The Wicked Alpha's Star-Crossed Luna

4 | IMPRACTICAL PAIRING

Serena POV

I stared at the wolf before me, hoping my body language conveyed my obstinance instead of the ogling I was doing. Howl’s wolf was massive, his fur the shade of obsidian. It looked so silky that I wished to reach out and run my fingers through it, but I couldn’t shift without revealing my nakedness to him, and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

Yup, the last thing. Definitely don’t want to do that.

… f**k, I want to shift. I want to bare myself to him, to see the look on his face as he takes in my naked body--and I want to see his as well. To run my fingers down his chest, to see if his abs are as defined as I imagined. If he was this tall and bulky as a wolf, then there was no telling how huge he was as a human. Six-foot-three, four?

Speaking of huge, Juliet preened. I hope you realize how much restraint it takes to keep from spinning around and presenting myself to him. Forget the gamma--I want him. There’s no doubt that Howl and Romeo are our mates.

I ignored her lascivious comments and perked up. Wait, his wolf is named Romeo?

I felt her nod internally. Of course. We were made for each other.

You realize that play ended in tragedy, right?

Juliet raised our nose, meeting Howl’s mysteriously ruby-red eyes as he turned to face us. This isn’t a play, Serena. This is real life--we can write our own story. It will end how we see fit, not in tragedy.

I couldn’t argue with that. Just because a human used those names in a tragic play, that did not mean our fates were written in stone. We can write our own story.

He smelled like my favorite coffee and my favorite dessert flavor combined. Granted, it had been a while since my mother made cafecito, which is what Perdita called espresso, so my go-to most mornings was in fact plain black coffee. Not that I planned on telling Howl--I got the feeling he was the boastful type.

After what seemed like an eternity, my mate let out a sigh. “I don’t know. There was a time when my role as alpha was off the table, but I can’t imagine handing the title over to anyone besides my heir.”

My heart sank. Of course he wouldn’t give up being alpha. I knew that--hell, I just told him that I refused to do the same. We were both alphas, neither one of us willing to give up our titles. Only one who had never held the highest rank would be willing to play second fiddle--and that’s exactly how I viewed being luna. It just wasn’t for me.

“You desire a luna, and I need a lunar,” I sighed, disheartened. For a brief moment, I was hoping he would say that he would give up his alpha title, but that was a selfish wish. “Our pairing is impractical.”

“Well, then,” he grumbled. “I guess you better get on with it.”

I c****d my head to the side. “Uh, with what?”

“With rejecting me,” he revealed, cleaving my heart in two. “I believe that where there’s a will, there’s a way. We don’t know that we’re incompatible until we give this a try. There may even be some loophole that allows one or both of us to keep our packs and accept the bond openly.”

“I don’t want to reject you!” I blurted out. “I mean, why should I be the one to do it?”

He shook his large head. “I refuse to reject you, little mate… But if you truly don’t want to give us a chance, then reject me and I will begrudgingly accept your rejection.”

Oh, great, so it’s on me to be the bad guy, I griped to myself. Just like always…

“... Fine, then. What’s your full name?”

His ruby eyes went wide, as if he had an epiphany. “I… Can’t give that to you.”

I balked. “Why not?”

“Only my fated mate can know my true name,” he remarked, his chest puffing out with pride. “She will learn it after she accepts me.”

“But I need your full name in order to reject you!”

“I’m aware.”

“Unbelievable,” I seethed, pacing grass. “Un-fuckin’-believable! So now you’re holding our bond hostage?”

“I guess I am.”

“You’re infuriating!” I shouted through the connection, making him wince. “If we can’t reject each other, then our wolves will grow weak over time without nourishing the bond. Neither one of us will be any good to our packs!”

Howl was quiet for a moment. “Is that all that matters to you? Being alpha?”

“It’s not about the title!” I barked. “I’m going to be entrusted with the lives of hundreds of wolves and a family of foxes. It’s my responsibility to ensure they are all protected no matter the cost. How can I do that without a reliable mate to strengthen me? How can my pack trust me to care for and lead them while my wolf slowly turns feral without her mate? I saw what that did to my grandfather, how he took the loss of his mate out on Dark Moon and our neighbors. I refuse to be like him--I refuse to become a liability to the people I love.”

I met his gaze head-on. “Tell me your full name, Alpha Howl.”

He let loose a frightening growl, the sound of which had my ears flattening against my head. My body began to shake from a mixture of fear for my safety, anger at the inherent threat, and arousal at my mate’s dominance. “Shift.”

I scoffed. “Excuse me--?”

“Shift!” he commanded, his wolf’s voice blending with his own. I felt my bones readjust as the shift was forced on me. This isn’t possible! Only royal wolves can command alphas!

