28. Luna

28

Luna

When I wake up in the middle of the night, I’m curled against Ghost’s side, so I know he came to bed at some point. But by morning, the room is empty again. My arm stretches to his side of the bed, and the sheets are cold, telling me he must have climbed out of bed a while ago.

After the ATF cleared out, Steel held church, and all the guys disappeared for a while. Anyone not in that room worked on cleaning up the mess the ATF left behind. Every so often, Ghost would pop out to check on me.

Once church ended, Ghost locked himself in his office. I’m surprised he came to bed at all, given he doesn’t usually sleep when something goes down at the clubhouse. Which means he must have done it for me.

I stare up at the ceiling, watching the sunbeams dance through the window. The clouds cast shadows on the popcorn ceiling as the room lights and dims with each one that passes. I imagine faces in the bumps on the ceiling as I stare up at them and try to process the past twenty-four hours.

Yesterday afternoon, when I discovered all the secrets Ghost has been keeping, I was in shock. Teetering on a ledge between confusion and hurt that there were things he was still keeping from me. I was still reeling when the club was raided, so I haven’t had time to fully process everything I discovered.

It all happened so fast, and I’m overwhelmed with information.

Now, in the light of morning, I work through the truth.

Ghost has been watching me. More than that, he’s been pretending to be someone else to get close to me. All this time, I thought he was keeping me at a distance, but he’s been right there.

I should be upset that he’s still not telling me everything when he promised to be honest. I should feel violated that he’s been watching me in my bedroom and keeping a secret identity to learn all my secrets.

But after what happened with the ATF, when I saw Ghost returning home and walking to me through the crowd, none of that mattered.

I missed him.

He was back.

He was mine.

Ghost is the only person who makes sense in this madness, and when he held me, I knew I was safe, no matter what twisted lengths he’s willing to go to in order to make that happen .

Climbing out of bed, I shower and get dressed. The bruise on the side of my forehead is worse than it was last night. It’s slowly turning from red to purple, and the gash from the corner of the doorframe is raw and ugly. I clean it up and hide it as much as I can with my hair before walking out of the bedroom.

When I open the door, I can already hear people stirring. There’s still so much to clean, but we decided it would be best to do the rest in the morning. I slip my phone in my back pocket and tie a knot in my T-shirt as I head down the hallway, ready to help.

But when I step into the den, no one is cleaning. Instead, every ranked member of the club is standing around. It’s only eight in the morning, and it’s rare to see them all up this early. But from their worn expressions, I sense they didn’t sleep much, if at all.

Ghost catches sight of me walking into the room, and he immediately walks over to me, cupping my jaw in his hand.

“You’re awake.” He leans down to kiss me. “How’s your head?”

“The medicine is starting to kick in. Thank you for leaving that on the nightstand.”

“Of course.” He brushes his thumb underneath the bruise.

“Did you get any sleep?”

“An hour. Two, maybe.” Ghost looks down at me. “I had work to do.”

“This is bad, isn’t it?”

Ghost wraps his hands around my waist, pulling me to him. “No one attacks our club and expects to walk away from it, Luna. But more than that, no one touches you but me.”

I should be terrified of that response. But I live here; I’ve accepted it. These men aren’t good, but they protect their own. And as I look up into Ghost’s pale-blue eyes, I don’t fear what he might do for his club—for me. I fell for a man who will make those who hurt the ones he cares about suffer, and I accept that truth.

“Everyone is awake early.” I look around the room. “What’s going on? Don’t you all usually meet in church?”

“This isn’t a meeting. We’re going on a ride.”

“The whole club?”

He nods. “The whole club.”

I look around and take in the scene differently. The clubhouse is still messy, but the mood in the room is different than it was last night. Hints of defeat have faded, and the men are starting to rally.

It’s a show of force. They’re making a statement after the ATF raid, reminding their rivals they’re still standing.

Skimming my fingers over Ghost’s cut, I tug it tighter over his chest. “Will you be back tonight?”

“ We will.” A smirk curls up in the corner of my mouth. “You didn’t think I was leaving you behind for this, did you, beautiful?”

“You want me to go with you?”

He nods. “You’re my woman, aren’t you?”

Ghost stops just shy of calling me his old lady, and I’m an equal mix of relieved and disappointed. There are still things we need to talk about, as well as threats looming. But stupidly, I crave those words from him.

“I want to be. But…” I look over to see Tempe on Steel’s arm.

“But what?” Ghost asks.

