Second Chance for the Barren Luna (Talia and Jason) novel Chapter 318

Talia’s POV

His hands moved to the front of my dress and began to pull at the buttons. He was not careful. The first button came off in his hand. The second one came off as he tore through the fabric with his claws.

‘How dare he!’ my wolf snarled. I could feel her pushing to take control, but I forced her down.

“Nolan, stop,” I said, making my voice tremble. When he groped my breast painfully, I yelped, “Please.”

Then, he at last looked at me. The look was one I had never seen on Nolan's face, and especially not directed at me. It was a hungry, possessive thing, the look of a man who was about to take something he believed he was owed.

"Please control your wolf, Nolan,” I said. “You would never force me. You have never forced me. You are not going to start tonight. I trust you!”

He hesitated as he looked conflicted, but he had finally stopped, and that alone was a relief.

"I am exhausted. Give me just one night. I promise you I will be worth the wait. Tomorrow night, I will make you forget you ever had to ask twice,” I promised.

I held his eyes while I spoke. I did not look away from him once.

He sat back. The look on his face slowly changed into the smile that was still not Nolan's, but was at least no longer the look of a predator that has caught its prey.

"You drive a hard bargain, Talia."

"I always have."

He kissed me again and I forced myself to kiss him back. He stood up off the bed, walked to the door, paused with his hand on the handle, and looked back at me one more time.

"Rest well. Do not forget what you promised."

"I will not forget."

He left. The door closed behind him. I heard his footsteps move down the corridor, turn at the end, and fade.

I got up from the bed, went to the bathroom, spat into the sink, and rinsed my mouth twice. I scrubbed the side of my neck where his fingers had been until the skin was red and the feel of him was gone.

'He wants to mark you again. He wants the bond. He wants you tied to him through the mark.'

'I know. He is going to do it tomorrow night if I am still in this house.’

'Then we leave now.'

'Yes.'

I changed quickly into dark clothes. Black pants and a dark shirt would make me less visible at night once I stepped outside.

I stripped the bed, tying the sheets together and testing each knot with my full weight. The length was enough to lower me most of the way to the kitchen garden below the window. I would have to take the last drop on my own feet.

'I cannot tell just yet. The wind is obscuring their scent.’

I picked up the pace, zigzagging between trees: left around one trunk, right around the next, ducking under branches and using the space behind them to change direction. The forest floor was uneven, roots cropping up unexpectedly. Twice, I nearly fell but caught myself on the nearest trunk and kept going.

The footsteps behind me changed. They were not closing as fast as they had been. Whoever was following had to work to keep up with me, which was the point of every turn I had taken.

I broke out of the trees at the edge of a small clearing, and then I saw Moonbrook patrols. Three of them, on the far side of the clearing, were moving in a careful line through the open ground. The crest on their jackets was the Moonbrook crest. I had not been more than fifteen minutes from Colin's territory after all.

I lifted my voice as I came out of the trees. “I am Princess Talia of Silverfang. I need to speak to Alpha Colin now!"

The lead patrolman's head came up. He did not look at me. He looked past me. His eyes were wide with panic, and he shouted to the two men behind him, "Rogues! Fall back! Fall back!"

The three of them turned and ran into the trees on the far side of the clearing.

I turned immediately.

The forest behind me was full of green eyes, dozens of them, spread out among the trees in a wide arc.

They had been the ones following me.

And they were closing in.