Chapter 75 Freed
Dex left Reiya at the door to the stairs, and she was slowly making the long journey upward.
She glanced toward the top where she knew Lee would be waiting for her.
Her mind drifted to Hunter and Chasen. The Black Ice Pack was a strong pack, and with her parents joining them, they would be in good hands.
Still, she was concerned that it was more than just a visit.
She was worried that there might be a problem with the demons there as well.
She pushed the floor door open and climbed the final few stairs, a bit surprised to see that she was still alone.
She spun, looking around, but she didn’t see Lee there.
He had said he would be waiting for her.
She walked over to the kitchen to prepare some snacks, hoping they could maybe watch a movie or two and snuggle for the next several hours.
Being in his arms was the best feeling in the world.
Reiya suddenly felt a strange warmth. She looked up to see that the room was beginning to glow in a mysterious, radiating light.
“Reiya,” a soothing voice called to her.
She looked up as the energy began to come into focus. Standing in front of her was a beautiful woman with long flowing blonde hair. The woman smiled at her. “I am Selene, the Moon Goddess. Deep inside, you know me well. All of my werewolves know me.”
Reiya stood there, looking at Selene in shock.
The Moon Goddess just showed herself to her, in person or in deity form, she wasn’t sure, but here she was.
She looked young, just like Lee did. Her pale white skin glowed lightly.
She had a gentle face and a familiar feeling to her, which made sense since she was, in a sense, the mother to all werewolves.
Selene smiled. “I know you’re confused. You don’t understand why I’ve kept Lumi from you.
There is an important reason for this, and you’ll know the answers tomorrow.
I wanted to keep Lumi locked up longer, but I’m afraid there is no more time.
Things are moving quickly with the demons. We cannot wait any longer.”
“So, I’m finally going to get my wolf?” Reiya asked in quiet excitement. She couldn’t wait to be reunited with Lumi.
“Yes, I am releasing Lumi. Reiya, understand that the moment I do, everything is going to happen fast. The future will begin to unfold rapidly. You cannot hesitate. You must be decisive. You’ll know what must be done,” Selene said in a gentle yet commanding tone.
“Not everything will be as predicted, but I know what your future has in store for you. Trust in yourself. Trust in Lumi. She is a very special wolf with a unique power. Together, the two of you can change the future. And you will.”
“I have so many questions,” Reiya’s soft voice spoke out.
Selene shook her head. “No, sweet Reiya, the journey is what’s important, not just the answers. Lumi, come forward.”
Reiya felt an instant gush inside her. A blinding white light flowed around her as she closed her eyes.
She was standing in a misty field under the brilliance of a full moon, watching a large wolf running toward her.
She felt like she was finally whole. She reached out and hugged Lumi.
It was such a sweet moment. The other part of her consciousness had been awakened.
Reiya, now we can speak whenever we like, Lumi said happily as she wagged her tail in Reiya’s mind.
I’m so happy we’re finally together, Lumi. Reiya opened her eyes to see Selene vanishing.
“Wait!” Reiya reached her hand up, but Selene only smiled and disappeared. Damn … still no answers.
The light around the room completely vanished. The moment it did, Lee appeared in front of her.
“Reiya what happened? Why couldn’t I get in here?
Are you okay?” Lee looked at Reiya as she raised her hand to cover her mouth, and tears began to stream down her face.
Lee was immediately concerned. What had happened to her?
He knew that light was from Selene. That meddling goddess.
Always making an appearance whenever she pleased.
He walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Reiya, baby, what happened?” Lee asked gently as he wiped a tear from her face.
Her body began to tremble. A force inside her had also awakened. She looked into the light blue eyes in front of her and listened to the voice of her wolf.
MATE, Lumi said in an authoritative voice. He is our mate.
Thank goodness. I’m so overwhelmed right now.
The feeling of the mate pull was even stronger than she’d imagined.
Her intense feelings for Lee were shallow in comparison to the smothering pressure she was feeling now.
It was almost overbearing, and her knees began to shake slightly.
The mark on her neck began to burn as her body recognized the mark of its mate. Lumi was also pulling at his mark.
It’s time, Reiya. It’s time to seal the mating bond, Lumi said in a matter-of-fact tone. Like she was talking casually about the weather.
Reiya felt her face heat up. We have to wait, Lumi. The other deities—
To hell with the other deities. He’s our damn mate, and we need to be connected to him.
We have to seal our bond. Lumi growled lightly in Reiya’s mind, wanting to claim her mate.
Lumi was not a wolf that was born to stand down.
She was an alpha wolf, a rarity when it came to females.
