Chapter 25

Daphne

The water was so cold, but I could feel the heat burning my face as Alpha Calle unabashedly gazed at my whole facade. My skin hummed at his hungry eyes. Regardless, I was so embarrassed to be naked in front of him that I covered my exposed breasts with crossed arms.

"Put them down," he whispered huskily. "I want to see all of you. After all, you are my mate."

‘Did you hear that?’ Reina giggled. ‘He said we’re his mate. He’s not going to accept your rejection!’

I gulped when he walked into the water. He also didn't seem to bother getting naked in front of me. Anyway, gazing at him with no clothes was like looking at the most majestic scenery in the whole world. His body was a work of art. Every muscle was perfect. Every scar on his broad chest and vein on his arms combined to make him a complete male.

"Why don’t you just accept my rejection?" I said, my words made a little pinch in my heart. "I don’t deserve to be your Luna."

"If that is true, then why am I here with you?" He placed his index finger under my chin and lifted it, urging me to look up at his penetrating gaze. "You are my Luna, the pack’s Luna. Nothing could ever change that, understand?"

He seemed to be speaking directly into my heart. All I could do was gaze back at him with so much admiration and amusement. I was almost getting lost at the moment, but then the idea of him having other mates popped into my mind.

"Then what about Suzette?" I frowned.

"Suzette?" He looked at me, confused. Shortly, a grin curled his lips. "I knew it. You’re jealous."

"No!" I blurted out, causing a red flush to spread across my cheeks. "Why would I be jealous? As if I can change the Goddess's mind about giving you two mates..."

My words evaporated in the crisp air, and my name vanished in my head as Alpha Calle descended his head towards me and moved his warm lips over mine. My whole body seemed to be emitting electricity as his mouth continued exploring mine. It seemed that he was looking for something inside of it. When he withdrew his mouth, my eyes were still shut, and I continued to cling to him for a few moments.

For goodness' sake, that was my first kiss. I had no idea it was more enchanting than I always imagined it to be. And Alpha Calle exceeded my expectations of what an ideal mate could be. I needed his strength, his caring, and his protection. But I always wanted him to be safe. I had no idea what to do if something happened to him.

Oh, Moon Goddess, am I starting to fall in love with him?

"I don’t have other mates. It’s only you. I've already broken things off with Suzette. She’s just a chapter from my past that I decided to forget about because I only want—need—you," he said with low brows, his fingers still under my chin. "Do you still want to hear that I accept the rejection?"

I shook my head slowly.

He smiled. "Good, because whatever happens, I’m not going to let you reject me."

"It was a mistake. I was just carried away by my impulsiveness." I lowered my head, feeling ashamed of my past behaviors. "You were right. You are always right. I need to improve so I can be a better version of myself. That’s why, from now on, I’ll promise to stay away from trouble. Because when the time comes that you’re announcing me to the pack, I want them to see that I became a Luna not just because you are my mate, but because I am responsible enough to care for the whole pack."

He ran his fingers across the side of my face. I couldn’t help but close my eyes to savor the warm touch.

"You’re starting to talk like a Luna."

I opened my eyes and met his warm and longing gaze. "I do?"

He nodded. I could see my reflection through his mesmerizing eyes.

At this moment, all I could think of was him. No anguish, no problems. Just him. It felt like we were just becoming one soul. I knew our mating process would still have a long way to go before it was complete, but I couldn't seem to live without him.

I lowered my gaze. Goodness, I think I could not stand gazing into his eyes for a long time because I would end up completely hypnotized. And even though he officially declared that we were fated mates, my heart was still in a rapid rhythm, and it only chanted his name.

"S-so…" I gave him a small smile. "Shall we go back to the packhouse? Promise, I’ll never run away."

He lifted his head and quickly scanned the environment, then fixed his gaze back on me. "Staying for a little while is a good idea. You cannot always have a place like this in the pack."

"That sounds nice," I whispered.

In the middle of the night, out in an unknown paradise, time seemed to freeze as we settled into the water, sitting within inches of each other. But I noticed he seemed to be in deep thought and detached from me.

Great, so this is his idea of enjoying our private moment.

‘Maybe he’s talking with his wolf?’ Reina suggested. I could feel she was as confused as I was. ‘What’s the name of his wolf, by the way? I can’t wait to hang out with him.’

About Reina’s question, I turned to Alpha Calle. "I’ve been living in the pack for a couple of weeks now. But I still don't know the name of your wolf." That wasn’t even a question, but I hoped to get some answers.

His eyes were half closed as he smiled at me. "His name is Dark. And, believe it or not, he's been chanting your name—as well as Reina's—a thousand times since we found you.

‘Did you hear that?’ Reina almost screamed in my head. ‘Dark misses me.’

My delight was twice what she felt.

"That’s sweet," I said with a sweet smile. "She said she missed the both of you too."

His eyes slowly grew wide, and so did his smile. "You mean, she’s back?"

When I nodded, he leaned toward me and planted a kiss on my lips. When he pulled back, I was gazing at him like an idiot. Goodness, I need to get used to his kisses. I hoped I wouldn’t get addicted to it.

I bit my bottom lip, still tasting the sweet moisture he left on my lips. "She began speaking with me as I came to this place. And according to her, she didn’t vanish. It’s like she has been muted. Because of this, I couldn't hear her and she couldn't take over."

His expression became serious. "I knew it. This was indeed dark magic."

I frowned. "I don’t understand. What dark magic?"

At first, he seemed hesitant to explain his statement further but eventually opened up with me. "Suzette, in addition to being a werewolf, is also a witch. My assumption isn’t yet proven, but the closest cause of what happened to you is that she has put a curse on your wolf."

