MILLIE

"Why don't you give up?" I whisper as I stare at the man with the eyes of a ghost. Distant, cold, otherworldly. He has a spirit so potent I'm sure it's the combination of powerful men who lived millenniums ago.

I already know the answer to my question. He chased me because he couldn't stand losing. Because the world is a giant chessboard to him, and we're all pawns. He's the king glued to the board, unable to tip over.

But I'm foolish enough to have a spark of hope. I cast him a lifeline to save our matebond. After hundreds of nights staring at the stars, daydreaming of the day that he would apologize, I'm anguished for him to make those dreams come true. To apologize for taking my dignity and explain his rejection. To end my burdening resentment.

He scans me from head to toe and stares at my chest, where my hard nipples are stark against the cotton nightgown. Those eyes narrow on the hand that covers my neck, blocking his mark. His eyes shift to my collarbones, chin, lips, and hair.

He stops at my eyes, which I know reflect a war. When the soul leaks so much hurt, anger, and disdain—when it flows through veins like lava—the eyes are bound to catch fire.

He doesn't flinch, doesn't waver. These past five years have hardened both his body and mind—resolves that make him a great Alpha but an untrustworthy man.

"The years have been good to you."

Good to me? Good to me? I left my pack and my parents to preserve my last bit of dignity. I fight my wolf and body day and night, boiling in desire.

My voice is flat as I say, "If you have a heart, you'll take me to the nearest temple and finish the rejection you started five years ago. End this."

"I wasn't rejecting you."

I glare at him, refusing to play his fucked up games. "You told me you didn't want me. You don't get to rewrite history, Alpha."

I use his title mockingly. A reminder that his power will never be enough to sway me.

He exhales, rising to his full height and looking around the pack. With a voice as cold as his eyes, he says, "And I didn't lie. I didn't want you."

He's a gifted man. Without lifting a paw, he can claw my chest open, gutting me.

"You're digging yourself a deeper grave." I rise from the grass, lowering the hand at my neck and feeling air brush against the four small cuts I accidentally clawed with my nails.

Leander inhales, the smell of blood perking his attention. He looks at my neck, where I blocked his mark but left my own.

"I don't fear death."

Of course, he doesn't. How could you fear death, when you are death yourself? When you are capable of killing something sacred, something crafted in the stars like a pure, inescapable love between mates, you are the blackness in the sky that tries to drown the stars.

I entwine my fingers in front of me, my bloodied hand resting on top. "I will break you one day, Alpha Leander," I promise him.

He stares at my eyes for a long, tense minute. "The years have been good to you," he repeats. This time, he doesn't scan my body. He holds my gaze.

"Alpha approaches," says the Beta. Reminding me that he still exists. I glare at him. Our business is unfinished.

Leander turns to face the Alpha of the Driftwood pack as the giant brown wolf shifts back to its human form. I look at the tree line longingly. I got so close to freedom.

"Name your price to set today's inconvenience aside. Keep in mind that I only trespassed to retrieve my pack member."

It's amusing that Leander calls me his pack member. Why is he here if I'm not his Luna? If he already has a chosen one?

"The two treaties I proposed three cycles ago, I want them approved. Particularly the contracts for the invasive plant species. I need—"

"Done deal. I'll be clearing your territory now." Leander turns to face me. "Pack your bag. You're going home."

"Over my dead body," I grit.

"Your mother is sick, Millie. Will you maintain your stubbornness over her dead body?"

My lungs empty. He must be lying. I hope he's lying.

"Are you lying? Tricking me so I return home? I'll never fucking forgive you if you toy with my mother."

He shakes his head. "I would have come for you even if she was well. I'm no liar. She's ill, but I don't know why. Your parents haven't said a word to me since you left years ago."

I want to think the worst of him, but I can see in his eyes—even if they're empty—that he wouldn't lie about this.

My shoulders sag as I surrender myself to the grey wolf. He didn't have to tell me about my mother's condition because he would have dragged me home even if I kicked and screamed. There's no need for him to lie.

"Alright," I whisper.

He swoops in, his massive hand circling my forearm, covering my tattoo. Triggering electric sparks that make my knees weaken. His eyes widen as he's struck by the same chemistry.

"I have felt nothing for so many years," he mutters.

I don't know what to make of the words. Why is he telling me this now? What has changed?

Unwilling to let his words tangle my thoughts like his body does, I pull my arm away and separate our gazes.

***

We travel by private jet. I'm unsure why Leander has access to a plane since it's human technology and uncommonly used by our kind. Werewolves are loyal to their pack territories, rarely straying to other locations, especially across the country. We have no use for such devices.

He limits my access to the ground as if afraid I'll take off running into a forest. As soon as we're off the plane, I'm escorted into a Highlander. I sit as far from him as possible, my face so close to the window that my breath fogs it. He lets me be, but shamelessly looks at me every few minutes.

