A Pregnant Luna's Second Chance Mate

Lies

I stayed in my study the whole time when Maia went to my mate and finally introduced herself as a family.

I had never been so anxious and worried in my whole life. I didn’t know how everything came into this but there was only one thing I knew.

Lawrence would pay for what he did to Astrid.

Eyes darting across the room, I clasped my fingers together in front of my face and rested my elbows on my desk. It was already dusk. Streaks of pinkish-red light from the cloudless sky pierced through my open window as the cold breeze danced inside the room. My frown deepened. All I felt through our bond was confusion and anxiety, not from me but from my mate. I could tell how scared Astrid was. I had no idea how Maia used to treat her sister before. But after speaking with her before I gave her permission to see Astrid, I could tell that she was very concerned and protective of my mate.

It’s the only way I knew how to convince Astrid to stay.

“I can’t believe you brought her here, Simon.” Kathleen’s distaste for Maia was etched all over her small face. “What if she betrays us?! What if she sells us to your crazy brother?”

Sebastian stayed standing in the far corner of the room as if he were rooted to the spot while leaning against the wall, waiting for my answer.

“Astrid’s condition is not getting better, Kath. You saw her. You saw how she suffered from that terrible pain in her head.” I pushed myself back against the backrest of my swivel chair and then my fingers automatically went to my lower lip as I contemplated. “I hate the idea as well. But it’s a risk I can take if it means Astrid will feel better after she meets her sister.”

Kath grimaced. “She doesn’t even remember her.”

I threw my cousin a warning look and Sebastian tensed as he saw that power dancing in my eyes. “Be careful of how you talk about my mate, Kathleen.”

She threw both of her hands in surrender. Her pale, blonde hair looked golden as the light struck it from the outside. The sun was setting and the shadows elongated in the room. “Fine. I am just worried about you, Sai. You know that Maia is one of the promising soldiers in your brother’s pack. You know where her loyalty lies.”

“She will never betray her sister,” I assured her. “I can tell she cares a lot about Astrid and that is enough for me to trust her with the information about this place.”

“You don’t know that.” Sebastian finally spoke as he stepped forward and held the backrest of the chair where Kathleen was sitting. “Her greedy father would do anything to raise his rank on WolfClaw. And once Lawrence inherits your father’s throne and Maia’s father finds out that Astrid is your mate, I will bet huge money that man would sell her daughter just to secure a position on your brother’s pack.

Goddess, I hate it when Sebastian and Kathleen play tag team against me while knocking some sense right into my head.

I gave them a weak smile. “Do you think she will forgive me for this?”

Kathleen averted her eyes from me and bit her lower lip before she spoke. “I think it’s worth it. Even if you have to lie to make her safe, Sai. She is your mate and I believe the Moon Goddess has her reason for bringing Astrid to you.”

“I still think what you are doing is dangerous,” Sebastian commented. His face was unreadable as always. I knew he hated that I had to stay here on my private island because of Astrid. To hide her from Lawrence.

“I know,” I murmured and the three of us fell into a minute of silence before Maia stormed into my office, her face red with rage as she slammed her hands on my desk, so violently that the wood groaned.

I leaned back to meet her deadly glare.

“Is it true?! You told her you two are married?!” She snarled at me, baring her set of white, razor-sharp teeth.

I gave her a stoic, calm look. “I have to make a story or she’ll leave this place.”

“Goddess! I know your brother is crazy but you—”

My eyes darkened as I glared at her through my lowered brows. “Do you think I enjoy it when I lie on her face, Maia?” a growl reverberated in my throat as I hissed. “I will allow my soul to burn in hell; if that means it could stop her from leaving this place. Lawrence will not stop looking for a way to torture me. And that includes threatening the life of my mate!”

“And you have to drag Astrid into this mess?” Maia retorted. Kathleen and Sebastian’s faces were filled with guilt as she said those words with a croaked voice. As if Maia was about to break into a sob, leaving me petrified. “Why don’t you just reject my sister and leave her alone, Simon? She doesn’t deserve this!”

Her words were like boulders that fell straight on my shoulders and I was speechless, couldn’t think of anything to tell her that I couldn’t just reject Astrid the way Lawrence rejected her. She was already in so much pain. And I wasn’t sure what the weight and damage of severing our bonds might do to her. I was afraid Astrid wouldn’t survive two rejections.

Instead, I glared at Maia. “Through the mating bond, it is my right to keep Astrid as mine, Maia. She no longer belongs to anyone or any pack now that she’s destined to be my Luna.”

“You f*cking lied to her about that fake marriage!”

I held her gaze and didn’t blink. “It can be arranged. I can tell her that the first ceremony wasn’t an official one. And so we can just get a priest from a nearby town and make this marriage official.”

Maia hated me to the bone for what I did. “I despise you, Simon Wright! You are not different from your f*cking brother!”

I answered flatly with a lazy, cold voice. “I know. I can live with that.”

She was trembling with anger. Her hands curled into tight fists, making her knuckles white. I gave Kath and Sebas the look that they should stay out of it while I braced myself if Maia ever lunged and attacked me.

But then Maia’s shoulders relaxed and her fists went loose as she shook her head, looking exhausted. “I don’t know what you are planning, Simon. But make sure my sister survives this. Swear with your life that you will protect her no matter what.”

“I don’t have to swear that because that is what I am already doing.”

She gave me a threatening look.

I waved a hand and blurted, “Fine! I’ll kill anyone who would hurt my precious mate.”

The tension was so heavy in my study room when we all heard Astrid’s footsteps as she went inside, face flushing after seeing us all looking at her. After seeing my magnetic eyes glued to her anxious, gorgeous face.

“I heard someone yelling.” She looked at her sister, whose fists were still clenched to her sides, and then at me. Her eyes lowered, unable to meet my stare.

“We are just discussing things.” Kathleen approached my mate with a huge smile and then threw her arm around Astrid’s shoulders. ‘Why don’t we go help prepare dinner? I heard Maia’s favorite is roasted heart of a—”

Maia’s eyes darkened.

I nearly chuckled.

“I need to talk with my husband first.” Astrid’s eyes gazed at me and I didn’t know why but I got nervous and, at the same time, amused when she used the word husband.

I will indeed burn in hell.

“You can say it here, Astrid,” Maia said as she studied her sister’s face.

Astrid shook her face. “No. I want to discuss this alone with Simon. If you can excuse us both.”

Kathleen gave me a worried look as I stood from my seat and straightened my dark blue jacket. My heart was frantically beating inside my chest but I played it cool. I was sure the room was sound-proof and there was no way Astrid would have ever heard anything from outside my study.

But then I had to consider that I still had no idea how powerful her senses were.

I smiled at my mate as I led her outside and whispered to her in my low, sultry voice. “I would love to discuss whatever it is in our bedroom then.”

I swear I heard Maia roar like a beast before I shut the door behind us.