I nod, feeling a twinge of joy at his compliment, but also a tad embarrassed.
“I meant it,” he says, his voice more confident now. “You are beautiful.”
I stare at him, twisting the glass between my hands. “Now I am flustered,” I admit.
“Good,” he grins.
It’s funny how he can go from heartthrob to boyish in such a short time span, but that’s his biggest charm. “You are quite handsome, too,” I say.
He looks happy. “No one has ever called me that.”
“No one called me beautiful, either,” I admit.
“No way!!”
“Obviously Jordan would never,” I say. “And before that… people called me the Ice Queen.”
“You are not icy or cold at all,” he says. “I don’t know how anyone would think that. You are very kind and protective of others. Literally everyone in this pack can see it. They love you!”
“Do you really think so?”
“You know, it’s fine not to be a sweet, gentle type of luna,” he says. “You are you, and that’s what pulls them in.”
He is right. Despite my being here starting as a charade, I am much more myself than I have ever been. Even when I was a teen, I was trying to play the perfect alpha daughter and then the dignified luna, to be able to endure Jordan’s abuse.
But here, I feel like I am myself.
“Don’t send me away,” I hear myself say.
Forest looks at me, and before I can take back my words, he takes my hand. “Never,” he says. “I will never send you away.” He reaches out his free hand, gently touching my cheek. “Too soon?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I admit. Yet I move my hand forward to brush a strand of hair from his face. I need to see his eyes. My heart is beating faster than it should when I gaze into his eyes, noting how gentle and warm they are.
His thumb brushes over my lips, but he doesn’t do anything else. It confuses me at first, but then I understand why. He knows what Jordan did to me; he wants me to be the one to initiate anything. This realization finally pushes me to take the next step, leaning forward. Forest meets me halfway, his lips pressing against mine.
It’s so unlike any kiss I’ve shared with Jordan, even from before he showed his true colors. Forest is an alpha, yet he holds back his instincts and urges. He is gentle, treating me like I am precious. When I part my lips, his tongue moves past them, brushing against mine.
It’s a slow kiss, and every part of me enjoys it. I am safe with Forest. I will always be safe.
“Are you aware that you are my luna now?” Forest asks me when he draws back.
I smile. “You must know by now that I‘ll be hard to get rid of.”
He kisses me gently a second time, then he takes my hand. “How about we let our wolves meet each other?”
“I think Alora would enjoy that,” I say.
“So, that’s her name,” he smiles. “It’s beautiful. And just so you know, Darien is very interested.”
I am interested, too,Alora tells me.Let me out, Rosea. I need to see and meet his wolf before we get deeper into this. Forest is a good man, but I need to see if I can trust him with you. I won’t repeat my previous mistake.
An alpha wolf is always a risk, at least in our minds.
Then let’s meet him.
I nod at Forest. “Alora wants to meet him.”
Forest looks happy at my words, something in his eyes flashing. For the first time, I can see him in touch with his wolf spirit. It’s late at night, so there is barely anyone around when we quietly leave the pack house. Forest leads me through a narrow path into the forest. “For privacy,” he tells me. “I don’t want you to feel pressured or uncomfortable by curious eyes watching us. But if you feel unsafe, I will have Griffin come and watch over us.”