He’s a hybrid, Serena, Juliet reminded me, straining as the shift took over. Hybrids are stronger than normal wolves. Relax and it won’t be as painful--our mate does not mean to hurt us.

Funny, considering he’s doing just that by forcing my bones to rearrange!

Still, I did as my wolf advised, relaxing my body and relinquishing control. The shift back to my human form was faster than I expected, considering how I wasn’t the one holding the reins. Soon enough I was standing in the clearing with my body sore and my head held high, glaring at the monstrous hybrid before me. Romeo was so tall, he most certainly had to hunch over or crouch while running through our woods. The forest was dense with oaks and firs.

Then he shrunk down, his shiny black fur receding into a human form. Even his muscles had muscles, rippling beneath the confines of his tawny complexion, carrying a sheen of bronze wherever the sunlight fell. His midnight black hair fell as far down as his chin, framing his god-sculpted face in waves. Those ruby red eyes had darkened to a deep scarlet as he drank me in, and I couldn’t help but do the same.

His body was covered in black ink; tribal tattoos ran down the length of both arms and legs, telling a myriad of intricate tales in the little details. Over his heart, three wolves in varying poses raised their snouts and bayed at an upside-down crescent moon. I was right about his abdominals--he was beyond ripped, showcasing a stunning eight pack. And further south…

I gulped at his impressive size and focused instead on his scars. He had a few, meaning he survived scrapes against silver-wielding foes, as that is the only substance known to mark us. Our mate is formidable.

I told you he was perfect for us, Juliet sang.

There was only about two or so meters between us, but he closed the distance in the time it took me to blink. I gasped, jumping back and throwing up my guard, but he caught my wrists in his hands. I felt as if I were struck by lighting; electricity jolted through me, our physical contact its point of origin. It sent tantalizing tingles throughout my being before retiring to my lower abdomen, where they tickled and teased. His grip was in no way painful or threatening, but its firmness was evidence of not only his strength, but his restraint.

“Listen well, little mate,” he began, his voice deep and rumbly. His scent was all over me now, and the sliver of distance between our nude bodies made me ache. “I will tell you my true name after you have accepted our bond, and you will only utter its syllables as you writhe beneath me in ecstasy. Do you understand?”

I was gasping for air, desperately trying to find any scent that wasn’t his. It was everywhere, invading my pores and making my thoughts all hazy. What’s worse, I could feel moisture pooling between my thighs, betraying that I wasn’t shaking out of fear but arousal.

Howl took a deep breath, and it was like a switch had flipped. His eyes turned black as Romeo fought to resurface, his chest rumbling as he growled. His own member stiffened between us, pressing against my waist. That alone proved the length and girth of him would be too much for me to handle.

We’ll manage, we’re made for them, Juliet panted, whining in hopes that Romeo would take over.

I hadn’t meant to whine along with her, but Howl and his wolf heard me all the same. In a flash, I was wrapped in his bulging arms and pressed against his rock-hard chest. Howl had buried his face in my neck, his nose tracing a line from my jaw to my marking spot.

“Howl, please…” I begged. I didn’t even know what I was begging for.

“What is it, little mate?” he asked, his tone playful. “Tell me what you want.”

“I…” I blinked once, then twice, trying to clear the fog in my mind. “I… I want your name.”

Howl growled and reared back, his face mere inches from my own. His hands held onto my shoulders, steadying me. “Please don’t ask again. Ask me for anything else--anything except my name, or the name of my pack. You can’t ask me to reject you, either. I know that we can find a way to be together and still keep our titles, just--just please don’t throw away what could be our one chance.”

My chest ached at the desperation dripping through his words. My mate was begging me not to reject him, but he was also asking for… What?

“And if I gave you a chance?” I posited. “What would you do?”

His eyes brightened with hope. “I would court you in whatever way you or your pack saw fit. For however long it takes. Give me a chance, and I will prove to you that I can stand by your side and support you as a true mate should.”

Howl’s scarlet eyes were wide and pleading, urging me to agree. After another moment of consideration, I took a cleansing breath and let it out slowly.

“Can you meet me here later tonight?” I asked him. “I’m inclined to take your offer, but I think we should discuss terms. I need time to think and figure out what would make me comfortable.”

His brow furrowed as he loosened his grip on my shoulders and slid his palms down my arms, sending tingles across my skin before taking my smaller hands in his. “What kind of terms?”

“I think setting a timeline would be good. Like, if I’m not impressed with your courtship after a certain amount of time, you’ll have to tell me your name so I can reject you,” I suggested with a half shrug. “And maybe some guidelines for our dates?”

Howl looked as if he wanted to laugh. “I’m not gonna lie, I don’t love the idea of a deadline, but I can work with guidelines.”

