11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Luna

A s I cocooned myself in my cozy couch, I got a text from Miranda, inviting me to a party at her father’s mansion.

I’m throwing a surprise party tonight. You should come. You must come!

“What are you planning, Miranda? Why the sudden party? This doesn’t feel good …”

I picked up my phone to call her, hoping she’d answer. I called twice but no answer, and then the third time she finally answered.

“Hey … Uh, I just got your text.”

“Okay …”

From her response, I could sense that something was odd.

“Uh … how are you? I’ve been trying to reach you. I called multiple times but no answer. You good?”

“Yeah, I am. I’ve just been busy. Is there anything you’d like to tell me?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been the one calling me, so I figured that you might want to tell me something.”

“Uh … no … just haven’t heard from you, and I decided to reach out.”

“Hmmm … if you say so. Well, make sure you are at the party tonight. I have to go now. Bye”

Miranda ended the call, and suddenly goose bumps saturated my body. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.

The moment I stepped into the mansion, an unsettling feeling washed over me. The opulent decorations and laughter felt like a mask hiding a deeper truth. Tension hung thick in the air, like a storm about to break. Miranda had invited me, but I felt out of place—not just because of my argument with Orion, but something more ominous.

As I moved through the crowd, I noticed people in cloaks. They must be members of Orion’s clan. A mixture of excitement and unease rippled through the guests. My eyes searched for Miranda and Orion, and when I finally spotted him at the far end of the grand hall, his gaze locked onto mine. His expression was unreadable, but I could see the turmoil behind his eyes.

I made my way toward him, but just then, the music stopped. Silence fell, and all eyes turned to the sweeping staircase. Miranda stood there, radiant in a shimmering gold dress, her blonde hair cascading like a waterfall. There was something regal and dangerously confident about her, that sent a chill down my spine.

Then she smiled—a cold, calculated smile that made my heart clench.

“Good evening, everyone,” Miranda’s voice rang out, smooth and commanding. “Thank you all for coming to this special night.”

The guests applauded politely, but there was an undercurrent of uncertainty, as if they weren’t quite sure what they were clapping for. I glanced at Orion, whose face had grown pale, his eyes fixed on his daughter with a mixture of confusion and concern.

“As many of you know,” Miranda continued, her voice sweet but dripping with an edge. “I’ve been away for some time, working on … some personal matters before I decided to return to work for my father.”

My heart raced, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. This wasn’t just a party. Miranda was building up to something.

“And now,” she said, her eyes locking onto her father. “I think it’s time I share some exciting news.”

I saw Orion stiffen, his hands curling into fists at his sides. He knew something was coming, just as I did, but neither of us could have predicted what she said next.

“I’m engaged,” Miranda announced, her voice loud and clear, cutting through the silence like a knife. “To Marcosias, leader of the Nightclaw Clan.”

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, but it was nothing compared to the shock that hit me. My breath caught in my throat as my mind scrambled to process her words. Marcosias? The leader of the rival clan? The man who had been plotting against Orion for years?

I shot a glance at Orion, and the look on his face was one I will never forget. It was like the ground had been ripped out from under him. His eyes widened in disbelief. His entire body frozen, as the reality of his daughter’s betrayal hit him like a freight train.

But Miranda wasn’t done.

She descended the stairs gracefully, the smile on her face never faltering, even as the room buzzed with murmurs of disbelief. She walked right up to Orion, her chin lifted defiantly as she stood before him.

“I know what you’re thinking, Dad,” she said, her voice dripping with venom. “But don’t worry. This isn’t about love.”

Her gaze flickered toward me for the briefest moment before she turned back to him.

Orion’s face paled even further, his fists shaking at his sides. I could see the rage building inside him, barely contained. His voice, when he spoke, was a low growl.

“What … what is this about?”

Miranda’s smile twisted into something cruel, something that made my blood run cold.

“I guess you aren’t the only one that has a secret” Miranda said, as she looked at me.

