The Hidden Luna Queen 2
Chapter 58

With a resigned sigh, I moved to gather our things up until Xaden stopped me, pulling me down onto the blanket with him. "You're not going anywhere just yet," he purred, hovering above me.

The way he looked at me, all heated and passionate, dizzied me. Such gazes normally led to one thing. "H-Here...?" I squeaked, my throat running dry. "W-We're doing it out here, where people can see us?" Something glimmered in his eyes, amber with the setting sun. "Is that what you want?"

My face heated up, realizing I had inadvertently cornered myself. "Ah... I meant-"

All of a sudden, Xaden pressed a sweet kiss on my forehead. "If that's what you want, you'll have to be patient. I have special plans for you later," he teased, making my flustered heart pound furiously as I was left to ponder over his insinuation. "For now," he said, lowering onto his back beside me, "I just want to lay here with you."

A simple request that sounded wonderfully tempting.

How could I possibly refuse that?

Warmth tickled me as I allowed myself to settle against his open arm, tucking into his broad chest. I could feel his muscles ripple underneath my fingertips with every breath and every movement. He was a far cry from being soft and plump and could not even begir to compare to even the most comfortable bed.

But in some unexplainable way, his body felt more soothing than our bed ever did.

I wish we could just stay here and forget about the banquet tomorrow...

"Hmm?" Xaden hummed in response. "What did you say?"

My stomach plummeted-I thought I said that in my mind! But there was no point in denying what I'd said. "I'm... terrified about tomorrow, Xaden," I admitted, hoping he could alleviate my worries. "I feel like I'm going to embarrass you."

"You could never do that," he gently insisted, "and you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Things have been rocky, yes, but this is only to welcome you as my mate. The hard part is almost over... and all we'll need to do next is wait for our mating ceremony, and then it's just you and me," he purred, pulling me close, instantly warming me up inside.

"Just remember-it's only a dinner," he said, rubbing my arm. "And I'll be with you every step of the way."

That calmed me down for the time being. As long as he was at my side, I felt like I could handle anything.

It wasn't long before everything became shrouded in dusk. Only a few lampposts in the distance and the stars above lit up the world. Time seemed to slow down as we lay there in the grass together, and the soft, rhythmic motions of his chest heaving up and down... up and down were beginning to lull me into a trance.

"Maeve," he said suddenly, squeezing me gently. "Are you still awake?"

"Mm..." I tried to answer out loud, but couldn't replace the strength. Maybe he understood what I was trying to say.

Xaden sighed. "If you are," he started to murmur, but his voice grew more and more faint with every passing second, as did the touch of his body against mine, "I just wanted you... to know that... I.."

I heard nothing but a calm quiet. I hummed, curling deeper into myself. It was nice of him to let me rest here like this.

"Maeve..."

My breath hitched. My eyes flew open. "I'm sorry," I exclaimed with a wince, rubbing my eyes, "I wasn't falling asleep. I was just..."

The rest of that sentence died in my throat. I had thought Xaden was the one calling my name, but as I took in those familiar purple wildflowers and that warm, shining sun that washed over my skin, I quickly realized that wasn't the case.

He was nowhere to be seen. I was back in that dream world.

I gulped. There was only one way to test if I was correct. "Are you there ...?" I asked tentatively to anyone and no one.

"Maeve..." the unknown voice responded, clear and present. "Listen to me ... you must move with caution..."

Trepidation crawled up my spine as the memory of what I'd experienced last time pushed itself to the forefront. "Does this have anything to do with what I heard?" I asked, digging my fingers into the grass beneath me, almost fearing what the voice had to say. "I-Is something bad going to happen...?"To access the complete chapters for free, visit Job n1b.com. "There is an alpha in your midst... one you cannot trust at any cost..."

My heart pounded against my ribcage, the sound echoing throughout my body. "An-An alpha?" I repeated uneasily. "Who is it?"

"Protect yourself, little lamb..." the voice continued. "He will take what he wants..."

"Please," I begged, jumping to my feet as I tried to bargain with the sky," you owe me an answer to that question at the very least! All I do is listen to you and your riddles, but I can't do anything without proper answers! Who can't I trust?"

All of a sudden, a bone-chilling thought forced its way to the forefront of my mind. One I refused to believe to be true... I couldn't accept it to be true.

