CHAPTER ELEVEN

RILEY

WHAT?

I go stiff, saying absolutely nothing, but I’m sure my wide open eyes and wide open mouth relays my shock.

Jude obviously notices, as the frown clears from his face.

“Okay, that came out wrong.” He lets out an exasperated sigh. “A luna should be able ti stand and face whqtever comes her way. Bloody or not. I too wouldn’t join a group which the initiator refuses to join. I would not advice anyone to do so too.”

Okay. I see a lot of sense in what he is saying. Of course, he is the Alpha, so he should be sensible.

But…

Blood.

“Th..The thing is, I…I feel sick at the sight of blood. It’s something I haven’t had any reason to overcome.” I try to sound persuasive.

“Well, now you are Luna. You now have a million reasons to overcome it. It’s a thing of the mind.Wait. Do you feel sick at the sight of your own blood?” One of his brows go up, in question.

Okay. I did not expect this.

“No.”

He spreads out his palm. “See? It’s a thing of the mind.”

“It...It’s not the same.”

“Now it sounds to me like you don’t want to overcome this obstacle.”

“I want to.”

“Then JUST DO IT.”

I take a step back from the force of his words and harshness on his face. Yhose blues look hard. They now have a red frame around. Thrre is a tightening in his jaw, making his expression fiercer.

He is angry.

“im sorry.” I fidget with my hands.

Apologizing has become a reflex action. A defense mechanism.

You are at fault? Apologize. You are not at fault? Apologize. This is how my mind has been programmed lver the years.

Apology does more good. It calms the storm.

I watch as he runs both hands through his hair, aggressively.

Why is he so angry?

I question in my head, but don’t dare voice it out. Some things wre better left unspoken.

On my watch, his features begin to soften.

“Look. Come. Come sit.” He pats a spot beside him, right on the bed.

Taken aback is not suffient description for how this invitation makes me feel. I stare into his eyes to be sure this is genuine and not a trap to bring me closer. And maybe choke me to death.

Okay that is too much.

But who knows?

I hesitate. Could be my mind, using the fact that my feet is hurting from standing for so long and that my only consolation during the long drawn hours of the meeting was that I would return home, to Jude’s bed, to play with me.

“Where is your thoughts? Come, my Luna.”

On hearing that endearment, my legs begin to move on their own accord, without my consent.

I feel like I can do anything, even race to him in the midst of a batyle, with arrows flying about, anything, if he just calls me that. His Luna.

In few strides, I get to the edge of the bed. The length of my black battle dress makes lifting my leg to get to the bed quite difficult. So I lift the dress instead.

I lift it to my knees, to help my movement, but when I notice Jude’s eyes following this procedure, latching on every inch of skin I reveal, I get bolder.

This is something I have never pictured myself doing.

Never.

But, there are a million things I have done today that does not align with my shy, passive lifestyle. So why not this?

He is my husband after all.

His blues follow my slowly rising dress, urging me on. But when it gets higher to my mid thighs, I become unsure, so it stops there. I don’t release the dress, I don’t take it higher, it just stays hanging that way, my pale slender thighs in plain sight.

For Jude.

His very observant eyes notice this pause, as he looks at me with raised eyebrows, asking qn unspoken question.

“Come here, before you make a fool of yourself.”

Ouch.

My hands go lax and the dress falls back to its normal length. All the way to my ankles.

What was I thinking? I make a mental note to never try it again.

Without raising the dress, I struggle to get up to the high bed.

Could this height from the ground be symbolic? Does the height have to do with Jude being Alpha? Didn’t they think of also erecting, at least, a platform to help?

These questions fly around my head as I struggle and finally take a sit in the spot Jude had patted. Not that the bed is mountain level high, it is just me taking my frustration out by complaining, inwardly, about this poor inanimate object.

His words still hurt.

“It is so obvious you know nothing about that stunt you just pulled.” He lets out a low chuckle.

I ignore his words and focus on the sound he just made.

The sound of this laugh, though at the expense of my foolishness, makes me feel light. Like I am flying. It is a sound I would do my best to hear more often. And with the way his face brightened a bit.

This is progress.

Right?

I find myself smiling, at his joke, of me.

“My silly Luna. You can be so cute at times.”

My face goes scarlet at the mention of cute. Him calling me that, makes me happy. I don’t think I can be happier.

He notices the color on my face and chuckles again.

I want this moment to last forever. Me in his bed. Him complimenting me, calling me his. Me making him chuvlEl. Him making me blush.

I take this into my mEmory jar for keeps. It would br a happy memory for my sad days.

If it ever comes again.

“Let me tell you something.” I go alert, as I turn fully towards him. Ready to listen yo whatever comes out of those lips.

“Being Alpha has made me do things, multiple things the normal Jude wouldn’t do. But what I understand is that with this rank, comes many respossibilities. I have had to let go of some of my likes and choices, and I’m learning to put up with the new ones. I’m guessing you uunderstand my words.”

My sweet strong husband.

“Yes.” I don’t know who owns the soft sweet voice I hear, but its coming out of my mouth.

“Good. Now as Luna, you have to make those sacrifices too. Put on your big girl jacket and ivercome your fears. That is ehat a luna does.”

And, we are back to my issue with blood.

“Ju…” I stop myself. “its more complicat…”

“But you will do it.” He turns to look me right in the eye. “For me.”

His blues still on my blues.

“o…okay.”