Kill The Luna

73

My heart did a strange, nervous flutter against my ribs, a wave of pure confusion washing over me. I blinked rapidly, shifting uncomfortably against the soft leather of the couch because his choice of words felt incredibly weird in a strange kind of way. The tone he used was so chilling, distant, and completely detached that it made goosebumps break out across my arms.

I tilted my head, my features twisting into a deeply surprised look as I stared at his massive shoulders. "Wounded girl?" I repeated, my voice barely a whisper in the quiet bedroom.

Michael let out a low, rough hum from deep within his chest. He slowly slid his expensive fountain pen into its holder, closed the heavy leather ledger book with a loud, final thud, and slowly spun his large office chair around to face me directly. His handsome face was completely blank, his dark eyes like cold blocks of ice with absolutely no sign of a smile anywhere on his features. He rested his large elbows on the armrests, looking down at me with a heavy, intense stare. "Yes," he murmured, his jaw clenching slightly. "Every single time I see your face, you are always heavily wounded in one stupid way or another. You can never seem to keep yourself out of harm's way."

A defensive spark flared hot in my chest, and I let out a sharp, mocking scoff, looking past his face to stare directly at his bare torso. "Well... if we are talking about injuries, you are currently the one sitting there with a dozen silver bullets still literally scattered across your back," I countered , my eyes narrowing as I pointed toward his bleeding skin. "You aren't exactly in perfect shape either."

Michael’s lips twitched into a tiny, dangerous smirk, completely unfazed by my sharp tongue. He reached out with his massive, scarred hand and grabbed a small container of dried weed from the corner of his desk. Moving with slow, incredibly steady fingers, he pulled out a piece of rolling paper and began wrapping the herbs tightly, his focus entirely on his hands. "Well... I am absolutely nothing like you, girl," he responded flatly, his deep voice carrying a terrifying amount of pride. "I am a pure Lycan King. Never let your little human mind forget that fact. My body handles pain differently."

I leaned back against the leather cushions, my chest heaving with irritation as I watched his calm movements. "Oh, so you mean like a big, bad psycho killer?" I barked out, my tone dripping with pure sarcasm as I let my anger take over. "A reckless, maniac killing machine? A big, bad wolf who doesn't possess a single drop of human sympathy and is only built from birth for blood and killing?"

Michael didn't even blink at my harsh words. He finished wrapping the joint, placing it carefully between his lips before lifting his dark eyes to lock them onto mine. "I didn't really bother to hear all that extra noise," he stated calmly, a cold, uncaring expression taking over his face as he struck a match. "But whatever terrifying things you choose to think about me inside your head... then yeah. Sure. Go ahead and believe it. It doesn't change a single thing about who I am or what I do."

I clutched my damp dress, the burning question that had been keeping me awake finally slipping past my lips. My face turned deeply serious as I leaned forward. "But... how exactly did you even find me out there in the dark? How did you know where to look?"

Michael blew out a thick, grey cloud of smoke toward the high stone ceiling, his eyes tracking the vapor before settling back on my face. "I didn't just magically find you, Fedora," he revealed smoothly, his voice dropping into a low, dark rumble. "You literally called out to me."

My jaw dropped completely open, my eyebrows shooting up to my hairline in absolute disbelief. "Well, that is completely insane and impossible!" I gasped, shaking my head rapidly from side to side. "I don't even own a mobile phone, and I don't know the first thing about this territory. I am honestly just deeply surprised at how incredibly fast you managed to arrive at that cave."

Michael leaned his large torso forward, his dark eyes narrowing into slits as he closely studied my facial expressions, searching for any sign of deceit. "Tell me the truth... have you actually gotten your inner wolf yet?"

I immediately folded my arms tightly across my chest, looking away from his intense gaze as a familiar, heavy sadness settled deep into my stomach. "No," I muttered quietly, my voice dropping into a bitter, hollow tone. "I don't think I am ever going to get a wolf inside my lifetime. My biological father always told me that I am completely cursed from birth. He explicitly said that having a wolf should be the absolute last thing occupying my mind."

Michael remained perfectly still, the smoke swirling around his bare shoulders as he let out a thoughtful grunt. "So... does that mean you have never actually had a fated mate before?"

"No, I haven't," I responded flatly, a sharp sting of betrayal hitting my chest as a specific face flashed behind my eyes. My expression hardened, turning completely cold and detached. "For a very long time, I truly thought it would be Stefan. But Stefan completely denied me and threw me away, so I don't think I can ever even have a mate in this world. Personally, I absolutely hate the whole idea of a fated mate anyway. I don't believe that concept is even real."

I shook my head in deep disgust, looking back at him with total conviction. "Like... how on earth can you completely love a random person from just looking at them for the very first time? It makes absolutely no sense."

I uncrossed my arms, gesturing wildly with my bandaged hands as I let out all my hidden frustration. "That is the exact stupid fairytale they always tell people about these fated mates. They claim the love is completely uncontrollable, unconditional, and entirely pure from the start, even without talking to the person for the first time. But if you ask me, I think that whole story is just a big, fat lie and a total scam to trick people."

I paused, catching my breath as I stared at his massive, quiet frame. My curiosity suddenly flared up, and I locked my gaze directly onto his dark eyes, tilting my chin up. "Why don't you have a fated mate?”