And as an alpha wolf, she was incredibly possessive over what belonged to her.
We can’t mark him yet though, Lumi. We can’t leave a physical mark on him yet. Reiya felt her body trembling under Lee’s touch. The force was just too strong. She had never heard of it being this strong before. Why is my whole body trembling?
Our mate is powerful. You’ve been marked but haven’t completed the bond.
Now that I’ve awakened, the bond is being recognized.
The energy is trying to connect. We must link the bond and unite our energies together.
We can hold off marking him for now, but we can’t hold off from mating with him.
Completing the bond will only make us stronger.
Reiya laughed dryly in her head. You’re embarrassing me with how casually you talk about ‘mating’ with Lee.
There’s nothing embarrassing about it. Mating is natural. A healthy part of life. Lumi shrugged it off. What was embarrassing about it?
“Reiya?” Lee asked again quietly. She had been just quietly staring at him for so long. She wasn’t talking, only trembling and crying. What had happened?
Well, since I’m not going to be marking him, I’ll let you handle the formalities from here. Just seal the deal, Lumi said, as she retreated deeper into Reiya’s consciousness.
Reiya snorted at her wolf in her head. Freaking bossy as hell.
Reiya took in a breath and refocused on Lee.
She was overwhelmed, and now incredibly embarrassed.
There was something else growing inside her, though.
The mate pull was creating an intense desire for her mate.
Makes sense, she thought wryly to herself.
She understood why they called it the mate pull now.
It was the intense need to mate with your partner.
Then, she had another thought. Lee had been fighting this urge since she was sixteen?
! She could barely handle five minutes of knowing he was her mate.
She wanted to jump on him and wrap her legs around him.
Her body was literally trembling for him.
Which, according to Lumi, was because she needed to seal the bond.
Because she was marked, the pull was more intense.
In either case, Lumi was right. She could feel it deep within her body.
There was no more waiting. Thank goodness.
She didn’t want to start something and have someone walk in on them, so, without saying anything, she took Lee’s hand and slowly led him to his room.
She smiled to herself. He had no idea what was coming.
She was the one who was the lamb, but she felt like she was actually leading the lamb to the slaughter.
He had no idea what she was planning. Hell, she didn’t even know what she was planning.
All she knew was she had to first get them behind locked doors.
Then, she was hoping there was enough self-control inside her to be able to communicate before attacking him.
Damn it, Reiya, get a hold of yourself. Lee did this for years.
You can control yourself for a few minutes, she scolded herself inwardly.
She was pretty sure she could hear the faint sound of laughter coming from Lumi in the recesses of her mind.
Well, at least technically, she wouldn’t just be talking to herself anymore.
She brought him into the room, turned, and closed the door.
She leaned her head on the door as she took in slow, deep breaths to clear her head.
She needed to at least let him know the important things.
He needed answers before she demanded that he complete the mating bond.
Though would it really be a demand? She was pretty sure he was more than willing.
She turned around to look into his light blue pools, which were gazing at her with concern.
If he only knew the lust in mine, Reiya thought wryly.
As she looked at him, she smiled. Everything made sense.
Lee was her mate … she’d always hoped he was her mate.
From the moment she found out she was his mate, she’d prayed for him to be hers as well.
She knew she would never leave him, but she never wanted to experience the pit of rejecting her mate.
Now she wouldn’t have to. He was right here in front of her, lovingly looking after her these past few years.
Ignoring his animal and pushing aside the urge to claim her. He did it all for her.
She felt another tear trickle down her cheek.
He had suffered so much for her. He wanted her to be ready, so he never forced himself on her.
How was he able to control himself for so long?
This wonderful man was her mate. He had put her above his own needs and desires.
It was more than just her being his mate.
In order for him to control himself like that …
he truly loved her. There was no denying it.
Fighting against a desire this strong was something you could only do for the one you loved. How did she deserve someone like Lee?
She took a few small steps toward him and gently wrapped her arms around his waist. She was finally able to fully understand what he’d been through, and what Xander meant about how hard this had been on him.
She couldn’t imagine allowing another woman to touch him and pretend to claim him. Her poor Lee.
He gently wrapped his arms around her, quietly waiting for her to explain what had made her so upset, but then he felt confused when she smiled up at him. Wasn’t she just upset?
“Is everything okay?” he asked, gently rubbing her back in light, soothing circles. He could feel the minor tremors from her body and felt a bit worried. He looked into her blue pools, which were shining up at him.
He watched her as she nodded. “I was just overwhelmed. Everything is okay. No … everything is perfect.”