Chapter 25

Nicholas

Infuriating woman. Of all the women I could have chosen to be my Luna, why did I have to go and choose her?

The thought spiraled through my mind on an endless loop as I stalked down the hallway, her fiery words still ringing in my ears.

“Yeah, run away!” she called after me. “Scaredy-cat!”

I rolled my eyes, refusing to let her see my annoyance. She was just throwing a little tantrum because I wouldn’t spill my guts to her, and I wasn’t going to let her win.

Not that it was exactly easy to keep her out of my head. Kayla had an… uncanny way of digging her claws in, tearing through every shred of patience I had until she got what she wanted. She was stubborn, relentless, maddening—and far too clever for her own good.

And yet, here I was, trying to keep a smirk from tugging at my lips while also trying to keep my temper in check after catching her snooping in my study.

She didn’t know when to stop. Didn’t know how to stay out of trouble. And she looked hot as sin while doing it.

I exhaled sharply, stepping into my bedroom and slamming the door behind me. The sound echoed through the vast space, but the act did little to soothe the frustration simmering beneath my skin.

Needing something to calm my nerves, I poured myself a glass of whiskey from the decanter on my desk, watching the amber liquid swirl as I tipped the glass back. The burn was sharp, but it grounded me, pulling my thoughts away from Kayla’s infuriating antics.

But only for a moment.

I dropped into the leather chair by the large bay window, staring out into the dark expanse of the estate grounds. The moon hung low, casting a silvery glow over the trees.

She was a little ball of trouble. There was no denying it. But even now, I couldn’t seem to push her from my mind.

The way her enormous green eyes sparked with tiny fires when she was angry. The way she always knew exactly what to say to piss me off. The way her hair—always slightly untamed, red curls creating a halo around her head when the sunlight hit her from behind—seemed to bristle whenever she was about to explode.

If fire was a person, it was her. I think I hated her for that, just a little more, every day.

I drained the glass in two gulps and poured another, ignoring the heat rising in my chest. It was just the whiskey getting to me and nothing more, I told myself. Besides, it had been a while since I’d been… intimate with a woman. And it would be a while longer, too, since the guild was now breathing down our necks. I was just pent up, that was all.

After I drained my second glass of whiskey, I set the empty glass on the desk and made my way to the bed, pulling off my shirt and tossing it onto a nearby chair. The cool sheets felt soothing against my skin as I sank into the mattress, letting the tension bleed from my body.

But as sleep claimed me, the whiskey twisted my thoughts into strange dreams.

I was a child again, sitting in a garden filled with wildflowers that swayed gently in the breeze. My mother’s voice drifted through the air, soft and melodic. She was singing a lullaby, her smile warm as she knelt beside me. Her hands, delicate but callused from years of training, ran through my hair, soothing me.

“Mom,” I whispered, looking up at her from where I lay in her lap. “I miss you…”

She smiled down at me, still humming, and stroked my hair. I nuzzled down into her, savoring this moment.

How long had it been since I had seen her last? Days? Months? Years?

How long would it be before she was ripped from me again?

“Mia,” my father’s voice suddenly called from somewhere beyond the garden. My mother’s smile faltered, her song fading as she turned toward the sound. Her hands stilled, and her entire body stiffened.

And then, in a flash, she was gone.

Before I could even begin to process what had just happened, the garden dissolved into darkness, and I was no longer a child.

Kayla stood before me now, bathed in moonlight. She was standing under a massive waterfall, the water cascading around her, catching the light like liquid silver. Her red hair fell in waves down her back, impossibly long, long enough to trail into the water behind her. Her pale skin glowed in the moonlight, each cluster of freckles like a new and undiscovered constellation.

She was breathtaking. Otherworldly. And a little terrifying.

She turned to face me, her lips curling into a knowing smile. “Mate…” she whispered, her voice soft and sweet like a siren’s call.

I stepped forward, drawn to her like a moth to flame, like a ship to jagged rocks in a storm. The water was cool against my skin as I waded deeper, the sound of the rushing waterfall drowning out everything else.

“Mate…” I echoed. My voice was raw, hoarse. I wanted her. Needed her. Could think of nothing but her, that infuriating witch that was pulling me in. Nothing in this world had ever existed before her, and nothing would ever exist after she was gone.

There was only her. My mate.

She reached out to me, her hand beckoning. I moved toward her, but the water suddenly deepened, pulling me under. I thrashed, struggling to reach the surface, but the depths were unrelenting. Invisible, icy hands pulled me down. I was helpless.

And then, she was there.

Kayla floated beside me, her hair fanning out around her like fire in the water. She didn’t struggle. She didn’t fight. She was calm, serene, as if the water obeyed her command. I stilled, turning to face her, as the air left my lungs.

Her green eyes locked onto mine beneath the water, and she raised a finger to her lips, silencing me. Then she swam closer, her movements effortless, and curled her body around me. She brought her face close, and her lips found mine with ease.

The kiss was unlike anything I had ever felt. It consumed me, drowning me in her essence. Her arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer, and for the first time in my life, I felt… peace. Complete, unshakable peace.

Even as the water dragged me deeper, I didn’t care. I would let her take me under. I would let her destroy me if it meant staying in this moment.

But then I woke to the sensation of something touching my lips. My heart still pounded with the remnants of my dream, and I couldn’t figure out if I was still imagining things or not.

A soft sound pulled me back to reality—a faint creak, like a floorboard shifting under weight. My senses sharpened instantly. Someone was in the room. Then I felt it: the lightest brush against my lip. My eyes flew open, and there she was.

Kayla.

She was hovering over me, brushing her fingers across my lower lip, her face mere inches from mine. Her eyes widened as they met mine, clearly not expecting me to be awake.

I let out a low growl and grabbed her wrist. In one swift motion, I flipped us both, pinning her beneath me on the bed. Her breath hitched, her green eyes blazing up at me, half furious, half startled.

“Why can’t you stay in your own room?” I snarled, my lips practically brushing her pale skin.