Chapter Fourteen: Moonlit Reunion
There he is, Joshua the source of much confusion for Kiadaria. She has been his best friend, his Luna, and his victim. Being back at the Rising Moon territory feels familiar and her fear of Darius is in the back of her mind as finally, Joshua smiles at her with joy present in his shining blue eyes.
He moves into her space but appears to rethink that move, stepping back a touch. Joshua's voice is thick with emotion when he speaks. "I never imagined you would come back."
Kiadaria feels the same deep emotion. Her green eyes shining with unshed tears as she realizes she is happier to see him than she thought. At the sound of his voice, it's immediate and clear that she had been longing to be near him.
"I was afraid...and I made a mistake. The Rising Moon pack is my home." You are my home, she feels in her heart. The thought is shocking, but she bites back from saying so.
His eyes seem to take on a deep and revenant emotion. Joshua is deeply affected by her return and it's a way she's unused to seeing him. "Rising Moon will always welcome you. This will always be a place you can call home. I am so glad you're here."
Joshua gives her a gentle hug and she feels that she has made the correct decision. This is where she belongs and she missed her friend. However, she does notice that Joshua is different. In the past, this could not have happened without his insistence she return as his Luna. Nothing about Joshua's behavior demands her submission or that she give him her heart. Actually, he's coming off quite empathetic and aware she may have boundaries and doubts about this return. He tries not to crowd her space or touch her often. He's giving her space to breathe and that's too different.
Suddenly, she finds herself feeling vulnerable. Why doesn't he claim her as Luna? Is it possible that Joshua may not want her anymore? If he doesn't, is that what she really wants? For so long Kiadaria has run from his intensity, his passion, his claim but in the absence of it she feels a raw throbbing uncertainty that makes her feel lost and exposed.
As the days pass Kiadaria loves that Joshua feels like the friend she remembers. They have so many good moments and their original bond is strengthening and radiating brighter than ever. Everyone remarks on how they even appear to look like their younger selves again shining with ambition and youthful joy.
Joshua smiles brighter. His eyes dance with freedom and the heaviness of the possessive influence doesn't lurk anywhere within them. And yet, she can't get her mind off the mate bond and the dangers that lurk in the shadow. As much as she wants to pretend Darius hadn't happened and things are normal, she knows they aren't.
They are walking in the moonlight, enjoying the calm of the evening one night, when Joshua clears his throat. There is an intensity in his gaze. "Kiadaria, I want you to know that I regret forcing you to be my Luna. It wasn't fair of me and it wasn't loving. I still care for you, and I don't believe that will ever change, but I'm different now. I'll never hurt you the way I did again. I won't push you to feel a way you don't feel or make you feel that you have to be my Luna in order to be here."
His words cause her to search his face as she feels disappointed. She'd been hoping he would choose her again. She feels ready this time and she wants to explore the way he feels about her, the way she may feel about him.
"Joshua, I..." Kiadaria's words are thick, her eyes pleading for him to know how she feels although it's hard to express.
Before she can attempt to get the word out, Joshua leans in, his movement fluid and confident. Yet, he leaves space for her to resist. She has no intention to resist but instead wills that he does kiss her and his lips do brush against her own. Joshua uses a tender pressure that sucks her in. In the kiss expressing his passion, deep desire, and love. All of her fears melt away and her heart leaps with joy as she knows she loves him, wanted him then, and she still yearns for him now.
As the deepen the kiss, she's confident in her choice. She will follow her heart and reject the darkness of the mate bond with Darius, no matter the consequences.
With their lips parted, Kiadaria finds herself breathless and amazed she once feared the intensity of passion. She feared the way Joshua's touches made her feel and tried to say they were bad but now she feels ready to drown in him. His eyes are ablaze with desire, locked onto her, making her feel more beautiful than she's ever felt in her life. It's now or never, and Kiadaria knows she can not deny him any longer, she can no longer deny the passion between them.
Without words, they come together, entwining their bodies in a manner they've never explored before. She gasps from the claim of her virginity as he buries himself within her with control. He's tender and gentle. Joshua moves with love and Kiadaria's heart could burst from the compassion he pours into her. The moment is beautiful and not the frightening, forceful, act she'd feared all these years.
As they surrender to the passion that burned between them for years, Kiadaria feels Joshua's mate mark burning into her skin. The firery brand now seals their bond forever and makes her his rightful Luna. The consummation of their union gives her a sense of completeness that fills a place that transcends a lifetime.
"Joshua, you are my home. I belong to you." She whispers.
Joshua becomes undone and his passion heightens. Kiadaria becomes lost and all she can do is surrender. She loves him and this feels right. She hates all the time she spent resisting and being afraid.
Afterward, their hearts still race from the passion they shared. They are wrapped in one another's arms and glow from the intimacy shared. As they lay together, Joshua sheds light on his new change. He'd undergone an exorcism ritual which revealed and broke an ancient curse that had haunted him through lifetimes.
"Joshua," Kiadaria whispers. "There is something I have to tell you."
"Mhmm..." He replies with a curious lit.
Kiadaria takes a deep breath. "Before I left Darius, a wise wolf named Akira told me something that made me question everything about him."
Joshua becomes serious and sits up a little. "What was it?"
Kiadaria reveals all the secrets Akira shed light up on, the suspicion of Darius' use of dark magic and his suspicious behavior. She tells about the moment that made her flee. Joshua's face hardens as he comes to the realization that Darius may very well be the source of the curse.
Joshua's jaw works and his eyes are as a serpent's eyes. "I can't believe it never came to me before, but now that you mention all of this, there were times when Darius felt suspicious...secretive."
Kiadaria nods. "Akira thought it was possible that Darius used his dark magic to manipulate the situation. And since I've been back, I've been having like...flashbacks, hints that he may have never been my true mate."
Together, they begin to piece together clues with the determination to uncover the truth and break all curses off their lives. They will be happy together and run their pack in peace. But Darius is still out there, growing in darkness, his true intention unknown, and his actions yet to be revealed.
(Weekly update 1/2 Tue, August 27th, 2024)
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The Luna's Fated Choice
Werwolf"Trapped between two alphas... Kaidaira has been tormented by Joshua, her pack's ruthless alpha, since she was a teenager. But when Darius, a mysterious and handsome alpha, arrives with a claim to her heart, Luna's world is turned upside down. As sh...
