The Black Luna
Chapter 3
ARYA
The next morning, Arya walked around with a new happiness in her step. Every dream had been about the mysterious stranger in the garden. Almost every thought in her head was for him.
She got dressed and met her family for breakfast, for once not minding how she faded into the background as they all talked around her. She picked at her food absently, ignoring her stepfather’s ranting about the extravagance of the castle.
“Arya, did you hear me?”
She turned to her mother with a blank stare. “Hmm?”
“Gray Ridge Pack will be here for the ceremony. Make sure you introduce yourself to your future alpha and future mate.”
“Yes, Mother,” Arya mumbled.
She realized she’d completely forgotten about the betrothal. She didn’t even know her future mate’s name. Everything inside her rebelled at the idea of leaving this place, leaving behind the man who set her body on fire, only to mate with a stranger.
Of course, the man in the garden had been a stranger too. She could feel her cheeks flush as she remembered the feel of his muscled chest against her hands, the way his grip had tightened on her waist when he’d pulled her close.
She shook the thoughts from her mind, feeling suddenly warm in the cool room.
“Good morning, Alpha Elon, Luna Blair. How were your rooms?” Beta James said as he entered the dining room.
“Just lovely, thank you!” Blair chimed. “I, my husband, and my daughter all thank you for your hospitality.” Arya noticed that she was left off this list of grateful people.
The beta flashed Blair a polite smile. “Today we have many things to finalize before the ceremony tomorrow. We will need to—”
“When will we meet the Black King?”
All eyes turned to Blair as she interrupted.
“As you can imagine, the king is very busy,” Beta James replied diplomatically.
“Yes,” she huffed. “But we’ve been here an entire day and have yet to meet him. He didn’t even have the good grace to greet us when we arrived! We’re supposed to just take your word for it that he isn’t a monster or deformed like the stories tell?”
The beta stood tall. “The Black King is the best of all of us, and he does not take kindly to insult. You will do well to remember that.” And with that, he swept out, leaving the family alone once more.
“Why would you do that?” Elon asked his mate, giving her a frustrated stare.
Blair shrugged. “We’ve come all this way to pair Brooke off to a man who couldn’t be bothered to introduce himself? Ridiculous…”
“He’s busy,” Brooke muttered, obviously embarrassed by her mother.
“Too busy for his soon-to-be mate? Ha!” Blair scoffed.
“Stop making trouble or this whole thing could be ruined,” Elon hissed, patting Blair’s hand. “That goes for all of us!” he said, turning to his children.
“Yes, Alpha,” they said quietly.
“I’m finished with my breakfast; may I be excused?” Arya asked, standing from her seat. Elon gave her a distracted nod.
Arya knew she wouldn’t be missed in the day’s ceremony preparations. If she was to be mated off in just a few days, she wanted to steal at least a few more moments with her mystery man.
She walked quickly out of the dining room and down the hall, bumping into Beta James as she rounded the corner.
“Oof!” she huffed as they collided.
“I apologize, Miss Gold,” Beta James said, offering Arya a smile as he steadied her.
“No, it’s fine. Please, call me Arya,” she said, smiling back.
He nodded politely. “How are you liking the castle?”
“It’s wonderful. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s nothing like the stories I’ve heard,” she replied brightly. She looked around before saying in a lower voice, “And…I apologize for my family, especially my mother. They can be a little…”
“Excited?” James suggested.
“I was going to go with ‘temperamental,’ but ‘excited’ works too.” She chuckled.
James stood straight-backed. “Well, thank you, but I don’t mind managing the king’s future in-laws.” He hesitated, eyeing her as if weighing whether to ask something. “Your sister…is she…?”
Arya felt an unexpected flare of loyalty. She and Brooke might not get along, but she didn’t want to sabotage her sister’s chance at the powerful mate she’d always wanted. “Brooke will make an excellent Queen Luna.”
“Of course,” James soothed. “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. I meant more that…well, I’m sure you’ve heard of the king’s reputation. That he’s a monster, scarred and hideous, that he will deal blows ruthlessly to his enemies.”
Arya allowed that she had heard rumors to that effect, yes.
“Well, those rumors serve a purpose. There are many, within this court and without, who would stand and battle for the king’s position at the smallest sign of weakness.”
Arya blinked. “But…he’s of the royal blood. His father was Black King before him, and his grandfather before that.”
James’s smile had an odd twist to it. “And they both had their challenges. Ultimately, the King Alpha must be the strongest, most dominant alpha in the land. And his luna—” he shot Arya a meaningful look—“must fit that image as well.”
