Moon Cursed (Book 2 in The Star and Her Moon Series)

Respect

**Mature Content Warning**

Raff

The mainstreet looked like a postcard. Trees tinged with the first colors of autumn, the breeze soft but crisp, and the air sweetened with baked goods and coffee. Few cars moved down the narrow road, most people preferring to commute by foot or bike on such a glorious September day. But Raff could enjoy none of it as he marched across the town with his thick brows furrowed and his lips wrenched into a scowl.

Meribella hadn't come home last night, and she hadn't called to let him know she would be staying on the boat. She'd warned him, but he'd assumed after they'd cleared the air, she would hurry back to their home, back to his arms. He'd gone to bed without calling her. It had been torture lying in the dark with her scent all around him, anger and fear warring in his chest, but he needed to prove to her that he valued her independence.

But this morning, when his phone lacked even a single text message, he'd refused to wait any longer. Meribella had long ago learned that if he was going to respect her right to be independent, then she needed to respect his desire to protect. Usually this meant he'd get some sort of message, even a single heart emoji, to prove that she was safe when she wasn't by his side.

A flash of gray drew his eyes to the lanky wolf pup at his side. Aurora had been nearly as restless as himself, and when she darted out the door this morning, he didn't stop her. She followed closely at his heels, her ears upright and eyes lacking their usual playfulness. The behavior didn't exactly settle his nerves.

Raff turned off the sidewalk and onto the boardwalk, the soles of his shoes slapping on the damp wood with every hurried step. The homey smells of mainstreet were nothing but memories here, and his nose twitched as salt and fish replaced cinnamon and chicory. He would've moved here if she'd asked, but he was so glad she hadn't.

He stopped in front of the boat and curled his fingers in his pockets. Everything looked to be in order from the outside, and a tendril of shame wound its way through his mind. There was every chance she'd fallen asleep late and had yet to rise. Which meant, there was every chance he was going to look like a fool.

Aurora whined up at him, and the first smile he'd worn all morning bloomed on his lips. "Thanks girl. If she asks, you wanted to see her? Got it?"

The wolf snorted and twitched her ears as if she understood what he was saying and found it comical. His own wolf nudged him to hurry up, and he wondered if Aurora could understand him. Or at least the wolf half of him. It was a theory he'd have to try later, because a cold rage blanketed him when the door swung open and an all too familiar odor greeted him.

Two empty wine bottles were sitting on the island, and they were accompanied by two empty wine glasses. A normal person might see this and assume Meribella had indulged with her roommate. But Thorne's fragrance was faint- it had been over twenty-four hours since the witch had been home.

Aurora froze, her hair raising and her lips peeling back to expose long canines as she began to growl. Ears flat against her head, she inched around the island and her snarls grew in volume. She too had caught the musky smell particular to selkies- one selkie in particular.

Meribella was slumped over on the small, window sofa, her black curls a tangled mess against cheeks still flushed with alcohol. The skinny jeans and cream sweater she'd been wearing yesterday were rumpled from sleep, and he spied a few drops of burgundy staining the material. Any other time, he'd have found the vision before him sweet, but her head resting on Caspian's lap spoiled the image.

The hulking blonde man stirred at their approach. The hand he had resting on the swoop of Meribella's waist slipped lower, pulling a snarl from Raff's throat. The selkie's eyes snapped open then, flashing from black to blue as he focused on the angry werewolf and wolf before him. But Caspian didn't look afraid.