The Wolf God's Unwanted Luna

Albericus’s POV

She was in a foul mood yet again. Not that it was anything truly new she never exactly welcomed my visits with open arms but today? Today was especially bad. I had overheard one of the guards mentioning that she had almost clawed straight through the stone wall earlier. That could only mean one specific thing.

The mating mark was finally doing its intended work.

It was a sign that was both wonderfully good... and deeply terrible.

It was good because the magical bond was actively pulling her back toward me my Aurora, the real her, fighting hard through the thick fog of whatever dark magic had sunk its sharp teeth into her mind.

It was bad because a cranky Aurora could be absolute brutality personified. She possessed a razor-sharp tongue and a glare that could easily curdle fresh blood.

A few days after I had marked her, I ordered her transferred to a much more comfortable space. I was not completely heartless, after all. Now that the bond had been officially sealed, keeping her locked away in that dark, freezing cell felt entirely wrong like chaining my own lungs and expecting to breathe easy.

She was still confined, of course. Just... not living in total darkness anymore. That had to count for something positive, right?

Even though my entire day was completely packed with pressing matters demanding my attention, I simply could not focus on anything until I went down to see her. It did not matter one bit if she snapped at me or gave me that lethal look that promised murder I just needed to know she was close by and safe.

Now that she was marked, the bond tethered her to me in ways that went far beyond the physical. It was emotional. It was spiritual. Any attempt on her part to run away or fight her way out of this would only tear her apart slowly from the inside.

It was not because I wanted her to experience pain, but because the mystic bond never lies. It responds purely to absolute truth. And her core truth, buried beneath all her righteous rage, her deep hurt, and her angry curses, was that she belonged to me.

The twisted magic buried deep inside her the heavy shadow clinging to her desperation might have successfully fooled her for a while. But it stood no chance against the power of the bond. Not forever. Not as long as the real Aurora was still alive in there.

I knocked once on the heavy wooden door before pushing it open.

Just as I fully expected, the room looked as though a violent hurricane had swept straight through it. Books, soft cushions, and heavy furniture everything was completely out of its proper place. I let out a long sigh, bent down, and started picking up the scattered items.

"Could you at least try to wreck just one small corner next time?" I muttered under my breath. "Why does it always have to be the entire damn room?"

I did not even have to look up to know exactly where she was hiding. She was crouched tightly in the far right corner, curled inward upon herself, pretending desperately not to care about my presence. Her unique scent curled toward me faint sparks of hot anger and frustration laced with something much softer that she desperately did not want me to notice.

"What is the fun in doing that?" she drawled lazily, absolute boredom dripping from every word. "Especially when I am obviously not the one who has to clean up the mess."

I glanced back over my shoulder, raising a single eyebrow at her attitude.

Her next snarky comment died instantly in her throat the moment her dark eyes met mine.

Deep brown. Wildly stormy. And for one fleeting heartbeat, completely vulnerable.

She froze completely her mouth parted slightly, then snapped shut, as if she had suddenly forgotten how to draw breath. I certainly did not miss the way her heart skipped a beat or how her gaze darted nervously to my mouth before quickly looking away.

I offered her a slow, deliberate wink.

She turned her head away sharply, her long hair sliding forward like a protective shield. Even so, I caught the faint dusting of red rising up her cheeks.

And damn it if my chest did not ache at the sight.

I missed her. I missed her so much. I missed the woman who used to laugh at my terrible jokes, who tucked wild field-flowers into her hair, and who carried little lucky charms around in her pockets. I missed the woman who used to stand proudly right beside me as if I were actually worth standing beside.

My inner wolf whimpered deeply inside my mind, restless and aching with sheer longing.

Soon, I whispered back to him mentally. We will have our real Aurora back very soon.

"You can stare at me all you want, sweetheart," I said aloud, my tone turning teasing yet remarkably soft. "I am entirely yours, through and through."

She clenched her hands into tight fists but refused to look back at me.

I chuckled softly, moving around the spacious room to set an overturned chair upright and scoop up a few pillows. I spotted her empty food plate resting on the floor. That sight, at least, brought a wave of relief. When she first arrived here, she had been all fragile bones and heavy shadows. Whatever dark magic had consumed her had certainly not cared to feed her properly, but now... she was eating. She was healing, bit by bit.

"Look, Albericus " she started to snap, her voice tight with rising irritation.

"Tsk, tsk." I turned around quickly and pointed a warning finger right at her. "You do not get to use that formal name in here. It is Berry, or else there is no deal between us."

Her dark eyes narrowed dangerously as if she were seriously considering setting the room on fire all over again just to spite me.

I grinned broadly, crossing my arms firmly over my chest.

Game on.

"Well then," she murmured, her tongue sweeping slowly across her bottom lip in a small, deliberate movement that nearly shattered what little remained of my self-control.

"Berry," she purred, deliberately drawing out the nickname like a drop of sweet poison. "Why do you not do the polite thing for once and unchain me? Take me out for a nice walk, like a proper gentleman would do. Or..." She tilted her head sideways, her eyes glinting with pure mockery. "Are you really just the mangy little pup I always figured you were?"