Chapter 21 - Lila

Standing at the doorway of the pack training center, I keep my chin held high as the young male werewolves file out after a day of intense training.

With sweat-beaded skin and shoulders slouched with exhaustion, they're still kind enough to bow their heads as they pass by.

Internally, I'm wiggling my behind in celebration of what could only be deemed a miracle. After spending years in the shadows, hiding at every turn so that the members of Blood Moon wouldn't make fun of me, I'm now able to stand proud and tall in the limelight.

I only have fate to thank for my new standing in the pack—the ability to be confident enough after years of low self-esteem is brought on by the weaving of destiny ordained by the Moon Goddess Herself.

Becoming the Alpha's mate, now bearing his child…it all feels as if life really is perfect.

Looking back, I cannot imagine life any other way. Once, I thought I'd escape fate by running away or looking to be the mate of a werewolf outside of this pack. Meanwhile, the Moon Goddess had other plans—to change my destiny and turn it into the greatest honor any she-wolf could imagine.

The Luna of The Blood Moon Pack.

It's a title I hold with great dignity that has me greeting the members of the pack as they leave, excitement building up inside me when Flynn locks eyes with me from across the room.

He asks Howard to be excused, not taking his eyes off me as he jogs toward me. When he slides his arm around my waist and draws me closer, it's an unabashed display of affection in front of most of Blood Moon to witness. So is his feverish kiss to make up for the ceremony that took place in the absence of the pack.

He's been working hard to make up for his sins, and I'm lapping it up like the hungry pup I become every time he's near me.

Biting my bottom lip when he breaks the kiss, I bat my eyelids at him, relishing the taste of him lingering on my tongue as I smooth a palm over a distinct pectoral muscle.

He chuckles, clearly aware of the effect he has on me while I'm driven by the raging hormones of pregnancy.

“Are you ready for your training session?”

“Hm…” I hum, wiping away the bead of sweat caught on his brow. “The real question is, are you?”

Flynn chuckles wholeheartedly as he turns to the center. It's mostly empty, save for Howard and a few new recruits who seem to be having a very intense discussion. He clears his throat, and all it takes is one passing glance for them to understand that they need to leave.

It's my first training session with Flynn ever since my wolf crept out of the shadows a week ago. Apart from flaunting me on his arm around town lately, he's obviously told his members that the Luna of Blood Moon would have private sessions in the training center every Saturday evening.

Pride swells my chest as he takes my hand and leads me to the open space in the center. He only releases my hand after Howard is the last to leave.

“Did you get enough rest, Lila?” he asks with mock scrutiny on his tongue, a brow lifting when he crosses his arms over his chest.

“What?” I scoff. “You think I'm not fit enough for this?”

“I don't doubt your abilities,” he snickers. “But I've been doing this longer than you,” he boasts with a filled-out chest.

I shake my head with a chuckle. “Think of this as my way of getting revenge,” I grin, closing my eyes and stilling my mind long enough to feel the efficacies of my inner wolf stir up and take the wheel of my conscious mind. The shift is effortless, considering I've only done it once since that night.

Every stretch and pull of my body feels like breaking out of a shell of disempowerment, turning it into power as a sheath of fur ripples across my skin. I keel over, landing on the soft cushions of padded paws, parting my lids to find that Flynn has shifted, too.

He, in the glossy raven fur of his wolf, is a stark contrast to the glacial white of mine. Two polar opposites that come together to form a perfect whole.

Except it's a hole that drills my belly, a loud, vibrating rumble echoing in the center's tent.

Mentally, Flynn chuckles as he peels the lips of his wolf back to flash a set of sharp canines at me. “ Sounds like someone's hungry,” he taunts.

“ I'm not! I just had dinner! Eloise prepared—”

“Not that kind of hunger, silly,” he interjects through the mind link as he takes a majestic step forward. As large as I am, Flynn is still the biggest wolf in Blood Moon, towering above me so that I have to crane my neck to see into his eyes.

I gulp, the intensity of those golden depths sending awareness through my wolf and igniting other kinds of hunger.

“ Your wolf needs fresh meat,” he reminds me, and I quickly push aside those baser desires to focus on the gnawing hunger in my belly.

“ So does the pup,” I chuckle nervously.

Flynn steps forward and nuzzles his pointed nose at my neck. “ Combat training can wait for now. Let's take care of that hunger first.”

Though I'd been eager to fight Flynn and exact my revenge for all the times he was horrible to me, I must admit that I like this idea more. I like who he's becoming, and it makes up for the past.

