The Lunar Destiny Series

Chapter 22

The brutal whippings had ended after twenty agonizing minutes when the men finally begged for mercy. It seemed their pain was stronger than their pride. Lio had told the wolves that no one was allowed to heal them.

He said, and I quote, ‘anyone caught healing them will suffer the same punishment.’ I was stunned by what Lio had done. I knew Lio had to be ruthless sometimes as the pack leader, but it still made me see him in a different light.

I sat down on the couch in the basement while Lio took a shower. He invited me to join him but I refused. I couldn’t look at him without my mind replaying the memories of him beating a man until the white meat was torn. It may be petty to the others, maybe even unfair, but I wasn’t used to seeing anything like that. They couldn’t expect me to pretend as if everything was fine.

I picked up the remote from the empty spot next to me and turned on the TV. When the picture showed, I could see that it was on the history channel. It wasn’t my kind of entertainment so I turned to the discovery health channel. I loved the medical shows for some reason.

I heard the shower water suddenly stop running and shortly after the bathroom door opened. I heard his footsteps behind me, and soon Lio came around to the other side of the couch and sat next to me. To my surprise he was wearing a towel around his waist, which he had stopped doing since we started dating. I could tell that he had towel dried his hair because it was slightly frizzy and there wasn’t any water dripping from the ends of his hair. He looked at me for a moment very seriously, not a glimmer of joy in his eyes. The tension radiating from him concerned me.

“Lio, are you alright?” He sighed then, scooting a little closer to me.

“I was going to ask you the same thing. We need to talk about what happened, Astraia.”

He said a little hesitantly.

My eyes flicked to the TV then down into my lap. I nervously pulled at the hem of my borrowed sleep shirt that had Lio’s cologne still clinging to it. The shirt was large on me and the sleeves were longer than my arms, but it was comfy.

“Why talk about it at all? There’s nothing to be said about it…” I said, still unable to meet his eyes completely. At that moment, he brought his fingers up to my chin gently. I slowly looked up into those silver eyes.

“There’s a lot to be said about it. The display of violence you saw today isn’t something you’ve ever seen before. I don’t even think you’ve seen a movie as gory as that. I can tell that you see me differently now.” He said that last bit as if it hurt him physically, it probably did.

“Alright, I admit that it shocked me to see you do something like that. I’ve seen you kill before, so the beatings didn’t bother me as much. The sight of their skin being burned and pulled away, how you kept going...Those were the things that really bothered me.”

Lio sighed. It was his turn to look away from me.

“Our pack laws are very different from human laws, Astraia. You may not approve of our methods but we have been using these methods for a very long time because they work. The ways of our clan are not all violent; there are some wonderful things about us as well. I don’t want you to look at me and only see a violent, ruthless man. I want to share all of the good things with you too.” He said, reaching over to my knee and placing his hand there. I placed my hand over his before I spoke.

I felt that what I was about to say was something that needed to be said and something I needed to admit to myself.

“You will have the chance to show me the wonderful things about your kind. I’m staying by your side Lio, I…I love you.”

His eyes widened with complete shock. I realized that it was the first time I had ever told him that. His reaction said that he was happy to hear it. Today of all days wasn’t exactly the best time, but when is there ever a good time to say those three words? Our circumstances were nowhere near normal, why pretend? I knew how I felt about him and it scared me because I felt this way in such a short time. Some would say putting your relationship on a calendar was a bad way to start things in the first place.

“I love you too, Astraia. How come you chose now to tell me?”

He asked, sounding astonished.

“I was sure about how I felt. I just wouldn’t admit that truth to myself. I wanted to slow things down between us because it all seemed to be moving so fast.”

Lio gave me a questioning look.

“Slow things down? Astraia, we are pretty much on pause. I’ve been waiting for you to make a move and you just did. I needed to be sure of how you felt before I took things further. If you can love me after seeing all that I have done up until today, then I know you’re strong enough to be my mate.”

I hiked an eyebrow curiously as I watched him get up from the couch and walk back towards the bed. He took his towel off from his waist and set it on the foot of the bed. Every time he was naked before me it completely captivated me, I couldn’t help but stare at him like a horny schoolgirl. Lio turned around and looked at me.

“Come here.” He said, motioning me towards him with a two-finger gesture.

I slowly got up from the couch and went to him. I stood in front of him, so still. Lio started to run his fingers through my hair and I felt little goose bumps start to rise all over my body.

“Why do you always cover yourself when you’re with me? You have a beautiful body.”

I smiled. “It’s not because of insecurities. I’m just worried that the others will see me.”

Honestly. Just because the wolves lived like nudists didn’t mean I had to. I’d be fine with it if we were at my house alone. But we weren’t.

Lio crouched down suddenly, and came back up pulling the shirt up over my head. I helped him pull my arms out of the sleeves and he tossed the shirt away; his eyes never left mine. I was left bare; only a frilly black thong on. He looked down at me as if he was taking a mental photograph.

“I love when you wear those.” He said with a slight growl in his voice.

“I’ll wear them more often then.”

I bent down and placed my thumbs under the strings of my thong, sliding the thong down my hips and to my ankles before stepping out of it. Suddenly he bent down, placed his hands on my hips, and picked me up. My breasts were pressed against his chest so I instinctively put my arms around his neck.

“I want to try something with you, but I’m not sure if you will let me.” He said.

“That depends, what is it that you want to try?” I said smiling.

“I wanted to use my power while we made love. You have yet to experience what I’m fully capable of.”

My face must have shown fear because he looked at me concerned.

“Lio, your power nearly suffocated me before when you weren’t trying to use it. What would make that okay now?” I asked.

