The Perfect Luna by Marissa Gilbert

  Chapter 80.

Riannon was locked in her room and the feeling was not new to her. Now that she had time to think about it, she had been trapped before. In her first marriage with Brayden. She was a hostage to that relationship and her own reputation. Trying to be perfect all the time was exhausting. It was funny that only death helped her to see the vicious cycle. Gideon helped her to get free from it. And just like that time, soon he would help her to her freedom once again. She knew it.

But by the time he came to get her, she was sure that she would destroy this place. And when she heard a knock on the door, a smirk formed on her lips.

“Onyx, help me out to scan this place,” she asked her wolf, and now she could sense that there was only one person behind the door. A female. Two guards were standing at a distance that would make it hard for a regular shifter to know what they were talking about. Those two were new. The Paddington and the fox she knew were replaced by Castiel and now no one was fulfilling her every request like before. The fox king learned his lesson.

“Riannon,” Bridgit whispered, “Do you hear me?”

“Yes,” she smiled, knowing that the presence of the werebear was the proof of her plan working.“ How did you manage to get here? I thought that everyone would be punished…”

“Everyone was punished,” Bridgit confirmed with a sigh, “But I am not everyone. I have some privileges around here and Castiel either trusted me or forgot to strip me of them yesterday.”

“Good for you,” Ria chuckled, “He didn’t forget to strip me of my privileges, as you can see.”

“Oh, Riannon, you are still the most privileged woman here. Just the fact that you are locked in the room that’s right opposite to his own is proof of that.”

Ria swallowed. She did not want to think of Castiel sleeping this close to her.

“Anyway, he is not here now,” Bridgit assured her, “and I want to speak to you again. Do you have any kind of a plan?”

She did have a plan. A few actually. But this right now was her number one plan. She wasn’t sure though that sharing the details with the werebear was a good idea though. All they had was two conversations and during the first one, Bridgit tried to kill her. This wasn’t a friendship built on trust just

yet.

She was probably silent for too long and the girl on the other side of the door got that right. “Listen,” Bridgit sighed,”you probably don’t get how it feels to be betrayed by a man you loved.” Oh, the irony of that statement was not lost on Ria, but she did not say a word.

“When we joined the harem one by one, we knew that he wasn’t exclusive with either of us. But each of us believed that there was a possibility of that. Castiel could make you feel like you are the only one for him. While he is with you… but over time, I think all of us realised that this would never be the case. However, it was too late because each of us had feelings for him.”

“Bridgit,” Riannon couldn’t stop herself from saying, “he is hot as hell, yes. But there is no way that every single woman could fall in love with him. Have you seen his lab? Have you seen what he is doing there? He learned to create scents that give you a similar response that you would have if you met your mate. I hate to be the one telling you that, but he is so good because he was experimenting a lot. And I think that he was experimenting on you. All of you.”

The werebear girl on the other end of the door was silent but then started speaking again with

“We all came here willingly, and we agreed to be with him willingly too. The rest is history.”

For a moment there Riannon was worried that she had lost her new ally. Was it too late for those girls? Was there some kind of addiction to those scents? After all, Brayden was an Alpha and he had fallen to the charm pretty fast. She always thought that it was because of Roxy’s siren abilities, but what if those artificial scents were to blame too?

“But,” Bridgit chose to continue her speech, giving her hope, “When we entered the Eden there was an

it on both ends. Each girl agreed to be with him and not to be the only one. Each of us had a

different reason for that. Some had no choice, like me, some already liked Castiel, some were seeking, political gains and some were so poor that living in the harem of the fox king did not seem like a bad thing at all. The list goes on and on. But there was one condition that he himself set for all of us. He was always saying that it’s important to him that each of us lived here willingly. He made it a big point and this was one of the reasons we all trusted him so much. He said that we could leave whenever we wanted.”

“And?” Ria leaned over the cold door.

“And when after the revelations of yesterday, a few girls expressed the desire to leave, he did not let them,” the she-bear’s voice trembled. “Everyone is locked in the Eden now. Now we know why there is only one door and no windows except for the ceiling that we can’t get to.”

“The Eden is locked yet you are here,” Riannon pointed out. She still wasn’t convinced she could trust the woman she was talking to.

“I know how it looks,” Bridgit replied to that calmly, “but I was here for years. I earned his trust. And he doesn’t know yet that he lost mine. I was thinking about what you told me. As long as I stay here, I will never meet my mate. And I want to try that, to experience that. I want to be the only one for someone. I don’t think I want to share anymore. I want to love and be loved in return. I want a mate who would never lock me up or lessen me. I want what you described to me. I want all of it if that makes sense.”