"You... you can't mean Xaden..." I whispered. "... Right?"

What was I supposed to do if it was...?

Slowly, I could start to feel the world around me shift. The tall, sweeping grass began to melt away, and the bright, warm sun dimmed second by second, leaving me with nothing but cold and darkness.

I was waking up. "Be careful, Maeve..."

Maeve POV

Slowly, my eyes fluttered open. Still bleary with sleep, I tried to blink away the fog that clouded my vision, rubbing gently at my eyes.

I was unaware of anything else in the world.

All that I could think about was what that voice told me. These dreams defied any sort of logic I thought I had known. Three separate times in a matter of fewer than two weeks, with no clear pattern, I had been visited by the same mysterious voice in some otherworldly plane, where I honestly couldn't even be sure if these took place in my subconscious anymore, and all I would ever hear were these... warnings.

And now, there was an alpha I had to be wary of.

Trembling, I let out an anxious breath. Just what did that voice expect me to do with that little piece of information?

Soon enough, I was going to marry into a family full of nothing but alphas. I couldn't just avoid every single one of them for the rest of my life, not when some treated me with nothing short of kindness and respect. And... and what about Xaden?

He was the best of them all-better than any wolf I had ever met. How was I supposed to be careful around someone who went through so much trouble to make me happy on something as simple as a picnic- Wait. Our... date.

Suddenly, the memories came rushing back to me. We had been on a date, with as much privacy and discretion as Xaden could have afforded me, and it was everything I had dreamed of. Everything from buying snacks together at a small, local grocer to our private picnic in the park, to stargazing after the sun had set.

Even the ambush that one could barely call a kiss... just thinking about it made my toes curl. I could still feel the fervent, yet gentle touch of his mouth on mine. The taste of grapes and strawberries had lingered... making me yearn to taste more. The last thing I remembered was laying in his arms, falling asleep to the lull of his voice.

But what had happened after that...?

For the first time since waking up, I took a good look at my surroundings. The cool, calming breeze of the evening was long gone, replaced by soft wisps of an early morning chill that floated through the familiar open window, and the knitted blanket we had cuddled on was all but transformed into the silk sheets we slept in every night.

We were no longer in the park... but in our bedroom.

Glancing down at my body, the green sundress I had worn was nowhere to be seen, but I was not naked either. Instead, I found myself wearing my usual white nightgown.

That came as a surprise to me. I had slept through the entire trip back home.

Having experienced the dreams before, I could guess that that explained the near level of unconsciousness, but Xaden had no way of knowing that. For all he knew, I simply succumbed to my exhaustion at the end of a wonderful, eventful day.

But still, he must have been so careful... so incredibly delicate in carrying me home, in changing my clothes that, even in normal sleep, I would not have been jostled awake from his movements. He always made me feel like the most precious thing. I still couldn't fathom why or how.

As I gazed at his sleeping form, however, none of that mattered in the slightest. Not when the mere sight of him made my chest swell with affection and other feelings that I was scared to admit out loud.

I leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his collarbone, savoring the sweet warmth of his soft skin despite the slight chill of the dark dawn that shrouded the world. It was no secret that wolves were a little more resistant to cold weather than other species, but... being as close to him as I was-and literally pressed skin-to-skin-I could not help but believe that this... this was purely Xaden.

There was no possible way he was the alpha I was warned about. He was considerate and gentle... and he held my heart in his large, capable hands.

And I think I... I...

I stalled, my heart beginning to race. I didn't think I would ever harbor such thoughts of someone in this lifetime, but meeting him was nothing short of a miracle. As I kissed him again in the hollow of his neck, slowly letting my hands roam across his broad chest, a low moan emerged from the depths of his throat.

"Maeve...?" he mumbled, still half-asleep.

I let my lips linger over his skin, feeling his heart start to pound. "I'm sorry ... I didn't mean to wake you..." I whispered, my apology only half sincere as I felt him shudder beneath my touch. Instantly, I wanted to feel more from him.

A soft moan echoed above me. "How could I possibly sleep with... with you touching me like that?"

"Well, we're both awake now..." I murmured, "unless you'd rather go back to sleep."

All of a sudden, Xaden rolled us over so that he was now partially on top of me. For a fleeting moment, I thought he was upset I disrupted his slumber, but the sinful, seductive glow in his tired eyes indicated otherwise.