Chapter 9
680words
Samuel told me he had a surprise for me first thing in the morning.
He led me to the back of the estate, where we stood before a massive greenhouse.
"Do you like it?" Samuel asked, his eyes filled with a mixture of hope and nervousness.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Your laboratory," he said, taking my hand. "Come on, I'll show you."
The glass greenhouse was even more magnificent on the inside.
Beneath the transparent dome, an entire wall was filled with spices and plants.
But what drew my eye was the herb sitting in the very center: a single, perfect stalk of Moontear Herb.
My eyes widened in disbelief. "Oh my god..."
Samuel wrapped his arms around me from behind. "I know how much your creations mean to you. I wasn't about to let them fall into someone else's hands."
"These were all flown in from around the world. Roses from Bulgaria, lavender from Provence, sandalwood from India... I had my people gather every material I thought you might possibly need."
He turned me to face him, his gaze soft and earnest.
"My Luna, in here, you can do anything you want."
He’d called me his Luna again.
Every time he said it, my heart did a wild, uncontrollable flutter.
"Samuel..." I began, gathering my courage. "Why are you being so good to me? Is it just because I'm your fated mate?"
"It's more than that," he said softly, a faraway look in his eyes. "I've seen you before. Five years ago."
I froze.
"Five years ago, I was ambushed with silver bullets," Samuel began. "I had three in me, collapsed on the side of a road. I thought I was going to die."
"Then, I smelled a scent."
"Lime, sea salt, and lavender."
"That scent calmed my rampaging wolf, and it slowed the spread of the silver poison. I forced my eyes open and saw a girl kneeling beside me, carefully bandaging my wounds."
He turned fully, his deep eyes looking straight into mine.
"That girl was you."
I remembered.
"That was you..." I whispered.
It was just a fleeting moment, and the memory was hazy for me. But Samuel had held onto it all this time.
"It was me," Samuel said, taking a step closer. "You saved me. Not just my body, but my soul. In that instant, I knew. You were my mate."
His voice grew deeper, his gaze more intense. "I had my people look you up. I learned your name, your school, everything about you. I wanted to find you, to tell you how I felt, to bring you to my pack."
"But then I discovered... you already had a partner."
A flicker of pain crossed his face. "I saw the pictures of you two, the way you smiled at him. That feeling... it hurt more than a silver bullet to the heart."
"But I couldn't be selfish. You looked happy. I didn't dare interfere."
"Until you made that call to me..." A fiery kiss landed on my lips. "You have no idea how happy I was."
My hand rested on his chest, feeling the steady, true beat of his heart.
I made a decision. "Let's complete the bond, Samuel."
Pure joy exploded across Samuel's face. Without a second of hesitation, he dropped to one knee.
He pulled a small box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a ring.
It was set with a huge moonstone that shimmered with a dreamy, blue light.
"This ring has been worn by every Luna of the North."
"Only you are worthy of it."
I held out my hand, touched but also a little amused. "You just carry this around with you?"
"Of course," Samuel said with a grin, kissing my fingers. "I'm always ready, my Queen."
He smiled up at me.
"And besides the greenhouse, I have another gift for you. You'll see it very soon."
The next day, a video went viral across all the werewolf social media platforms.
The title was: The Truth About the North Shore Pack's New "Luna".
