The Perfect Luna

Riannon couldn’t believe her own happiness when she opened her eyes and saw him lying in front of her and watching her.

Amate. She had a mate. A real one. Not a chosen one. A smile curled onto his lips and she reciprocated it. There were no regrets. Whatsoever.

This was very different from what she had with Brayden back in the day. Now that she thought about it, if this was what Brayden felt when he met his own mate, she could understand why he couldn’t reject Roxanne.

She would never reject Gideon if she knew.

This did not cancel all the horrible things that Roxy did to her and to others in their power struggle. But she could understand now.

Partially.

This was not changing her plan. But it gave her some understanding. “Onyx,” she called her wolf, “Are you there?” At first, all she heard was silence. But then the familiar voice sounded in her head.

“I will be soon…”

She tried calling her again, asking what was going on. But Onyx spoke no more.

However, this was better than nothing. This was a promise. And just knowing that her wolf didn’t abandon her made Riannon smile wider.

The motion did not go unnoticed. Gideon pulled her closer. So that her head was now tucked into his chest, and he was able to dig his face into her hair and breathe in her scent that he loved so much was able to enjoy for the first time.

“I can’t believe this is real,” he muttered, “From the moment I saw you… I dreamt of this. of holding you like this, of having you as mine.”

She looked up at his handsome face and slid her hand to brush his cheek with a short stubble that prickled her fingers slightly.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked. “Would you believe me if I simply told you?” He arched his brow at her.

“I guess not,” she admitted honestly. She had too much on her plate to simply believe some lycan who approached her out of the blue insisting that she was his mate: Even if he was a king. Not to mention that Onyx, the little hyena, never told her that they were mates on the rare moments she spoke to her. She couldn’t believe her wolf would waste her strength to tell everything

On the other hand, Onyx was smarter than regular wolves. Ria always knew that. She proved it to her many times. And to be honest, maybe it was for the best that she did not throw them into a situation where Riannon knew that he was her mate from the very beginning yet did not feel the connection. In that way, Gideon had to work for it and earn her trust.

Yes, that wolf of hers wasn’t simple at all. She took a bet and look at where it got them…

“Yesterday,” he traced his fingers over her bare hand, “You said the word. You called me Mate. How did you know?”

“Onyx called you that,” Ria decided to confess. Now that they were together, she did not want secrets from him. It was hard starting to trust the new man in her life but what they had was so much different from what she experienced before.

It was bigger. And better. And so special. Everything one could wish for.

“Is Onyx back?” Gideon asked with hope in his voice. They were already together but he would still feel much better if he knew that the wolf was there.

“Partially,” Ria gave him a vague smile, “I feel her presence somewhere there inside of my soul but she is not at full strength yet. I think she is trying to restore after.”

She stopped talking and he suddenly got serious. This was not a joke to him at all. He knew about a few people who had lost their wolves. He started reading about them when he found out about Onyx’s absence. This was rare. But it did happen several times in shifter’s common history.

When the beast was lost, the host was becoming just an empty shell as half of their soul was gone. That did not happen to Ria yet. But a mostly missing wolf was a bad sign. This wasn’t a destiny that he wanted for his mate.

But there was another thing that bothered him. Those people he read about were all warriors who fought in battles. Sometimes against forces much stronger than them. In the

brink of death, the wolves, foxes, bears or other creatures sacrificed themselves to protect their hosts. The hosts survived but at the same time were deadly wounded and hardly ever

when the beast died, the owner was slowly becoming just a mere human. A fate worse than death. of yourself. To stop seeing through

well. Everything was lessened, everything was different… Less vibrant. It was the same as sucking the joy out of life. That most vital part

not everyone could

those who would be able to cope, though. She was

that kind of fate. For her, he was ready to do

in. As far as his research on her showed, and his spies were among

that pack behind

earlier. But this time I want you to be absolutely honest. You can trust me. All that I do from

words even though she knew that she wasn’t going to like

husband of yours?” Gideon tried not to show it, but she felt his inner rage by the way his grasp on

could she tell him everything that happened to her and expect him to be

hurt you physically?” the

said at once to calm

took her chin into his large palm and made her look at him, “Something that made you want not only divorce but fight for your pack. Something that broke you so much that your wolf almost died.” did sound weak every time she spoke. She tried to convince herself that it was just a temporary weakness

know how to say it,” she sat up, wrapping the Egyptian cotton sheets around herself, Gideon following her motion not to miss any trace of emotion on her beautiful face.” You will probably think I

so that she could see him. He hoped that she would understand that no matter what was happening, he was going to be by her side. Whatever she was going to

he gave her a soft smile.

the wolves from my own pack. It was horrible. But then I somehow came back to the very moment it all started. Gideon, I literally opened my eyes when the door opened and the two of them walked in into our packhouse. This was when I lost Onyx. And

stopped when she noticed the frozen expression on his face. Did she overdo it? Was it too much for him?

tried to process it. He thought that she was joking at first, but she was too serious and nervous about that.

of the things did. Their very first conversation.

see. Anyone would be crushed by

bold. Unless… they were on the brink

called his name, biting her lip. He could see how worried she was about everything and wanted to tell him

the next moment, he grabbed her and pulled her

but she knew that he believed

this,” he said, kissing her hair as he couldn’t reach anything else from

wrapped her arms around him too, embracing his warmth and his wonderful scent. Embracing the feeling of safety that he gave her. And for the first

to let it all out. The pain, the loneliness, the fight, all her raw emotions were

felt

holding her in his arms as long as she needed, hurting together with her.

But his beautiful Luna never ceased to amaze him. She was perfect.

puffy eyes, embarrassed by her

he wiped the last tear away

day in his room. Only

done. It seemed that there was always more. It started with the rebirth and then went on to their previous life. Then they were discussing their possible theories of what everything that had happened to her could mean. But later they started to simply plan

a team. She was doing it with Brayden for years. But it was so different with Gideon. And not at all what she expected. They weren’t finishing each other’s sentences. He wasn’t agreeing with everything that she told

king had his own ideas. Often much bolder than hers. And much more

in her pack. Something that she couldn’t agree with. So, the plan was changing and evolving,

this with… an equal.

what they were. Equals.

dinner, still wearing nothing

on the door.

Gideon tolled her with an eye roll, “Give me a sec. I’ll