The Luna I Shouldn’t Want

CHAPTER FOUR — The First Mate Mark

The forest was quiet, but not peaceful. Every rustle, every whisper of wind set Lyra’s nerves on edge. She walked alongside Rhett, close enough to feel the warmth of his body brushing hers, yet far enough that neither pack could accuse them of reckless behavior.

Her mind kept replaying the kiss—the first real proof that they were bound. Her heart still raced at the memory, and her wolf howled with longing that she barely dared acknowledge.

“You feel it, don’t you?” Rhett asked, voice low, almost a growl, as they moved deeper into the sacred grove where few dared to tread.

Lyra nodded, swallowing hard. “Every second,” she admitted. “It’s… too strong.”

He stopped suddenly, turning to face her. His golden eyes locked onto hers, intense, unyielding. “It’s supposed to be. This bond, Lyra… it’s primal. It’s older than your pack. Stronger than rules. You can’t fight it, and you shouldn’t try.”

Her pulse quickened. “But the consequences…” she whispered, glancing toward the distant Moonridge territory, knowing her father’s patrols could appear at any moment. “If anyone discovers this—”

Rhett cut her off by taking both her hands in his. His touch was firm, grounding, and yet full of the same fire that had consumed them in the cabin. “Then we fight them. Together. Because this isn’t just desire—it’s destiny.”

Lyra shivered, her wolf thrumming beneath her skin. Destiny. That word carried weight. Authority. A pull so strong it made her head spin.

They approached the Sacred Boundary Stone, ancient and smooth beneath the moonlight. It radiated a subtle energy that hummed against the skin like a whisper only they could feel. This was the place where mates were officially recognized. Where bonds became visible, physical, eternal.

Rhett took a deep breath. “Are you ready?” he asked, voice low and careful, almost reverent.

Lyra hesitated, caught between fear and longing. Her wolf urged her forward, her heart begged her to surrender, and her mind… well, her mind was already lost. Finally, she nodded.

Rhett’s hands moved to her shoulders, strong and protective, grounding her. “This will mark us. Your bloodline. Mine. Everything we are… and everything we cannot be together.”

Her chest tightened. “And if we’re discovered?” she whispered.

His lips brushed her temple. “Then it will be worth it.”

With that, he pressed a finger to the inside of her wrist, gently tracing the veins beneath her skin. A warm glow blossomed where his finger touched. Her breath hitched. The bond flared, pulsing through her chest, wrapping around her spine, igniting every nerve ending.

Lyra’s hands moved to his chest instinctively, gripping him. Her wolf cried out, recognizing the connection that now ran deeper than any fight, any law, any pack loyalty.

Rhett lowered his forehead to hers, their breaths mingling. “Do you feel it?” he asked, almost softly, almost vulnerable.

Lyra’s lips parted. “I… yes,” she admitted, her voice trembling. “It’s… it’s more than I expected.”

He smiled faintly, a dangerous, golden smile. “More than anyone could expect. That’s what a mate mark does. It binds us. It shows the pack, the world, even fate itself that we are connected.”

Her heart beat fast, not from fear, but from the intensity of being claimed in a way she had never imagined. She could feel his wolf deep inside her, the pull relentless, and yet grounding. Her own wolf howled in response, shaking her body with need and desire.

Rhett’s lips brushed her temple again, lower this time, trailing along her jawline. Lyra’s eyes fluttered closed. His hands slid down to her waist, holding her gently yet possessively. She felt the fire rising inside her, hot and consuming, and her own hands roamed his back, memorizing the lines of his body, the warmth beneath his skin.

“This is more than desire,” Rhett murmured, voice hoarse, low. “This is survival. Emotion. Fire. Danger. You feel it too, don’t you?”

Lyra tilted her head, letting her lips brush his cheek softly. “I feel it. All of it. And I can’t stop it. Even if I wanted to.”

The mate bond pulsed again, responding to their proximity. Their breaths mingled. Every instinct screamed to close the gap completely. Rhett’s hands framed her face, holding her steady as if she might vanish if he let go.

“Then I claim you,” he said softly.

Lyra’s breath caught. “Claim me?”

“Yes,” he whispered. “This mark isn’t just about desire. It’s about connection. It’s about survival. And it’s about us, against everything else.”

A shiver ran through her as he traced the line of the glowing mark across her wrist, then her neck, then the curve of her shoulder. Each touch ignited fire, a connection she could not deny. Their wolves pulsed in sync, hearts beating as one.

Lyra leaned into him, her forehead resting against his chest. She felt the steady drum of his heart, the pull of his wolf beneath the skin. It was terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

“You’re mine,” Rhett whispered, voice low, intimate. “And nothing—no pack, no father, no law—can change that now.”

Her eyes fluttered up to meet his, pupils dilated with emotion, desire, and awe. “Then… I am yours,” she said, soft but unwavering.

He brushed a thumb across her lips, their closeness intoxicating. “Forever,” he murmured.

Outside, the forest remained quiet, but the sacred stone beneath them glimmered faintly, acknowledging the bond that now tied them together. The mate mark pulsed between them, subtle yet undeniable, a promise and a warning.

Rhett leaned in once more, lips brushing hers softly—not a kiss of passion yet, but of claim, of acknowledgment, of fire held in check. Lyra melted into him, heart racing, wolf howling, and the world shrinking to the two of them, forbidden yet inseparable.

For a heartbeat, the packs, the wars, the danger, all disappeared. All that remained was them, bound by blood, moon, and an irresistible fire that would not be denied.

And as they stood there, pressed close, Lyra understood the truth of everything they had ignored until now: the bond between them was unbreakable. The mate mark had chosen, fate had acted, and nothing in the world could undo what had begun.

Not the patrols. Not her father. Not even the threat of war.

Because now, she and Rhett were not just enemies, not just mates—they were something far stronger. Something no law could contain.

And the forest whispered approval as the first mate mark glowed softly against their skin, a flame that promised fire, passion, and danger in equal measure.