His Missing Luna

Chapter Twenty Two

Amelia's Point of View

The next time I awoke, I actually had enough energy to open my eyes. Unfortunately, it was pitch black, rendering me blind. Holy crow, had I really been asleep all day?

The bed somehow seemed more amazing than it had when I was first placed on it. It was warm, but not uncomfortably so, more like just the right temperature, and the smell surrounding me was nothing short of divine.

My body automatically shifted towards where the warmth and smell were coming from. I hooked both my arm and my leg over something as solid as stone.

The stone made a 'humph' noise as it reached out and pulled me closer. Dear Goddess, it was Peyton. I should have been outraged that he had got in to bed with me. But that was the furthest thought from my mind.

I inched myself away, but only because I wanted to look at him.

There was a small sliver of moonlight peaking through the blinds. It wasn't much, but when my eyes adjusted I noticed that half of Peyton's face was illuminated whilst the other half was in darkness.

I wasn't much of a fan of philosophy, but it brought to mind a metaphor to explain how I felt about him.

The dark side of his face was the side of me that believed he had killed my mother in cold blood. However, the light side was the side of me that just couldn't imagine he would ever do such a thing to an innocent wolf.

'All I see is the light' Vae told me simply. 'I don't believe for one second that Dice would lie to me. Equally, I don't believe that Peyton would ever lie to you.'

'But that means that my mother lied. With her dying breath she told me that he had injured her so seriously that even she, as a healer, could not recover.'

Vae was silent for a moment, giving me a chance to look at my 'mate'. He was absolutely breathtaking. I thought the word beautiful solely represented females. But Peyton was a work of art. His good looks were almost other-worldly. His russet brown hair was kissed with blonde streaks that he had picked up in the sun. It was long and tousled on the top and short around the sides, and right now a couple of his natural waves were falling across his brow. His long lashes cast shadows on his cheek bones, which were to die for, and his lips were pink and plump and very, very inviting.

'He's f*****g incredible Vae' I told her, completely awestruck.

'Hallelujah' was Vae's one word response.

"Are you ok, my love?"

Peyton's question had me jumping out of my skin!

"Jesus! How long have you been awake for?" I asked, inwardly cringing. If what I was thinking about him was showing on my face, it would be the single most embarrassing moment of my existence.

"A while," He smiled at me, and I knew I'd been caught gawking at him.

"I can't see your complexion in the dark, Luna, but I wouldn't mind betting it's the color of crimson right now."

'You are so busted!' Vae chuckled.

I groaned with mortification. But Peyton must have thought I was in pain. He jumped out of bed and hit a light switch on the wall.

"Amelia, are you ok? Are you in pain? Let me mind link the hospital - I'll get someone out straight away."

The look of panic on his face was so comical I burst out laughing.

"You think this is funny, Luna?" He asked me in a mock serious tone.

"As it happens, yes I do! I was groaning because I'd been caught checking you out. Not because I was in pain."

"You were checking me out?" He raised an eyebrow and made a face like it was no big deal. But I could see it in his eyes, he was happy with my admission.

"In a purely objective way." I shrugged, inconspicuously wiping my mouth with the back of my hand to make sure I wasn't drooling.

"And?"

"You're passable, I suppose." I replied in a bland voice.

"Gee, thanks!"

I suddenly realized that this was the longest conversation I'd ever had with anyone other than my mother. I'd been isolated for such a long time. I knew my Mom only ever had my best interests at heart. But was it possible that there could have been another way?

"Amelia? Are you alright?" Peyton's concern shone through in his eyes. I couldn't breathe when he looked at me like that.

I decided to be honest with him. "My head and my heart are completely out of sync. Vae is so certain about everything. Why can't I be the same?"

Peyton climbed back into bed and took my hand. "Wolves are purely primal. They don't care about anything other than their connection with their mate, and they don't have any of the human complications to deal with. They don't care who did the dishes last, they don't care if one goes out more than the other does. They don't care if their mate has been accused of something diabolical. They just want their soul mate."

"I wish I knew more about these things," I said sadly.

"As soon as you are well enough, you can learn anything you want to."

"Can you teach me something now?" I asked eagerly. "Even if it's just something small. I'm so sick of being clueless."

"You are not clueless," Peyton declared with feeling. "You have been left to figure things out for yourself and that is not your fault."

His words were so kind I could feel my eyes starting to sting. I coughed to dislodge the ball of emotions that had become stuck in my throat.

"Ok. So something really simple. Wolves sleep better when they are with their mates."

"Bullshit!" I laughed.

"It's true. You might not feel it very strongly now, but that's because we have not mated physically. But I guarantee that if you slept on your own tomorrow, you would feel nowhere near as relaxed as you do right now. It's also easier to fall asleep and to stay asleep. It can also eradicate your nightmares."

No word of a lie, I would do anything to get rid of my nightmares. I turned away from Peyton, and then started to wriggle back towards him. He put one arm around my waist and buried his face in my hair. I felt him smiling.

"What?" I asked him.

"I have been dreaming of this moment for over a decade. I prayed to the Moon Goddess every day that I would find you. And now I pray that I can keep you."

I didn't want to promise him something that I wasn't sure I could commit to, but at the same time I didn't want to destroy the hope that he had.

"Lets just take it one day at a time." I whispered sleepily.

"I can live with that."