Chapter 74 THE WORDS THAT BREAK
Ginnie
My heart slams against my ribs so hard the moment Varkos utters those words. I’m sure he can feel it where our bodies are still pressed together, slick with sweat and each other.
What the actual fuck!
I stay still for a moment, and stare at him—really stare, searching those deep piercing eyes for the trick, the lies, the cruelty I used to expect from him. The same man who once looked at me like I was nothing but dirt underneath his boot.
The same Varkos who belittled me six years ago that a human could never be strong enough to stand at his side, that I was weak for being his mate, nothing but a temporary distraction until he claimed someone worthy.
And now… this.
I force myself up abruptly, palms flat against his chest, putting space between us even though every instinct screams at me to move closer.
“S..say it again,” my voice comes out as a low whisper, barely audible over the pounding in my ears. Varkos doesn’t hesitate, he sits up slowly and his hands slide to my waist, holding me like I might vanish if he lets go. His eyes are locked on mine.
“I love you, Ginnie.”
The second time he says it hits harder. It’s not soft, or careful…it’s certain, like he’s carving the words into stone so they can never be erased.
“I love you…human or not,” Varkos continues, every word deliberate and raw. “And I’m done pretending that I don’t feel anything for you.” He reaches up and cups my face with both hands.
Tears burn behind my eyes without meaning to, my throat closes so tight I can barely swallow. This moment feels like a long-awaited dream I’d never imagined would come true.
“I’m going to break every fucking rule in Bleeding Rose that says a Lycan can’t be mated to a human,” Varkos’s voice shatters through my thoughts. “ Tradition can burn, and the Council can choke on their precious bloodline purity. I want you as my rightful Luna and I want the entire pack to know you’re mine…that I chose you above everything.”
Happiness crashes through me so violently it hurts. It’s like sunlight exploding behind my ribs after years in the dark. My chest aches with so much joy that the tears begin to spill before I can stop them.
“I love you too!” The words rolled off my tongue. “So much that it scares me every day of my life.”
Before he can open his mouth to say something, I lunge forward, crashing my mouth against his. I kiss him like I’m drowning and he’s the only thing that can save me. Endless, desperate kisses—over his lips, his jaw, the corner of his mouth.
I trail countless kisses across his face, his brow, the bridge of his nose, anywhere I can reach, laughing through the tears that keep rolling uncontrollably down my face.
Varkos laughs too—a low, stunned sound that vibrates through the entire room like he can’t believe this is real either.
“You have no idea,” I whisper between kisses, “how long I’ve wanted to hear that. How many nights I lay awake convincing myself you’d never say it, that I’d always be nothing but the human mate you rejected.”
His arms engulf me, crushing me to his chest. “I’m sorry, Ginnie,” he murmurs against my hair. “I’m so fucking sorry it took me this long to see what was right in front of me…that we were made for each other.” Then he places a kiss on my forehead.
“And now that I know it….now that I’ve said it…I’m going to do the impossible to make you my Luna. I’ll tear down centuries of bullshit if that’s what it takes.”
My heart is so full of joy it feels like it might burst, and in that overflowing rush of joy and relief and love, the last secret I’ve carried alone for six years rises to the surface. I pull back just enough to meet his eyes.
“Varkos… There's something I need to tell you. About Lily—”
BAM!
The bedroom door explodes inward with a violent crack —the sound is deafening, sharp, final. Varkos and I turn at the utter shock of the sound to see Lady Ravena standing at the doorway.
She storms through the shattered frame like a woman possessed. Her face is a mask of cold fury, eyes glittering with something murderous. Behind her, two guards step into the room, their blades already drawn.
I don’t even have time to scream when Lady Ravena crosses the room in three furious strides. Her hand lashes out faster than I can keep track of—and seizes my arm.
She yanks me off Varkos away from Varkos with shocking strength, dragging my naked body across the sheets and onto the cold marble floor.
CRACK!
Her palm cracks across my face before I can open my mouth to speak, the slap rings out like gunfire through the entire room. The sheer force of the slap forces my head to snap to the side, and blood floods my mouth.
“You filthy little whore!” she hisses, her voice dripping with every ounce of venom. “You think you can spread your legs for my son and call yourself Luna? That you can taint our bloodline and walk away untouched?”
She raises her hand to strike again. I flinch instinctively, bracing for the next blow—
But it never lands.
Varkos is between us in an instant, his hand clamps around his mother’s wrist mid-swing, hard enough that I can hear her bones creak. Without hesitation, he pushes her arm down with controlled, terrifying force.
Lady Ravena gasps in shock, fear flashing across her face for the first time since I’d set foot in the blood moon pack villa.
Varkos is still standing between us—naked, furious, every line of his body radiating with pure rage. His eyes are pure gold now, an act that signifies the dangerous Alpha rage inside of him.
Oh God!
Hell is about to be unleashed!