The Hidden Luna Queen 2

I figured that might've been the case, but when I opened my eyes, I saw not my bedroom, but a meadow filled with lush, purple wildflowers and a bright, beaming sun shining down on me, surrounded by tall, sweeping grass.

I was back in that dream world. That could only mean I would soon hear-

"Maeve..." the voice greeted me, warm and welcoming and filling me with pure light. "It's been some time..."

I bit my cheek, smiling weakly at nothing in particular. However silly it might have been, I got the sense that this disembodied voice was more than that and could truly see me. I only wished that I would, one day, be able to have the favor returned. "I'm sorry," I said. "I'm not quite sure how to control this... if it's even something that's within my power to control, that is."

"I am only here because you allow me to be..."

Admittedly, I wasn't sure how to feel about that. Hearing the voice always felt like coming home after a long trip, and sounded like the purest form of love I could imagine. I would give anything to be able to listen to this voice. But...

"I wish I could say the same," I said, slumping with guilt against the flowing meadow, "but every time I speak to you, I hear something I don't want to hear."

"Little lamb..." the voice cooed, instantly washing over me like warm sun rays on a cold day, drowning my worries away. "None of this is meant to scare you... this is only to prepare you for what is to come..."

"But why me...?" I asked, feeling helpless. "Why is the burden mine to bear? I feel like I'm being forced into a story in which I have no place. I have no support, no guidance... and, in the end, I...I'm just... me...

"Maeve... what you do not yet realize is how hard the universe worked to bring you to life. You are someone that has been long awaited... someone that is desperately needed in ways that you cannot even begin to imagine

My heart pounded as I mulled over what that meant. It was a confusing blend of feeling like one of my childhood dreams come true-of finally feeling like my existence had purpose-and, at the same time, feeling like the weight of many worlds falling atop my shoulders.

What did this voice mean by that...?

"But you must tread carefully, little one... there are those waiting in the shadows, keeping their watchful eye on you... and on the baby..."

The moment my mind registered those words, it was like everything came to a standstill. All the lovely purple wildflowers, the tall grass, and even the leaves on the trees in the far distance.

The world just... stopped.

Had I heard the voice correctly? Someone wanted my baby? I could hear the blood rush in my ears amid the tense silence.

Instinctively, I threw my hands onto my pregnant belly, as if to shield the unborn life that rested within. "W-Who wants my baby?" I demanded, feeling almost sick to my stomach, as well as a burning urge to protect my innocent child. "What do they want with him?" "Do not under any circumstance-let him near the baby, Maeve.."

A cold chill rolled up my spine. Again, there was that mention of "he." It had been some time since I last mulled over these warnings, but what I'd heard last time immediately flashed in my mind.

There was an alpha I needed to be wary of. Someone I couldn't yet identify. Someone who was either close to me, or soon would be.

He must be the one who wanted my baby.

My blood boiled, hot and feverish throughout my body like nothing I had ever felt before. This child was one of the only things I could claim that was truly mine. My unborn son, little and innocent and pure, would never endure even a moment of what I did my entire life. To think that someone wanted him for their own selfish gain sickened me.

Infuriated me to my core.

"I won't let anyone take my baby from me," I vowed darkly, sounding surprisingly similar to Xaden in tone. "No one."

In my blind, frightened fury, I felt the frozen world around me start to melt away piece by piece. Everything faded to darkness. Nothingness.

And when I woke up, drenched in a cold sweat, I let out a sigh, even though my worries were far from over.

The sun had yet to rise, and Xaden's arm was still wrapped tightly around me. It must have only been a few hours since we went to bed. Trembling, I burrowed deeper against his warm body like he would be able to shield me and our baby from harm, even in sleep. He was here. He would not let anything happen to us.

So, why did I feel so utterly alone...?

XADEN POV

When I woke up that morning, I was completely and utterly alone.

Maeve's delectable, sweet scent, which had been so potent when I went to sleep, was resorted to little more than a gentle waft in the morning breeze.