That's why I follow him out of the center without protest, getting a feel for my wolf limbs as we enter a steady jog toward the mountain.

“See that goat over there?” he asks telepathically when we slow down on an incline.

I nod my wolf head when I spot the mountain goat grazing leveled land beyond the pine tree ahead of us. Slowing my steps, I'm careful not to tread over dry leaves, not wanting to alert the prey of our presence.

“ I see it,” I respond cautiously.

“ Now,” Flynn whimpers in my ear, “ I want you to catch it.”

“I—I don't know how,” I hesitate, staring through the sharpened eyes of my wolf.

“ Trust your instinct, Lila ,” he encourages with a gentle nudge in my ribs with his tall shoulder. “ I know you can do it. Follow your gut.”

Right now, my gut only tells me that my appetite has soared to heights I've never known before. It's what spurs me on, deflating any second-guessing I might have done as I focus narrowed eyes on our prey. The arrow-sharp focus of my wolf trains on the target, giving way to the nimble instincts of my inner wolf that utilize its large body in ways I never thought possible. I lean back on my hind legs, my tail wagging like I'm kicking dust behind me before I lunge forward and haul myself over the fern bushes. I land in a calculated form, close enough to pounce on the goat and sink my teeth into its neck.

“ Delicious…” I appraise, smacking my lips together when the goat falls lifelessly on the ground in front of me. As the rich warmth of its blood trickles down my throat, I can't help but become ravenous.

I dive right in, feasting on wolfy mouthfuls of hearty fresh meat I tear off in chunks. Everything around me becomes a blur, my full focus on filling the gaping hole of my hunger.

“ Woah…slow down there, soldier,” Flynn's chuckle enters my mind. “ Save some for me.”

I soon realize that I've cleaned out more than half of the goat's carcass and mentally blush. The rumble of a satisfied burp springs out from deep in my gut, and I step back to let the sound out.

“I guess we're both quenched,” I giggle internally.

“ Good.” Flynn stares at me from over the goat, his eyes glowing with astonishment.

“Are you not gonna eat?” I ask, furry brows furrowing.

Flynn shakes his head, and steps over the goat without taking his penetrating eyes off me. “ There is something more appealing right in front of me…” he drawls, the deep, raspy tone of his mental voice doing something to elicit the strongest awareness I've ever felt.

Being in wolf form is detrimental to my self-control. Coupled with the raging hormones of pregnancy, I see no need to remain decent in a time like this. I practically lunge forward, flinging myself into his wolf with a howl.

We tumble on the ground in a tangle of furry limbs, slowing down as we both shift into human form in unison. When the momentum eases, I end up on top of him, his hands on my waist.

Flynn chuckles. “We should go back, Lila. I—”

“Shut up and kiss me!” I command before crushing my lips to his. The only time I break the feverish kiss is to come up for air.

“So feisty,” he simpers as he smooths his palms on my back, simultaneously bunching up the hem of my dress and drawing it over my rear. His brows furrow and he scrunches his nose, strained. “I really think we should go back, Lila,” he groans. “This isn't what I had planned.”

I quirk up a brow, cocking my head to one side. “You had something planned?”

He nods, taking care not to put any strain on me as he lifts me over his lap and sets me on my feet. Taking my hand, he kisses the top of my knuckles, his heady gaze sending awareness to my core.

“As much as I want to ravish you after watching you hunt,” he drawls, spinning me on my heels until I land under his arm. At my ear, he whispers, “I think it's about damn time you experienced other ways that a she-wolf can be seduced…”

Staring at him through the veil of my lashes, I tuck my bottom lip between my teeth as I contemplate that statement of promise and all that it entails. I nod slowly, allowing my Alpha to lead me back to town in our wolf forms. As blazing hot as my desire is, I'm eager to see what his plans are.

This is a side of Flynn that I rarely get to see. A soft, tender side that has him holding my hand as we walk the rest of the cobblestone path leading to the main house in human form. The side that holds the door open for me, and then proceeds to sweep me off my feet quite literally.

“What are you doing?” I giggle as I wrap my arms around his neck. Cradling me bridal-style to his chest, Flynn smirks at me.

“Showing you what it truly means to be the Luna,” he replies, carrying me up the flight of stairs as if I weigh nothing.

When we enter the bedroom, my breath is taken away. Gasping, I take it all in, from the soft, warm flickering lights of the candles lining up the floating shelves, to the rose petals forming a pathway from the bed to the bathroom door.

“Oh, my…” I breathe in absolute awe as he gently sets me on my feet near the foot of the bed. “This is beautiful, Flynn.”

