Luna of the Golden Moon

Buying Time

"Beta, leave us." I didn't look up from having my eyes closed from the dark voice, the scent of my mate filling up the surrounding air, every beta walking away, giving us looks like they wanted to stay, not because I was crying, but because I was hurting.

"Mila…." I turned my head away, not hearing the plea of the larger Alpha, not wanting more excuses. It was clear as day that he was the scared one, who didn't want to marry me, have me inside his life as his wife, and not just his mate. He was bound to by faith!

"Please, Caleb, just don't…" I couldn't speak, my body still vibrating through the crying, giving him a hopeless plea back not to start talking about mateship and duties. Didn't he understand that I loved him, no matter what? If our matebond snapped right now, I would still love him. That's what the wedding was for me: us choosing each other, not the bond snapping into place!

"I'm sorry for not listening to you…" Caleb was coming closer with me, still turned away, my body shaking, my face hidden by my hand, and my hair hanging loose around my shoulders, not wanting him closer, and at the same time, it's all I was craving!

"You are so smart, and so kind… I still don't understand how a guy like me could be so lucky…" Caleb had sat down on the grass, suit and all, giving me a look that I felt didn't need to see his face to feel the hurt, the suffering I was making him live through!

"Terrance told me, you know? At the ceremony, he told me that if I didn't fight hard enough for us, the golden moon, he was going to snap the bond and make you his new Luna.

I swear to the goddess, I had never been so scared in my life, not even when my mom died…because I knew right there on the spot that I loved you, just did, wasn't even hard or anything, and that was the first time I felt something that wasn't hard. I didn't have to crave it, suffer for it. You just loved me, and I just loved you back, just like that!"

Caleb was laughing now like it was funny, but I knew he wasn't happy; he was trying to understand why it happened, me loving him so easily when he was being a jerk to me.

"Emilia, I have never loved anyone, not since my mom and… well, I'm doing bad, okay?" I didn't want to answer him. Finally, looking up from my hands, I saw his smile. We were alone now, with him sending everyone away, and me just staring at him blankly, not knowing what to believe anymore.

"Believe that I love you with all my heart, and not just because you are my mate, you didn't ruin my life, Emilia, you saved me, saved me from a f*****g meaningless life filled with duty and hate."

Caleb's eyes were still dark as I blinked, wanting to believe him, and I knew he loved me; he just never told me anything like this, never. My eyes still blanked over, not knowing if I was going to cry more or not.

"And I see you; I feel you; every breath of my body is yours, since my life is only worth something when you are in my presence." Caleb's voice was still dark, but not scared, telling me that I was the only reason he wanted to live, wasn't it?

"Yes." I exhaled and finally looked at him, far below me on the ground, giving me a longing look with him wanting to come closer, help me, fix me, heal me, the matebond pushing him towards me.

"Okay, so f**k the matebond, I'm saying that there isn't a part of me who would live on if you were inside me, that my life is a dream, and it's all thanks to you." He was getting up with me, giving him another look, brushing off the dirt from the back of his slacks like it mattered, and giving me a grumpy look for not listening to him.

I almost wanted to smile, watching him being grumpy and cute, looking at me like he couldn't believe it, smiling back at him, reaching out my hand, and him taking it, our eyes locking. I loved him so much. More than my life, more than the matebond, and I wanted everyone in the world to know about it.

"After this year… or two, when the baby is born, and we aren't in the chaos of getting a full village being constructed around the land, we can get married." I gasped, feeling his hands push me closer to him, and he smiled, and my heart started racing. Did he really mean that, or was he just buying himself time?

"I am buying time, Luna; you think I can't tell Beta Brad to back off and just take you down the aisle right now?" I snorted, hearing him smile at the idea of stealing the entire wedding for Brad and Kate. That would be a popular move.

"Who cares? We are the most powerful people inside this pack. We can do whatever we want…" he was even chuckling, making me stare in awe at him, looking so relaxed, just like he was inside the cabin, my Cay, my real Cay, and not just some Alpha Caleb, bossing people around.

"I'm still here, Mila… and if I forget, I always have to be reminded of who I really am, who you bring out in me… a better me…" I couldn't take it anymore, starting to cry, feeling him kiss my head several times, smiling big and stroking my hair, I loved him so much, more than being Luna, or his mate Emilia, I just was his Mila, and nobody else's.

"Damn right you are, baby… now, let's go and see if we can't steal some ideas for that wedding of ours next year or two…" I nodded back, breathless, feeling him start to walk with me, still holding my hand and giving me another childish grin, making me glow by his side.

Goddess, I was lucky.