Chapter 11: His Luna
I froze. My mate. He said it out loud. My heart slammed in my chest at the unexpected wave of warmth that bloomed through me. My wolf stirred, ears perked, tail wagging as if she’d been waiting to hear those words her whole life.
"She’s not safe to roam the island freely just yet," he continued. "So I’m assigning her personal protection while I prepare for tonight’s meeting. Johnson, Courtney, Luke, Mila. Step forward."
I blinked at him. Guards? Seriously? I bit my tongue, barely holding in my frustration. "Not safe to roam" sounded an awful lot like "not allowed to be free."
"I " I started, but yelped silently as he gave my hand another firm squeeze. Okay. Rude.
Four figures stepped forward two men and two women. They were all towering over me. One of the guys was even taller than Zaliver, which I hadn’t thought possible. It was kind of funny, watching a giant man bow to someone slightly shorter, but the room’s energy kept my amusement in check.
The women had their hair pulled back tightly in ponytails. One was pale with a jagged scar slashing through her right brow, her gaze hard but sharp. The other, tan-skinned with sharp cheekbones, had the kind of stern face that screamed no-nonsense. As for the men well, the tall one with curly blond hair had a glint of mischief in his ocean-blue eyes, loose strands falling over his forehead. The red-haired one, with piercing green eyes, reminded me of someone... Lana. That was it. He had her same calculating stare.
As they reached us, they dropped to one knee. Zaliver released my hand and walked forward, stopping now and then to look over each one. The room tensed, the air thick with anticipation. Then, he spoke.
"Will you protect her with your life?"
My breath hitched. Four guards. Four lives. Sworn to protect me.
"Yes, Alpha," they replied in unison, their voices firm.
I swallowed hard. No one had ever said that to me before. Not even close. The weight of those words wasn’t lost on me. My chest tightened.
"Because if you fail... you’ll pay with your life."
Damn. That wasn’t just protection. That was war-level devotion.
And still, something in me stirred. Even beneath the threat, I could feel his intent. My wolf lifted her head, eyes gleaming. See? He cares.
Maybe she was right. Maybe I had been too hard on him.
"Yes, Alpha," they echoed again.
Zaliver turned and came back to me, grabbing my hand once more. I didn’t resist this time. I let him pull me along, the sound of soft footsteps behind us telling me the guards had fallen into step. Out of curiosity or maybe politeness I peeked over my shoulder. The others kept a respectful distance, their gazes dropping as soon as I looked at them. Heat crept up my neck and I quickly turned back around.
"Why do they all bow their heads like that?" I asked, my voice small in the quiet hallway. Not the most important question I could’ve asked, but it was the one that escaped first.
He led me through a glass door, the cool air brushing over my skin and making me shiver.
"Because I’m a god," he said without pause. "And you are my mate. Refusing to bow would be a challenge to my authority. Other alphas answer to me, so they don’t receive that kind of respect."
I nodded slowly. I couldn’t say I understood it completely, but... it did make sense, in a strange werewolf-god kind of way.
"And the guards?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "You couldn’t give me a heads-up? Something like, ’Hey, I’m gonna assign you some shadowy bodyguards. Cool?’ That would’ve been nice."
He didn’t respond immediately, just glanced at me from the corner of his eye. A small smile tugged at the edge of his mouth.
Of course, that wasn’t a real answer.
Typical.
"This is no ordinary pack, Vivian. Your... existence, for lack of a better word, hasn’t been explained to them yet. Which means the pack doesn’t know who you are. You could easily be mistaken for an intruder," he told me, his tone serious.
I raised a brow and let out a short laugh. His expression didn’t shift, which only made me chuckle more.
"Oh please," I said, waving a hand, "You make it sound like I swam across the whole damn ocean just to sneak in here. Do you have any idea what lives in those waters? Sharks. And probably other scary stuff. I’m not about to get eaten just for a dramatic entrance." I muttered the last part mostly to myself, still slightly breathless from our walk.
I didn’t even realize Zaliver had turned to glance at me, a subtle smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He didn’t say anything, just shook his head in amusement and kept walking back toward the living room where we’d first started.
I followed, grumbling playfully, tugging my arm across my chest in a lazy stretch. "Man, that was a workout. What floor is this anyway?"
Zaliver reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. A few taps later, he looked up. "Fifth floor."
I blinked. "Fifth?! You’ve got to be kidding me. You better have an elevator. If I’m going to be stuck here, I’m claiming a room on the first floor. I’m not dragging myself up five flights every time I want a snack."
"We do. And no." His tone was firm, unapologetic.
I narrowed my eyes. "You do have an elevator? Then why the hell did we take the stairs? And what do you mean no?" I almost yelled, offended on a deeply spiritual level. That was just cruelty. I hoped he stubbed his toe on a wall corner. Though, knowing him, the wall would probably shatter first.
He didn’t even blink. "I said no, because you’re staying in my room. With me."
Before I could react, he pulled out a wallet and slid out a sleek black card. He handed it to me without ceremony.
"Wait "
"I have to go," he cut me off smoothly. "I’ll see you later. Go explore. And don’t leave her side," he added, speaking to someone behind me. "I expect her day to be perfect."
Before I could blink, he leaned in, wrapped me in his arms, and inhaled deeply against my neck. Then he was gone.
Like actual smoke, he vanished faster than I could process.
I was left standing there, mouth ajar, black card in hand, still feeling the ghost of his touch on my skin.
"What the hell just happened?" I muttered, spinning around in confusion.
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