Chapter 130
Kara
I stumbled into the girls' bathroom, my legs shaking, and locked myself in the farthest stall.
Get it together, Kara. Breathe. Just breathe.
The door rattled.
Blake pushed it open—I'd forgotten to lock it, Jesus Christ—and crowded me against the wall. His eyes glowed faintly gold, his wolf too close to the surface.
"This is the girls' room—"
"I don't care."
He dropped to his knees.
My brain short-circuited. "Blake—"
"Shhh." His hands found my zipper. "If you're loud, people will hear. So bite down on my name and try not to scream."
This is insane. This is absolutely fucking insane.
He peeled my jeans and underwear down in one smooth motion. Then he lifted me—lifted me—settling my thighs over his shoulders, my back braced against the cold tile.
"Oh God—"
His tongue found me, hot and precise, and the world dissolved.
I clamped a hand over my mouth. Through the bond, I felt Asher's shock and Cole's hunger, but Blake didn't stop. He worked me ruthlessly, his growl vibrating against my core, his hands gripping my hips hard enough to bruise.
Don't think. Don't remember. Just feel—
But I couldn't stop the memory from surfacing—unwanted, intrusive, cruel.
Seven years ago. This same school. Blake walking past me in the hallway, his shoulder slamming into mine hard enough to spin me around. He didn't even look back.
"Watch where you're going, Carrot."
I'd stood there with my books scattered across the floor, my cheek stinging from where I'd bitten it, watching him laugh with his brothers like I was nothing.
Tears pricked my eyes even as my body climbed toward release.
He ignored me. He hurt me. And now he's on his knees with his mouth on me like I'm something precious.
Blake felt the shift through the bond. He pulled back just enough to meet my gaze, his expression raw with something that looked like pain.
"I'm sorry, Kara. I was a bastard. I was a fucking asshole and you deserved better. Let me make it up to you now."
Then his mouth returned, more desperate, and I shattered.
The orgasm ripped through me like a scream I couldn't voice. My thighs clamped around his head. My hand flew to his hair, tangling in the black strands, and I came so hard I forgot my own name.
Fuck. Oh fuck oh fuck—
---
I came so hard I saw stars.
Blake caught me as my knees gave out, lowering me gently to the floor. He helped me dress, his hands steady, his scent wrapping around me like an apology I didn't know if I could accept.
"You're beautiful when you come apart for me," he whispered, kissing my forehead.
I leaned into him, my legs useless, my heart a confused tangle of then and now.
You ignored me. You called me fat and worthless and acted like I didn't exist. And now you kneel for me in a high school bathroom like you worship the ground I walk on.
What the fuck am I supposed to do with that?
I didn't know how to reconcile it. Didn't know if I even wanted to.
But when the bell rang and he helped me to my feet, his arm solid around my waist, I didn't pull away.
Because I'm pathetic. Because part of me has wanted this for so long I'm willing to ignore every red flag screaming in my head.
---
The cafeteria was a war zone.
Blake walked in with me tucked against his side, and the entire baseball team swarmed us. Devon Cross, the captain, shook Blake's hand with reverence.
"Alpha Blake. It's an honor. We heard about the attack—thank God Luna's safe."
"She is." Blake's tone brooked no argument. "And she'll stay that way."
They launched into reminiscences—championship games, record-breaking plays, glory days I'd never been part of. Blake told stories about the final game three years ago, his voice animated, his grin easy.
I sat beside him. Silent. Invisible again.
Here we fucking go.
Devon hung on Blake's every word. So did the others—Mark, Jason, fucking Tyler's replacement whose name I couldn't remember. They laughed at his jokes. Asked about his training regimen. Treated him like a goddamn hero.
Not one of them looked at me.
I won the state math championship last year. Not one of these assholes noticed.
Except this time, I wasn't invisible because I was worthless.
I was invisible because I was his.
Same result, different reason. Fantastic.
I picked at my salad, each bite tasting like cardboard, and tried not to think about how I'd spent three years at this school working my ass off for grades that meant nothing, for recognition that never came—
And now everyone knew my name because Blake Sterling fucked me.
Through the bond, I felt my own bitterness leak out like poison.
Blake stopped mid-sentence. He turned to me, his brow furrowing.
"Baby, what's wrong?"
Every head swiveled toward me.
Shit. I forced a smile. "Nothing. I'm fine."
"Bullshit." He dismissed the team with a jerk of his chin—they scattered like he'd physically shoved them—then cupped my face. "Talk to me."
I swallowed hard. My throat felt raw. "I just... everyone respects me because I'm yours. Not because I'm me."
The words came out smaller than I'd meant them to. Weaker.
Pathetic. You sound pathetic.
His expression softened. "Those people are idiots. I respect you because you're Kara—smart, strong, and brave as hell. Fuck what they think."
He kissed me, slow and deep, in front of everyone.
He's doing it again. Claiming me in public so no one forgets who I belong to.
When he pulled back, his eyes were fierce.
"You're everything to me. Don't forget it."
But am I? I wanted to ask. Or am I just the girl your wolf decided you needed?
I didn't say it out loud.
---
After school, Natalie from the cheer squad cornered us in the parking lot, her blonde ponytail bouncing with manufactured enthusiasm.
"Blake! Kara! There's a bonfire party this Saturday. You have to come!"
No. Absolutely fucking not.
I opened my mouth to refuse—
"She'll be there," Blake said. "With me."
Fury spiked through me. I glared at him through the bond. I don't want to go.
You need to socialize, baby. And I'll protect you.
I don't NEED to do anything except graduate and figure out what the hell my life is now.
Natalie beamed. "Perfect! I'll text you the details!"
She bounced off. I rounded on Blake.
"You can't just—I don't like parties. Too many people, too much noise, and I have to fucking dance—"
In the car, Asher and Cole ganged up on me from the front seats.
"As Luna, you need to know the pack," Asher said reasonably, his voice that infuriatingly calm Alpha logic. "This is a good opportunity."
Cole added, "Plus there'll be college kids there, not just high schoolers. Good for networking."
Networking. He seriously just said networking.
"We'll all be there," Blake said, squeezing my hand. "You won't be alone."
That's the problem. I'm never alone anymore.
I slumped in my seat, defeated.
"Fine. But you three don't leave my side. Not for one fucking second."
"Never," they promised in unison.
As the car pulled away from school, I stared out at the snow-covered trees and felt the truth settle over me like a shroud:
The girl who was just Kara is disappearing.
And I don't know if Luna Kara is someone I even want to be.
But it's too late to go back now.