When the gods go to war, it's their people who suffer.
The moon was the most benevolent of them until they took everything from her. Vengeance turned her into the instrument of destruction, now those who destroyed her have to give her back what the...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Fatigue had long settled his shoulders, driving his weight to his feet, feet that felt as if they were encased in lead. He had never felt so weary, as if the next step was more than he could take, his muscles fighting to be acknowledged as the most painful. All Lex wanted was to crash and never wake up, maybe with his arms wrapped around his mate.
Nia. She wasn't like any Were girls he'd ever been around. Gentle, whereas the others were somewhat abrasive, and soft, unlike the tough exterior the others showed. Her sweet-natured smiles calmed his wolf like nothing else and he had noticed the same effect for others, more so with the older restless warriors.
He wanted to spend every waking moment with her, to take in every minute expression of hers. She made his heart soar without even trying and he missed her. They were living in the same house but he'd barely seen her in the three days she'd been here. Texting had to be the dumbest idea he'd ever come up with, it just wasn't enough.
Throwing himself onto his bed he groaned as his body ached even more as he relaxed into the soft mattress. He was tempted to challenge his father just so he'd not have one more day of this punishment. Being black and blue would be better than this.
'We need to eat.' His wolf reminded him.
'Aldrich and Leo's cooking is just as bad as mine.' He grinned, his mood lightening for the first time that day. 'Dad punished everyone who has to eat at the pack house with that.'
'The other Alphas are still here.'
Lex chuckled gleefully at the censure in the wolf's tone. 'An Alpha should always plan ahead.' He quoted one of his father's favorite lecture topics wishing the Alpha was here to hear the sanctimonious saying.
'Stop being a brat, Lex!'
He laughed out loud at that, aggravating his wolf always made him feel better. 'Why Lexion don't be like that, you should be grateful you're the only one lucky enough to see me at my best.' He teased.
Since they had a dual nature but shared the same body regardless of the form, a wolf and his human shared the same name. The human side usually took the shortened version with the wolf getting the full one or in some cases they had different nicknames of their name. Lex had found it awkward after his first shift when the wolf had introduced himself, but his excitement had pushed even that aside.
'I'm sure our mate will be impressed.' The wolf countered.
Lex's mood soured at the thought of Nia. For a second he had almost forgotten how much he missed her, even if their meetings tended to be painful. He just needed to be close to her, to breathe in her scent and watch for that sweet shy smile she had. Damn, his father anyway. Couldn't he have left just half an hour for them to be together?
His wolf wasn't helping either, talking about her every other minute, taking in her scent as if he were starving every time they came across it. It was driving him insane. His heart even physically ached from missing her. Good thing his friends had no idea what a sap he was turning into.
A knock sounded at his door and he cursed to himself. He was too tired to go all the way to his front door and shouting was just too exhausting.
'It could be Nia.' The hope in his wolf's voice had him by his bedroom door before he had finished the sentence. Tiredness was forgotten at the sweet possibility that his mate could be at his door. It didn't matter that she still didn't trust him enough to be alone with him so most likely wasn't there. Just the possibility had his heart lifting. 'The knock was tentative.' The wolf supplied. 'It has to be our mate.'
Her scent hit him as he strode through his living room, coming from the other side of the door. His heart raced and he nearly tripped as he rushed to the door. "Be cool Lex, casual." He reminded himself as he opened the door.
She stood uncertain just outside, her lower lip caught between her teeth and a becoming blush highlighting her cheeks. He wanted to sweep her into his arms, kiss her until they had to come out for air and maybe even beyond that need. Instead, he settled for a smile.
Her answering one sent his body into overdrive then she went back to nibbling at her lip and fire twisted itself through him. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him? He shifted to hide himself as he leaned on the door.
She looked around the passage, as if afraid someone would see her. "Can I come in?" Her soft voice sounded unsure, like a part of her doubted he would let her in or maybe feared to come in.
There was no way she couldn't hear his heart, jumping and racing through his chest as it was. He wanted her in his apartment, needed to have her scent around it.
"Come in." He cringed at how his voice shook a little, hoping she hadn't noticed.
As she came in, her gaze took in his living room. He wondered what she thought of it. It was comfortable, nothing really matched but it came together for him, unlike the designer décor his mother had initially saddled him with. The monstrously big couch was one of those that swallowed you when you sat down and he loved it.
"Sit." He invited, then felt like an idiot for treating her like a dog, not even their wolves were commanded like that. "I mean, that is if you want to." He stammered. Could he be any more of a dork?
She smiled again, the kind that melted a guy in ways he wouldn't ever admit to. Her smile widened as his couch enveloped her, "Wow, this is so... wow."
He laughed, going to sit next to her. "Yeah, I like it too."
Lex sensed how nervous she felt, a part of his alpha nature that helped him reassure, control or even manipulate people, not that he ever would. Somehow the fact that she was as nervous as he made him feel better, more confident.
Shock raced through him, freezing him to his seat. By instinct, his arms went around her. Taking a deep breath filled him with her scent, a cool fragrance that he knew he could never describe. The closest he could come was the sense of moonlight, the wild, invigorating draw it held for weres.
Her lips were pressed hard against his, her eyes closed tight and her heart running a marathon. This was the last thing he had expected. Unsure, he relaxed against her, loosening his hold so she wouldn't feel constrained. As if that was what she was waiting for she relaxed against him and he took over the kiss.
For the first time, he felt complete, like he had been running all his life without knowing where he was going. At last, he knew. She was sunshine, his lodestone. So perfect in his arms, as if she had been made for them. Her taste was sublime, addictive.
She ran her fingers through his hair, her other hand tracing the contours of his back. He kept his hands loose around her, unwilling to scare her in any way.
"You're so beautiful." That was all he could say when they finally broke apart.
"Thank you." She whispered. Smiling she leaned in for another kiss.
