The Lykos Chronicles

8 - If only she would choose me

Ronan

I had no desire to join in the festivities that night. I would leave Scotland the following morning without my mate. I did not argue with Moira when she said she wished to stay with her family.

How could I honestly expect her to leave everything she knew behind and start somewhere new?

You see, in those days, there were no cars or planes one could take to get from place to place. A ship was the only form of transport if you wished to see another country. Of course, there were carriages to move from town to town. But there were none of those in Moira’s pack. They didn’t need them when they never left their territory.

Moira had seen nothing of the world. She didn’t know the customs of others, and I understood how scary change could be. I still hadn’t gotten used to how different things in America were from England. But I so wanted to show Moira the beauty of Lykos. I wanted her to be my Queen more than I wanted my next breath.

There would never be another for me. No other woman would take her place. I only hoped my father understood that I would not take a chosen mate, regardless of Moira staying behind when we left. I would not reject her, and I would return to her soon. Nothing could keep me away from my mate indefinitely.

Moira and I hadn’t the time to finish our conversation. The howls renting the air let us know the ceremony was about to begin. Moira kissed my cheek and led me toward the festivities.

I stood beside my father with my head held high. I kept my emotions in check because if my father picked up on my heartbreak, there would be words I could not bear. The Lycan King was good at detecting what a person was feeling, and it took a lot to block him out. But I did it often because that was one of my abilities.

Duncan stood before his parents, Alpha Duncan and Luna Agnes, waiting for his mate to emerge as the rest of the pack gathered around to witness their mating ceremony. I could tell Duncan was nervous, but he had no reason to be. His mate loved him. It was easy to see.

Moira stood beside her father, and our eyes locked. She smiled at me, but it did not reach her eyes. I could see a war raging in her eyes. Her choice to stay or leave with me was causing a hailstorm in her eyes.

I can’t deny that I wanted to grab Moira, throw her over my shoulder, and run away with her. I wanted her to choose me. But I also didn’t want to guilt Moira into doing something she could resent me for in the near future.

As I looked at my mate, staring at me with sadness in her eyes, I knew she would never leave with me. This would be it for us. All we had was here and now, and it was killing me in ways I didn’t understand.

So, this was heartbreak.

Where would I go from here?

How could I return to Lykos without the woman I loved?

And I did love Moira.

How could I not have fallen in love with her when she was so beautiful inside and out?

I loved her enough to let her go. It was not in me to force a woman to do something she was not comfortable with. But by Fenrir, it wasn’t easy. If only I could have given up my claim to the throne because I would have in a heartbeat. I would have given up everything for Moira. But I couldn’t. I could not go against my father because only the Goddess knew what my father would have done in retaliation. My father was a good man, but the Kingdom of Lykos came first and foremost. Duty was everything, and he would not allow me to be the weak link, not even for my mate.

There was so much I would never get to know about my mate. I would never meet her Lycan, and I wasn’t sure mine would ever forgive me. However, if I allowed Lucian to meet Morag, he would mate with her, and Moira would have no choice but to follow me to Lykos.

How could I allow that to happen?

Taking Moira’s choice away from her did not appeal to me in the slightest. She would never forgive me for allowing it, and I would lose her anyway. Yes, she would be my Queen, but she would never trust me. Moira would be unhappy throughout our mateship, and she didn’t deserve that.

‘I cannot believe you’re doing this to me,’ Lucian grumbled inside my head. ‘Moira should be with us! Why are you taking this lying down? Why aren’t you fighting for her?!’

I sighed. ‘Do you think this is easy for me, Lucian? Do you think I don’t want to drag Moira out of here and back to Lykos? Because I do. However, I will not be with the one to cause her pain.’

Lucian growled. ‘So, you will do nothing? We just return to Lykos, marry a woman of Father’s choosing, and pretend we never had a mate? Is that what you’re suggesting?’

‘No, Lucian! That is not what I’m suggesting. We will not take a chosen mate, nor will we pretend Moira never existed. How could we do that when she is everything we ever needed? Moira is staying here, and we are returning to Lykos. We will give Moira time to miss us, and then…’

‘And then?’ Lucian urged.

‘And then, we return for her.’

Lucian chuckled. ‘I like the way you think, my friend.’

I shot Moira a smile that said everything will be okay. She tipped her head slightly to let me know she understood.

My attention was soon drawn to the young woman walking along the makeshift aisle. Gasps could be heard all around, and I smiled at how beautiful she looked. Bonnie’s fiery hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders, a stark contrast to the cold, silver glow of the evening. The dress she wore was cream, with long sleeves, and hitting the ground. She wore a ring of flowers on her head and carried a bouquet in her hands. As the Alpha had explained previously, she was barefoot, as was tradition at mating ceremonies in Kelt Paw Pack. The smile on Bonnie’s face when she saw Duncan staring at her open-mouthed, in awe of her beauty, made me smile.

A soft breeze swept over the pack, carrying with it the scent of heather and the distant sound of rustling leaves through the trees.

As Bonnie reached Duncan, he took her hand and kissed the back of it. I had been to many mating ceremonies in my life, but none such as this one. It was all new to me, and I was enthralled.

“Kelt Paw Pack!” The Apha yelled. “Tonight, we are gathered to bear witness to the union of your future Alpha and his Luna, Duncan and Bonnie!”

Howls of joy filled the air, and I watched in awe as the Alpha continued to speak. My father was asked to give his blessing, something every Lycan dreamed of, and Alpha Duncan took full advantage of having the Lycan King within his pack that night.

As my father spoke, my eyes were locked on Moira. I desperately wanted to hold her in my arms and never let go. I also wanted us to spend the night together. If this was to be the last time I saw her for months, I wanted to make the most of it.

I’m not talking about se.x. Things were done much differently all those years ago, especially for a Royal. For those of us in power, we were ordered to save ourselves for our mates, fated or chosen. We were not to take another, and when we did find our mate, we were to wait until our ceremony before making love to them. Ceremonies were usually done quickly because females often went into heat quite quickly after meeting their mate.

I had no idea what would become of Moira once I left. Kelt Paw Pack was filled with unmated males. If Moira went into heat after I left, Goddess only knew what would happen to her. It was no secret that unmated males often went mad with lust when a female was in heat. They couldn’t contain their natural urges and would mount those females one after the other. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how terrible those males and females felt after the fact.

I knew I would have to somehow protect Moira from that happening. Luckily for me, my brother James was an incredible alchemist.

How could a Lycan use magic?

James’s best friend, Derick, was a Warlock. Derick taught James many things and also gifted him the ability to use magic. Okay, James could only wield magic on the lowest level, but my brother could also create some powerful potions. One of those potions was to stop heat and rut from hitting males and females and keep them from doing something they would regret. James always carried a bottle with him, and I intended to leave it with Moira. I would explain what the potion was for, and I hoped she would use it.

Was it unfair to expect Moira to wait for me?

I didn’t think so. I prayed she would understand that I would be back for her in time. Asking her to save herself for me was the natural thing to do, and I wanted to make it easy for her. I would be back for Moira before six months were through. I just had to work out how to postpone my assentation to the throne of Lykos. I would not become King without my Queen. No matter what anyone said!