The air smells familiar. It's the air I've breathed my entire life, but I know it won't be the same because my parents won't be home. They left Mockingbird for a neighboring pack long ago.

As soon as Leander became Alpha, he offered them everything under his reign in exchange for my location: mansions, precious religious artifacts, titles to private lakes. My parents never gave him anything but glares and scoffs.

I owe them my five years of freedom.

I review the day, wondering how I got myself in this situation. Where did it all go wrong? Did Leander get his hands on the letter? I'm sure I tossed the envelope on the pile destined for the shredding machine.

I suppose it doesn't matter. I have no one to blame but myself and my bruised ego. The silver lining in this mess is that I'll see my mother and check her condition. If Leander knows what's good for him, he won't set a price to let me see her.

The car takes off, and the jerking motion surprises me. I realize that I haven't been in a car in years. So much is changing, and it's all because of the Alpha sitting three feet beside me, his scent raging a war inside me.

"What is it?" I whisper, unnerved by his frequent glances.

"The bleeding nail marks on your neck," he replies. "They're mocking. They make my teeth ache."

Oh, goddess.

I cover the cuts with my hand and lower the window. It's getting too hot here. My wolf is howling, angry at me for not jumping into Leander's arms. He's fully clothed now—having changed somewhere in the jet as I avoided him. But I can't erase the memory of his nude body. That ridiculous cock of his leaves no doubt that he's all grown up. The sexual tension is building, and within an hour or two, I'm going to be reeking of pheromones.

We ride into the pack house using a road I've never had access to—a road required to be cleared at all times for the Alpha and Beta families. It leads right to the Alpha's house. Leander is taking me this way to avoid curious eyes.

He must want some time to try and let the Stockholm syndrome kick in before letting me out to society. Little does he know that not even a fucking lobotomy will convince me to jump back into his arms.

"I'll call your parents and tell them you're here," he says as we exit the vehicle. "Prepare the bedroom next to mine."

"I'm not sleeping in the bedroom beside yours, Leander. I want to be a whole territory away from you."

"Enough," comes his resonant voice. "The Luna will settle into the room beside the Alpha's, and that's the end of it."

I sigh. "Have it your way."

I haul my duffle bag over my shoulder and trek into the Alpha's house. My chest constricts as I remember the last summer I was in here. I was a child, eager to work hard for the previous Luna. The house has been stripped of its warmth. There are no intricate interior designs or portraits, just Leander. Just bleak curtains, bare walls, and an unfamiliar cold draft flowing through the house.

Leander goes upstairs to his office, but I'm not alone. There's a guard at every entrance of this place. I can't sneak out.

There's a knock at the front door, and a guard has a brief conversation before a female steps in. I recognize her immediately. Emilli. The girl with so many similarities, even down to her name. The girl whose eyes look brighter and her smile wider in pictures. As she stands by the door, she looks smaller. Shier. She looks at me like I look at Leander: with trepidation.

"Luna," she whispers. It surprises me. She's Leander's chosen Luna. I rejected the title long ago.

"Millie, actually. Can I help you?

My wolf scratches at the surface, beckoning me to attack the woman she identifies as a threat. But I ignore her. If I let my instincts lead me, I would be bouncing on Leander's dick already. I don't know the girl or her circumstances, so I can't hate her. But the moon will fall from the sky before I trust her.

"I didn't know you would return. I'm sorry for accepting the Alpha's proposal. I didn't want to disrespect you or the Moon."

I raise a hand, cutting her off. "Your business with Leander doesn't concern me. I have no interest in competing for your position. There's no need to apologize."

I glance up at the spiraling staircase. "But could you help me with something? As a welcome home gift."

She eagerly nods. "Yes, Luna. Of course."

By the time we plan my scheme, and the room is covered with her things, I'm grinning from ear to ear. Everything from the portrait on the dresser to the scent in the air to the sundresses in the closet belongs to Emilli. We worked silently because Leander is a few doors down in his study.

Everything is ready now. I sit downstairs on the couch as Emilli lays on the bed with the covers over her head. My scent is marked with a strong perfume, so he won't think to track me downstairs.

I tense when I hear his footsteps. He knocks on the bedroom and opens it after a few moments.

His voice is faint, but I hear him say, "You must speak with me, Millie."

When Emilli doesn't reply to him, he stomps into the room and rips the sheets off her.

"Where the fuck is she?" he growls.

Emilli squeals. "Downstairs!"

Leander goes hunting. I remain sitting on the couch and examine my nails.

"What did you do?" he snarls.

I shrug. "You told me to settle the Luna in the bedroom beside yours, where she belongs. I was only following your orders. I am not your Luna."

I smirk as I watch him vibrate with anger. "What, Leander? You didn't think this would be easy, did you?"