The room seemed to spin around me. I looked at Orion, confusion swirling in my mind, but the devastation on his face told me everything.

“How could you do this to me, Miranda? You aligned with my archenemy. You don’t know what you are getting involved in. This man will lead to our downfall.”

Marcosias entered the room and stood on the stage with a vile smirk on his face, as he looked at Miranda and Orion. The energy I sensed from him scared the living hell out of me.

Miranda then turned to me, and the look in her eyes broke my heart. I could see the disappointment. She just looked at me and walked out of the mansion.

Marcosias then walked up to Orion and said, “This is just the beginning. Prepare to lose more.” Then he turned, as if to follow Miranda

I watched Orion, his face contorted in disbelief. His eyes locked on Marcosias, and for a moment, I feared what he might do. The tension between them was a hair’s breadth away from exploding.

Then, suddenly, Orion stepped toward me, his voice low and rough. “Luna …” His gaze softened for just a second. “I’m sorry.”

I blinked, trying to understand. “What?”

“I should’ve believed you,” he whispered, his voice cracking. He looked at me with a mix of regret and pain. “I should’ve trusted your visions. I let my pride blind me.”

“Orion, this isn’t your fault,” I started, but he cut me off, shaking his head.

I saw his muscles tense, and before I could react, he took a step forward, toward Marcosias.

Marcosias stopped at the door, smirking, unfazed by the storm swirling inside Orion. That only seemed to enrage him further.

Jake, who had been watching from the side, suddenly stepped in front of Orion, pressing a firm hand against his chest. “Sir, no,” Jake warned, his voice steady but urgent. “Attacking him now won’t solve anything. You’ll just make it worse.”

Orion’s fists clenched, his eyes burning with barely contained rage. “Get out of my way, Jake.”

Jake held his ground. “Sir, please think. Marcosias wants this. He’s baiting you. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”

Orion’s jaw tightened, his breath coming in heavy, angry bursts. For a moment, he stood frozen, his gaze locked on Marcosias as if nothing else in the room existed.

“Let it go, please,” Jake said softly, but firmly.

Orion’s eyes finally flicked to mine. His face softened, and the fight in him seemed to deflate, replaced by exhaustion and regret.

Without another word, he grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the door. The guests were still murmuring in shock, but I barely registered them, as we pushed past. All I could hear was Orion’s ragged breathing, and the storm that raged inside him.

As we stepped out into the night, I wondered how I could calm him down.

“We need to get out of here,” he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to me.

“Orion.” I tried to pull him back, but he shook his head.

“I should have trusted you,” he repeated, his voice breaking, as he stopped in the middle of the driveway. He turned to face me, rain dripping down his face. “Luna. I’m so sorry.”

“Where are we going?” I asked, my voice barely audible over the sound of the rain.

“I need to cool off,” Orion growled, his grip tightening on my hand. “

As soon as we got to the car, Orion ordered everyone to stay back. He wanted to be alone with me. We drove in silence, the tension thick and heavy between us. I glanced at him, his jaw clenched, hands gripping the wheel tightly.

“Orion—” I began, but he cut me off, his voice rough.

“Not now, Luna.”

When we pulled into his condo’s garage, he jumped out, yanked open my door, and grabbed my hand, leading me to the elevator without a word. My heart raced as the doors of the elevator shut.

“We need to talk,” I said, my voice shaking slightly.

“Not here,” he muttered.

I tried to hold his gaze as he pulled me close. “Orion, what’s going on?”

He moved in, his breath hot on my skin. “I should’ve believed you, Luna. I should’ve listened.”

“You couldn’t have known,” I whispered.

“I should have.” His hand cupped my face, his thumb brushing my cheek. “I need you. All of you. Right now.”

I gasped, my hands pressing lightly against his chest. “Orion—”

“No,” he growled softly, his lips grazing my neck.

Using his maintenance key, he stopped the elevator.

“You have no idea how much I need you, Luna.”

I reached up, cupping his face, pulling him down to me. “Show me,” I whispered.

