"A proposition?" I stared up at Alpha Damon Cross, my heart pounding.
The mate bond buzzed between us like live wire. All my instincts cried out to me to go nearer, to put my arms around him, to take possession of what destiny was evidently settling on me. But instinct had betrayed me before. Instinct had led me to Kai.
"Yes," Damon said, eyes locked on mine. "But not here. Too many ears."
He nodded toward the pack house, where the porch was filled with curious faces. Kai was among them, pushing through the crowd with a look that hovered between jealousy and anger.
"My Beta will handle the introductions," Damon said, gesturing to one of his riders. "You and I need privacy."
"I do not think that is a good idea," I replied, stepping back. "I do not even know you."
His smile was razor sharp. "But you feel it. The pull. The recognition. Your wolf knows me."
He was not wrong. My wolf practically vibrated with longing, but I had learned to ignore her when it mattered most.
"The mate bond does not mean anything," I said. "I already learned that."
Something flickered in his eyes. "So you have been mated before."
"Rejected," I corrected. "By him." I nodded toward Kai, now approaching fast.
Damon's entire posture shifted. "He rejected you?"
"Three years ago. He is marrying someone else tomorrow."
The words tasted bitter. Damon's expression darkened.
"Interesting." He stepped in front of me slightly, just as Kai arrived.
"Alpha Cross," Kai said, tight-lipped. "We were not expecting you until tomorrow."
"Plans changed," Damon said without looking at him. "I was eager to see what your pack had to offer."
The words carried weight, and Kai bristled.
"Perhaps we should speak inside. My father is waiting."
"In a moment," Damon said coolly, still watching me. "Miss Stone and I are having a fascinating conversation."
"Aria is not involved in pack business," Kai said stiffly.
"Is she not?" Damon's tone sharpened. "She is an adult wolf. A member of your pack. Or does she not have the same rights as others?"
Kai hesitated, trapped. Anything he said would insult me or contradict the laws he claimed to uphold.
"Of course she does," he said eventually.
"Good," Damon said. Then he looked at me. "My proposition. I need a Luna."
The words echoed around us. Even the closest pack members audibly gasped.
"A Luna?" I repeated, barely a whisper.
"My pack has been without one for two years, since my previous mate passed. We are strong, but incomplete." He stepped closer. "The mate bond does not lie. You are mine, and I am yours. The only question is whether you are brave enough to claim what belongs to you."
"You are asking me to leave my pack. To be your Luna."
"I am asking you to stop accepting scraps when you could have everything."
His words hit harder than they should have. Twenty-four hours before Kai's wedding, I was being offered the life I had once begged for.
"This is absurd," Kai cut in. "Aria is not Luna material. She has no training. She has never even seen combat."
"And yet," Damon said, "the Moon Goddess chose her. Are you saying she made a mistake?"
Kai paled. No Alpha would risk implying that the goddess was wrong.
"I am saying the bond does not always make sense."
"Ah," Damon said smoothly. "So you rejected your mate for logic. How very Alpha of you."
His voice dripped sarcasm.
"It was necessary. For the good of the pack."
"Was it?" Damon stepped closer. The difference between them became clear. Damon was taller, broader, a wall of power and presence.
"Tell me, Alpha Morrison. How did rejecting your goddess-given mate help your pack?"
"Sophia brings alliances. Resources."
"And Aria brings nothing?"
Kai hesitated. "She is kind. Gentle. But leadership requires strength."
Damon turned to me. "What do you do, Aria?"
"I am a trauma nurse. At the human hospital."
"A trauma nurse," he repeated, reverently. "You save lives. You make critical decisions under pressure. You bring hope when everything is lost."
"It is just a job," I said softly.
He looked at me like I had said something sacred. "You pull people back from death. You are stronger than most warriors."
My throat tightened. No one had ever spoken about my work like that. To my pack, I had always been someone to be tolerated, never admired.
"Kai," a new voice interrupted. Sophia appeared, poised as always. "Your father wants you."
She slipped her arm into Kai's, her eyes darting between Damon and me.
"Alpha Cross," she said sweetly. "I am Sophia Bell, Kai's fiancée. We are so honored to have you for our ceremony."
"Congratulations," Damon said, voice flat. "Though I must say, I am surprised. Your mate bond lies elsewhere."
Sophia's smile wavered. "Excuse me?"
"If Kai's true mate is standing here, that makes your union rather unconventional."
Her hand clenched around Kai's arm. "The mate bond is not everything. Sometimes leaders must make hard choices."
"Of course," Damon said. "And I am sure your people appreciate your sacrifice."
The insult was buried, but sharp.
"Perhaps we can continue inside," Kai said quickly.
"Actually," Damon said, "Aria and I need a moment alone."
"I do not think—" Kai began.
"It was not a request." Damon's Alpha command rolled over the crowd. Several wolves instinctively lowered their heads.
"She is not your Luna yet," Sophia snapped.
"No," Damon agreed. "But she will be. If she sees what is right in front of her."
He extended his hand toward me.
I stared at it. Three years ago, I had taken Kai's hand and felt the mate bond form. It had been beautiful. Until he threw it away.
Now another Alpha was offering me the same connection. But what if he walked away too?
"I will not reject you," Damon said quietly. "Whatever happens, that I can promise."
The words broke something open in my chest.
"Aria," Kai said urgently. "Think this through. You know nothing about his pack or his reputation."
"What about his reputation?"
"He is dangerous," Sophia said. "His pack is violent. Ruthless."
"We protect what is ours," Damon replied.
"You see?" she said. "He admits it."
"Why would I deny it?" he asked. "We are strong. We do not compromise."
Another jab. Another shot at Kai's political choices.
"My mate will be cherished," Damon continued, eyes on me. "She will never doubt her worth again."
My heart ached. It was everything I had wanted from Kai.
"It sounds too good to be true."
"The best things often do." He stepped closer. His scent was all pine and leather, wild and grounding. "The only question is whether you are brave enough."
"Aria, please," Kai said.
I looked at him. The boy I had loved. The man who had let me go.
"You mean like you were?" I asked.
His face crumpled. "That is not fair."
"No. It is just true."
I placed my hand in Damon's. The mate bond surged, bright and undeniable. Red light wrapped around our joined hands. I gasped at the warmth, the power, the certainty.
"There is my girl," Damon murmured.
He led me away from the pack, toward the tree line. Behind us, voices rose. I heard Sophia's cutting tone. But I did not look back.
When we reached a quiet spot, I stopped.
"What exactly are you proposing?"
"Come with me tonight. Leave this pack behind. Become my Luna."
"Tonight?" I blinked. "But I have a job, a home—"
"You have a cage. A life spent apologizing for existing. You deserve more."
"It is not that simple."
"It is." He stepped in front of me. "You are not anyone's second choice. You are mine. My equal."
"How do I know this is real? That it is not about hurting Kai?"
"If I wanted to hurt Kai, I would not do it through you. I want you because you are mine."
I could barely breathe. "I am scared," I whispered.
"Good. Fear means you are about to do something brave." He leaned his forehead against mine. "I do not need your love tonight. Just your courage."
My voice shook. "What if I say yes?"
"Then you will never regret it."
And I believed him. "Okay," I said.
His grin lit up the shadows. "Go pack. We leave in an hour."
Footsteps pounded toward us. Kai's voice called out.
"Aria!"
I turned toward the sound, but this time, I was not trembling. This time, I was choosing.