Lunar Temptations

Ch 73

A muscle in her jaw twitched, but she looked away. What was wrong? Didn't she just say that this was classified?"

"Listen here," her words turned stern suddenly as her gaze snapped to me. I watched her expression as she leaned closer. "Trust is earned with efforts, while rules are created and made compulsory to obey. The code of confidentiality between us is a rule, a law we abide by." She paused, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. When they opened, they were ruthless. "Don't mistake it for trust."

I was taken aback. My eyes dared to continue staring into hers for what felt like forever. Maybe I wanted to see if she actually was rude or if she was simply pretending to put this on. I had always heard good things about council members about how wise and welcoming they were when it came to advice and the Loup-Garou. However, I was finding myself stuck with a rather hot-headed one, and that too for the very first time.

"As for confidentiality - this shall stay between us," she said, leaning back into her chair, knowing well that she had almost left me speechless. She had some wits, and I had discovered that already in the first 15 minutes with her.

I nodded, relaxing in my chair. I didn't have to get intimidated by her despite her being so clever and smarter than I could ever be. If she wasn't as rude, I would have begun to admire her. She had a remarkable appearance with such a strong personality, not to mention her knowledge. She would have been the best council member if it wasn't for her harshness.

"It's Zayden. He locks himself in a room with a metal door when he loses control over himself," I said finally and watched her eyes narrow. "I've seen the claw marks on the walls in there. They were rough, uncontrolled—" I paused, my thoughts trailing off to the image forming in my head of those marks.

"—and agonizing." My lips stretched in a thin line as the awful memory returned to me. "I know he is in pain, and it's somehow related to me." I shrugged, sighing. "I just want answers and a solution as to why he is losing control over himself, so much so that he has to lock himself up and how it could possibly be related to me?"

I finished, breathlessly. My eyes were a troubled mirror to my mind, reflecting its confused state. I might have come off as an overthinker to her for coming forward with such a small problem, and I might even be risking a lot, but something told me that I could trust her. I stared at her, lost for a way and looking for an answer, but her face gave nothing away. Her stoic expressions were outstandingly convincing because now I was beginning to doubt if she had even heard me or if I had only managed to look like a babbling mess.

"Do you love him, Luna Dawson?" She asked suddenly, catching me off guard.

I blinked at her twice before realizing that she wasn't joking. "What does it have to do with any of this?" I asked in reply, but she appeared unfazed. "An answer for an answer," her dominating voice filled the room.

I nodded slowly.

I should have expected that. She was a clever woman.

"Is that even supposed to be a question? He's my mate; of course, I do love him." I said, shrugging. I was here, playing my part of faking happiness with Zayden like I had been doing for the past months, but now—everything had changed. My perspective of us had taken a drastic turn, and I was left with no answer now. I was in a frenzy internally, asking myself if I loved him and panicking at the thought of it.

Love? With Zayden Castillo? It was unreal but not impossible. Not when all I used to feel around him was butterflies and a sweet desire for him, when all I wanted was to hold him close and stick to his side to make up for all those years lost just because of a misunderstanding. Was it love when the sight of his past lover near him made my blood boil and my wolf growl? Was it love when I thought of him all the time when he would not be home? Was it love when I found my salvation in him? Was it love when he could make me climax like no one had ever been able to or when I was screaming his name under the moon?

The last thought made my thighs tighten, but it didn't take long to realize that what I had told CM Samara might not be a lie anymore.

"I do love him," I said, repeating myself. My lips began to curl into a small smile when I took hold of myself. It felt beautiful to finally acknowledge the bunch of butterflies in my gut around my mate and to call it love, but CM Samara need not see it.

"Then what's stopping you from mating with him?"

I paused. No, my thoughts and my processing capabilities paused. How in the-

"What?" I asked unbelievably. Confusion was now etched on my entire face, not just my eyes. "What do you mean?"

She sighed then proceeded to sit straight. Her stance shifted, but I was too eager for an explanation to give a damn about her position now. "You are the reason; in fact, you both are the reason for his condition." She paused, taking one last sip of her drink and putting it down again. "When a male werewolf doesn't mate for years after he comes of age, his controls begin to weaken, especially those over his wolf. He begins to die inside out of agony and is the weakest at that point, prone to danger. His wolf overtakes him eventually entirely until all he sees is blood and desire that could only be fulfilled by his mate." Her tone was gentle. "Usually, it takes a year or two for a werewolf to lose his sanity without a mate, but Zayden." She paused, assessing. "He is an Alpha and one of the powerful ones. His control is surprisingly good, and I wouldn't have even known if you hadn't told me. He had spent years without a mate, and it might be easier to control himself while you were unreachable than when you're in reach and capable of being mated with."

I gulped slowly. The lack of an answer was gone, replaced with an abundance of it.

"I am sure you're suffering as well. You're weak and powerless, equally prone to enemies. That's why werewolf leaders need to have their mates by their sides if they are to ascend the throne." She paused again. "Here's your answer, Luna Dawson. You need to mate; your union is a power given to you both by the divine Moon Goddess. Hold onto it; only you both can save each other." With that, the room went quiet.