Arya tried to imagine her vain, sheltered sister ruling over the land with an iron fist. Tried to imagine anyone cowering before Brooke. She swallowed. “My sister will make an excellent Queen Luna,” she repeated.
James nodded. “Let us hope so,” he said, and they parted.
***
Freed from family responsibilities for now, Arya hurried down the same long, stone walkway she’d traversed yesterday, her heart racing at the thought of possibly seeing that man again.
Her smile faded as she reached the end of the walkway and found herself alone, but it was probably too much to hope that the man would just be waiting for her. Surely he had his own life and responsibilities at court.
She shrugged, sat down on a bench, and leaned against the archway, staring out at the mountains touched by the clouds. Milli was right: it was oddly peaceful here. She liked the mountains more than she would’ve expected.
She stared out at the large pine trees covering the Black Mountains, pulling her sweater closer around her body as the cold breeze blew across the clearing. Summer would be ending soon, and the cold weather would follow close behind.
“Waiting for someone?”
She spun around to find the man again, giving her an amused grin as he sat beside her. Arya shivered, feeling his body heat pulling her in like a magnet.
“I don’t understand,” she said, shaking her head. “Why am I so drawn to you?”
He shrugged as he took her hand in his, drawing small circles on her wrist with his thumb, his dark features making his eyes look angry as he seemed to consider the question.
“Can I at least know your name?” she asked.
He let out a grumble of displeasure. “Not yet.”
“Not yet?” she echoed, watching as he released his gentle hold on her wrist and stood from his seat beside her. She stood to follow him, grabbing his arm. “I have very little time before I leave this court for good. Many things are now or never.”
The man’s face darkened, staring at her hand pressed against his arm.
She removed her hand quickly, suddenly afraid. “I’m…I’m sorry.”
“When I say not yet, I mean not yet,” he said roughly. He looked down at her and the fear slowly creeping into her eyes. “You’re afraid of me.”
She shook her head. “No.” She paused as she held his gaze, then added, “I feel like I should be, but I’m not.”
He growled, stepping closer to her. “Yes, you probably should be.” He paused. “You say you’re here for a short time. Can I take it you arrived to attend the king’s mating ceremony tomorrow?”
Arya tried not to make a face as she nodded, still nervous after the conversation with James about what Brooke would be taking on.
A smile crept across the man’s face. “Then won’t your family be missing you?”
She backed away slowly as he stalked toward her, gasping as she was once more pressed against the wall. “Possibly,” she whispered, barely able to find her voice. Her heart pounded.
Shivers ran down her spine as her back pressed against the cold stone behind her.
He stood close to her, his face mere inches from hers as he stared into her bright-hazel eyes. “You should get going,” he growled, sending tingles through her skin.
“I will, then.” She gulped, pressing her hands against his chest as she pushed past him and walked away, ignoring the heat the touch sent throughout her body.
He grabbed her arm, spinning her back around to face him as their bodies crashed together. He ran his nose down her jawline and across her neck, taking in her scent as he stepped behind her. “I can’t just let you go.”
“You…told me to leave,” she breathed, barely able to speak as her mind clouded at his touch.
He closed his eyes, pressing his lips against the bare spot on her shoulder that would one day hold the mark of her mate. She inhaled sharply at the sensation, her eyes closing in ecstasy. “Gabriel. My name is Gabriel,” he whispered.
“Arya,” she responded, her own name leaving her on a moan.
“Now or never, you said?” He nibbled at her throat, and she almost couldn’t answer as waves of arousal flooded through her.
“Fuck me,” she whispered, fingers dropping to fumble with his belt.
“Arya,” he sighed. “The things I want to do to you.” His hand crept up under her skirts, finding her wet and aching for him.
Arya let out a little cry of triumph as she finally wrestled his belt open and got her first glimpse of his cock.
She didn’t normally have sex with strange men in gardens. She didn’t normally have sex at all. But this was such a perfect specimen, she wanted it inside her immediately.
She wrapped a hand around it, tugging him forward till his cock replaced his fingers inside her.
The sensation was indescribable. “Gabriel,” she moaned. “Gabriel, Gabriel, fuck me!”
Growling, he wrapped his hands under her thighs and lifted, holding her up so effortlessly she might as well be weightless as he rocked in and out. “Say my name again,” he rasped through panting breaths.
“Gabriel,” she said, feeling like a soap bubble about to burst.
“Perfect,” he said, and came, sending her tumbling into her own orgasm a second behind.
Her vision whited out, Dawn howling out ecstasy in her mind, her hands clutching at him spasmodically. She never wanted to let him go.
She would never let him go. Her perfect mystery man. Her Gabriel. Somehow or other, she would figure out how to keep him.
Continue to the next chapter of The Black Luna