

Ah yes! This was what my body needed!

My hips began moving on their own, slowly and deliberately sliding him almost out of me and then slowly back in. I leaned my hands on his chest as I continued, feeling his own on my hips.

Oh, this slow pace wasn’t easy to keep up, but I was also relishing it.

“Luna!” Rayne breathed as I went all the way down, burying him deep inside of me. I felt his manhood jerk and warmth fill me.

“That was quicker than I thought,” I teased him.

“Who…said I was done yet?” he breathed.

I groaned as he gripped my rear and did a few hard thrusts into me. There was a seductive smile on his face now.

“I told you that I pride myself on my stamina with you.”

I couldn’t say I was that surprised that the tables were being turned on me. He was good at that too, and I’ll admit that I enjoyed it when he did that.

Before I knew it, I’d been laid on my back and he was pounding into me. I clung to him, my nails digging into the skin of his back and my hands taking in the strong feel of his muscles as my legs opened wider.

Oh, how I loved being taken hard like this!

“Oh! Rayne! Just like that!” I moaned.

“My beautiful Luna,” Rayne breathed.

I groaned as he thrust all the way into me and leaned down to whisper in my ear. “No matter what comes, no other will ever have you. You belong to me forever!”

His possessive tone sent a wave of pure ecstasy through my already overstimulated body, and I cried out over and over as he sat up and held my hips in place, thrusting hard and fast again. It was too much.

I could feel the head of his huge manhood hitting that one spot deep inside of me over and over, putting stars in my vision and making my head swim. I barely heard myself cry out as my release swept through me and my hips arched to take all of him in.

But Rayne was far from done. He flipped me over and began thrusting into me at the same pace.

I swore that I couldn’t form a coherent thought by this point, my mind lost in the pleasure of all of this. Time seemed to stand still as he continued, making me release over and over.

It was on the sixth time when I finally heard him groaning loudly, and his manhood jerked inside of me almost violently.

“Yes! That’s it!” he breathed, still holding me in place as he continued releasing himself within me.

I remained still, breathing hard and trying to bring myself down from the incredible high my body had been at. My goodness, could any male be as amazing as him?

I simply couldn’t imagine it.

Rayne was breathing just as hard as he finally pulled out of me, and my pelvis slowly fell to the mattress, wetness running out between my legs. I remained still as he lay beside me, kissing between my eyes.

“You certainly can be a beast at times, can’t you?” I softly teased.

“I’ll take that statement with pride.” Rayne chuckled. “It’s probably a good thing that they won’t allow you to fall pregnant. We’d have more children than we could handle.”

“As I said, a beast in the bed,” I reiterated. Turning onto my back, I finally caught my breath. “But I love that too. I love how we satisfy one another so well.”

“That’s because we were made for one another,” Rayne reminded me. He pulled me against him, stroking my hair back. “Please don’t worry about what anyone else may think anymore. It doesn’t matter how you came into the world. What matters is that you are mine and I am yours.”

His words were beautiful, and though he thoroughly believed them, I couldn’t say that I did yet. I knew in my heart that I loved Rayne with everything I had and that I’d do anything for him.

Yet, I feared that many others would not believe so.

More than that, I feared the lengths some would go to tear us apart.