The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert

Chapter 72

Zara was sharpening her favourite daggers for two hours straight, listening to Lachlan giving orders to his people. She knew she had no right to distract him, and she had to live with it. In just a few hours, she will be in the sky, and they might never see each other again.

She knew her role in all of this. She knew his role. They would be on different sides of the battlefield, and it would be impossible for her to watch him even from above. She wouldn’t be able to reach him, yet here she was–preparing her knives in case she did notice that he was in trouble. However, Zara knew she would fly down and shift back to her human form if she had to without blinking. This was so new. She wouldn’t have done it for Castiel.

Two hands slowly wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her closer. Lachlan’s scent filled the world around her, and Zara let herself close her eyes just for a moment and embrace their warm moment. As if there were no cold weapons in her hands, as if they were not going to a battle soon… As if they were two regular people who had no crucial tasks to perform.

“Mine,” Lachlan growled softly into her ear, and her toes curled from his voice alone.

His palms traced her curves, one cupping her breast and another grasping her neck gently.

“We shouldn’t-” she whispered but did not push him away. She couldn’t push him away.

“On the contrary,” he covered her neck with kisses, leaving a hot wet trail. “We should because it’s now or never.”

“Lachlan-”

“I am going to mark you now, Zara,” he said in a tone that brooked no objections, and she gasped, turning to see his face and check if he was serious. His eyes said it all, and her lips trembled. No one ever wanted to mark her before.

“Lam not your mate,” she reminded him and held her breath, not knowing if that fact would cool him down.

“I already had a mate, and what I feel for you is no less. I don’t know if Fenrir and the Moon Goddess planned for me to have a second–chance mate, but if she is not you, then I do not want her.” Lachlan gently bit on the soft spot on her neck, making her arch her back in delight. “Because I only want you. Will you let me mark you?”

“Yes,” she was happy that she had her back to him now and that he wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes. She liked to play it cool, but that lycan was making her emotional lately. “One thousand times yes,” she added and heard a snarl of approval.

Lachlan’s lingers removed her clothes, garment after garment, until she stood naked before him. He scooped her up and placed her on his desk, not letting her know that he had already carefully removed all the important papers from it because this was planned since his mind kept coming back to her while he worked. She did not waste time either, unbuckling his jeans and freeing his hardness, stroking it while he crashed his lips into hers. They knew they were short on time, but they were going to make the most out of it. He drove into her roughly, fingers digging into her flesh greedily as Zara locked her legs around his waist. She pressed herself tightly against him, and they broke their kisses only when they needed to gasp for air. The room suddenly got so hot that it was hard to breathe inside.

“Mine, mine, mine,” Lachlan repeated over and over with every thrust, and Zara moaned into his lips when her release rippled through her body.

Breathing ragged, she whispered, “Now- Do it now!”

“As you wish,” the Beta obeyed her wishes as he kept taking her and bringing her over the edge again. Zara tilted her head to give him better access, and his strong hands held her in place. He knew it would hurt her, and he had to be careful, so he made sure she was as close as possible to her next climax, and when he saw it in her eyes, he probed the place gently first, piercing the skin lightly. “I accept you as my mate, Zara O’Neer!”

He sunk his canines into her soft flesh, feeling her warm blood in his mouth, sharing his DNA with her and marking her for life. He could hear her heart racing in her chest, and a soft whimper left her chest as he kept thrusting into her. This tipped them both over the edge at the same time. The ecstasy of their newly forming bond was intoxicating and overpowering. He stilled, and his tiny bird froze, their bodies united in all of the ways, finally as one.

“I love you,” Zara whispered, and Lachlan slowly got his teeth out of her, licking the wound gently to help it heal. It was so big on her delicate neck. For the first time, it occurred to him that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. It would take the mark a week or so to heal completely. What if it distracted her during her fight?

“I love you too,” he responded and met her gaze. “I am sorry I didn’t think of the wound you’d have to bear. How much does it hurt?”

“Enough to remember why I need to stay alive today,” she smiled and leaned forward to claim his lips. “I wish I could mark you too so that you would have the same predicament.”

“This now, was what I needed to want to stay alive,” Lachlan chuckled, but the smile turned out sadder than he had hoped. He placed his forehead on his chosen mate’s and closed his eyes. “When this is over-”

around his neck, “When this is over, we will have our whole life before us. This is what I

he hummed, and the piercing noise of the alarm on his

her presence, and she knew it. It was still hard for her to decipher the meaning of their relationship. It wasn’t exactly a rejection on his

a person supposed to love you unconditionally? Sadly, this was precisely what she did not

his way, her pink hair whipped by the

and his wolf Nox screamed to embrace her here and now. However, the Alpha knew that it was

and took his hand into hers without asking permission. “I know I am not what you wanted as a mate, and you don’t know what to do with me,” she said bluntly, and his lips parted in shock. “But

but maybe it was for the best. Ash had already lost a mate once, and today he was going to war, where he

what they could have had. But if he deepened the bond, if he made her any kind of promises now, it would hurt her so much

you believe you are not enough. I saw you fight the white bears chasing us when we were getting Aspen out. You need more training, but you’re already a fighter. Even if you

breathing hitched hearing his words. What was the problem

read her question in her eyes and felt terrible. Was he making a mistake by distancing

bring herself to ask bluntly and

in one hand and made her look at him. “Because I want you to be

like this idea

pack is going, and so am I. And I don’t want to die thinking my mate did

did not get to finish because Ash slammed his lips into hers in a greedy, possessive kiss that made her forget the rest of her speech. She placed her fingers hesitantly on

kiss, and she got brave, digging her fingers into him. She wanted to feel,

one, so after a while, he stopped the

“When it’s all over…

something that gave

at dawn then,” she beamed at him, unable to hold back her

not go to fight?” Ash wondered. He remembered how she jumped at the huge bear who managed to catch up with them, but she wouldn’t have lasted long against him if she had been alone. “No,” she shook her pink curly head. “I already stayed back too many times. I’m not

blush pink heels and walked back into the castle, and Ash’s lips curled involuntarily. She was a surprise, that Petra. And so much was yet to be discovered.

this. The castle wasn’t

of that now. He was still a Gamma. Even though Kai would probably have to find a new one over

he was able to fight in his second form. In

that he was needed at the main gate and this was where Aspen was headed. The wheels got stuck when he was already close to his goal, and there was nothing he could do about it, no matter what

anywhere. Luckily, a warrior rushed to his side, willing to help. That only made Aspen angrier because he had never needed help before. He was always the strongest, the fastest, the most skilful. Only Kai and Lachlan were able to compete with him as equals. And now some boy was going to push him in

that the walls shook, and the warrior stopped instantly.

but Aspen raised his hand to stop him. The Gamma quickly looked around, and his angry gaze fell on a bunch of spears in the

pointed there, and his subordinate obeyed,

wooden stick left for support, standing up. He could feel his legs, but they were not listening to him. The way the bones grew together was awkward, and now he experienced excruciating pain when he moved.

had to make, and noticed that his soldiers had perplexed expressions on their faces when they saw him, but at

them in check. The last thing he needed was

is a girl, and she wants to see you,” one of his men reported.

slaughtered