Chapter 58
Kaeleen’s POV
I watched Astrid as the pack mbers showered her with congratulations. A smile graced her face, though I could see the subtle signs of discomfort beneath the surface.
She was beautiful. I an I knew that right from the mont I saw her. I was struck with how beautiful she was that even Rebecca had joked about it but sotis the most beautiful people are the ones with the scars we never expected. If there was one thing I was sure if, it was the fact hay Astrid was going to fit right in with my pack mbers.
Her smile was a bit forced. It hadn’t escaped my notice that everyone who had stayed behind after the welco party were now gathered here. I could see Rebecca and Alex huddled together althought at a distance. Rebecca had a soft smile on her face while Alex stared with that sa I tensitu and gave a nod. Although, I suspected Rebecca, or perhaps soone else, had spread the word about our trip to the Shrine.
It was supposed to be intimate. Sothing that would t alert the mbers of the pack but that wasn’t likely going to happen since they all knew.
While I knew so still harbored reservations about Astrid, one thing I valued about my pack was their willingness to give her a chance. That was where Astrid had been wrong. It wasn’t that everyone instantly liked her; it was more that they were open to welcoming her, choosing not to be hostile towards soone they barely knew. Why treat her like a criminal when they had no evidence that she had committed a cri? That was how my pack mbers were.
The pack mbers escorted us back to the main building, dispersing only after we stepped inside. Tradition dictated that after a mating ritual, even a quiet and modest one, the newly bonded mates would share a bed. Physical intimacy was a key component, typically lasting three days, a period that, in more modern tis, often evolved into a honeymoon. And most tis people tended to use more than three days, extending it into a week or even more just to enjoy the joy and connection of being bonded.
My sisters even had a weddi v after they had done their mating ritual. Or rather, their mating ritual had been more like a human wedding. But given the impromptu nature of our ceremony and my promise to Astrid that we could bypass the physical aspect, I had no intention of forcing her into anything. We did not need to have sex.
Instead, I walked her to her bedroom, a heavy silence hanging between us.
"Is sothing the matter?" she asked, her voice soft.
I turned to her, surprised. "What do you an? Why would you ask that?"
"You’ve been a bit... distant since we did the ritual," she said, her brow furrowing. "Is it that you didn’t want it? Because you were the one who suggested it, I thought maybe it was sothing you wanted. And if you don’t want it, we can..."
"Astrid," I interrupted, gently taking her shoulders in my hands, forcing her to et my gaze. "If you think I disliked anything about this evening, you’re wrong. I don’t know how you see , Astrid, and I don’t know how many tis i have to tell you this, but I am not Leon. I wouldn’t have gone through with any of this if I didn’t want to." My voice was firm, laced with a quiet intensity. "Don’t feel like you’ve forced into sothing I didn’t want."
"I thought..." she began, her voice hesitant, "but you look annoyed. You look angry."
I released her shoulders, running a hand through my hair. "I’m not annoyed," I said, trying to soften my expression. "I just... I have a lot on my mind right now."
It was the truth. So many thoughts were swirling through my head, especially after hearing the conditions she’d laid out for our relationship. The fact that she even entertained the idea of finding soone else was absurd. Was I the only one who felt this intense connection between us? No, she’d admitted to feeling it too. But had Leon damaged her so deeply that she couldn’t fathom being the only one for ?
"Leon?" she murmured, as if she’d read my thoughts.
I sighed, the weight of her past pressing down on . "Like I said, there are a lot of things going through my head, so I’m sorry for seeming like I hated what we did. Just so you know, I’d do anything to protect you."
I couldn’t stay any longer, not with the conflicting emotions churning inside . I gave her a curt nod and turned to leave. As soon as I reached my room, Ryker, my wolf, surged to the forefront of my mind.
"That’s one way to bid your mate goodnight." He scuffed but I ignored him, choosing to change out if my clothes and get into the shower but Ryker wasn’t done.
"Why did you lie?" he demanded, his voice a low growl in my head.
"Lie about what?" I asked, though I knew exactly what he was referring to.
"The physical intimacy. It’s a huge part of the mating ritual, but you lied to her and said it wasn’t important, that it could be bypassed."
He was right, of course. But I wasn’t about to do anything that would make Astrid uncomfortable.
"Does she seem like soone who wants to have sex with , Ryker? She just escaped an abusive relationship. I’m not going to push her to do sothing she doesn’t want to do." My voice was laced with a protective anger.
"You should have let her know instead of lying to her." He argued.
"And you think she’d run to us if I did? That she would open up her body for us? Co on man, you feel this connection between the both of us and this is the first ti in our lives that we’ve felt sothing like this do we really need to destroy it before it even begins?" I asked him.
"But you are attracted to her."
"I am. And would I love to have sex with her? Yes, but she’s hot ready."
"But what if Leon notices? What if he senses that the bond isn’t complete?" Ryker countered, his concern palpable.
"He won’t," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "As far as the oath has been taken before the Moon Goddess, she is safe, and no one can question her authority."
I moved to the bathroom to shower, letting the hot water cascade down my body. I hated that Leon git to her before . I hated that he broke her this much. I hated him so much that I wanted him out if this world but I couldn’t just do that. I had to bid my ti. The best revenge did co with patience.
I had no idea how much ti I spent in the shower. Thoughts about Astrid enveloped . Her scent, the way she fits perfectly into my pack. Her voice.
"Fuck."
The more I thought about her the more I was aroused. And she had to even done anything. I imagined her luscious lips, those eyes that always held history whenever I gazed at them. I put off the shower and quickly dried my body.
I needed to focus on sothing else and not Astrid. There were few things Todo. I made my way to the study and decided to go through the pack docunts. Soon enough, Astrid and I would be doing this together.
I buried myself in work. Going through the nurous docunts that didn’t seem to reduce even after spending the whole night locked up in here. And it wasn’t until Alex knocked on my door that I realised that I’d spent the whole morning here.
"Dude, didn’t you get so sleep?" He asked .
I removed the glasses I was wearing and placed it in the table, running the spot between my eyes.
"What ti is it?" I asked him.
"It’s past seven. I thought maybe you would want to go to work even if you are supposed to have an off day after yesterday but given the timing and everything..." he finished with a shrug.
"Yeah." I said as I stood up. "I’ll just change and et you downstairs."
But before I could even walk out, I received a call from the guards at the gate.
"What is it?" I asked them.
"Um, boss." Began Felipe. "There is soone here to see you. He says we took sothing of his and he has co to collect it back."
"Okay...Felipe, why am I being alerted?" This sounded like sothing he could take care of.
There was a reason why he was stationed at the gate. He had a lot if experience dealing with people and no one could ss with the mountain of a man.
"The thing is, he says what we stole was our Luna." Felipe said to .
I paused. "Does this man have a na?" I asked him even though I knew deep down who was at the gate.
"Yeah, he claims to be an alpha of the moonshade pack. Never heard of the pack before though. He says his na is Leon."
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