The Black Luna

ARYA

Arya’s heart raced as Gabriel pulled her through the ballroom amid the loud chaos of the pack’s yelling cheers and her sister’s angry cries.

She still wasn’t sure what was happening. Her head spun as she tried to understand all that had come to light in the last five minutes.

Gabriel held her hand tightly, tugging her along behind him until they blessedly left the ballroom behind, its noise fading.

Then she gasped as someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her in the opposite direction, forcing her hand from Gabriel’s.

“YOU!”

She turned to see her mother standing behind her furiously.

“Mother…I…”

“How could you do this to us?! To your sister!” Blair yelled.

Arya shook her head in denial, fear filling her gut as she tried to grasp what was happening. “I didn’t—”

“Didn’t what? Didn’t mean to embarrass your own family? Didn’t mean to ruin the most important pact we have ever made?” Blair interrupted, practically spitting with anger.

“I didn’t know any of this would happen…I didn’t know who he was…I—”

“Lies!”

Arya turned around quickly at the words, but not quickly enough to dodge the hand flying toward her. She stumbled backward as Brooke slapped her hard across the face. Her sister was still in that white dress, face red with rage.

“You ruined the most important day of my life!” she screamed. “This was supposed to be my day! MY DAY! I was supposed to be queen! Fix it now!”

Arya held her hand against her reddened cheek, the raw sting bringing tears to her eyes. But then Gabriel stepped in front of her protectively.

“You dare to hit your queen?” he growled darkly.

Brooke looked up at him, her anger immediately replaced with fear. “My king…I’m sorry…I—”

The Black King turned to face the rest of Arya’s family, his eyes black as his fury built. “Arya is not only my true destined mate; she is now your Queen Luna. You will show her the respect she is due. Kneel.”

Arya stepped forward, pulling on his arm. “No, they don’t have to—”

He turned to her with a glare, his eyes telling her to be silent. The fury and darkness…she had never seen this side of him during their stolen moments in the garden.

In this moment, she could see every inch of his fearsome reputation as the Black King.

She released his arm, stepping back as she watched her family fall down to kneel before them both.

“Queen Luna, I apologize for my family’s actions. Please forgive us and have mercy,” Alpha Elon said, bowing his head in submission. Then he looked up, speaking beseechingly to the Black King.

“Alpha, this has caused a very large problem for my family. Arya was already promised to the beta of Gray Ridge Pack. By claiming her as your own, you have forced me to go against my pact with them.”

“Good thing you have another daughter, then, isn’t it?” the Black King replied sarcastically before grabbing Arya’s hand once more and pulling her up the stairs toward his suite, ignoring the loud cries from his new in-laws.

***

Arya pulled her hand from his grasp as they entered his suite, her mind spinning in circles.

“Gabriel? Why didn’t you… What is…,” she stammered, holding her head in her hands as she paced the room. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

He shrugged off the jacket of his tuxedo and placed it on a chair before leaning against the wall, watching her in silence for a few minutes before walking toward her. “Arya.”

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with fear. “What did you just do?”

“I made you my mate,” he replied bluntly, casually unknotting his tie and throwing it to the side.

“I know that…but why?!” she yelled, shaking her head at him.

He stepped forward again, standing close to her. “Tell me you don’t feel it.”

His eyes burrowed into hers, his scent sending shockwaves through her whole body. “The pull between us,” he continued. “The thing growing inside you making you crave me, making you want to be near me.”

She looked up at him with wide eyes. “How do you—”

“It’s the mate pull,” he said, stepping closer so that their bodies were almost touching. He reached up, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her face. Then he cupped her cheek in his palm, calming her with his touch.

“The stories from hundreds of years ago…fated mates…it’s all true, and it’s happening to us right now.”

“Impossible…,” she whispered.

“Then say it,” he growled softly. “Say you don’t feel it.” He leaned down toward her, his lips lingering just above hers as he waited for her answer. She looked up into his eyes, unable to say anything as she stared at him.

After a moment of silence, a small smirk curled at the corner of his mouth, and he pressed his lips softly to hers.

Arya gave in for a moment, savoring his kiss before her anxieties crept back in. She pushed him away, looking up at him with anger.

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were?” she demanded. “You must’ve thought I was an idiot, trying to convince the king to abandon his kingdom and run away with me.”

“You have no idea how tempting that was,” he murmured. “I liked that you wanted that. I liked the idea of running through the woods with you, free, anonymous.”

“But you said no,” she pointed out.

“But I said no,” he agreed. “I really thought I could get you out of my system. One final fling before pledging myself to a pact with Golden Moon.”

“That’s flattering,” she muttered.

“Then I saw you this evening, wearing that dress I chose for you. In a moment, my mind was made up. I couldn’t live without you, and damn the consequences. My fated mate. My queen.”

Arya shook her head in defeat. “I can’t do this…I’m not a queen.”

Gabriel walked to her again, taking her arms in his hands. “You are my queen,” he repeated firmly.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and pressed her hand against his chest, pushing him away lightly.

In response, Gabriel stepped back closer, leaned down, and kissed her cheek before dropping his head to place a kiss on her new mark, sending flames through her whole body. She inhaled sharply at the sensation, closing her eyes as he pulled her in close.

Gabriel’s hands moved along her body, slowly unzipping the back of her gown. As her dress dropped to the floor, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

He set her down on the bed, kissing her lips gently. She looked up at him and slowly undid the buttons on his shirt to reveal his broad, muscular chest.

“My mate…,” he whispered, sending fireworks through her whole body. Arya could hear Dawn howling in her head as the past few days came into sharp relief and they both understood exactly what that word meant. Gabriel was hers and she was his, forever.

She kissed him fiercely as they dropped to the bed, and he growled as he moved above her, his kisses trailing across her jaw and down her neck. There, he paused to suck on her mark, pulling a soft moan from her lips.

He moved down her body, nipping at her as he touched and tasted every bit of her. She sighed with the relief of it. They’d only met days ago, and yet it felt as if they’d been craving each other far longer than that.

He took her in his mouth, licking and sucking, smiling as she writhed beneath him.

Then, quick as thought, he brought his mouth back up to hers and kissed her deeply so she tasted herself on his tongue.

She felt the newly discovered bond solidifying as he pushed into her, their kiss and touch intensifying as they moved together and let their passions rise.