Caged Human Luna — He Stole My Freedom To Hide His Curse Chapter 10

Caged Human Luna — He Stole My Freedom To Hide His Curse Chapter 10 “I Want You Without Your Wolf”

Elaine.

A collective, horrified gasp echoed through the grand hall. The chanting died instantly.

“Elaine, you cannot simply reject the throne,” the Chief Elder warned, his voice cracking. “Without an Alpha, Crystal Waters falls into lawlessness. The pack will shatter, and Rogues w invade. By Council law, if you abandon the seat you won in blood, external forces will occup us. You are plunging your people into a death sentence!”

Old elders stepped forward, their hands trembling. “Please, Alpha! If you leave, we will be hunted down.”

Behind me, the elders were still weeping, their desperate pleas filling the heavy air of the gra hall. I kept my eyes locked on the exit, my boots clicking sharply against the stone.

“Elaine!”

Fenris’s voice cut through the chaos. I paused for a second, cutting my eyes back to look at hi He was staring right at me, his jaw tight, his expression an intense mix of warning and frustration.

I just shook my head, my eyes burning but my face remaining an absolute mask.

No.

Before I could even take another step, Fenris closed the distance between us. His large hand clamped firmly around my wrist, dragging me out.

Three weeks blurred past as we lived in the forest.

I sat on a bench by the roaring fireplace, staring into the flames with my knees pulled tightly to my chest.

Fenris walked in, slammed two mugs on the table, and marched straight over to me.

“How long are you going to sit here and hide?” he demanded, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

“You don’t understand,” I snapped, looking up at him with tears finally blurring my eyes. I’m a human, Fenris! I don’t know how to be an Alpha. I’m terrified.”

He grabbed my arm, gripping it tightly, and dragged me up from the bench.

“Then let’s go find out who you really are,” he growled.

Still holding my arm, he dragged me out of the room and straight into the pouring rain.

The cold rain slammed into my face, instantly soaking through my shirt. The wind howled through the courtyard, but it wasn’t loud enough to drown out the heavy thud of Fenris’s b as he pushed me into the mud.

“Fight me,” he barked.

I wiped the water from my eyes, blinking against the downpour. “What? No! Fenris, it’s pour I’m not in the mood for games.”

“This isn’t a game, Elaine!” He stepped in fast, throwing a punch. I ducked instinctively, the wind of his fist brushing past my ear. Before I could recover, he swept his leg across the wet dirt, knocking my feet right out from under me.

I hit the mud hard, the breath rushing out of my lungs. The ground was freezing, and the ra felt like needles against my skin.

“Get up!” he roared, standing over me, “Is this the Alpha who killed Ethan? Is this the fierce warrior the Crystal Waters pack is begging for? You look like a drowning rat.”

“Stop it!” I yelled, scrambling to my feet. My boots slipped in the mud. “I told you, I can’t do this! I’m a human, Fenris! I don’t know how to fight like a real wolf yet. I got lucky with Ethan You’re a trained commander. I am no match for you!”

“Then make yourself a match!” he shouted back, lunging at me again.

“You’re hiding up here in my mountains, pretending you’re just a normal girl. But you’re not. You ran miles through briars while being hunted. You drove a silver bolt into a bounty hunter leg when you didn’t even have a wolf. Look at me, Elaine! The girl who did that isn’t weak.”

“I am weak!” I screamed, the tears finally bursting through, mixing with the rain on my face. “I’m terrified that if I take that throne, I’ll fail everyone. I don’t know how to lead! I’m a fraud. Fenris!”

“Then prove it to me,” he growled, releasing my wrists and stepping back. He stood in the center of the courtyard, his hands open. “Prove you’re a fraud. Hit me with everything you have. Don’t think about the throne, just hit me.”

Something inside me snapped. Cole roared to life inside my head, her spirit fusing completely with my anger. I scrambled up and launched myself at him.

He moved to block, but I grabbed the collar of his wet shirt. With a loud yell, I threw my weight backward and drove my heel into the back of his knee.

Fenris went flying over my shoulder, hitting the muddy ground hard on his back.

I stood over him, my chest heaving, gasping for air.

He let out a dark chuckle, staring up at me from the mud. “See?” Fenris said, his voice droppi to a low rumble. He sat up, looking at me with pride. “Stop underestimating yourself, Elaine. And stop letting a dead man rule your head. You are a wolf. A powerful one. And you don’t ha to know everything to be a leader.”

He stood up, shaking the mud off his arms, and stepped closer. “I will be with you every singl step of the way,” he murmured, “I won’t let you fall.”

I looked into his eyes, my heart pounding against my ribs. “As what, Fenris? In what role will you stay with me?”

Fenris let out a ragged breath. He reached out, cupping my chin, “As your mate, Elaine,” he sa softly. “I can’t deny it anymore. My wolf, Liam, has been clawing at my mind since the mome I bit you to save your life. You are mine.”

He ran a thumb over my cheekbone, his touch sending shivers down my spine despite the storm. “But I am not Ethan. I will never force you into anything. I will never claim you like property. I am ready to wait until you are completely ready. Even if Liam is losing his mind with impatience.”

A small smile broke through my face. The heavy darkness that had weighed on my chest for weeks suddenly lifted, replaced by a fierce, burning clarity.

“Who said you had to wait?” I whispered.

He raised his brows at him.

I reached up, my fingers curling into the collar of his shirt, pulling him down into my space. “I don’t want you because you saved me, Fenris. I want you because you see the real me. And I want all of you.”

Yes! Cole roared in my head. Claim him!

“Elaine…” Fenris growled. He grabbed my waist, lifting me effortlessly, and carried me back inside the stronghold, slamming the heavy wooden doors shut.

He pinned my back against the wall beside the roaring fireplace. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my fingers digging into his broad shoulders, craving his heat.

His hands tore at my wet shirt, his touch branding my bare skin. He trailed his lips down my jawline, burying his face in the crook of my neck.

“You’re sure?” he gasped against my skin, his fangs lengthening, grazing the soft pulse point of my neck. “Because once we seal this, there is no going back. Our souls will be bound forever.”

I looked at him, his face flushed. A sudden, sharp thought pierced through my desire. I neede to know something.

I pushed against his chest, creating just an inch of space between us.

“Fenris,” I panted, my voice trembling but determined. “Suppress Liam.”

He blinked, his brow furrowing in confusion. “What?”

“Suppress your wolf,” I demanded, staring dead into his eyes. “Lock him away right now. I don want to do this with the beast that’s clawing at your mind. I want to know if you want me. Take me right now without your wolf’s instincts helping you. Sex me entirely as a man, so we both know if this love is real, or if we’re just slaves to a genetic bond.”

Fenris froze, his chest heaving against mine.