Rise of the Betrayed Luna

9

KNOX

I returned to Grey Storm drenched in rain and fury.

The storm hadn’t eased since I left Dark Vine, and it was as if the damn heavens mirrored what was clawing through me. The moment I stepped through the packhouse doors, heads turned. Warriors straightened, servants froze mid-step. They could smell the anger, the confusion, and the trace of her scent that clung to my skin.

I ignored them all, made it to my quarters, and slammed the door shut so hard the chandelier above rattled.

For a long time, I tried to pull the rage out of my chest one breath at a time. But it wouldn’t go.

I’d spent the whole night pacing the border after leaving Alpha James’s house. Every word of that bastard still echoed in my head. If I hadn’t walked away when I did, I would’ve ripped his throat out. Now, in the quiet of my quarters, the guilt came crashing down hard. I threw my jacket across the room, and it hit the wall with a wet slap. My wolf paced in my head.

Go back. My wolf had been demanding since I crossed the border.

She’s not safe there. You know she’s not. Go back. Bring her home.

“She’s not mine yet,” I muttered under my breath, gripping the edge of the desk until the wood creaked.

But my wolf didn’t buy it. He growled deeper. Mate.

I didn’t deserve a mate. I was an Alpha with too many ghosts and too much blood staining my hands. No one knew what I’d done to retain my position after my father passed on suddenly. They only heard the stories and rumors, which were light compared to the truth.

The Moon Goddess must have been drunk when she tied my soul to hers. Celeste was light, or she had been once. A creature who didn’t belong anywhere near the darkness that lived inside me.

But the memory of finding her refused to leave me. Now, I couldn’t stop thinking I’d made a mistake leaving her with that bastard father of hers.

The morning came too quickly, and with it, the noise.

By the time I reached the council hall, the entire pack was buzzing. News of the wedding had spread throughout the land. After the mess my ascension to Alpha created and the sabotage of my father’s council, I strategically created a council to consist of just 10 werewolves. They included myself as Alpha, My Beta, My Gamma, the leader of my Enforcers and Warriors, and five Worthy Elders.

A Luna would round us up, but I hadn’t intended to have one until now. Everyone wanted to know why I’d suddenly decided to claim an alliance with Dark Vine. Why the announcement that I’d be taking Celeste, the daughter of Alpha James, had been made without consulting the council. They were like vultures around a carcass.

“Alpha,” Jasper, my Beta and closest companion, started cautiously. “We respect your judgment, but this move is uncharacteristic. What’s going on, man?”

I leaned back in my chair, fingers drumming on the table. “Uncharacteristic doesn’t mean wrong.”

Gamma Sloane frowned. “You’ve rejected every alliance proposal for five years, Knox. Suddenly, you accept one with a pack barely holding together after they broke your alliance with them a decade ago? Something isn’t adding up.”

One of the elders clicked her tongue. “The girl’s been missing for years. A whole decade, boy. Rumours say she died and came back to life. Are we really to believe she’s fit to be our Luna now?”

That last part made the muscles in my jaw lock.

“She’s strong enough,” I said flatly.

Another elder scoffed. “Strong enough, or convenient enough?”

My hands slammed against the table. “Watch your words,” I snarled. “She’s not up for discussion.”

The room went silent. They didn’t need to know she was my mate. That was my burden to carry, not theirs.

“This alliance stands,” I said, straightening. “The marriage is happening. Prepare for it.”

Before any of them could open their mouths again, I walked out.

By the time I reached the packyard, I was already halfway to losing control again. My wolf clawed at the edges of my sanity.

“Damn it,” I hissed, raking a hand through my hair. Against every sane thought I had, I got in my truck and drove.

By the time I reached Dark Vine again, it was evening. James’s guards stiffened when they saw me, but none dared to stop me. My reputation preceded me well enough.

I found the old bastard in his office, nursing a drink and pretending not to flinch when I entered.

“Alpha Knox,” he said smoothly. “You didn’t send word you were coming.”

“I don’t need to.”

He smiled that politician’s smile I hated. “Still angry about last night?”

I didn’t bother answering. My gaze drifted around the room. Everything screamed control, and for the life of me, I couldn’t understand how someone like her could come from him.

“Where is she?” I demanded.

“Resting.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

His smile faltered. “She’s upstairs. The doctor said she has made a full recovery. Last night was only because she was fatigued…” he trailed off.

I turned to leave. I didn’t want to see the guilt on his face because if he hadn’t left her standing and forced her to make that choice, she wouldn’t have collapsed. I left him there and went after Celeste. I needed to see her for myself; I didn’t think I could trust his words.

A servant girl nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw me in the hallway leading to Celeste’s quarters. “A-Alpha,” she stammered, wringing her apron. “Miss Celeste…”

Nodding, I pushed open the door.

Celeste was sitting up in bed, her hair loose. She was staring out the window, then her gaze shifted, and those green eyes found me. Everything in me went still.

Her lips parted, then pressed together again. “You shouldn’t be here.”

I stepped forward. “You’re awake.”

“Obviously.”

The bite in her tone made my jaw twitch. I stared at her. She didn’t understand. She couldn’t. When she collapsed, I’d almost lost my mind. If I hadn’t caught her, she would have hit her head, and it might have been fatal.

The night I found her changed everything. When that bond snapped awake, it didn’t do so gently. Every time she flinched, I felt it in my bones. I wanted to protect, protect, and take. And before yesterday, I thought that bringing her back to her supposedly distraught father was the right thing.

“How do you feel?” I asked. She looked a lot better. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

“Like I fell off a cliff and landed on disappointment.”

Despite myself, a muscle in my chest tightened. “You could try saying thank you. Last night—”

“For what? For dragging me back here?” She interjected.

“Stop pretending you’re fine and being so damn stubborn,” I growled. “You shouldn’t have stood outside for long yesterday.”

She glared at me. “And whose fault is that?”

The bond pulsed like a sharp electric ache under my skin. I saw her flinch too, her breath hitching as if the air had turned molten. Her scent filled my lungs, and my control snapped. I wanted to touch her. To shake her. To make her feel it.

“It was your damn fault,” I shrugged. “No one, but you made you stand outside for hours. What were you trying to prove?”

Her hand trembled, then fisted in the sheets. “Do not meddle in what you don’t understand, Morrison.”

“But, I do know you, Price,” I smirked. “I know you better than anyone ever has.”

“You know nothing,” she hissed, threw the covers to the side, and slid out of bed.

My breath hitched. She was fully dressed, but it did nothing to hide her damn figure. My eyes trailed her body. I could feel the bond pulsing again, dragging me closer, whispering that she was mine even as every look in her eyes screamed don’t.

“Celeste,” I cleared my throat. “We—”

“Listen, Morrison.” She cut in, marching toward me and stopping just a breath away. “Listen really well. Let me make it clear. I don’t need you. I don’t want you. I don’t care what you think this is or what you think will happen when you marry me. You will never, you can never own me. Get it into your thick skull now.”

For a long time, I didn’t speak. The room was filled with nothing but our ragged breathing. I heard everything she said, but I was sinking deep in the swirl of those green eyes. This version of Celeste was a far cry from the one who ran away.

She was dangerous and venomous. She emitted a fire and bitterness that would have driven anyone with common sense to flee for their lives. But it didn’t make me want her any less. If anything, it made me want her more.

Dangerous or not. Broken or not. She was mine, and I was already losing my damn mind.