Chapter 28
“Merikh
11 POV
Colette steps out of the bathroom, her scent wafting from the steam that follows behind her. She
looks more prepared, like the shower provided her with liquid courage.
Her hair is soft and wavy, falling over her delicate shoulders that are exposed in her pale blue
summer dress. The soft ruffles. remind me of wavespping at the shore as they cascade over her
bust and down one side where a slit reveals a portion of
her smooth skin.
She looks divine. A breath of fresh air after a lifetime being lost in the Marianas trench. My heart
races as I meet her eyes, my mouth dry. Colette watches me curiously before growing noticeably
nervous and she crosses her arm across her belly. holding the other arm while she looks away. I
hate she feels she has to hide, like she has no idea how damn stunning she is
“Don’t do that.” I rasp out, standing from the edge of the bed as I move toward her. “Do not ever
hide.”
“I’m not used to dressing like this…” she frowns,
“You look beautiful.” I tell her sincerely.
It won’t be hard to make it seem like I can’t keep my hands off her in a dress like this. The lycan in
me is rallying against my sane mind, begging to make me force her to change. To cover her up and
not allow anyone to see her like this but us. But I want everyone to stare. I want them to look at her
and gape.
Colette needs to see what she can do, what she has always been capable of. She has always been
stunning, but sinceing to my pack, she has flourished. I know she wasn’t being poisoned in her
old pack. Not in the way she thinks she was. But she was sickly, her soul malnourished and her wolf
suffered, making her thing and gaunt.
Not anymore.
A month of good food, exercise and people who treat her well. Well…most people who treat her
well. I wince inwardly, hating that I’m the one who causes her stress. I am the one who hurt her and
ruined us. It’s not fair to punish her for my insecurities, but yet… I can’t find it in my pride to tell her
that. Not yet.
Not when I know that this is just a small amount of the hatred she will send my way when she finds
out at the first meeting.
Her soft hand touches mine, and I shake myself from my thoughts, taking her in once more. Damn,
she is perfect. Her lips part and I lick mine.
“You don’t have to tter me,” she mumbles.
“I’m being honest.” I say firmly.
“Oh,” she blinks, her cheeks growing pink as she tucks some hair behind her car. I reach out,
undoing it and then I look her in the eyes, making sure she can see the sincerity.
“Are you ready for this?” I ask her.
+
“I don’t have a choice,” she says with a sigh. It pains me to hear her say that, knowing I forced her
here. Forced all of this on her.
“Tonight it is.” I say, deciding to give her back a little control. “If you would prefer to stay behind, or
both of us to stay behind, I can muster up an excuse.”
It’s true. It would be easy to skip this dinner with a simple lie. To them, we are recently mated, and it
would be perfectly reasonable to say we got carried away or were too exhausted,
“No.” she says, shaking her head. “I’ll be fine.”
“You are sure?” I check once more.
Yes. She presses her hand to my chest, and I know she can feel my fast beating heart. Her eyes
soften, but she says nothing. Instead, she hides a smile and steps past me, heading to the door.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes,” I say, clearing my throat and moving toward her as she slips her feet into a pair of small
heels
“Remember, we are in love. I will be close to you the entire evening and if you need to escape, you
only need to lean in and whisper. These people can be they can be a lot. You thought I was a
monster being the Alpha of Death? You are about toe face to face with people who will smile
while they cut you open.”
Her face pales, but she squares her shoulders and sets her lips. She is damn cute when she puts a
warrior face on
“I am the Lama of the Werewolves and Lycans,” she says firmly. “They don’t scare me. Not when
you are at my side.”
I can’t tell if she means it or not and I chose not to dissect it 100 much because true or not, those
words are what I have needed to hear from a mate for so long. My heart feels lighter and my lycan
purrs with delight as I reach down and take her hand in mine, entwining our fingers.
“Well then, Luna Letty,” I give her a wink using the name she announced herself as Luna with.
“Let’s go have dinner with
some monsters.”
She clings to my hand, reaching over and grabbing my bicep as well, pulling herself closer as we
enter the dining area. Everyone is chatting merrily,ughter floating through therge space before
it stops and all eyesnd on us. Johannes smirks, and Florence rolls her eyes while the others look
at us with a mild curiosity.
“Oh wonderful,” Florence groans, sitting roughly back in her seat.
“There are two spots over here, Johannes says with a devious smirk, pulling a chair closer to him. I
growl vibrates through my chest as Florenceughs and the others watch in silence. It’s strange
how the others don’t join in, but I assume they are already fed up with these two. It doesn’t take
much.
“Enough,” a deep, tired voice says from behind us. I turn and watch as Caspian, who was supposed
to beingte into this whole charade, saunters into the dining room. Everyone seems to grow
stiff, Johannes ncing away and Florence’s cheeks grow red in embarrassment.
“Caspian,” Florence says, shaking her hair out and shing a quick smile. “We weren’t expecting
you for at least another week.”
“I moved things around,” He says, walking past us, giving Colette and 1 a sideways nce. He
commands the presence of everyone in his navy shirt and linen pants with a stern look. He smells
of the ocean breeze and I nce at Colette, who watches him curiously.
Who is this?” He asks, taking his seat, thin looking up at me.
“This is my Luna. I announce, and he frowns, tilting his head.
“A new one? Already?”
“It’s been three years.” I say, ”
“And you are well aware she was a traitor and killed my father.”
“I suppose that doesn’t inspire much of an undying loyalty.” he frowns. “Sit. Eat. We will have a long
first meeting
tomorrow.”
I look and see two seats on opposite ends of the table and I tense, not happy about splitting up from
Colette. She nces up at me, fear–filled eyes, and I decide to take a drastic measure.
1 drag her with me to the seat sitting to the left of Casn and I sit, then I wrap my arms around her
waist and tug her into myp. She feels tense at first until I pull her hair to the side and kiss the
bare skin between her shoulder des. She shivers, then rxes, leaning back into me as I nuzzle
her neck.
“Is the chair next to Johannes not good enough for her?” Florence spits at us and Colette snaps her
head in her direction.
“You can speak to me directly, and no. I will not stoop so low as to sit next to a soulless monster
who steals mates for their
Trac
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own fun,” Colette growls. I squeeze her tighter in gratitude, loving this savvy Lama and how she
stands up for her kind, and
1. me.
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Everyone is silent until Caspian chuckles and shakes his head.
“I like her better than the other one” He admits.
Pride swells in my chest at his words, knowing firsthand how far she hase. How hard she has
worked to grow her confidence.
“She is something else, that’s for sure.” I say, meeting her gaze over her shoulder as her cheeks
grow pink at thepliment. I catch Caspian looking at her, then casting his tired, worn eyes down
at the te served in front of him.
“Hold on to her, the mate bond is one thing I have always admired about your kind. There is nothing
quite like it.” He says softly, once again sliding a sideways nce in our direction.
“Do you have a queen?” Colette asks sweetly, and he freezes.
“No.” He sighs, taking a swing of the goblet next to him. “No, I have not been fortunate enough to
find my queen.”
In his
I know it’s a lie. But few of us know that truth. Hell, until recently, I believed my kind was the only
kind to know Caspian’s heartbreaking truth. He had a queen once, and a little princess too. He lost
them both, murdered when he was away kingdom trying to changews that kept him from his girls.
Or so he thinks.
But as I mentioned, I know the truth. His queen may be gone, but his princess is alive and thriving.
And she is sitting tucked away on myp.