August's POV-
The bond between an Alpha and Luna is different from other bonds in a pack. Some people even think it's the most powerful bond to experience, and I've always wondered if it was true, but now I know it is.
It's not unheard of for an Alpha to mark his Luna more than once, but it wasn't a regular thing. It is seen as a weak decision for an Alpha because it only makes people think you are insecure with your mate. I did feel unsure with Emerald, though, and even though she was fully mine in every way, I still felt like it wasn't enough.
I just wanted it engraved into her bones that she was mine. Even with a shirt on, my mark on her clavicle was large enough to be seen, and I was proud. I wanted anyone, man or woman, to see it and know she was owned.
She was mine, and a Luna with multiple marks was seen as a dangerous female to be around by other males. The impact on her neck proved her to be mated, but the one on her collarbone was a warning to others to stay away. The one on her ass was just something for me to enjoy seeing.
It wasn't right, I know, but a part of me never wanted to leave this room with her. I didn't like the outside world ever getting to enjoy her. I tried to keep her hidden and all to myself selfishly. I was worried about how I would act when seeing her around other people now that we were mated. I felt overly possessive over her and couldn't stand the thought of someone else getting to hear her voice or smell her scent.
I didn't want her to ever lay those wild eyes of hers on anyone else except me. I didn't want her mind ever to linger away from thinking of me, and I couldn't stand the possibility of someone else making her laugh. Some Alpha's enjoyed showing their Lunas off like a trophy, something to be admired. Some enjoy seeing other males have lustful thoughts of their own Luna.
I couldn't be like that.
I would hurt someone for looking at her for too long. I wouldn't be able to handle thinking that some other male would be fantasying about what was mine. I wanted to keep Emerald hidden and never share her with anyone else.
She was sleeping soundly, and when I slowly got off of her, she pulled her knees to her chest, and I quickly covered her up before kissing her curly hair again. I walked to her bathroom, and the first thing I noticed was the blotchy red whelps that decorated my skin. I turned around to look at my back, and there were two red matching handprints burnt into my skin.
In a way, she was marking me too, I think, and I smiled when seeing her work on me. My thighs were burnt, and so were my palms from touching her scolding skin for too long. I enjoyed the feeling of her heated touch, though, and I loved that nobody else would get to experience it but me.
I cut the shower on and shut the door not to wake my Luna. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes, and when I came out of the bathroom, Emerald was still in a deep sleep. Her chest was heaving hard, and I knew my marking her would take a lot out of her. It would do more than that, though. When you mark your mate, for that small moment, your souls intertwine. I had forced ours to three times now. It was like pressing a button that shot more love morphine into your veins, and she would be a lot more willing to leave with me now.
A part of me was guilty of doing it to her, but the other part of me was excited to know she'd be all over me when she woke up. I was crazy about her, and I couldn't take her not showing me the same level of affection towards me anymore. It hurt to feel like you wanted your mate more than they wished for you, and I wanted her to want me. I wanted her to beg for me as she had just done constantly.
I watched her sleep for another minute before grabbing my clothes off the floor and getting dressed. I walked downstairs and could hear my phone vibrating on the counter from the kitchen. When I held it, I could see Johnson calling me for the hundredth time. I hesitated a minute, but I answered the phone as I made my way to the back of the house and outside to the backyard.
"Are you missing me that much?" I asked when answering the phone.
"Not even a little." He said, chuckling back.
"How are you? How is the pack?" I asked him and shut the back door behind me.
"I'm fine, and so is everyone else. How did everything go with Emerald and Helen?" He asked, and I held my breath a minute before responding.
"It went fine. We both got to say our goodbyes, and we released Helen back to the moon goddess. I'm glad I decided to come here." I said to him.
"Oh, I bet you are! We are all so eager to meet our new Luna. Congratulations, August. I know how long you've wanted this." He said, and I smiled because it was true.
I had wanted this more than anything for almost all of my life, and I couldn't be happier about who my mate was.
"Thank you. She was worth the wait."
He chuckled, and I could picture the smile on his face even though I couldn't see him.
"So who is she? What is she like? When are you both coming back home?" He asked, and again I hesitated before responding.
"She is.. perfect. For our pack and me. We will be heading back first thing in the morning."
"I will let the others know, and we will start preparing for your arrival. We already started the build on your own home since I don't think you'll be wanting to stay in the packhouse anymore."
A zip of jealousy went through my veins at the thought of her staying in the same house as other unmated males.
"Good. Do me a favor? Invite the Kyser's over, too, since we will be celebrating." I said, and he hummed in understanding.
"So, tell me. How was it seeing Emerald again? Is she going to be okay on her own?" He asked me.
I don't know why I wanted to hold back that Emerald was my mate. My pack and Johnson only knew her as a small girl that I had found. What would they think when they found out that small girl that I had bonded with so long ago was now my mate?
