"Did you just say 9,000?" Adrian asked, his face ashy in shock. Akeila giggled and I was filled with warmth seeing her so happy.
"The Lud-I mean, the Luna is to be protected at all costs. Her father and grandfather made every preparation, many of these packs would no longer exist if they had not intervened at precisely the right moments in time. They knew a chosen Luna would be born in a matter of time, and they were correct. Even Casmira has saved them from many calamities that would have claimed their packs. We value loyalty here." Marcus' words were pointed, his typically warm eyes shifting coldly between Adrian and Mikael, letting his words hang in the air as a warning.
"Marcus," I warned, "not the time. That is your sister's mate and my mate you're insulting right now."
"I apologize Luna, forgive me. Due to their actions, forgive me if I am overly cautious." I waved my hand at him, dismissing the apology.
"These two I know I can trust in time; the Goddess has told me as much. For now, it will pass. Just do not be rude or insulting." He nodded, turning back to the map as I reviewed the most recently logged condition of our vehicles.
"We have just over an hour before the Ice Claw pack is upon the castle. It would be best to go out to meet them in the forest so they have time to cool off, and we don't have much time to get over there. The other packs will be arriving over the next two hours or so. We have a very tight timeline, Mira." He frowned, turning to face me.
"That is Luna to you," Mikael growled, "remember that." I looked up at Mikael and growled back.
"He is allowed to call me Mira, as is anyone afforded my trust. Don't overstep your boundaries, Mikael." His eyebrows shot up in surprise, then his face settled into a frown.
"You expect me to allow another male, especially one you treated so affectionately, to use a pet name for you?" I slammed my hands on the table, my voice rising.
"I not only expect it, I demand it. These are my people, who have proven their loyalty time and time again, not someone who came to burn down my kingdom because their brother felt like it would be fun!"
"What is your actual relationship with him?!" Mikael demanded angrily, raising his voice to match mine.
"Do you want the bloody truth?! The Council wanted me to take him as my chosen mate. Happy?! He's used to the weight of the pack on his shoulders, he's proven himself an impressive warrior. He's even attractive! I trust this man with my life, and he entrusts his to me. His adopted sister is head of my personal guard. It all looks great on paper, doesn't it?!" I threw my hands up and walked to the corner of the room, shoving my hand in my hair to push it out of my face as I walked back.
"Our most sacred rule cannot be broken, and that is not to interfere with a Goddess given mate bond. As you have done nothing but aggravate and attack since you arrived on our lands, I will tell you that Marcus is the least of your problems in the way of the mate bond. You are. I will not give my hand over to anyone I cannot trust, nor will I ever mate with them." He took a step back, shock clear across his face. Temira stayed quiet despite her objections, knowing that I would only mate with someone worthy of us.
"Everyone out. I will meet you in the front courtyard in 10 minutes, or less." Marcus, Antonio and Akeila all bowed and began filing out, with Akeila grabbing Adrian's hand with a simple shake of her head. Ezra bowed his head to both of us and shut the door firmly behind him.
"You don't want to be my mate?" Mikael asked quietly.
"It's not that I don't want to be. I will not mate with anyone who isn't worthy of my heart and body. Someone who isn't worthy of my trust. How far do you think attacking my kingdom goes for building trust?" His jaw tightened and his eyes flared as his voice began to rise again.
"When will you stop holding that over my head? My actions prevented more lives lost."
"Maybe when it's been more than 6 hours since you did it!" I roared at him, anger making my body vibrate, aura pulsing out in harsh waves. "You may have saved lives, but you didn't have the backbone to stand against your brother's hairbrained decision! You attacked an innocent pack! If you had talked some sense into your brother, we would be sitting and getting to know each other over tea instead of my pack lying at your feet in ruins!" He gripped the chair back in front of him, his knuckles turning white.
"Do you want to reject me here and now so you can get it over with? I will not have a mate who stands there and yells at me for me trying my best." I scoffed and shook my head, crossing my arms.
"Sure, so you can run away. It's too hard to fucking apologize for your part in all of this, and it's far too easy to run away." I shook my head with a sharp exhale, "I have places to be and wolves to appease. I can reject you later." I moved to walk past him but he stopped me, pulling me flush against him, making Temira whine from the intoxicating scent of our mate.
"I am sorry. I'm sorry for not being smarter to tell him what an idiot he is. I'm sorry for being good at finding solutions that don't end in more bloodshed. I'm sorry for scaling that wall and finding my way here. I'm sorry for saving you from my brother's grip. I'm sorry for not being good enough to be your mate." He rested his forehead against mine, making my knees tremble. "What I'm not sorry for is finding my mate, the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. I'm not sorry for blundering through this because I don't have a clue what I'm doing. I have no clue. All I know is that I want to keep you by my side, and I want to be able to prove myself."
His shoulders shook slightly, a tremble running through his body, and spots of wet warmth dropped onto my cheeks. I looked up into his eyes, seeing pain and fear. No, not just fear, it was pure terror. Another tear plopped onto my cheek, breaking my heart into pieces.
"And I'm not sorry for this either." He cupped my cheeks, pressing his lips softly to mine. His scent enveloped me, sending thrilling shivers up my spine. His lips were still, waiting for rejection or acceptance. I kissed him back, placing one hand gently on his cheek as I closed my eyes, relishing the moment. His lips were pulled from mine far too soon, my head spinning from the intoxication delivered from such a simple kiss.
"Please, please don't leave me."