The Sickened Luna's Last Chance novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53

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Chapter 53

“I won’t,” I said firmly. “I made a vow all those years ago. I don’t intend to break it now.”

Gabriel studied me for another moment, then nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Alright.” He downed the rest of his drink and stood. “It’s been a long day. I should head to bed.”

Once I was alone, I poured myself another glass of bourbon and held it up, turning it in my fingers in the firelight.

I hated that I saw her face there, smiling at me in the amber liquid as it caught the light.

It was just the mate bond that was making me see her everywhere, I reminded myself, setting aside the glass without taking a sip. It was merely a biological reaction and nothing more. I’d successfully resisted it for five years; I could manage another nine months.

I pushed the thoughts away and stood, my head slightly fuzzy from the bourbon. It was late, and I needed sleep. I’d spent the afternoon patrolling the eastern border, then been dragged to that cafe for lunch, then spent hours catching up on paperwork.

Exhaustion was making me overthink things, and alcohol was making me stupid and vulnerable.

Shaking my head, I quietly made my way through the dark halls. Ella would already be asleep by now, just like everyone else in this house. And indeed, when I reached the door, there was no sliver of light spilling out from beneath. A blessing, to not have to talk to her when I entered.

But then Ella’s scent hit me like a brick wall the moment I stepped inside my bedroom. Cherry blossoms and vanilla, sweet and intoxicating, filling every corner of the room.

It was getting stronger by the day.

My wolf surged forward, clawing at the inside of my skin like he’d gone feral. He wanted me to mark her. To claim her. The force of it was so sudden and intense that I had to grip the doorframe to hold myself back.

After a few moments of deep breathing, I managed to force my wolf back down and quietly moved toward the bed, my eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness. Ella was indeed already asleep, curled up on her side facing away from my half of the bed. She had been stuffing one of the pillows between us lately like a barrfer, and it was there now.

As I approached, I could see the gentle rise and fall of her chest, the peaceful expression on her face, Without her usual guard up, she looked younger, softer.

Beautiful.

The sight made me soften more than I wanted to

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Chapter 53

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She didn’t look like that around me. Now now, and not before. If she had loved me once, then it was gone now, replaced with a deep and weary sadness that I noticed every time I looked at

her.

Little did she know just how badly I wanted to find the source of her sadness and crush it.

But I couldn’t. Because for all I knew, she was a spy for her father.

After quickly getting ready for bed, I slid onto my side, and the pillow between us blocked out the sight of her slender form. But even with that wall of feathers and fabric in the middle of us, I could feel the warmth radiating from her body, could hear the soft sound of her breathing.

And that damn scent was overwhelming.

The urge to reach out and pull her against me was almost unbearable. All I wanted to do was bury my face in her hair, feel her heartbeat against mine, finally claim what had been mine all along.

Mate.

But I gritted my teeth and pulled the blanket up, covering my nose with it to block out some of her scent. It didn’t help much-the sheets themselves smelled like her now-but it was better than nothing.

This was going to be a long nine months.

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