“It does.” Ria could feel that the girl was telling her the truth. “So? Do you have a plan?” she asked once again. “I do,” Ria finally admitted, “Do you think you can fight and open the door of the harem on your

Own?”

“We can, but there are more guards here than usual. We wouldn’t be able to tackle them on our own.”

“You won’t have to,” the Alpha smirked, “All you have to do is wait for my signal to act.”

“What will the signal be?” Bridgit asked.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Riannon chuckled, “You will recognise it when you hear it.”

lives to you,” the werebear

to fight for it yourselves. I will be with you – this is something that I can promise. Because I will be fighting for my own freedom and the freedom of my people. I have already been fighting for it for a while. I know that we deserve it and I know that this is what the Moon Goddess always wanted for her daughters. I changed the laws

that this wasn’t what the werebear wanted to hear. But she sensed how the girl placed her hand on

them now. But I

relief escaped her and she smiled

now,” Bridgit whispered, “The ones willing to fight will be waiting

I have already told you – it would

closer with his best warriors to the place where, according to the little fox, his mate was kept. They took mostly lycans and some of the very best werewolves since Maya insisted on it. A

his people to stop. Through the bushy branches of trees, Gideon noticed the glimmering of the distant lights. The palace of the fox king was well hidden deep inside the woods. This kind was used to not being together all the time and hiding in small groups so that enemies couldn’t find them even within

a better cell now. Purely because she was

few steps, counting the guards that he would have to kill to get closer when he felt her. His mate. She could feel that she was agitated and not happy. He could also feel that, despite all that, she wasn’t broken. She was determined and stayed strong. And the feeling of pride

her name via the mind link and immediately felt a wave of happiness and relief coming

been worried that Castiel would do something to her, trick her, bewitch her or whatever. He had been worried that he could hurt her even

you okay?”

tell that she was smiling through tears.

me a moment or two.” “I will wait for you for the

love,” he gave her a promise that he intended to keep. But then suddenly he felt her worried and distressed.

came to take me somewhere,” she informed him quickly. “He

been anything else,” he tried to calm her down and give her strength,

you,” his mate promised, switching

soon,” he said into the emptiness before

shifted his men following

their enemies could even see them, digging their sharp teeth into the werebears, leaving

was ripping throats and guts out, each kill bringing him closer to his

reached the building – a very tall mansion with a glass dome towering over its centre

wrong?” He asked him via the link

were expecting a backup from this side I guess,” his Beta notified him, growling. Reid was probably fighting too now. This meant that whoever Gideon

Lycan king asked. “Yes,

come here.

of a battle. And Gideon hated it. He hated that someone tried to take his mate and his friends away from him.

already near the entrance when he heard the loudest and

Castiel burst into Riannon’s room, grabbed

it easy for him. Onyx inside of her was ready to act

it, Ria, I am just taking you to a safe place! I don’t want you to get

she scoffed. “These are my people over there and they came for me! I’d rather believe that you are trying to cover yourself

a second and grabbed the hair at the back of her head, tugging it to make her look at him, “Because the only

lips into her and she completely did not expect this. His tongue was forcing itself inside and trying to dominate her. The two guards were still holding her hands and she felt him using Gideon’s scent again. As if it could have

her veins and filled her whole. So much for not

him as hard as

her with wide eyes and covering his mouth with one hand. It took him a few seconds

the growls from the outside

that!” Castiel spat the blood onto the immaculate marble floor of the passage they used, “Bring her to the dungeons and lock her in the best cell until it’s over. Tripple the men guarding her. I want them to never get

the bears said, and Riannon burst out laughing. She couldn’t stop for a while and

Ria raised her chin and tilted her head slightly, “this is exactly your problem! You recognised me as this special, perfect Luna but

know that you haven’t been able to

captors’ hands to give them a false feeling of overpowering her finally. “And who told you that? By any chance was that your

changed but it

Riannon snarled, her eyes glowing

glowing just like the last time. She could feel how power was streaming through her and she knew that she could destroy anyone in her way now. She had been brought back for a

and she used that moment to lift her head up to the moon and let out the deepest and longest howl of her life. In that howl, the Moon Goddess herself was joining, calling to every woman in

the Eden, every girl in red heard that howl and Bridgit’s mouth opened when she recognised the sign they all had

turning into their beasts – wolves, bears, lionesses, panthers, birds, reptiles… Castiel

bear, Uma, was the one to knock out the doors of Eden and to attack the guards outside of it. But the rest joined

all craved

finishing off yet another bear when he finally could have a glimpse of what was going on inside. And it seemed like

me!” he commanded to his warriors and jumped inside through the window on the first floor. Enemy warriors were throwing themselves at him, but he dealt with them at ease, amazed by the sight of a huge eagle

he followed it, his own men bursting inside through windows at the very same moment.  beautifui