“Because at the time I was angry. Using my power during s*x is different, I assure you. That particular power comes not only from me, but from the spirit of my wolf side. It can be gentle if you let it in.” He said as he leaned in for a kiss. It was a short, delicate kiss but my body still tingled with delight.

“Have you ever hurt someone by accident during s*x?”

I needed to know, this was a seriously important question. I didn’t know how I would feel if his face started to turn into a wolf’s while we were in the middle of such an intimate act.

“No. The power of my wolf only awakens with the moon, anger, and fear. Outside of those two things I would have to force my change. Is that what you’re afraid of? That I’ll start to shift while I’m inside of you using my power?”

He seemed to be holding back a laugh as he said this. I nodded.

“You needn’t worry because it would never happen. If I get aroused in human form, I will remain a human until I calm down. It’s the same with my wolf.” He said before kissing me. Without another word he got into bed with me.

Lio laid me down so that my head was propped up slightly on the pillows.

My eyes met his curiously as he sat up on his knees between my legs.

“Just relax, okay?” He said with a sigh.

Suddenly, a light flickered in his eyes and his silver irises began to glow softly. I began to feel the caress of his power on my skin. It was like he was tracing his fingertips over every inch of my body but he wasn’t touching me at all. There was a gentleness and warmth to his power this time. I writhed on the bed a little as I began to feel things low in my body tightening with need.

“Do you feel that? This is a mere shadow of what my power can be like for you…”

The moment he finished that sentence, I felt his power rush into me and it forced me into a sudden and intense orgasm. I cried out helplessly, being taken pleasantly by surprise. For him to have the ability to bring me to orgasm like this made me wonder why he hadn’t tried this before. I heard him inhale and then exhale as he sent another wave of that same, warm rush of power into me again. A loud, toe-curling moan tore from my mouth this time. I held onto the sheets as tightly as I could, afraid that I’d float away if I let go.

One orgasm after the other, he pushed his power through me and every inch of my body trembled with pleasure. Lio’s power began to fade out of me like a distant memory after a while. I laid there panting; completely vulnerable. The way I felt in that moment, he could have done anything he wanted to me and I would’ve let him without protest. My head was turned to the right, eyes closed. I could feel his hand on my stomach now, slowly moving up in between my breasts, to my neck, then into my hair ever so gently.

“Are you alright? How do you feel?” He asked in a low voice.

I had to swallow and lubricate my throat before I could speak.

“I’m okay, I feel great…That was amazing. I’ve never felt anything like that in my life.”

I said lazily.

I opened my eyes to look up at him and saw him smiling, his eyes had returned to normal.

“Of course you haven’t. You will only feel it again when you decide to become my mate, sweet Astraia.”

He grinned when he said this and I couldn’t help but frown.

“Why is that?”

He ran his fingers through my hair softly before he answered.

“Because once I have given you this gift, I cannot do this again until the night that I make you my Teman Sejiwa. It is part of making the sacred bond.” He licked his lips as if they were suddenly dry.

I sat up slightly on one elbow, looking down at the bed. Lio laid down in between my legs, sort of resting on me.

“What’s wrong? You look upset now.” He said.

“I suppose I’m wondering why you would do something so incredible and then tell me that’s all I get unless you can make me yours forever.”

Lio sighed. His warm breath caressed my stomach.

“For the wolves, when a male uses his power to pleasure his female it is considered a proposal of marriage. Depending on how satisfied she was, she would accept.”

I looked down at him then, he’d gotten my full undivided attention now.

“So what I would like to know is your answer. I love you. You know that in your heart. Tonight, you’ve told me that you feel the same way about me. Tell me; is it a yes or no?”

I honestly wasn’t expecting a bold, sudden proposal like that. Though I admit that I was happy he’d asked. This was it; this was the moment that would change everything for me. This moment had been weighing on my mind since he first mentioned it. I constantly thought about what I should do when he actually proposed. There were a lot of things I would have to accept about him and his kind that I wasn’t always comfortable with.

However, at the end of the day I couldn’t deny that how I felt about him was so natural. Relationships in general took patience, sacrifice, and compromise. Marriage was the ultimate test because there would be a lifetime of sacrifices and compromises to be made. While I looked into his shining silver eyes full of hope, I knew my answer; I think I always knew what my answer would be.

I smiled at him wider than I thought possible.

“Yes, Vasilios Barzilai, I will marry you.”

Lio grinned as he moved up my body to kiss me.

“I am the happiest man in the world tonight Astraia…Would you like to have your ring now?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You already bought the ring?”

I asked wide eyed and surprised.

He nodded.

“I told you I had a good feeling about you didn’t I? I had no doubts about you, No matter how stubborn you are.”

I laughed a little before eagerly nodding yes.

“I’d love to have my ring now.”

He got out of the bed and went over to the night stand on the right side. I watched him open the top drawer and pull out a small, red velvet box. He came and sat on the bed facing me. I was too excited beyond words. Lio opened the small red box and took out a gorgeous, thirty karat ring. The diamond sat up high on a gold band that had a tribal pattern in it. The diamond itself was surrounded by topaz gems.

“Oh my God, Lio…”

It was all I could say. He laughed a little before sliding the ring onto my ring finger. It fit comfortably, not too tight nor too big. He’d been paying very close attention.

“Thank you Lio, it’s gorgeous.” I said reaching out and taking his hand into mine.

“As you are. I swear I will always take care of you. You’ll never be without anything.” He said.

Lio leaned forward and kissed me deeply. In that moment, I felt like everything was perfect. I wasn’t worried about anything. All that I cared about was us.