He removed his tie and tied my hands as he pinned me to the wall of the elevator and kissed me intensely, pulling up my dress, slipping off my panties.

He gently spread my legs as he used his middle finger to caress my clit.

“Uhhh …” I moaned.

I gasped as Orion’s lips pressed against my clit, his breath hot. His tongue flicked over me, teasing, and I couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped.

“Orion …” I whispered, my voice trembling with need.

He looked up at me, eyes dark with hunger. “I want to hear you, Luna.”

Then his tongue moved again, slower this time, but deeper. I cried out, my hands gripping his hair as he tasted me, each stroke sending shivers through my body.

“You like that?” he murmured against my skin, his voice low, filled with promise.

I couldn’t speak, could only nod, as his mouth worked me into a frenzy, every touch driving me higher.

“Good,” he whispered. “Because I’m not stopping until you’re screaming my name.”

“Don’t cum,” he said.

“Tell me you want me,” he said, looking at me as he touched my breast.

“I … I want you.”

Orion didn’t hesitate. He pushed inside me, filling me completely. I gasped, my fingers digging into his back as he began to move, each thrust harder, deeper.

“Luna,” he groaned, his voice raw with need.

I could barely form words, overwhelmed by the intensity of him. “Oh God … Orion …” I breathed, my body trembling with every stroke.

His rhythm quickened, each thrust sending a wave of heat crashing through me. “You feel so good,” he rasped, his mouth brushing against my ear.

I moaned louder, gripping him tighter. “Don’t stop … please, don’t stop.”

His pace grew frantic, our bodies moving together, the tension building between us until it was almost unbearable. And then, with one final, powerful thrust, we both cried out in unison, lost in ecstasy, as we came together, our moans filling the air.

“We are going to the 59th floor.”

I glanced at him, catching the intensity in his eyes. That was his floor. His private space.

“Come lie with me. You’re safe with me,” he whispered, his voice low and soothing, as he led me to his bed.

I melted into him, my fingers tracing the muscles of his back. “I believe you,” I murmured, closing my eyes as his hand gently ran through my hair.

“Luna …” he breathed, his lips brushing my ear, “I’ll never let anything happen to you.”

I sighed, leaning into his touch. “I know, Orion. I feel it. With you, everything fades away.”

Orion’s touch was grounding, but as I clung to him, a vision ripped through me like a storm.

Suddenly, I was in a field under a blood-red sky, the air thick with smoke and flames. Bodies lay scattered, and amidst the chaos stood Marcosias, eyes glowing gold. But what chilled me to my core was Miranda, standing beside him, her face hollow, her eyes vacant. She was his.

“She’s ours now, Luna. You’re too late,” Marcosias sneered.

Miranda’s fingers shot dark tendrils toward me, wrapping around my throat. I gasped, struggling for breath. A voice echoed faintly, “You are the key, Luna. Only you can stop this.”

As I fought, the voice grew louder. “Embrace your role.”

Through the smoke, a silver light flickered. Desperately, I reached for it. The flames coiled around me, not burning but protecting. Power surged through me, and Marcosias’ sneer faltered.

I stepped forward, realizing the truth . I wasn’t just a key. I was the key. The voice whispered again, “Claim your place as Orion’s mate. Only then will you have the strength.”

The ground crumbled beneath me, and I fell into darkness, my scream lost in the void.

And then—I was back.

My chest heaved as I tried to regain my composure, but the terror of the vision still clung to me, like icy fingers digging into my skin.

“What … what is it?” Orion asked, his voice thick with concern as he looked down at me, his hands still resting on my hips.

“I’m the key,” I whispered, my mind racing as the pieces fell into place. “I’m the key to stopping them. But … it means we have to reveal everything. Our relationship. Us.”

Orion’s eyes widened, the weight of my words sinking in. “You mean—”

“Yes,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “If we’re going to stop them, I have to embrace my role as your mate. And we have to tell the world.”

“You are my mate? That’s not possible.”

“Why?” I asked, looking at him confused.