He turns to me, cupping my cheek as he stares deeply into my eyes. “ You are beautiful, Lila,” he says. “My beautiful mate, and the mother of my child.”

He presses a chaste kiss on my lips that has my toes tingling, leaving me to navigate our way to the bathroom on feet that feel like they're floating.

My jaw drops when he pushes the door in to reveal the setup of the readied bathtub filled with steaming water and rose petals floating on the surface. It's like an image captured by a professional photographer and displayed in one of those magazines that humans enjoy reading while they sip wine.

Except, this is real.

Too real.

It's perfect.

“Wow,” I gasp, too stunned to move ahead. With Flynn's gentle coercion when he squeezes my hand, I follow him inside and step onto the rug outside the bathtub.

Words are futile in a moment like this one, and the silence that follows speaks volumes as Flynn helps me undress. Every tender act of his fills my heart with warmth and deepens those feelings he's somehow managed to unearth. Feelings that surfaced thanks to my inner wolf prompting me in the right direction.

Once I'm unclothed, Flynn offers his hand and shows me that chivalry isn't dead after all.

“Thank you,” I whisper as I accept his help stepping into the bathtub. Filled with essential oils to soothe my skin, the water feels heavenly as I slowly sink into it.

“Join me,” I suggest, propping my chin on the side of the tub.

“With pleasure,” he says, immediately peeling off his clothes.

He has no idea that this is the best part. Watching him undress with the tip of my tongue skimming my lips in anticipation. Chiseled perfection from head to toe, I struggle to wrap my head around the fact that he's my mate.

He's mine…

Every delicious inch of him opens the floodgates of my desire. With the sensation of warmth pressed between my thighs, my walls clench around nothing when he steps out of his underwear, revealing his hot manhood that hangs heavy between his thighs.

He joins me in the bathtub, thighs parting as he sits behind me then draws me in. Sighing in contentment, I lay my head back on his shoulder as he begins to lather my shoulders with soap.

“When did you become so nice?” I ask absentmindedly, eyelids drifting closed as he kneads my breasts with soapy hands.

Flynn chuckles lowly at my ear. “Since I realized that I love you.”

My eyelids snap open, and the water splashes out from the side of the bath when I turn abruptly to face him.

“What did you just say…?”

Flynn grins and leans in. “I said I love you, Lila Hargis.”

My heart skips a beat, adding to the tally of the many times Flynn has been responsible for such a feat over the past couple of days. Only this time it's different. It's unlike the innate knowledge of my inner wolf that reminds me that I am his, and he is mine. It's not the inner wolf that commands this feeling.

It's just old me, who once dreamed of hearing him say those words, not compelled by his own inner wolf or the binds of fate that keep us together.

It's real, it's true.

I see that love in his eyes, the way they glow as he stares at me. My eyes gloss over with tears, and I lean in to press a soft kiss on his tender lips.

“I love you too, Flynn Lycoan,” I smile, my voice a fluttering whisper. It's enough to compel him to wrap a hand behind my head and pull me in for a deeper kiss.

His hands are all over me then, pulling me onto his lap as the bath water splashes around us. In a fit of giggles and stolen kisses, I straddle him and position myself at the tip of his raging erection.

He reaches between us, lining the tip with my aching hole as he stares deeply into my eyes. Biting my bottom lip, I brace my palms on his shoulders and slowly sink onto his length, the ample girth of his rigid, velvety cock stretching me out deliciously.

“Hm…” I hum when I've taken in all of him. “So full,” I murmur, to which Flynn skims a finger across my bottom lip, marveling at me with twinkling eyes.

“So complete,” he corrects in a raspy tone. “It's perfect… you're perfect…”

“Goddess…I love you, Flynn…I really do,” I whimper through moans, his name falling off my lips like a prayer as I ride his cock.

“Ah…I love you so much, Lila,” he grunts and moans, the deep sounds spurring me on to sway my hips in ways that contort his face with pleasure. “My Luna…my perfect Luna…”

I think I'm about to melt, nails biting into his flesh as if I'm hanging onto the last semblance of my sanity. With each stroke, I'm getting closer and closer to climax.

But I hold it off until I know he's close, needing to reach the destination with him. It's the only way I'll be fully satisfied.

“I'm coming,” he mewls, pulling me flush to his chest and bucking his hips into me to spill deep inside my walls.

That's when I finally let go of the knot in the pit of my belly, following him toward the peak of our unified existence.

Following my Alpha until the very end is my birthright. It’s the only thing that feels perfect.