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

to Ria yet. But a mostly missing

he wanted for

thing that bothered him. Those people he read about

who fought in battles. Sometimes against forces much stronger than

foxes, bears or other creatures sacrificed themselves to protect their

when the beast died, the owner was

worse than death.

stop seeing through your beast’s eyes, to stop

sense…

well. Everything was lessened, everything was different… Less vibrant. It

not everyone could cope

able to cope, though. She was strong. In some sense maybe even

her to have that kind

everything

far as his research on her showed, and his spies were among the best, her

what was done to her in that pack behind the

But this time I want you to be absolutely honest. You can trust me. All that I do from the day I met you is for your protection. You are my Luna even in spite of being another man’s wife. You

though she knew that she

that was about to

he hurt you? That husband of yours?” Gideon tried not

by the way

she tell him

him to be okay

physically?” the Lycan king

at once to calm him down. Luckily, it was

to you,” he took her chin into his large palm and made her look at him, “Something that made you want not only divorce but fight for your pack. Something that broke you so much

weak every time she spoke. She tried

to their rebirth and their chosen mate

was everything? And more…

it,” she sat up, wrapping the Egyptian cotton sheets around herself, Gideon following her motion not to miss any

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

himi..

scare off, Riannon,” he gave her a soft smile. “Let’s hope so,” she gave him

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 had to live again during the most horrible days of my life. Only that I didn’t want for everything to repeat. I wanted to change what happened. And I started tweaking things one by one. Big and little. I changed them and they were changing the reality. Yet main

the frozen expression on his face. Did she overdo it? Was it too much for him? Should she

first, but she was too serious and nervous about that. And now that he

all. But some of the things did. Their very first conversation. She was already sure that bad things

brought out his mate and mistress for everyone to see. Anyone would be crushed by that. But

exactly the opposite.

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

she was about everything and wanted to tell

next moment, he grabbed her and

but she knew that he believed her. And it

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

she wrapped her arms around him too, embracing his warmth and his wonderful scent. Embracing the feeling of safety that he gave her. And for the first time

never. But right now at this moment, she could finally afford to let it all out. The pain, the loneliness,

felt

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

beautiful Luna never ceased to

him with puffy eyes, embarrassed by her little

as he wiped the last tear away with his thumb, “Tell me everything from the very

his room.

still, none of them felt like they were done. It seemed that there was always more. It started with the rebirth and then went on to their previous life. Then they were discussing their possible

later they started to simply plan what they

knew well how to work in a team. She was doing it with Brayden for years. But it was so different with Gideon. And not at all what she expected. They weren’t finishing each other’s sentences. He wasn’t agreeing with everything that she