“So you’ll meet me tonight?” I asked again, to which he offered me a sincere nod.

“I can be here around nine, if that’s okay?”

I considered my plans for the evening. The warriors under my command would arrive at the packhouse at six, and dinner would be served at seven sharp. While they would probably want to party afterwards, I had to make a good impression on the delegates so I would have a plausible excuse to slip away. Sneaking past the warriors on patrol of the border would be easy enough as the daughter of the alpha.

“Better make it ten o’clock,” I amended. “I wouldn’t want you to be stuck waiting in case I can’t leave until later.”

“Should I bring my beta and some elders to witness our agreement?” he jested.

My eyes widened at the idea. “Actually… The elders might be overkill, but your beta should make for a good witness.”

“You’re serious?”

“Of course,” I insisted. “By bringing witnesses, we’re both ensuring we have people who are biased in our favor. You might propose a loophole that I might not consider, and vice versa.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” he chortled, squeezing my hands gently. I hadn’t realized before that I was holding his in turn; my cheeks flushed at the realization, but I didn’t dare let go. I loved the feeling of his skin against mine, the warmth created from our touch. As much as I wanted to show him how poor a match we were, I also wanted to get lost in the mate bond.

Howl brought one of my hands to his lips--it seemed considerably dainty compared to his larger, calloused ones--and my blush deepened as he planted a kiss on the back of my hand. “Until tonight, Ren.”

I gulped. “See you tonight, Howl.”

Then I pulled my hands from his and sped for the treeline, shifting into my wolf before I exited the clearing.

⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⁀➷｡˚⸙͎۪۫⋆ ༄

Carina POV

After we kicked ass at training, I returned to the packhouse to freshen up. While Serena liked to keep her days jam-packed with productive or educational tasks, my days were a little more lax. After morning training, I attended classes full-time at the local university; I was majoring in biology and also taking courses in sociology and leadership. Mom felt those last two would help me with my luna studies (she was my tutor), and the decision to major in biology was all my own. I want to use my healing ability to help people, and the more I learn about human and lupine bodies, the faster and more efficiently my ability work. However, with the university closed for the full moon, I didn’t have classes today or tomorrow.

The front doors hadn’t even closed behind me when I froze, sniffing the air of the main hall. It was faint, but there was a delicious scent that had passed through, as if someone had carried a tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies through the front room. My mouth watered at the thought, and my feet began to carry me across the hall, passed the common room, and I was about to enter the kitchen when Desdemona--who had spent the better part of my trek wagging her tail--baked out, No! Wrong way, girl. Back it up.

I frowned. Where else would cookies be other than the kitchen?

I swear, she actually rolled her eyes at me. Cari, we aren’t smelling cookies. We’re smelling a scent made special just for us!

I gasped. No way. No way! Are you serious? My mate is around here?

Our mate, little miss selfish, Desdemona huffed. Hurry up and find him!

I was about to follow the scent when I remembered my reason for coming to the packhouse. Dezzy, I can’t meet him like this! I need to go upstairs and shower, and find a cute outfit, and--

Ugh, fine! Go dress up for our mate. The wait is killing me!

With my wolf’s blessing, I backtracked to the main hall and resumed my journey up the stairs, sprinting the entire way. I may not be as physically fit as my sister--she was far more athletic and toned, while I was soft with curves--but I managed to make it up three flights of stairs without wheezing. By the time I reached our floor, though…

“M-Mom!” I gasped for breath, my legs shaking. Those two battles were catching up to me. Still, I pushed on, marching down the hall and passed my mother and father’s offices. They had designated rooms on the first floor explicitly for meetings, so I never had to worry about embarrassing them.

The living room, dining room, and kitchen were all combined into one large common area thanks to the open floor plan. I had nearly reached that part of our home when I heard a door open behind me. A peek over my shoulder proved it to be my mother, the luna herself.

“Mom!” I grinned, spinning around in my excitement. I was a little dizzy from overexertion, but I did my best to ignore it. “You won’t believe what just happened--”

“That will have to wait, my little star,” Mom whispered, searching around me. “Where’s your sister?”

“I think she went for a run through the woods,” I shrugged, noting the concern in my mother’s eyes. I took her hands in mind, squeezing them gently. “Why, what’s up?”

Mom swallowed over a lump that had formed in her throat. “There have been rogues sighted in the woods.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “You know that Rena can take care of herself, Mom. She’s the best fighter in our platoon after Tara.”

“These aren’t just any rogues, Carina,” she revealed, her blue eyes brimming with tears. She wiped them away hastily before they even fell. “They’re from that rogue pack, Dark Moon. Our worst enemies. If they smell that she’s from Starry Sky, they will kill her on sight.”