The Perfect Luna by Marissa Gilbert

Chapter 76

“Explain this!” Gideon growled at the Beta as he uploaded the video on the big

screen.

Maya watched it calmly, her face vacant of any emotions.

“What exactly should I explain?” she asked lazily, only fuelling his anger.

He rewound the video back to when she was fighting Roxanne and pointed at Riannon standing not far from them.

“She was there! And you saw her!” he was playing those seconds again and again, making her watch this. “You didn’t even move to help her. I want to know why!

“I did not notice her!” Maya turned away and he just knew that she was lying through her teeth.

“I am not buying this!” he growled. He could feel how his own Beta, Ried, was trying to reach him via the mind link. He was worried sick about his mate, and it was one of the reasons why he couldn’t kill her on the spot.

Yet she was too calm. A traitor who was just caught couldn’t possibly be this

serene!

“Maya,” he said through clenched teeth, “what do you know that I don’t? You clearly saw each other. Ria didn’t even fight that damn fox when he caught her!”

She averted his gaze and he knew that he was on the right path.

“You have to tell me!” he growled and it suddenly became harder to breathe in the room. He never used his royal lycan power. It was dangerous. And not only for others, for him as well. Because unleashing that pressing darkness within him could have consequences beyond repairing. There was a reason why only the royal lycans had the second battle form now. Only they could shift into wolf-like feral beasts who

could walk on their feet. Common lycians could die if they tried that.

The blood of royals was the purest and they were the only ones who had enough strength to channel and control true beasts. Those beasts were giving them power beyond imaginable, but that came with a price. The longer they stayed in that form, the less they wanted to come back to being human. It was too tempting, too

wolf, hence they were saving it for the worst battles. When they were becoming true lycans, all emotions were gone. Only instincts stayed. And every time Gideon had to use any part of his feral powers, he knew that once he reached a certain point, he had to stop and go back to being human.

That form was making him stronger and any other shifter could sense his power from afar. Right now he only let it out a bit but Maya already lowered her head

in submission. This was something out of her control now.

“What. Happened. There?” Gideon demanded in a firm menacing tone and she gulped, trying to fight it. But it was useless.

“I can’t,” she whispered desperately.

“I am your king,” Gideon insisted, letting her know that he would make her if she didn’t do it herself.

“You might be my king but she is my Alpha,” Maya’s voice was faint but she faced him with a determination which he couldn’t not respect.

He didn’t even need more details. It was clear what had happened back in the woods now. And he wanted to crush things, break them, destroy…

“Just tell me why she did it,” he used all his strength to get the beast to back down, so that he could return to his senses and so that the girl in front of him could stop suffocating. It was her first time experiencing something like this. Most would probably have already fainted.

the power stopped pressing down on her. She hesitated… but looking at him panting as well, she gave up. There was no point

wanted.

hurt her. She was

as he snapped his head

her pass out!” the king growled.

Goddess.” The

Gideon stopped her with a gesture, because he did not want to hear those explanations.

“She told me via the mind link and then she rejected my every protest. She was sure that we would be able to win the war only if we got enough intel. And the only way to get it was to get inside their lair. Ria said that there were too many secrets and no way to find out whom

her?” Gideon pointed at the

cloth, I knew that it was

have followed them!”

be noticed,” the woman stated honestly and firmly. “She ordered

note. Riannon’s scent hit his nostrils and he got instantly calmer. Maya handed him the little folded piece of paper and he secretly

for you,” the girl stepped away

the note carefully as if it was some kind of treasure.

needed him to trust her. And she needed him to find a way to get her back. All while she was risking her life to help him

rippling through his body,

But she needed him.

the two of them now. He knew that she would do anything to get her best

the Beta girl asked, and he turned to look at the glass. Behind it the tiny fox was weeping again, trying to fill

her,” Gideon said coldly. “We need to make sure that she loses any hope of ever getting out of here. And when she does, we will break her. Part by part. Until she tells us

sat alone in that white room for goddess knew how long. She knew that they had not forgotten about

not going to share anything. She had two tasks now – to save her baby

save her. He also knew that she was a valuable asset. So, she needed to hold on until then. She could still play on Brayden’s fatherly feelings. It could still work if

was lost to her as she had already drained all the liquid out of herself. But the

saw two women in black leather looking down at

worst-case scenario, no

plate and some food on it, as well as a water bottle. “This ginger

“They say she is vicious and can easily get under

one with bushy curly hair ordered and pointed to the chair. Roxy decided not to cause a scene and obeyed

wolves,” she stated calmly

other one, with straight black hair reaching

are you?” Roxy asked,

We are not staying here

started eating slowly, listening to their

to hang here when the lycan king is

get it. He lost his queen and now she is captive. Who knows what the fox king is doing to her this very moment? He did not contact the Union, he did not demand anything. It looks

table, not caring that she

attention.

girls asked her

not hungry anymore,” the

that they had brought and left

in the same place for a while, keeping her composure. But the images of Castiel and Riannon were flooding her mind. She knew him the best and she knew far too well when he wanted a woman. He always had a harem, yes. But he had consent from every girl inside of it, herself included. They all wanted to be there,