Star-crossed Luna

Chapter 12

Marcellus

Dim morning light splashed across my face, waking me. The unfamiliar body lying next to me was comforting and I wanted to roll over into an embrace, but didn’t dare risk waking her. Sunlight cascaded over her beautiful body, highlighting all her curves. Her hair draped across her face and fluttered with every breath. I could stay in this moment forever, watching her sleep peacefully. The rise and fall of her chest and the occasional gentle snore. The beat of her heart was slow and rhythmic. I didn’t regret how the night ended with her, though I was ashamed of myself for allowing it to get as far as it did. I hadn’t intended for things to get physical, only to give us the opportunity to get to know each other. Ashamed or not though, I enjoyed every minute of it. Her body, her sounds, her taste. She was perfect.

I laid there for a while, just watching her sleep, till it was past time I should have gotten up. Returning to my duties was much less appealing than staying here, but I had avoided them for several days now. The amount of backlog stacked on my desk right now gave me a headache just thinking about it. With a deep sigh, I knew I needed to get up and catch up on work, despite every fiber of my being screaming for me to stay in bed. Getting out of bed without disturbing her proved to be difficult but I somehow managed to pull it off. Amora rolled over with a gentle sleepy moan and continued to snooze. She was too damn cute, but something told me she wouldn’t like being called cute.

Showering with a sling and cast was much harder than originally thought, failing miserably at keeping it dry. Rather than struggling with trying to wrestle on a shirt, going shirtless seemed like a much more appealing option, and just threw on a pair of sweatpants. I crept past Amora to the bedroom door and closed it silently behind me. I waited and listened for a moment, and once convinced I hadn’t woken her, strolled to my office. As suspected, there was a massive stack of papers waiting for me on my desk and I audibly groaned to myself. It seemed to be never ending. After sorting out all the documents into categorized piles, I went to work, starting with the most time-consuming pile first.

I was almost done when there was a gentle knock on the door, barely audible.

“Come in,” I called to them. The small slender body of Bianca slipped in through the door.

“Oh, hey Bianca,” I smiled warmly at her, happy to see her after how it ended yesterday. She didn’t lift her gaze to me, keeping her head down and eyes on the floor. Long platinum blonde hair fell into a curtain around her face, shielding it from view.

“Bianca?” I said her name again, while standing up and making my way over. Her gaze remained downcast as I approached and her stance was rigid. I gently laid my hand on her shoulder.

“You found your mate?” she asked sullenly, finally speaking.

“Yes,” I replied.

“The shewolf from Aurora Borealis?” tears formed in her eyes, “I can smell her all over you.”

“Bianca, I’m sorry,” I said softly as I took her into a hug, “I never wanted to hurt you. You know I love and care about you.”

“Then stay with me!” she pleaded, “reject her and stay with me.”

“I… I can’t,” It hurt me to say it. I knew I was breaking her heart. I felt warm tears dripping onto my chest.

“I had given up hope of finding my mate, for years I had no interest in finding her. I never intended for any of this. I never wanted to hurt you,” I cooed.

A sharp pain suddenly hit my cheek. Ordinarily, I would not tolerate this level of disrespect, but this one time I would allow it. Bianca cradled her hand, which must have still stung from the slap she had just delivered.

“I hate you,” she spat, a phrase more painful than any physical ailment she could inflict.

“Bianca, please, you don’t mean that,” she went to hit me again, but this time I caught her wrist. With a sharp yank she took her hand back and stormed to the door, slamming it behind her with a loud bang.

My heart ached, I did care about her, I was with her for many years. Through all the tough times, she was at my side. But despite all that, my heart did not belong to her. I prayed to the Moon goddess that she would find her mate just as I had.

Forcing all emotion out of my head, I threw myself back into work, reviewing scout reports and patrol logs. Eclipse shifter sightings were getting more and more frequent. They had to be gearing up for an attack. I sent out an order for increased patrols at the shared territory line with strict instructions not to engage unless absolutely necessary. We were already stretched thin, we won’t be able to keep this kind of security going for long. I needed to figure out how to talk to Amora about the situation, but I had no idea how to approach her without sounding like I was trying to use her. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Everything was a s**t show.

Another knock sounded at the door, this time more purposeful. I knew it had to be Zane.

“Just enter,” I teased, “you always do anyway.”

“Cooped up in here again I see,” Zane said with a smile, “old habits die hard, huh?”

“A lot on my mind,” I admitted.

“Understandable,” he affirmed.

“What the hell am I going to do?” I asked, frustrated, “With Amora and the Eclipse?”

“What do you mean what are you going to do?” He said sarcastically, “Isn’t it obvious?” I stared at him blankly, not following him.

“You found your mate, and not only that, but the Alpha’s daughter from Aurora Borealis.”

“Yeah?” I was still unsure where he was going.

“This is our in, how we win them over and get them to fight for us.” Zane finally spit it out. What he said made sense but I still hated the implication.

“She’s my MATE, Zane,” I reminded him with a growl.

“I know, this isn’t a great situation but think about it,” he continued, “Mate her, create an heir, AND have a new skilled army at our side. This fixes all our problems!”

I rubbed my temple and groaned. I hated this, it made me sick to my stomach. I didn’t want to use Amora, but did I have a choice? The fate of my pack is all on me, and this would fix everything.

“Well?” Zane asked. My eyes flicked to him, anger building inside me.

“No,” I growled, “We will not do that to her or her people.”

“But Marc…”

“I SAID NO,” I boomed. Zane visibly flinched at my tone, “We will figure it out a different way.”

“What other way do we have?” his voice raised in tone, “Wake up Marc, the situation sucks, but we have the future of our pack to worry about.” I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. If I was going to do this it was going to be my way, and with Amora and her pack’s consent. I’ll talk to her, explain the situation. Hopefully, I’ve gained enough of her trust and she agrees to help. Before I was able to answer, faint footsteps could be heard running away from the door and the scent of lilacs hit my nose. My blood ran cold, Amora had overhead everything.

“s**t!” I growled, slamming my fist down onto the desk.