The Wolf God's Unwanted Luna

Albericus’s POV

Her little verbal jab was not anything new. Still, I narrowed my eyes as I studied her closely. Her pupils shifted slightly dilated for a fraction of a second, then tight again. That tiny flicker told me everything I needed to know. Part of her did not genuinely mean the harsh words. It was not all pure venom. But that realization did not stop the wolf inside me from growling low and deep just beneath the surface. The alpha and the mate in me bristled, not because of the insult itself... but because it came from her lips. And because I still wanted her so badly, even now.

I leaned back casually against the sturdy stone wall, crossing my arms over my chest and forcing my body to look entirely bored. "And why on earth would I do something like that?" I asked coolly, lifting a single brow.

She rose unsteadily to her feet, dragging herself across the open space between us like she was wading through heavy water. I knew better than to be fooled her struggle was not really physical. It was a vicious internal war raging inside her mind. Even so, basic instinct made me reach out, my hands steadying her the moment she swayed on her feet.

She tensed instantly at my touch, but remarkably, she did not pull away. Instead, she leaned right into me, her weight pressing heavily against my body while her face lifted toward mine. Her dark lashes fluttered softly. Her eyes burned with something unreadable and raw. My breath caught in my throat as I clenched my jaw hard, tasting a trace of copper from how fiercely I bit down on the inside of my cheek.

Do not pull her closer to you. Do not do it.

Yet her familiar scent was everywhere, her natural warmth soaking right into my skin like it belonged nowhere else. Her hands slowly slid up my chest, her fingers tracing soft circles like quiet whispers against my clothes. I felt my knees instantly weaken beneath me. Moon above, it has been so long since she held me like this.

"How about this deal," she whispered, leaning in so close that her warm breath fanned softly over my lips. "I will let you touch this body you are always drooling over... maybe if you finally get what you actually want, you will finally stop following me around like a lost, pathetic pup."

Her voice was like smooth silk laced with sharp, cruel shards. Seductive, bitter, and deeply broken.

I jerked backward instinctively as if I had been burned.

"No," I said quietly, a sharp pang twisting in my chest. "That is not what I want from you."

The fiery glow in her eyes flickered out for a second, replaced instantly by a dark scowl of pure contempt. She pulled away from me with sharp, angry, jerky movements.

"Oh, you poor, foolish thing," she mocked mercilessly. "Berry cannot wait for his precious little mate to finally be whole again. Hate to break the wonderful news to you, but when she finally returns?" She let out a cruel, harsh laugh that sent a cold shide down my spine. "That will be the exact day I die. And if I die, guess what happens? She dies right along with me. So boo-freaking-hoo for you."

A low growl tore itself from the depths of my chest before I even realized what was happening, raw and furious. My hand shot out and caught her arm, spinning her right back around to face me.

I locked my eyes firmly with hers those dark, bitter, haunted eyes and I refused to soften my gaze.

"You listen to me very carefully," I snarled softly. "I will get her back. My mate. My woman. My wife. Even if I have to rip you out of her body with my own bare hands."

Her breath hitched in her throat, but I did not stop. "Because I know I know she would choose pain, she would choose me, over being trapped inside her own body for one second longer with you."

For one heavy heartbeat, the absolute silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the sound of our ragged breaths.

And right there, in that quiet pause, I saw it.

Something flickered deep within her. It was barely there, but I saw it hidden behind all the endless hate and mockery a sudden glimmer. A spark of genuine recognition. A fragile thread of the woman I loved desperately fighting her way through the thick fog.

She looked away from me. Slowly. Hesitantly.

Damn right you did.

I let out a long, slow breath, trying hard to calm the raging storm inside my chest.

She was still in there. Alive.

And I was never, ever giving up on her.

"Whatever. Are you going to let me out of this room or what?" she muttered grumpily, sliding down the stone wall until she landed unceremoniously on the floor like a sulking cat. There was a comfortable chair sitting just a few feet away, but of course she completely ignored it.

I crossed my arms over my chest again, leaning my shoulder against the wooden doorway. "So you can pull your little vanishing act all over again? No thank you."

The special mating mark I had placed on her ensured that she could not easily leave the island not without Zahliver’s direct permission, and that certainly was not happening any time soon. Whether she was currently a witch, a wolf, or something strange in between, the strict rules of this territory did not bend for anyone. Right now, what was she? Just a bitter spellcaster with a terrible attitude problem and a streak of awful luck.

"I will even give you a generous head start this time around. I can count to ten. Consider that my fair warning," she said dryly, heavy sarcasm dripping from every single word.

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. What was with this sudden, desperate need to go outside? She had not asked to step outside once before she had not even cared enough to pretend to want fresh air. But right now, she looked genuinely... twitchy.

"Look..." she started, still refusing to meet my gaze. She squirmed uncomfortably on the floor, her eyes darting around the room like she was searching for a hidden exit that clearly did not exist. "As much as your annoying pet sunbeam gets on my nerves, she is still deeply tied to the light. That basically means she needs real things nature, fresh air, trees, and dirt. And in case you have not noticed, it is stuffy as hell locked up in here."

She was not entirely wrong about that. But that certainly did not mean she was not plotting some kind of trick.

I studied her tense face for a long moment, then let out a heavy sigh. If this turned out to be some elaborate escape stunt, it was going to cost me dearly later. And if it was not a trick? Well, it would... probably still end up costing me.

"Fine," I finally relented.

Her lips twitched slightly as if she were desperately trying to keep herself from smiling in victory.

"But do not think for a single second that I am letting you out there all by yourself," I added sharply, pointing a finger at her. "We are going together."

She groaned out loud and stood up, brushing off her clothes as if my very presence had somehow offended her entire royal bloodline. "Why on earth must you constantly haunt me? Your desperate need to orbit this body is frankly exhausting."

I rolled my eyes dramatically. "We are mates. Where you go, I go. If you do not like it, you are completely free to try and break the bond. But as long as it ties us together, you are stuck dealing with me."

"There is no ’we’ in the word ’mates,’" she grumbled under her breath.

"But there is a ’team’ if you just rearrange the letters properly. Close enough for my liking," I said with a smug smirk as she shot me a look of pure, unadulterated venom.