The Hidden Luna Queen 2

MAEVE POV

I slowly awoke to the sensation of fingertips tracing the length of my bare back. Slow. Gentle. Full of sweet, seductive, adoring intent. Huh...

There's something oddly familiar about all of this...

Groggily, I stretched, enjoying the way the silk bed sheets wrinkled underneath my skin, the cool fabric soothing to the touch. Not a trace of grass to be felt, nor did I feel the wonderful spring sun rain down on my body. I was back in my room, gazing up at the wooden canopy and the red drapes fluttering in the breeze, like I was supposed to be.

It really was just a dream, then... I mused, admittedly feeling a little downcast. It was so lovely, too...

The alpha in my bed, however, did not allow me to dwell on those feelings for long.

A low hum rumbled from the depths of my throat as Xaden's kisses traveled from my shoulder to the curve of my neck. My lips pulled into a slow, easy smile. “Good morning..."

"Good," he purred, nibbling at my earlobe, making me shudder. "You're finally awake."

I gasped with a short squeal, suddenly finding myself flat on my back and boxed beneath my fiancé's figure, thick and solid with muscle and... still very naked. In my daze, his reverent gaze raked over me, draped behind tousled dark chestnut hair. My arms moved or their own accord, lifting to shyly shield my body from those penetrating eyes.

"You... you're in an especially good mood today."

He brushed away my bedraggled hair from my face with the most tender touch. "It just feels so damn good to have a fiancee."

My nose crinkled. "Haven't we technically already been engaged for over a month?" I asked, smiling.

"Yes, but you did not have this," he said, tracing his finger along the edge of the sparkling ring he gifted me last night. Looking at my hand... remembering the intimate details of everything we said... everything we did... made my stomach flutter. "Now everyone will know that you-"

He pulled my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles gently.

"-are mine."

I gazed up at him, admiring his perfect, dark hair around his face, that adoring look in his eyes. "I have always been yours." He lowered his head to press his lips to my left cheek, dragging them to my forehead. "And I, yours," he said, trailing down to my right cheek. "Even if it took me a while to find you." He moved down to my chin, intentionally avoiding my needy mouth. "I'll always find you, no matter how long it takes me."

A sigh slipped past my lips, pulling him closer and closer.

I want you.

I want more of you.

And then, all of a sudden, three brisk knocks sounded at the door, startling me with a jolt and forcing me to pull away. Xaden, however, paid it no mind at all, continuing to mark my skin with his hungry mouth, the full weight of his body still pressed against mine with absolutely no intention of leaving any time soon.

Prince Xaden?"

That was Burke's voice.

"I apologize for the intrusion, but you have quite a bit of work to tend to. Could you please come to your office in the next five -no, ten minutes? I shall get started in the meantime."

Once I heard the clack of his leather shoes walk away, becoming faint with every step, I let out a short sigh of relief.

"I thought he'd never leave," Xaden muttered. I could feel his sly grin stretch over my skin before he lifted himself to hover above me. "Now, where were we?" The words left his lips in a slow, seductive purr.

I bit back a smile, pressing my hands against his hard chest. "No..." I drawled, teasing him. "I want to get up-and you need to leave."

"Do we?"

I kissed him gently. "We do."

With a loud sigh, he pulled away from my body and out of bed. I watched him tidy himself up and get dressed. My gaze dragged over his tall frame, appreciating the beauty of his body until he was fully clothed. And, after a short sweet kiss to my forehead, he was gone. I was alone.

Well... I thought, lifting my hand to take in the treasure I now wore. I supposed I wasn't really all that alone. The blue-purple stone looked just as magnificent in the morning light, if not more stunning, making my heart soar.

I couldn't get enough of it.

I couldn't get enough of him.

In such a short amount of time, he had woven himself in me so deeply, so tightly, that I couldn't distinguish where he ended and I began. Every atom, every fiber of my being hummed with the sensation and memory of him, as if he had always been there to begin with. Don't I wanted to chastise myself.

I shouldn't feel this way. Life taught me from a very early age not to become so dependent on the kindness of others. Not when it was so easy for them to leave.

My vision began to blur, pooling with unshed tears.

Damn it. Not now... I just want to be happy. Let me be happy.

I took a breath, pinching my eyes shut in the hope that that would push down the intrusive thoughts that loomed over me with their dark shadows. I didn't want my demons anymore. I didn't need them.

But-

I opened my eyes, my cheeks suddenly dampening with the falling of those damned, unwanted tears, one by one, drop by agonizing drop.

-they wouldn't leave me alone. A token of the curse so graciously gifted to me by my doting father and his kin.

Would they be all that remained of me once all of this waiting and worrying was over?

Would they outlast the warmth of Xaden's light in my life...?

I choked back a sob, throwing a hand over my mouth to quiet myself. Just thinking about it was torture... a nightmare. He was my every dream, my every hope.

If I were to lose him... if I were to lose that special bond we had...

I didn't know if I could survive that.

THIRD PERSON POV

The scribble and scratch of pen against paper echoed throughout the room of Xaden's private office as Prime Beta Burke made himself busy. The next few days were bound to be busy and there was so much work to be done. But there was one thing he needed to address.

"Are you quite done?” he asked nonchalantly, not even bothering to look up. "I can smell your resentment from here."

Xaden let out a huff. "A pinch of that tact would have been nice ten minutes ago."

"Not when you have a big event happening in five days that we need to be ready for."

"What does an extra hour or two matter in the grand scheme of things," Xaden grumbled at his desk as Burke glanced up,' when we have all of five days to get things done?"

Burke raised his hands in a display of innocence. “You had all of yesterday evening, and all of last night to do whatever you wanted. It's not my fault you're a busy alpha prince."

Evidently, this turned out to be the wrong thing to say to a hungry alpha.

"Oh, you ignorant little beta," Xaden taunted with a loud, obnoxious sigh. "One day, when you have your own mate that you adore, you will understand what it is I am going through. And when that day comes, I promise, as your best friend-" He leaned in with a deceptively sweet smile.

"-that I will return the favor tenfold." He clapped the beta on the shoulder with a loud smack. "Ever heard of a wonderful little thing called karma?"

Lesson learned.

Never interfere with an alpha and his luna.

"How about you think of it this way," Burke offered, trying to take the heat off his back. "If you finish your work early, then whatever free time you have accumulated can be used to your heart's content."

After a short thoughtful pause, Xaden huffed once more. "Very well."

Despite himself, Burke couldn't help but chuckle.

In all honesty, he could not remember a time when his friend was this blissfully happy. He knew all too well how much the prince loathed the arrangements the king made on his behalf, each one chosen specifically-and solely because of the alpha blood that coursed through their veins.