Page 38 of Luna's New Reign
“Mateo’s back,” I murmur, stretching as I slip out of the nest. My legs feel a little unsteady at first, my exhaustion lingering, but it doesn’t stop me from moving. “I’ll be right back.”
No one stops me. They don’t have to. They know.
I pad out of the living room and through the house, the quiet of the space feeling alive somehow, humming with something I can’t name. I don’t even have to wait by the front door—it opens just as I reach it, and there he is.
Mateo.
The sight of him makes my heart stutter and I grin, feeling that pull between us—the one that makes me forget about everything else, the one that makes me feelwhole. His dark hair is windswept, a little messy from a much-needed run, his jaw set inthat serious, brooding way of his. But the moment his eyes meet mine, his expression softens.
“Mateo,” I whisper, already stepping into him.
His arms open and I fall into them like I’ve been waiting for him all day—because I have. He wraps me up, his arms strong and sure, holding me tightly against his chest. I melt into him, inhaling the familiar scent of the forest and something darker, somethinghim.
“Miss me?” he asks, a chuckle following his words.
“Always,” I reply, tilting my head back to look up at him.
He cups my face in his hands, his thumbs brushing along my jaw, and for a moment, he just stares at me, like he’s memorizing every inch of me. Then, without another word, he kisses me.
It’s not gentle. It’s not soft. It’sMateo—commanding, consuming, full of need and possession and everything that makes my heart race. I kiss him back just as fiercely, curling my fingers into his shirt to keep him close, to let him know I’m his.
When he finally pulls back, we’re both breathing hard, his lips curling into a faint smirk as his eyes trace my face. “Come with me,” he says softly.
I blink up at him, a little dazed. “Where?”
He shakes his head, his fingers still trailing down my jaw, softening me with every touch. “Somewhere quiet. Just the two of us.”
My heart skips a beat at that, and I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. “Now?”
He nods. “Now.”
I hesitate, glancing back toward the living room. The two of us just disappearing into the night feels weird but Mateo just grins, a rare, crooked grin that’s just for me, and he presses another kiss to my lips before pulling me out the door, his fingers tangling with mine as he leads me into the cool, evening air.
“There is nothing more we can do than right now, princess. We can sit and worry or we can enjoy the little peace that Mother Nature has given us until shit hits the fan. And yes, they all know I’ve got you.” His laidback attitude has me relaxing a little further as he squeezes my hand, his eyes dancing beneath the fading colors in the afternoon sky. “Run with me, princess.”
And then he shifts into his wolf, heading straight for the crystal forest. I take off after him, feeling the power of my wolf and Omega tangle together as my paws hit the ground.
The forest stretches out before me. I feelalivehere. The wind in my fur, the earth beneath my paws, the faint hum of magic weaving through the air—it’s intoxicating, freeing in a way I can’t put into words.
Mateo runs just ahead of me, his massive dark wolf weaving effortlessly between the trees, the sleekness of his coat a stark contrast to the burst of colors in mine. My coat has changed again since everything started—white as snow but streaked with red, sapphire, and black, the colors catching in the light like living magic.
Mateo’s voice drifts through the mindlink, wrapping around me like a caress.
>>>You’re gorgeous like this, you know that?
I huff a playful growl, my paws digging into the soft dirt as I push myself to catch up to him.
>>>Gorgeous? I’m not some dainty thing, Mateo. You already call me princess.
His rich laughter echoes through the link.
>>> No, you’re not dainty and would it help if I called you my queen?
I snort and leap over a fallen branch, snapping at his tail when I get close enough. He whips around to face me, his wolf’s crimson eyes glinting with amusement as he bares his teeth in a playful snarl. I dart around him, my own wolf grinning internally as I dodge his swipe.
>>> You’re slow, Alpha.I taunt, slipping into my voice through the link, my wolf practically preening at outpacing him.
>>> Oh, really?His voice hums with mischief before he surges forward.