Alpha’s Mistaken Luna

015

I looked at myself in the mirror once again, trying to pull the fabric of my clothes into place.

“Wearing a hoodie isn’t bad, right? I don’t think it’s a date,” I asked Celeste.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed and just shrugged, clearly still upset with me. She wasn't having it, and honestly, I got it. I had slept with her man. Well, not exactly hers, but she was the one who wanted him first. In a literal sense, what I did was wrong, but she was the one who pushed me into this mess in the first place.

“What is it going to be after this? Another night of sexcapades?” she asked, her voice coming out cold and sharp.

I ignored her, refusing to give in to the bait.

“Right now, I just don't even know how I’m supposed to feel about this anymore,” she added, looking away from me.

My phone buzzed in my hand with a text from Maximus saying he was outside.

“Just tonight, and I promise I will totally ignore him until the full moon so you can have him back,” I told her as I headed for the door.

“And we’re not going to have s*x,” I added, before closing the door on her and leaving the room.

Outside, Maximus leaned against his black SUV. He wasn't wearing his usual corporate suit. Instead, he had on a dark leather jacket that made him look less like a businessman and more like a predator.

His eyes roamed my body but he didn’t say a single word. He just opened the door for me to sit. I muttered a soft thank you, and he walked around to his side, moving the car the second he got in.

We stayed in silence throughout the entire drive. It did something to me. Every time I glanced at him, it felt like he knew something and he just couldn't wait to reveal it to me. He increased the speed a little, which forced me to close my eyes as the nerves started kicking in. Within no time, we had left the city behind as he moved into the woods and climbed up the hills.

I needed to speak because the silence was draining me.

“Are you not going to say anything?” I asked in a low voice. He glanced at me and hummed.

“I told you I was going to show you. Patience, Celeste,” he said, locking eyes with me for a moment. I only nodded.

The next thing I knew, he drove through a dark stone cage. My eyes widened at the sudden darkness, and then came a thick white smoke, a heavy fog. My heart thudded in my chest as Maximus sped through it, the car finally coming to a halt and jerking me forward.

I took a deep breath, trying to ease my nerves a bit. He took me completely off guard when his hand reached for mine, squeezing softly to help me calm down.

“You need to breathe. I’m not going to do anything to you,” he assured me.

“Are we here?” I asked him. I looked through the window only to see a cliff ahead, and he gave a small nod.

He got out of the car and came around to open the door for me. I walked beside him as we got closer to the edge, a dim, strange light meeting us as we moved.

Below us was a beautiful view of a city. I just stood there observing it all, the lights twinkling in a way that felt almost magical. Was this what he wanted to show me? Was this supposed to be some sort of date that he just didn't want to admit? The thought made me smile inwardly for a second, feeling a spark of hope.

“Crestenside,” he said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I hummed, turning to him.

“This is where I’m from,” he revealed, and my mouth formed a small O.

“It’s beautiful,” I told him, smiling as I looked back at the lights. Then it hit me. If this was where he was from, then that meant wolves. Even before I could ask the question, he nodded as if he could read my mind.

“I left here many years ago,” he continued, and I stayed quiet, listening.

“Right after my Luna died.”

What he said sent a sharp sting of guilt through my chest. It sounded like he blamed himself for it. I reached out and took his hand, trying to offer some kind of comfort. His gaze dropped to our joined fingers before snapping back to my face.

“You,” he said, looking straight at me. “You’ve done something to me. I finally understand why my wolf wants you. Why I respond to every part of you. It’s more need than I’ve felt in long, long years.”

His words pierced through me, but he didn't look happy.

“After we were together this morning, I went out and found a circle of dead crows around the house. It’s a sign, Celeste. I know the blood that runs through you. The blood that cursed my grandfather, and the blood that cursed me.”

I swallowed hard. I didn’t quite understand what he meant. Was he saying I was the enemy, or was he saying he couldn't stop himself from wanting the very thing that was meant to destroy him?

"Maximus, I don't..." my voice trailed off. I wanted to tell him I wasn't who he thought I was, but the intensity in his eyes kept the words locked in my throat.

He stepped even closer, his grip on my hand tightening just enough to let me feel his power.

"The crows are a warning," he whispered, his face inches from mine. "Your bloodline was meant to be our end. And yet, here I am, unable to stay away from you."

His hands came up to cup my face, his palms warm against my skin.

“Now that I’ve claimed you, I will need you closer to me. Don't ever leave my sight. You are going to be mine, my mate,” he said, his voice dropping to a low, possessive growl.

I could feel my heart hammering against my ribs. It wasn't just a request; it was a command.

“Your blood is the most important thing right now to keep our world’s balance," he continued, his thumb grazing my lower lip. "And someone is looking for it.”

The way he spoke directly into my soul made my breath hitch and my heart beat even faster. I wasn’t sure I quite understood what he meant about the balance or the curse, but I could tell he meant every single word.

I tried to tell him that I didn't understand what he meant, but he just told me I would get it with time.

His lips captured mine in a slow, deep kiss that completely stole my breath away. When he finally pulled back, he stayed close, caressing my cheeks with his thumbs.

“I want you to promise me you’re not going anywhere. I don’t want to make the same mistake twice,” he asked me.

It took me a long moment to respond. How was I supposed to tell him he might not ever see me again after this week? That the way he felt about me might completely change soon because my soul will be leaving this body?

I felt my eyes become watery, and the first few tears slipped down my face before I could stop them.

“I promise,” I said, my voice breaking and coming out like a cry.

He wiped away my tears, looking at me with so much softness. He thought he was protecting his mate, but he was actually falling for a ghost. I leaned into his touch, hating myself for the lie but knowing I couldn't break his heart or mine right here on the edge of his world.

As we stood there overlooking the glowing lights of Crestenside, I realized that the six-day countdown wasn't just a timer for the body swap anymore. It was a countdown to the moment I would have to lose him forever.