“Are you sure? Sex is one thing. But I know me getting on the back of your bike is something different.”

Especially when riding with the club.

I’ve been on the back of Ghost’s bike once, when he took me back to the clubhouse after Venom and I were run off the road. But this is different. This is the club making a statement. Putting me on the back of his bike in this moment is meaningful.

“Luna, sex isn’t nothing to me. When I fuck you, it’s something important. Something I haven’t done in so long that my stamina is downright embarrassing now.” He grins, drawing out my smile. “Sex means something to me with you.”

My chest warms with his confession. “It means something to me too.”

“Good.” He kisses the center of my forehead. “Then you should understand that you on the back of my bike is where you belong. If I’m riding for my club, then I sure as hell want to be riding with my girl.”

“I’d like that too.”

He smiles, tipping my chin up so he can kiss me. There’s comfort in it. Peace in it. It’s like he and I were always meant to be like this—with each other—and we’re just now finding the confidence to do something about it .

“Tempe said she has an extra leather jacket for you to wear if you need it,” Ghost says. “And I already made sure it’s not patched.”

“Wouldn’t want me riding around with the president’s name on my back, huh?” I tease him.

Ghost grabs me by the front of the throat and pulls me closer. “There’s only one name that belongs on your back, and that’s mine . Maybe tonight, I’ll write it in cum just to remind you.”

My core clenches, and there go my panties because I’m instantly needy. I never thought I was the kind of girl who wanted a property patch, but when Ghost sinks his lips to mine, I want him to claim me in every way possible. Including whatever filthy plans he has for us later.

Ghost releases my throat, and I sink back on my heels, looking up at him.

“Should I eat first?”

“We’re grabbing breakfast in the city.” He snakes his arm around my shoulders, leading us back to the group where Chaos and Steel are planning the route.

And when we leave, I feel Reina watching me walk outside with the group at Ghost’s side.

Tempe’s right; they no longer see me as one of them, but I didn’t expect that to sting as much as it does.

Tempe hands me a leather jacket, and I shrug it on. It’s already a warm day, but Ghost won’t let me ride without the proper protection. He hands me a helmet, swinging his leg over his purple bike, and for the first time, I take notice of the shade as it shines beneath the sun .

“Can I ask you a question?” I adjust the straps on the helmet, and he reaches to help me.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Your bike was black when I met you, right?”

His fingers pause. “Yeah.”

“Why did you change it?”

Ghost snaps the helmet strap, lifting a lock of my hair. “I think you already know the answer to that question.”

“Really?” I smile.

“Really.” Ghost grabs the ridge of my helmet at my chin, tugging me to him. “Any more questions, beautiful?”

I try to shake my head but can’t with how he’s holding my helmet. “No.”

“Then climb on, Luna.”

Ghost straddles his bike, and it’s practically pornographic. His strong thighs hold it in place, and his thick shoulders tense as he grips the handlebars.

Grabbing his shoulders, I climb on behind him, and the vibration between my legs has excitement humming through me. He reaches for my thighs and pulls my body flush with his, wrapping me around him.

Soul shouts something that makes Havoc laugh, but I can’t make it out over the roar of engines. And when the bike rolls forward, my stomach leaps to my throat.

It’s not my first time on a motorcycle, but this is something new. Like I’m accepting something I didn’t think I wanted.

The club rolls into formation, and I hug Ghost tightly, accepting the security of his presence and the freedom of this moment. The sun beats down on us as we travel through the desert, and I shed a piece of myself on the road behind us.

I close my eyes and soak in the warm desert day. The chorus of motorcycles hums across the desert, and I think about all that I’ve lost.

Parents I never knew.

Families who carved out pieces until I thought I was no longer worth it.

Pain and heartbreak and struggle.

But when I open my eyes to look around at the bikes surrounding me, I’m faced with the family I never expected. A club that protects me like I’m their sister. A man who guards me with his life.

They found out I was working against them and trusted me anyway. They stood up for me when they could have let me take the fall for my mistakes.

Everything Ghost and his club have done has been to keep me safe.

I wrap my arms tighter around Ghost’s waist, and one of his hands rests over mine. The bike coasts, and he laces our fingers together. We say everything we need to without any words, which makes sense since that’s how we started.

He saw me and couldn’t let me go. I saw him and wanted to stay.

Regardless of what either of us has done, I sense it would have always ended like this. He’s my destiny, and I’m his obsession.

He’s mine, and I’m his.