The Wolf God's Unwanted Luna

Chapter 45: Trapped

By the time the clock read 8:50 PM, I was pacing like a trapped animal, my bare feet whispering across the polished floors. Every few steps I glanced toward the door, then back again, as if staring hard enough would make time move faster or him arrive sooner. My stomach twisted with nerves, like a pack of wolves were scrapping it out in there. I brought my fingers to my mouth, hovering near my lips. I didn’t bite my nails, hated the sensation, but tonight I was sorely tempted.

What was Zaliver going to do when he walked in? Was he really going to mark me? And what did that mean, exactly? The mating mark was supposed to be sacred. A bite at the neck, usually, the claiming kind that made the bond permanent and left a visible sign on your skin forever. But Zaliver wasn’t a typical Alpha. Nothing about him was typical. So I had no idea what to expect, and the not-knowing was worse than anything I could have imagined.

I’d spent the afternoon trying to prepare myself and failing completely. I’d read three Chapters of something on the laptop, absorbed none of it, and closed it again. I’d done my hair twice. I’d sat down, stood up, sat down. My wolf had watched all of this with barely concealed amusement, which I found deeply unhelpful.

My wolf paced right alongside me inside my mind now, equally restless. She wasn’t scared. She was excited, which somehow made my anxiety worse.

The moment the clock struck 8:59, I froze mid-step. My eyes locked on the door.

And then, right on the dot as the second hand kissed the nine, it swung open.

Zaliver stood there, tall and commanding, his presence like a shadow stretching across the room. His electric-blue eyes found mine instantly, and I held my breath. We didn’t speak. We didn’t move. We just stood there, watching each other like the rest of the world had melted away.

He was dressed in his usual head-to-toe black, sleek and sharp. His dark hair was pushed back from his face like he’d run his fingers through it in frustration, or maybe anticipation. Even cloaked in his usual cool darkness, he looked devastatingly beautiful, that magnetic aura of his swirling like storm clouds. I could feel it, his power, his restraint, and yet I wasn’t scared of him. Not even a little.

His gaze swept over me slowly, and it took everything in me to stay still and not fidget under the intensity. He moved closer, step by step, like he was approaching something dangerous or sacred. I’d probably have bitten him earlier if he got too close, but now? Now I couldn’t summon that fire. All I could feel was this knot of longing tangled up inside me.

He stopped just in front of me. His towering frame cast a shadow over mine as I tilted my head back to meet his gaze. A million thoughts swirled in my chest, but all that came out was a soft, shaky smile. Something in his eyes shifted, softened, and he smiled back. Just a little. But it felt intimate. Like we shared a secret the world wouldn’t understand.