Chapter 3 Long-Sought Luna

The screams from the cabin drew Rocco in. He wasn't one to meddle in human affairs, but something compelled him to investigate. The closer he got, the more restless his wolf, Hawke, became.

The door was ajar, so he slipped inside quietly. The scene before him was one he would never forget for the rest of his eternal life.

A scent of strawberries and roses filled his nostrils as Hawke howled, "She's our mate; we've found her at last!"

Yes, it was her! His mate was the one being attacked by that wretched Roderic. It felt like déjà vu, but this time it was his destined mate, not just any lover.

Before they noticed him, he shifted into his human form and wrenched Roderic away from the woman beneath him-his woman.

Rocco's woman.

Roderic was a powerful wolf, and she appeared to be human; otherwise, she would have shifted to defend herself. Her strength was no match for him.

"Let her go, you damn pervert! Can't you find a woman who wants to be with you willingly?" Rocco roared.

His blood was boiling. He was naked, but it didn't matter; for his kind, it was perfectly normal. They clashed, trading brutal blows. Just as he was about to deliver the final strike, he heard his mate struggling to breathe-she was on the verge of passing out.

He hurled Roderic against the wall and crossed the room in two strides, catching the beautiful woman just as she fell into his arms.

He whispered softly, "Mine!"

His enemy had escaped like the miserable rat he was! But at that moment, Rocco had something far more important in his arms-his beautiful Luna.

She had fainted from the shock of witnessing two men fighting and trying to kill each other in front of her. Rocco swore that Roderic would pay dearly for this!

Holding his Luna in his arms, he admired her delicate features. Her face resembled a precious doll.

From the remnants of her clothing, he could see she had been wearing a wedding dress. He gently caressed her cheek, marveling at the softness of her skin. It was just as he had imagined-soft, incredibly soft.

'Are you married? I need answers. Why are you wearing this dress? You can't marry anyone but me! If anyone dares to claim you, I'll kill them without mercy!' he thought.

He carefully laid her down and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. When he emerged, a towel was wrapped around his waist, another drying his long hair.

'Mark her, Rocco!' Hawke urged. 'Have patience, friend. We need to get to know her first. We can't be so intrusive. She's very frightened right now; we need to give her some time.'

'No! I don't want to waste time. I want to take her with us. I want to touch her, Rocco!'

A moan interrupted his conversation with his wolf.

His Luna was waking up. By the goddess of the moon, her eyes were stunning-turquoise blue. He stood there, mesmerized, as she blinked up at him.

She woke with no clue about what had happened. Her awareness dawned when she saw him, an attractive Adonis, standing with only a towel covering his... member. Though he wasn't the man who had attacked her, her immediate reaction was to inspect her body. Did she think he violated her?

It was slightly amusing to see her search her body for any signs of sexual assault. Her face was etched with worry, even a hint of anguish.

She looked at him and scurried to the corner of the bed as if he were a threat. He might be, but he intended to be patient. First, he wanted to learn more about her.

"What are you doing here? Why are you wearing that wedding dress? I want to know your name!"

"What are you doing in my house? And... walking around naked? Get off my property immediately!" She demanded.

As she then thought, 'I didn't know where I found the courage to kick him out, but I wasn't going to let myself be intimidated. Why is this happening to me? It felt like a dark cloud had settled over my head, bringing one misfortune after another.'

"How ungrateful you are, woman. Is this how you treat the man who saved you from your attacker? A simple thank you wouldn't be too much!" Rocco said.

"Thank you for saving me!" she said after a moment of thought.

"I've thanked you, so you can leave now. It's not appropriate for a strange man and a woman to be alone in the same room."

Once again, she was trying to kick him out. He didn't know how much longer his patience would last. He was on the verge of claiming her right there. If that was the problem, he decided to head to the kitchen bar to see if he could find something to eat.

The place was nearly empty, with only a can of pumpkin soup in sight.

"This place is more abandoned than a desert, Gryffin!" he called his beta through the link. "Get me food delivered to a cabin on the edge of the forest. Make it quick!"

"As you command, Alpha!" Gryffin responded.

He ended the link with his beta and prepared to wait for the food. Meanwhile, he noticed the bar was fully stocked. He searched for something to his taste and found a bottle of whiskey.

He poured himself a glass, and a voice behind him said, "Serve me one too."

Was that an order? His body tensed. He didn't take orders from anyone.

This little woman had a commanding tone, not even bothering to ask politely.

Still, he handed her the glass with as much grace as he could muster. As he turned around, he noticed how she enjoyed looking at his body. He knew she liked what she saw.

He downed the glass of whiskey in one go.

"More!" she demanded.

Damn, she was something else-so bold, so commanding.

But as she looked at him, he could see the awe in her eyes. She was captivated, and he couldn't blame her. He knew what she was thinking; he could see it in the way her eyes roved over him.

She found him divine, the most attractive man she'd ever laid eyes on. Her gaze lingered on his masculine features, and he could feel the weight of her admiration. His piercing green eyes held her, made her melt. She wanted more of him, and he was more than willing to give it.

He poured another glass of whiskey for his Luna, who seemed tolerant of alcohol.

"So, are you married?" he asked as he handed her the glass.

"Me? Of course not! Why do you ask?"

'Didn't I remember that, even torn and all, I'm still dressed as a bride from head to toe? The imposing man in front of me kept staring, revealing the obvious.'

A part of him relaxed upon hearing that she had no husband, though that wouldn't have been a problem for him. He would have killed him and solved the issue.

"So, do you like costumes? Are you one of those women who enjoy role-playing?"

"What? No, it's more complicated than that, and right now I don't want to talk about it. I'm going to take a shower, and I hope that by the time I'm done, you've already gotten your attractive ass out of here!"

His attractive ass? Was this little woman treating him like a damn gigolo?

She was giving him orders and talking to him like he was a whore. Who did she think she was?

A knock on the door put him on alert. He could smell that it was his men; they must have come with his order. He opened the door to let them in.

"Alpha!" they greeted him, and he simply nodded.

He told them to leave the things in the kitchen and get out. He instructed them to take care of the cabin and the surroundings. Roderic was nearby. Whoever caught him would get an extra bonus this month. His men were happy. They knew how generous he could be with rewards and how much of a bastard he could be with punishments-a pretty practical balance for him!

He prepared two steaks with steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes, set the table, and opened a bottle of red wine.

The door to the room opened, and his Luna emerged in a small navy-blue silk nightgown.

It was short, barely a few centimeters below her round ass. He noticed she wasn't wearing a bra because her nipples were visible through the fabric.

She wasn't wearing makeup, and her beautiful face hadn't lost its charm. He thought he liked her more this way, natural.

He was so lost in her presence that he barely noticed her voice cutting through his thoughts. "Are you just going to stand there staring at me, or are you going to invite me to eat whatever you've prepared?" she asked, crossing her arms, clearly aware of how he was devouring her with his eyes.

He cleared his throat, trying to shake off the haze. "Sit down," he said, gesturing to the table as he turned back to the stove.

He was grilling a steak, his favorite cut. "It's my favorite; I hope you like it."

Damn it. She noticed he couldn't stop staring at her. He thought she might bolt any second, run out of here as if he were some kind of threat.

Why the hell couldn't he control himself around her? He'd faced tougher situations in business without breaking a sweat, but here he was, anxious and fumbling. Damn it! Why was it so hard to keep his cool?