Of course, I knew I didn't see her in the way I do now, but still. It took me a while to accept it, and it's still taking a lot to convince Emerald, even with her being marked. How would they take that kind of information?
"She is strong, and she has a mate, so she will always be cared for, " I finally said.
"Well then, I guess everything worked out, didn't it?" He said, and I chuckled at how little he knew it did.
"Johnson, I need to tell you something, and if I don't say it now while I'm in a good mood, I might not say it later on."
He didn't respond, and I took that to say that he was listening.
"I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry I have been punishing you, and I'm sorry I pushed our friendship away. You were right. You are always right, and one day I'll stop questioning you and trust your word. Things for me have worked out better than I thought they ever would, and I owe thanks to you for it."
Johnson let out a booming laugh, and I had to bring the phone away from my ear because it was so loud.
"That mate bond is some powerful stuff, huh? Don't worry; you won't be so in touch with your feelings after a few days when you both adjust."
I rolled my eyes but laughed.
"I don't want us to adjust. I want it to stay like this." I said, feeling comfortable being open with him.
"Oh, trust me, I know how you feel, and it will for the most part, especially since you've insisted on marking our Luna more than once. What is with that, by the way? Are you trying to hurt her?" He asked, sounding a bit concerned.
I let out a sigh and tried to ignore the growing jealousy hearing him say 'our' Luna. She was only mine.
"She just needed a little reassurance," I said, but he didn't chuckle with me.
"Really? She resisted you even after the first mark?" He asked like it was a serious thing.
"Physically, no, but mentally.. she was still a little apprehensive about me," I said, suddenly feeling a bit insecure again.
He didn't say anything for a minute, so I tried to explain further.
"She wasn't overly concerned about finding her mate the way I was," I said to him.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Lunas are known to resent being mated, plus you have a strong- stubborn will, so I guess it only makes sense for your mate to be the same way."
I laughed slightly at this.
"You have no idea," I said to him, and this time he did chuckle along with me.
"Just don't do it anymore. You know how that looks to others." he said, but I didn't respond this time.
I was willing to mark Emerald as many times as it took to keep her full attention on me. I didn't care how unstable it made me seem to anyone else.
"So, what's her name? Everyone wants to know." Johnson said, and I bit my tongue to keep it from moving.
"It's unique, but I'll let her tell you herself when we get home," I said dismissively.
"Fine, hurry up and come home. You're not the only one waiting to meet your Luna, you know?"
"I know. We will be home by tomorrow night." I said to him, and we said our goodbyes before I hung up.
I sighed and looked up to see the bright blue moon starting to fall. I smiled when seeing it. I would never have to look forward to that blue moon again. This night would be a regular night for me from now on, and I will never go a day of wanting to find my mate.
I whispered a thank you to the moon goddess and a thank you to Helen before deciding to check on Emerald.
I went back inside the house, but when I walked into the kitchen, Emerald was standing there completely naked. Her green eye was glowing brightly at me, and small green flames were burning from her fingertips. Her hair was a wild mess, but it only made her look like that feral princess from the wild.
'Mate!' Her voice boomed into my head loudly.
She was quick to come to my side, and she wrapped her arms around my neck and lifted herself to wrap her legs around me. I held her bottom to keep her against me, and she hissed when my hand grazed against her mark that I had forgotten about. It didn't stop her from peppering my neck with hot kisses, though, as she moaned and whimpered against me.
"I know, sweet girl," I said to her and started to carry her to the living room.
I sat on the couch, and she stayed straddling my lap and never stopped her fierce attack on my neck. I ran my hands down her exposed back down and gripped her ass tightly to press her against me more.
"I know how you feel, but you need to rest. We have a long trip tomorrow." I said to her softly.
I closed my eyes and melted underneath her and relished in feeling so wanted and so cherished.
Even my words about leaving didn't slow her down, and I could feel her rock her hips against me in need.
'Touch me.' She said more like a demand than a request into my brain.
"Tell me again, and we will see," I said to her, and she rocked herself against me again.
"I'm yours. All of me is yours, so please fuck me. Please my Alpha." She demanded, and the back of my neck burned when feeling her hands on my skin.
"Watch your mouth; little girls don't talk like that," I said to her sternly, and she stopped her kissing frenzy and looked up at me.
"Yes, sir." She whispered while batting those long lashes at me.
This was something I wanted to hear play over and over on a loop. It made me feel even more sure that Emerald was explicitly made for me in every way. Only someone who took part in creating me would know what I wanted in every aspect of a mate, and the moon goddess had made sure that Emerald was that to a T.
"Go upstairs and wait for me," I said to her, and she wasted no time getting off of me and running back up the stairs to her room.
I smiled to myself as I ran my hands through my silver hair. It was the first time I had done it without it because of stress.
It was out of relief and pure contentment.
I waited much longer than last time before a sense of pleasure washed over me, and I knew that my Luna was too eager to wait any longer.