Marked Claws (Mystic Bonds #2) | COMPLETED

20. Cara

"You called?"

Calm.

That's how I sounded as I addressed my mate, sitting high up on the throne in his empty throne room.

He raised his chin, golden eyes holding mine as I looked up at him. I knew what he was doing and I was not about to shy away from it.

"You know, love, this is my Palace and I have ears all around. There's nothing that happens here that I don't know about."

I mused, "That's impressive."

He stared down at me as he continued, "But things have changed."

I rose a brow. "Interesting."

"It is, isn't it?" His lips were curled up in a stiff smile.

Our mate bond pulsed, drawing me to him. But Xander had his end of the bond under control, none of his turbulent emotions seeping out.

"What have you been talking to Britt and Keely about?"

I knew he would ask me up front soon enough. Good thing because it's time I dropped much of my facade.

"I'd like to keep it a secret, Xander."

He quietened and the scent of sage and wood surrounded me, urging me, coaxing me to tell him everything as it lulled me into a sense of tranquility.

"That doesn't bode well, love. I know everything in this Palace and I can't risk anything." He stressed.

"Are you saying you don't trust me?" A play with words.

His golden eyes glowed predatory, "Well, it is getting harder to trust you."

And there it was. Open admission.

"Well, I apologize but I can't tell you confidential things." My words were matter-of-fact.

Silence swept over and he stared at me hard, pulling on our mate bond and making me feel all sorts of things.

Before he could say more, I decided to bring up another controversial topic. "If I need to go somewhere, will you let me?"

"Depends." His gaze narrowed, hands clenching over the armrests of his gilded throne. "You're my mate and the Luna as well. It won't be easy."

His anger and discomfort flowed into me like they were like my own emotions.

Xander was strongly averse to the idea of me not being in his sight. Of course I understood the reasons behind that but still.

Protective instinct rose in him, his claws extending at the mere thought of distance between us. Xander's breathing grew heavy, the muscled chest heaving.

He wouldn't willingly let me go anywhere.

I may be Luna Queen and an Equal but as an Alpha, protecting his mate was his first priority. And since we had culminated our relationship recently, he craved touch.

A memory flitted into mind and I internally chuckled.

Although everyone had thought Xander being an Alpha would be the most overprotective, Lucien was the one who never let me out of his sight. His sense of protecting me was so heightened that he'd never let me be alone for a moment if he could. The amber eyed Shifter was the most overprotective.

What a surprise it'd been.

And now it was the exact opposite.

But I only had myself to blame so....

The glorious structure of Adalda's throne room failed to faze me. The beautiful crystal chandeliers and gold carvings were sublime and yet the best structure I could find in the room was a man, a predator, built handsomely like a God.