Chapter 23 Luna Aquamarine's POV D About fifteen minutes had passed . I heard heavy footsteps coming to the chamber door . The sound was clear . Alexander had a strong walk. It got attention even through thick walls . Aaron spoke through the door . His voice was respectful but alert . " Primus Alexander." " You may go , " Alexander said back . His tone was short and bossy . The door opened with a soft creak . Alexander stepped inside . His presence filled the room right away . It made the big chamber feel smaller . His once perfectly styled hair was a bit messy . There was stress on his shoulders . It had not been there before the fight . " Katherine , Juliet ," he said right away . His eyes found mine across the room . " Leave us ." Katherine stopped for a moment . Her protective feelings were fighting with her emotions . She wanted to make sure I was fine . " Primus Alexander , are you sure you want us to leave ? " Now . " The single word carried enough power . 10 Katherine squeezed my shoulder gently . She stood by me . " We will be just outside if you need anything , Aqua , " she whispered . I doubted Alexander missed a word though . Juliet followed . She gave me a look first . It seemed to say be careful . The door closed behind them with a soft click , It echoed in the sudden quiet . Alexander stood near the door for a moment . His hands were held behind his back . He was studying me with those strong dark eyes . I stayed seated in front of the mirror . I was suddenly very aware of how weak I felt . I was in just my simple dress . I had been stripped of all the fancy clothes . " How are you feeling ? " he asked finally . His voice was softer than I expected . I had heard the hardness in the hall earlier . I was shocked . Did he just ask about my well - being ? " Mixed up , " I answered honestly . I turned in my chair to face him properly . " Shaken . And curious . " His eyebrow went up slightly at the last word . " Curious ? " " About what just happened . About her . About what you talked about with the Elders aft I left . " The words came out before I could stop them . My need to understand was beating any attempt at being polite . Alexander moved deeper into the room . His movements were smooth . But I could see the stress he carried . " It is Pack business . Nothing you need to worry about . Pack business ? This hurt more than I expected . " Nothing I need to worry about ? " I stood up . I felt stronger on my feet than I had moments before . " Primus Alexander , that woman tried to kill me three times . She ruined the coronation . She demanded you reject me . How is that not my worry ? " He ran a hand through his hair . It seemed like he was upset . " It is hard to explain " " Then make it simple for me . " I crossed my arms . I was surprised by my own boldness . " I am your Luna now Am I not ? Or does that title only matter when it is easy for you ? " Something moved in his eyes . It might have been a surprise . Perhaps even approval . But his face stayed guarded I just needed a little more push . " What Gaia and I talked about with the Elders involves Pack safety . And kingdom politics . Things that need experience to understand . " Things like what ? That I am too weak to handle ? Too new to understand ? You said you would mould me to your kind . The words canie 1/3 10 Chapter 23 out sharper than I meant . But I found I did not want to take them back . " Aren't you a man of your word ? Or would you prefer a Luna to only warm your bed ? " His lips curved into something . It was not quite a smile . " You are starting to sound jealous again Aqua . I see you've done your findings ." This hit me like a physical blow . Jealous ? Was I ? The thought made my cheeks burn with shame . And something else I did not want to look at too closely . " I am not jealous , " I said quickly . Too quickly . The denial sounded empty even to my own ears . Alexander stepped closer . I fought the urge to back away . There was something hunting like in his movement . But not scary . It was more like a wolf who had caught an interesting smell . " No ? " His voice had dropped to that low , rolling tone . It seemed to shake through my bones . Π " Then why do your eyes flash when I say her name? Why does your jaw tighten when you ask about what we talked about ? " it " Because she tried to kill me ! " I argued . But even as the words left my mouth , I knew they were not the whole truth . There was something else . Something deeper . Something I did not want to admit . That is part of it , " Alexander agreed . He moved another step closer . " But not all of it . " I felt like a deer caught in headlights . I was frozen under his strong gaze . My heart was racing . I could not tell if it was from anger . Or fear . Or something totally different . " You are wrong , " I whispered . But the words lacked belief . " You are too harsh . Too rough ." That wasn't all . " You threatened to kill Katherine and me over what we have no control over . You don't even respect me enough to keep your affairs hidden . I could never fall for someone like you . I would not allow myself to . " " Fall for me ? " he finished . His voice was barely above a whisper now . The words hung in the air between us . I opened my mouth to deny it again . To tell him he was being silly . But nothing came out . Because deep down , in a place I did not want to look at , I was scared he might be right . His face changed . The hunting look was softening . It turned into something that looked almost pleased . " I like this , " he said suddenly . It caught me off guard . " Like what ? " " This fire in you . This fierce spirit . " He pointed at me . I realized I was standing straighter than I had in months . My chin was raised boldly This was despite my inner chaos . " This is how I want my mate to be . Always . Bold and fierce . Never cowering or backing down . Just like the day you foolishly burned my skin and bit me . " His words sent a strange warmth through my chest . But before I could process what that meant , he was moving again . In two quick steps , he closed the space between us . " Primus Alexander , what are you doing ? " My words were cut off . His hands came up to cup my face . His thumbs brushed gently across my cheekbones . The touch was surprisingly tender . This was from someone who could command armies . Someone who could make the earth shake with his voice . " You want to know what we talked about ? " he asked . His face was inches from mine I could feel the warmth of his breath against my skin . I nodded . I did not trust my voice . " We talked about how to protect you . How to handle the threat she represents . How to make sure that nothing like tonight ever happens again " 2/3 Chapter 23 His thumbs continued their gentle stroking motion . I found myself leaning into the touch . Every rational thought was telling me to step away . " But most importantly , " he continued . His voice dropped to a close whisper . " We talked about how Gaia needs to understand that you are mine . My mate . My Luna . And nothing she says or does will change that . " " Trust me . If any being , dead or alive , touches a hair on your head , there will be blood . " He mumbled . " Your old pack's punishment isn't even the tip of the iceberg yet ." Before I could respond , before I could even fully process his words , his lips were on mine . The kiss was nothing but brief . This was claiming . Possessive . And yet somehow tender at the same time . His lips moved against mine . It made my knees weak . I found myself gripping the front of his shirt to keep from falling . Something moved inside my chest . Something warm and scary and wonderful all at once . My heart hammered against my ribs as if trying to escape . For a moment , the world narrowed down to just this . His hands on my face . His lips on mine . And the big realization that maybe , just maybe , I was in more trouble than I had ever imagined . 3/3