I sprinted down the red carpet covering the hallway, but at the same time I couldn't resist sneaking a backward glance. No one seemed to be following me. Yet.
I think I hear someone, Edria hissed. Just a little farther.
I rounded the corner into the hallway of my room and tightened my muscles even further. This was life or death.
Just as I was about to grab the door handle, the said door opened and I found myself chest to chest with my mate.
"Whaâ" He began, but I didn't give him a chance to finish.
I plastered my open palms against his chest and pushed him inside the room. Together the two of us stumbled inside, where I immediately shut the door behind us. Then I pressed my ear against the wood and strained my ears for any approaching footsteps.
I don't hear anything. I think we lost her.
She knows where our bedroom is, Edria said.
Do you think she'll come all this way?
I don't know. She looked rather determined.
"What's going on?" Hunter asked. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything." I moved away from the door and turned to face him. "I'm running away from the Luna Queen. She keeps ordering me to rest and refuses to listen when I tell her that I've already healed from the bullet wound."
"I know she's the mother of all werewolves, but that doesn't sound like the Luna Queen."
"You're right." I shook my head. "I think she's using me as an excuse to avoid the Alpha King. She's angry with him because he didn't include her in his plan, and because his plan involved putting an innocent Alpha and his Luna in danger."
"I like the sound of that." He diminished the distance between us.
"What? You like the sound of what? Us being in danger?"
"No." He wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me closer. "You calling yourself my Luna."
Before I could even open my mouth to respond, he lowered his head and brushed his lips against mine. The teasingly soft kiss deepened when I wrapped my arms around his neck and opened my mouth. Goddess, he tasted delicious.
"How long are you planning to make me wait?"
"I don't know." I cupped his cheeks and pulled his face back down to mine. "She seemed rather determined andâ"
"Not the Luna Queen." He shook his head. "You. How long are you going to make me wait before I can make you mine?"
"I'm not making you wait." I rose to my tiptoes and brushed my lips against his ear. "I've been ready for us to mark each other since the day you said you don't mind a Luna being a warrior as well. You're the one who keeps pushing it off."
Before he could get a word in response, I captured his lips with mine. He didn't resist even for a second as I ran the tip of my tongue across his lower lip and then moved in to meet his own tongue.
A low growl erupted from the depths of his chest, and he wrapped his arms tighter around my lower back. His lips travelled down my jaw, until they reached the base of my neck. The exact spot where his mark would rest.
The tips of his canines brushed against my skin and I instinctively leaned my head to the side. My mind was spinning with Edria's need to sink her own teeth into Hunter's neck, claiming him as ours. I was more than ready.
"We need to stop." He pulled a step away from me.
"What?" He seemed to be the only werewolf in existence who would hesitate for so long before marking his mate. "Why? I'm ready for us to mark and mate. There's no need to wait."
"Yes, there is." He moved another step away from me, until nothing but cold air surrounded me. "I want to pronounce you as my Luna the moment we mark and mate, and we aren't doing that until you meet my pack. I don't want you to have any regrets."
He can't be serious, Edria whined. Tell him we won't regret anything.
I opened my mouth to comply to Edria's demand, but Hunter shook his head and folded his arms across his chest.
"I'm not changing my mind about this."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's leave right now and head for Black Moon. I'm ready to meet our pack."
A knee-weakening smile stretched his lips. "We need to wait for the others. Don't forget we didn't come here on our own."
Dyson, we're leaving in fifteen minutes. Tell Sasha to get ready. Or we're leaving you stranded, I ordered through the mind-link.
"I already told Dyson," I said aloud to Hunter. "I'll go inform Ren and Blake as well while you pack your things. We're leaving in fifteen minutes."
"What about your stuff?"
"You're the one who created this mess." I nudged my chin at the clothes scattered around the floor. "My stuff is still inside my duffle bag. All I have to pack is my toothbrush, and we can leave."
I didn't give him another chance to say anything before I headed for the door. With one last pointed look to tell him how serious I was, I slipped out of the room and closed the door with a soft click.
The moment I was about to head down the hallway, I was forced to an abrupt stop. Less than two steps away from me stood Elena, with her hands clasped behind her back.
"Can we talk?"
"I'm on my way to Ren and Blake's room. We're leaving in fifteen minutes. We can talk while walking."
For six steps we walked in an awkward silence, while I waited for Elena to say whatever she came here to say. Edria had a ton of things to say to her, but I kept her reeled in.
"I'm sorry."
I stumbled at the words that rushed out of her mouth and barely kept myself from falling onto my butt. I snapped my head in her direction, but she kept her eyes fixed on the hallway in front of us.
"I want to apologize for everything I did to Naia. Meeting Yasin has showed me how wrong my actions were. But more than that I'm sorry for betraying your trust. You had been there for me since we were little pups and I went off and ruined everything by harming your Luna. Your brother's mate. I want you to know how truly sorry I am. If I could go back andâ"
We stopped right in front of Ren and Blake's door and I lifted my hand to stop her.
She thinks one simple apologyâ
"You're already forgiven." Her eyes snapped up to mine. "Naia forgave you even before you left Blue Moon and I... I forgive you now. I believe you've learned your lesson."
Molly! Edria growled. She tried to hurt our Luna.
And our Luna already forgave her. It's time we did the same.
"Thank you." Elena coughed at the glistening sparks, which coated her eyes, and blinked a few times to get rid of them. "Next time... Next time you come here as the Black Moon Luna, I hope we'll be able to spend more time together."
"I'll hold you to that promise." I grinned at her. "And if you ever find yourself close to Black Moon, you're more than welcome to visit. I'll be after all their Luna."
"I always knew your mate would be an Alpha." The crooked smile I had made fun off for so long during our childhoods appeared once again. "You're going to make an amazing Luna."
"You can be sure of that." A wide grin stretched my lips. "Black Moon has no idea what's coming for them. I'll be one heck of a Luna."
After all, I had more than my fair share of powerful Lunas to look up to. Naia. Ren. And even the Luna Queen. They all had their own strengths, and not to mention some of the strongest Alphas backing them up.
And now I was going to be just like them.
I was going to be a Luna.
THE END
***
Thank you so much to every single one of you out there. Your support of my stories is the rope I can grab onto when life pushes me down a scary well.... I didn't think I'd be like this, but I'm getting a little teary writing this, so please bear with me...
There are so many of you whose usernames keep regularly popping up in my notification box, and I am beyond grateful for your unwavering support. A smile sneaks onto my lips every time I recognize one of your usernames (and you'd be surprised how many of you I remember). I've even become actual friends with some of you, which makes your support even that more special to me.
So once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. <3
As always I want to thank my dear sister for keeping up with me and my howevers throughout yet another story... I was so touched when a few days ago she came to me and asked, "So where are we off to after Black Moon?" She'd be the first person to tell you that I'm not always the easiest person to get along with, so her support of my writing means so so much to me.
Thank you. Honestly thank you so much.
Fighting!
And now, for the last time in the Colors of the Moon series, please, remember to vote and comment if you like the chapter.
Much love
- E