The Perfect Luna by Marissa Gilbert

Chapter 17 Stinging

Riannon did not know how to react to this question. How did he guess?

Maya told her that she still smelled like a werewolf and an Alpha at that. So, it couldn’t be her scent.

Yet somehow the Lycan king already knew that her wolf was missing. This was not the first time he was

asking about Onyx. And Ria wasn’t stupid to consider it simple politeness. He wanted answers.

But so did she.

Even though everyone around them was ready to faint as soon as they were close to Gideon, she did

not feel this way at all. She was sure that he wasn’t going to hurt her. Not at all. He did not give her that

vibe. He felt like… She wasn’t sure like what. Not a friend.

Definitely not a friend.

Anyway, this was not important as he was staring at her expectantly with his arms crossed on his

chest. His deep green eyes were on her and she felt pressured to give him an

answer.

“My wolf is not talking to me,” she said, choosing her words deliberately. She did not

want to lie to him. For some reason, she knew that it was very important to never lie to him.

And it was the truth at the end of the day. Some part of Onyx had to be there since she still had her

werewolf senses and physical strength. But no matter how much Riannon tried to call for her wolf, Onyx did not reply to her. Thus – they were not talking.

“Hmm,” the Lycan king was watching her with a hint of doubt in his eyes, “For how long?” “A few days,”

Ria coughed. What was it? An interrogation?

“What happened prior?” he asked and it made her flinch, letting him know that there was

something there.

She paused and he got tense. Just what was it that made her wolf go away? Did

someone hurt her? Sometimes, in very rare cases, wolves were retreating to the back of their host’s

mind to recuperate if something terrible happened to them. Gideon’s fists clenched on an instinct as he

imagined that someone may had hurt his precious mate.

“It’s personal,” she said, turning away. But he couldn’t let it like that.

“Riannon,” he stepped right behind her, itching to close her in his arms, “It’s okay. You

can tell me. If you want, it will forever stay just between us. But I need to know.”

For a second there she contemplated telling him the truth. Would he believe her?

Maya did.

But Maya was different. They knew each other for so long that they were practically

While Gideon was new in her life. For goddesses’ sake, he wasn’t even her kind. He was a lycan and a

royalty. And she needed his help to get her divorce and pack back before anything. What if she told him

everything now and he considered her crazy? There would be no way he would let a crazy Alpha take

reigns of her pack.

No, telling him that she died and was brought back in time wasn’t an option at all.

She needed something else. But not a lie.

“Well,” she turned to face him, finding him way too close. But she gathered all her

strength and looked him in the eye. “What do you think happened?” she furrowed her brows,“ My

husband of 6 years brought home his true mate, breaking our sacred promise to each other and

destroying everything I believed in within one day in spite of me being the one wearing his mark.”

She noticed his Adam’s apple twitching slightly as if it was suddenly hard for him to

breathe.

“Is that why she is gone?” he asked menacingly and for the first time, Riannon felt a

shiver go down her spine when she was with him.

“She did not tell me for sure,” Riannon chouse her words carefully again, “So, I am just

assuming.”

His face suddenly looked relieved. And also slightly… hurt. Why did he take those

matters so close to heart?

Then again, this was probably why he was considered to be such a good king. He was concerning

himself with the matters of his subjects.

Unknowingly, Ria rubbed the mark on her neck as it started stinging slightly. This was

happening a lot to her lately.

“This omega,” Gideon continued, “Is she always like that?”

“Usually she is worse,” the Luna muttered under her breath, but it did not escape the

lycan.

“Then your husband is an i***t,” the man snorted and it made Riannon smile, which she tried to get

back under control immediately.

“Don’t hide that smile,” he told her at once, shocking her slightly, “It looks good on you and I prefer

my… allies to be honest with me about their feelings.”

She swallowed. So, herinner hunch was correct. He did not like being lied to. Not that

politician to know that. So, she just nodded to him and curled the corners of her lips a bit again to his

satisfaction. His eyes lingered on her lips for far too long and she turned away from him, feeling how

unnecessary heat was rising inside of her by the minute. Just why did this lycan had been influencing

her so much?

“So,” she cleared her throat, “You are seriously considering helping me?”

“I already promised you, didn’t 1,” he stood right next to her and his hand accidentally brushed over

hers, making her feel… tiny tingles.

Tingles! Her eyes darted to his at once but he only looked at her expectantly.

No, this couldn’t be. This was probably in her head. At least that was what she tried to

convince herself in.

And also it was nothing like the mate tingles. She experienced those after Brayden marked her and this

was definitely more intense.

Her mark started stinging again and she rubbed it more furiously while trying to gather her thoughts.

“What is it?” Gideon looked at her with sincere concern on his face and she opened her mouth to try

and explain it, but he already took her hand into his, opening the view of her mark and lowered himself

to have a better look at it.

She felt slightly embarrassed at that. The marks of chosen mates were just red ugly scars. Everybody

knew what they were of course, but it wasn’t the same as what true mates had. No matter how they

wanted to pretend that it was.

True mate marks looked like two crescent tattoos looking at each other. And deep inside this was what

Riannon was dreaming of every time she looked in the mirror.

C

But Gideon’s hot breath on her neck distracted her from her thoughts. He was close.

Almost too close and he brushed his thumb over her old scar gently, making her feel things.

“It looks a bit inflamed,” he said with worry in her voice and she gasped. Inflamed? Why the hell was

her mark inflamed?!

A loud growl distracted them from each other and Riannon turned her head to see one very pissed

werewolf glaring at the two of them…