The Last Luna Standing

chapter 14

Tamara

"I am saying that I want to leave," I repeated, keeping my voice as calm as I possibly could.

"I want to go back to my parents' pack. My mother will arrange an escort to pick me up tomorrow morning."

A loud, rough growl vibrated deep inside North's chest. He stepped forward immediately, quickly closing the physical distance between us. He looked incredibly angry. His jaw locked tightly, and his large hands formed hard fists at his sides.

"You are my mate," he said. His voice lowered into a dangerous, warning rumble. "You cannot leave this pack. You belong here in this pack with me."

I shook my head. I refused to let his anger intimidate me. "Why do you care if I stay? You never wanted me anyway. You made that perfectly clear from the very first day we met at the moon gathering. You think I am completely useless."

I turned my body away from him. I started walking toward the bedroom door. I wanted to open it, walk out into the hallway, and leave him standing there alone. But before my hand could reach the metal doorknob, his warm hand grabbed my right arm.

He pulled me backward with force and turned my body around. He stepped forward and pressed his large, heavy body directly against mine, securely pinning me in place.

I gasped loudly from the sudden impact against the hard wall. I looked up into his face. His eyes were completely black. His human consciousness was entirely gone. His wolf form had taken full control of his mind and his body.

He leaned his face down into the side of my neck. He inhaled my scent deeply, taking long, loud breaths against my bare skin. His broad chest pressed heavily against my breasts, trapping my arms securely between our bodies.

"Mate," his wolf growled against my collarbone. The deep sound vibarated through my own skin and bones. "Mate."

My inner wolf reacted instantly to his dominance. A strong, sudden heat spread rapidly through my lower abdomen. I stopped pushing my hands against his chest. Instead, my hands moved up to grip his bare, muscular shoulders. His skin felt incredibly hot to the touch.

He stayed in that position for a long moment, breathing in my scent repeatedly. Then, he lifted his head. His eyelids blinked, and the solid black color slowly faded, returning to his normal dark brown eyes. His human side returned to control his actions. He looked down at my face, staring directly at my mouth.

He lowered his head quickly and pressed his lips forcefully to mine. The kiss started with force, with his mouth moved aggressively against mine demanding total access.

I opened my mouth slightly, and his tongue slid inside immediately. He tasted like mint. My hands slid upward from his shoulders and moved deep into his thick, dark hair, pulling his head closer to mine.

North groaned loudly in the back of his throat. His hands moved down my back, gripping my hips tightly. He pulled my lower body firmly against his hard muscles. I felt exactly how much his body wanted me.

The physical connection was intense. Every place our bodies touched felt incredibly warm. I pressed my hands flat against his chest, feeling the fast, heavy beating of his heart.

Our breathing became very fast and very loud in the quiet bedroom. I arched my back, wanting to feel more of his bare skin against my shirt. His hands roamed up and down my sides, tracing the shape of my waist. I felt a strong rush of pure pleasure.

My right hand moved down his stomach to the waistband of his trousers. As soon as my fingers touched the thick fabric of his pants, North stopped moving completely. He pulled his mouth away from mine very suddenly. He took a fast, large step backward, creating a wide space between us.

He breathed heavily. His chest moved up and down rapidly with every breath. He looked at me, and his facial expression showed pure panic and genuine confusion. He ran a hand through his messy hair, stepping backward again.

"I... I am…. s**t!... I'm sorry," he said quickly, his voice shaking slightly. "I should not have done that. I apologize."

Before I could say a single word in reply, he turned around, unlocked the bedroom door, and walked out of the room. He closed the door behind him with a loud click.

I stood leaning against the wall, completely motionless. I felt entirely lost. I was very confused by his sudden, fast departure. My body still ached with a strong, heavy physical need for him.

But I felt genuinely happy because he had kissed me with so much passion and desire, but I also felt incredibly sad and rejected because he had stopped and left me alone once again.

I walked slowly over to my bed. I lay down on the soft mattress. I pulled the heavy blankets all the way over my head. I felt a complex mix of strong, conflicting emotions, but eventually, the physical exhaustion took over my body, and I fell asleep.

The next morning, a loud knock on my bedroom door woke me up. Earth opened the door and walked directly into the room. She wore her usual workout clothes and athletic running shoes.

"Get up, Tamara," she said, pulling the heavy blankets off my body. "We have to start our session in twenty minutes. Go put on your running shoes."

I sat up and rubbed my tired eyes And I walked into the adjoining bathroom, washed my face with cold water, and I put on a clean t-shirt and my black training pants. I tied my running shoes tightly and followed Earth out of the bedroom.

We walked down the long, empty hallway and exited the large pack house. The morning air was very cold against my face. We walked side by side down the dirt path leading toward the main training ring. I could hear the loud sounds of other pack warriors already running laps and hitting training bags around the open grass field.

Suddenly, a tall, broad figure stepped directly onto the center of the dirt path, completely blocking our way forward. It was Alpha North.

He wore a fitted black t-shirt and dark training pants. He stood with his feet planted wide apart, projecting total dominance and authority. He looked perfectly calm and rested. He looked directly at me. He completely ignored his sister standing right next to me.

"Earth, you can go train with the other warriors on the main field," North said, keeping his dark eyes fixed firmly on my face.

Earth stopped walking. She looked very confused by his command.

"But I have to train Tamara today. We have a strict schedule for the Luna Trials. She needs to practice her defense."

"I am changing the schedule," North replied. His voice was very firm and highly authoritative. He left absolutely no room for an argument. "I will be taking over Tamara's training from today."

Earth looked at his serious face, then looked over at me. She nodded her head slowly and walked away down the path, leaving us completely alone among the tall trees.

North stepped closer to me. The physical space between us felt very small and highly charged. I looked up into his dark eyes, and I clearly saw the exact same intense heat from last night.

The silence stretched between us. Neither of us moved to break the eye contact.

Without speaking a single word, we both recognized the strong, mutual physical need for each other. The mate bond pulled our bodies together, making my breathing faster and my skin feel incredibly warm.