70- Bound by the Mark
POV Lunara Grimwald:
I threw my hands up and rolled my eyes. "Don’t play dumb. I saw you two earlier," I snapped. "And no, I still don’t care—but the wild part of me that shares this body with me does. And I hate feeling her pain, her sorrow at seeing you with that damn bitch."
He stepped back, placing a hand on the back of his neck.
"Lunara… I…"
I shook my head. "I don’t want your apologies. There are no excuses. I know I’m a burden you have to carry—the omega you mated with and have to deal with for the rest of your life. You don’t owe me anything, just as I don’t owe you anything. I just... hate how she feels about it. I want to live my life, Edric, the same way you do. Maybe it’ll make things easier for both of us."
Silver light flickered in his eyes, fading into a deep blue.
"If you saw me with Thalira earlier..."
"Yes, I saw," I cut in.
"But you didn’t stay long enough to see me push her away?"
This time, I was the one who looked confused. I frowned. "What?"
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it and letting a strand fall over his forehead.
"I pushed Thalira away, Lunara. Yes, I have a long history with her, but that doesn’t mean I agree with everything she does. She’s becoming... suffocating, to say the least."
Well... I hadn’t expected him to push the she-wolf away for me. He had no reason to. But just knowing he had rejected her was enough to make me feel a spark of satisfaction.
I licked my lips. "I don’t care either way. But if you’re going to have lovers out there, then so will I."
Gold flashed in his eyes.
"How dare you say that to my face?" he roared, his voice deep and otherworldly.
"How dare you feel offended?" I retorted, losing my patience once again.
It was outrageous for him to feel offended, even betrayed—because that was exactly the feeling I could sense prickling at the tip of my tongue, the one he was giving off.
"And how could I not?"
"I don’t care what you feel." The golden hue in his eyes softened.
He stepped closer and placed one hand on each side of my head, pressing them flat against the trunk, trapping me between him and the tree. I watched the silvery specks in his blue irises, admiring how they danced as his gaze narrowed on me.
"What you saw me do at that party, little wolf, was merely a demonstration of what my wolf is capable of," he whispered, his breath brushing my face. "When I ask you not to provoke me, it’s about the chaos and death he’ll unleash. It’s always like that when it comes to you."
I swallowed hard.
"You’re insane," I muttered.
Bogdan didn’t deserve that end. He seemed like a respectful and charismatic male. And though his death gnawed at my insides, I wouldn’t allow myself to carry the guilt for it. If anyone was to blame, it was Edric and his explosive temper.
He tilted his head to the side, the silver light illuminating the right side of his face through the gap between the tall branches. I noticed the subtle golden glow flicker again in his eyes. The wind stirred his hair, pushing away the lone curl that fell over his forehead.
If he weren’t so damn beautiful, it would be so much easier to ignore him.
I extended my arms, pressing my palms against his hard, warm chest.
"I hate you," I whispered, but there wasn’t a single thread of truth in my voice.
He leaned his forehead against mine, eyes shut tight.
"The feeling is mutual," I shot back. He shook his head.
"I hate how you make me feel; I hate that you make me question things that should be unquestionable," he confessed, seeming lost in thought.
I froze, unsure how to react to his words. I wanted to know more, to understand, but I was certain he’d dodge it if I asked.
He slid a hand to the back of my neck, gripping me firmly and turning my face toward him. Then he pulled back to look at me.
"If you don’t want blood on your hands, never let another male touch you again, because I promise you, Lunara, I’ll kill every single one of those bastards," he hissed through his teeth.
"I’ve already told you what I think about that. If you want to kill, be my guest. But I won’t stay silent while you’re fucking Thalira’s bitch ass, while I’m forbidden from doing anything."
"I’m not fucking Thalira," he tensed. "I already told you—you didn’t stay long enough to see me pushing her away."
"I know you spent nights at her house, and that you fucked her at the last party."
His lips pressed into a thin line. A vein pulsed at the side of his neck.
"Yes, you’re right. And that was the only time since you came into my life. It never happened again, and I never went back to her house, as you should know, since you see me every night."
He really hadn’t slept anywhere else since that night—since the Lust Feast, a month ago, when I had avoided him. I didn’t know if it was guilt he carried when he returned home, but ever since then, I’d never again felt anything like the heat of that night.
"Why? Why do you let Thalira do whatever she wants?"
He had forbidden her from going to his house after she sabotaged the cupcakes, but she never respected that order, returning and forcing me to wear that damned dress. Edric was the Alpha—his word should have been law. But Thalira didn’t act like it, and Edric didn’t seem to care.
He exhaled in exasperation.
"Thalira and I have... a long, complicated history. She can be difficult sometimes, but I can understand her pain—just as she understands mine."
I knew what he meant. It was always about her; everything always circled back to one single person: Catalina.
I wanted to understand what they had, why she had meant so much to him. Was Catalina his fated mate? Was that why her death still scarred him, even after so many years?
"You let me wear that dress, even knowing the truth about it."
He stepped back, running his hands through his hair before resting them on his hips.
"I didn’t think the pack would remember it, or even care."
"And you didn’t think I’d feel uncomfortable? You recognized that damned dress the instant you saw me in it." A bitter laugh escaped through my parted lips. "Actually, of course you didn’t think. You never think or care when it comes to me. You act like a complete asshole most of the time, and yet you still want to demand loyalty from me?"
The muscle in his jaw twitched, and a crease formed between his brows.