The Perfect Luna by Marissa Gilbert

Chapter 36. Tell Me What Happ…

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

That did not happen to Ria yet. But a mostly missing wolf was

a destiny that he wanted for

bothered him. Those people he read about were

in battles. Sometimes against forces much stronger than them. In

few cases known in history, it was always the same. When on 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

owner was slowly becoming just a

worse than death.

yourself. To stop seeing through your beast’s eyes, to stop

sense…

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

not everyone could

that Riannon was one of those who would be able to cope, though. She was strong. In some sense maybe even stronger

for her to have that kind of fate. For her,

everything

of any recent battles she took a part in. As far as his research on her showed, and his spies were among the best, her life was a typical Luna life. She had her hardships but nothing too major

in that pack behind the closed curtains that made her

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

the words even though she

was about

you? That husband of yours?” Gideon

the way his grasp on

How could she tell him

him to be okay

he hurt you physically?” the

to calm him down. Luckily, it was the

made you want not only divorce

spoke. She tried

and their chosen mate

was everything? And more…

cotton sheets around herself, Gideon following her motion not to miss any trace

that she could see him. He hoped that she would understand that no matter what was

himi..

scare off, Riannon,” he gave her a

and his mate Roxy in my pack. He never rejected her as he promised, and she took everything away from me. She killed the people I cared about, made Brayden reject and humiliate me, taking my title. And even then, after I already lost everything, she still killed me with the help of one of 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 since that day I

face. Did she overdo it? Was it too

that she was joking at first, but she was too serious and nervous about

right, not all. But some of the things did. Their very first conversation. She was already sure

brought out his mate and mistress for everyone to see. Anyone would be crushed by that. But not Riannon. She held

exactly the opposite.

to mention the way she spoke to him. No one was that bold. Unless… they were on the brink of

biting her lip. He could see how worried she was about

in the next moment, he grabbed her and pulled

didn’t say anything, but she knew that he believed her. And it

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

warmth and his wonderful scent. Embracing the feeling of safety that

But right now at this moment, she could finally afford to let

it felt

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

his beautiful Luna never ceased to amaze him. She was

him with puffy eyes, embarrassed by her

as he wiped the last tear away

day in his room. Only ordering food

with the rebirth and then went on to their previous life. Then they were discussing their possible theories of what everything

started to simply plan what they

She was doing it with Brayden for years. But it was so different with Gideon. And not at all