With a groan, I let myself wake up, my eyes fluttering open. Soft beams of the morning sunlight shone through the windows, basking the bedroom with the golden-red glow of the rising dawn. The spot next to me, where she slept mere hours prior, was empty. All that remained was the indentation her body left in the mattress.

Instantly, I got a jarring sense of deja vu.

The last time I experienced anything remotely similar to this was the morning after we first slept together. Back then, we were still perfect strangers with no real belief of ever seeing each other again. Now, after how tightly wound we'd become, it was more than a little unsettling.

But this was nothing like that first morning. She was here. I could feel it deep in my soul.

I just had to find her.

After throwing on a robe, I wandered the house in search of my mate, letting my body guide me as if I knew subconsciously where she tucked herself away. It was like there was an invisible thread that bound the two of us, and all I had to do was follow it, listen to the thrums it hummed. With every step, the hums vibrated louder and louder until I found myself in the archway of the kitchen. And there she was.

Standing alone at the counter, illuminated only by the rising sun that shone brightly through the kitchen windows, was my future mate, still dressed in her nightwear with her back facing me. Her black hair, which had been braided last night, dangled in loose, disheveled waves, not yet brushed.

My chest swelled with warmth. Maeve was here, although she didn't seem to be aware of my presence just yet. As I got closer, I could see was busy stirring something in a large bowl.

But I didn't have the patience to find out what. My eyes were glued on her dazzling figure.

Wordlessly, I pulled up behind her and wrapped my arms around her lithe frame, feeling the startled jolt she made until she realized it was me.

"You scared me," she said with a short exhale, relaxing into me as she put down the bowl she'd been holding. The warmth of her soft body against mine and the sensation of her fragrant scent flooding into my system once more invigorated me, more so than any cup of coffee could ever dare to try.

"I could say the same to you," I countered lightheartedly, pressing kiss after kiss over the curve of her shoulder. "You were nowhere to be seen when I woke up."

"I'm sorry..." she said, sounding a little guilty. "I had some trouble getting back to sleep after a strange dream."

"So you decided to come down here and cook?"

I felt her stiffen underneath my touch, making me frown a little. "I-I can sto-"

"What were you in the mood to make?" I prompted gently, letting my hands roam down to caress her hips.

To be honest, seeing the woman who was to be my Luna cook something herself came as a shock. That was no longer a responsibility of hers. And because she had only recently been freed from a life of servitude, I'd thought she wanted as little a reminder of her past as possible.

But maybe this wasn't about reminders.

Maybe this was a matter of falling into a habit she found familiar... something that made her comfortable.

I knew her reaction to my prodding was only a defense mechanism she'd developed from her days at Moonstone, under the unforgiving eye of those lowlives she called family, but I couldn't deny the pang in my heart to know that it was still there. How long, I wondered, would it take for her to be completely free from such thoughts?

"... found this cookbook," she admitted, gesturing toward an open book that rested atop the kitchen counter that had evaded my attention until now. "It's full of recipes I've never tried before and I... I guess I wanted to try my hand at it."

Curious, I glanced over the open page. "Pancakes, hmm?" I mused, letting my gaze wash over the counter, where a variety of ingredients were splayed out. “And apples, I see. Hopefully out of range of any salt and pepper this time," I teased lightly. She let out a giggle. The sound was music to my ears.

"Perhaps not, since this is supposed to be a sweeter recipe," she remarked, and I could hear the smile in her voice without seeing it. "But I may change my mind by the time I'm done with everything."

I didn't know what sort of dream she must've had that was able to frazzle her so significantly, but whatever it was, it did a number on her.

So, the question I subsequently asked came as a shock to not only her but myself, as well. "What can I do to help?"

She blinked in sheer disbelief. "You want to help me cook?"

"Of course." I tried to seem nonchalant although I had no idea what I was getting myself into. "How hard can it be?" I asked, to which she raised an amused eyebrow. "Don't you just mix ingredients together and then heat it up?" The corners of her mouth upturned. "It's a little more complicated than that. Since you're a beginner, why don't you take this," she suggested,

offering me a small bowl filled with a few eggs, "and whisk them together? Once you're done, you can pour some cheese and these diced vegetables into the mix. I'll tell you what to do next afterward."