‘That witch!’ Reina yelled. ‘I promise I’ll hunt her down!’

‘Will you calm down? Your freaking out isn’t helping,’ I said to her. But deep within me, a new mass of anguish began to build. She might not be the Luna of our pack. But still, she possessed powers that could hurt anyone whenever she wished.

It seemed like Alpha Calle sensed my worry as my fingers began to absentmindedly sweep away the water in front of me.

"But don’t worry. I’ll make sure she pays for it. After all, what she did was treated as a moral crime in our world. When we go back, I’ll have Beta Degen arrest her and place her in the dungeons."

I sighed deeply, forcing myself to smile at him to let him know that I trusted him. "Thank you, Alpha Calle."

He moved behind me and positioned his muscled thighs on either side of my hips. I felt fully secured already as my back felt the sturdy support of his chest. "It’s Calle for you, sweetheart." His lips settled against my ear as his arm came firmly around my waist, imprisoning me against him, locking my whole body so I wouldn’t dare to release myself from him. "Can you repeat it?"

I didn’t even want to be released anyway.

"Calle," I almost moaned.

"And who do you belong to?" His breath was warm as he made the admission against the back of my neck.

At that moment, I was beginning to become a little ball of fire as he continued to awaken the dark side of me that had been sleeping for so long. What was the meaning of the throbbing between my thighs?

"Y-yours," I whispered, leaning the back of my head against his powerful shoulders. "Only yours."

I heard a low groan as he held up my hair with a gentle fist. I couldn’t help but bite my bottom lip as he kissed the skin beneath it. "Now, let me mark you, love."

Suddenly, I gasped loudly. My eyes grew wide, and my hands suddenly took a tight grasp on his arms as a sharp sensation buried itself within the base of my neck. But the pain was quickly replaced by pleasure as the blood drained down my collarbone.

He had marked me, and I felt my body and soul belonged to him, all of me.

I was fully convinced that I loved him wholeheartedly. No wonder that even though I wasn’t a fan of his rules and cold behavior before, I was extremely concerned about his welfare. I remembered exposing myself to Alpha Gary as he was about to attack Calle from the back. Who with a sane mind would sacrifice her own life if she didn’t love the person she wanted to save?

"My mark and sole love will stay with you forever," Calle murmured against my skin, and I couldn’t help but whimper as he continued to flick his tongue over my skin. "Now it's your turn. Mark me."

We moved together as the water passed by swiftly. Calle had me face him as I sat on his lap and circled my arms around his neck. I bit my bottom lip to stifle a moan as I felt his erection poke at my heated entrance. Our eyes never left each other.

"Mark me, sweetheart."

As if my lips already knew what to do, I leaned forward, lowering my face to the spot between his neck and shoulder. For a moment, his clean and seductive scent had me a bit lost. Regardless, I needed to focus. I had to own this man, whatever it took.

So I sunk my teeth into the warm flesh on his shoulder. I heard him chanting my name in a low drawl. When I drew back, I noticed the different spark in his eyes. They were dilated like molten fire, and I instantly felt heated up. So when he lifted me from the water, all I did was wrap my arms and legs around him until we reached the river’s edge.

We lay down on the sand which was still warm from having absorbed the sunlight all day. He gathered me tenderly, wrapping his arms around me until my breasts molded against his bare chest.

Now what?

I had no idea how to do an initiation. But right this moment, all I could think of was him inside me.

He seemed to interpret my deep breaths as he spoke in my ear. "As much as I want to wait for your heat to occur, I want to take you now and be mine completely. What do you say, sweetheart?"

I'd lost track of how many times I'd heard that endearing phrase from his lips. It made me feel like the most lovable creature in the whole wide world, melting my heart and making me fall in love with him over and over again. "Please…" I panted. "Take me."

I gazed up at him in amazement as he straddled me. Once again, he spoke in my ear, this time, my name escaped from his lips before he captured my mouth.

His tongue outlined my mouth as if he was memorizing my unique taste. I was still breathless when he left my lips, but I sighed as he began kissing my neck with wet kisses. When he found my breast, my heart began to race. My body arched as he took one of my nipples to his mouth and sucked it hungrily, flickering his tongue against my swollen bud. After leaving my skin with red marks, he made his way down very slowly. He was tasting every inch of my skin as if he had all the time in the world.

Perhaps he could feel the pounding of my heart because he kept looking at me.

My eyes widened when his head moved downward and parted my thighs wider. I bit my lips. Oh, Goddess, he was going down there!

The next thing I knew, he was already sucking my swollen nub. I couldn’t help but write with such pleasure.

I tried to look down with my half-closed eyes. I still couldn't believe that he was doing this, kissing me at my most private part like how he kissed my lips. It was my first time experiencing this kind of sensation. I couldn't even form a word. I only knew his name which I moaned a couple of times.

He pressed his face against me and licked delicately into my slit. I could feel my inner thighs brushing against his cheeks. I was insanely dripping for heaven’s sake. It was like my whole body was soaked in a tub of warm water.

When he increased the pressure on my core, I even grabbed his head.

He was licking me more aggressively now, running up and down my body. He seemed to be enjoying it as he savored my taste.

"Calle…" was the only thing that escaped from my lips when I exhaled. I could feel my body begin to shake. My stomach muscles were starting to ripple, and my hips were moving back and forth to the rhythm of his strokes.

What was this man doing to me? He was driving me insane, turning my brain to mush. I was completely engrossed in the pleasure he was providing.