His Captive Luna Excerpt

Chapter 1 – The Secret

I step inside the tiny garden nook, admiring the white roses that climb all over the walls, the glow of the fireflies. The scent of the roses is thick and spicy, distracting me completely as I lower my nose to a bloom, my fingers drift over the silky petals.

So I don’t notice the shadow that blocks my only exit until I hear his growl behind me.

I twist, surprised, and my stomach drops when I see the gigantic Alpha standing a few feet away. Six and a half feet tall, he’s built like he’s made from granite, with wide, muscular shoulders above a powerful form. The beauty of his brutal face is marred by a scar that passes through his left eyebrow, continuing down his cheek to disappear into his thick beard.

That flaw in no way takes away from the raw power emanating from this Alpha, who is as much beast as he is man.

He levels a dangerous glare at me, prowling forward into the light that glints off his finely wrought crown. 

“I remember you,” the Alpha King growls, his hand like iron on my arm as he pulls me roughly against him so that my chest is pressed to his. I gasp as his other hand tilts my face up, his palm so large it covers my entire chin and cheek. Too scared to move or speak, I keep perfectly silent and still as he scents the air around me. “Your scent has…changed,” he snarls, looking me in the eye. “But you were here before. Yes?”

I have no idea what to say, but he shakes me, impatient, so I stumble something out. “I was…friends,” I stutter. “With your former Queen, Angeline. Years ago.”

The growl in the King’s chest deepens, and I press my eyes shut, flinching away from him.

“No,” he snaps, giving me another shake. “Look at me, girl.” I do as I am told, opening my eyes and staring up at him, my mouth open, my knees starting to shake. The brute command of the King has always made me anxious, but now? Tonight? When he’s almost the last person I want to see? I can’t help the tremors that streak through my limbs.

“Good,” he murmurs, his hand moving over my face now, feeling the shape of it. Slowly, terribly, he drags his thumb over my lower lip, pulling me closer, growling with –

Oh my god. Growling with pleasure at what he sees and feels.

I go rigid in his arms, becoming suddenly aware of the heat of him against me, of the…the hardness of him that I can feel pressing against my stomach through my gown.

I gasp, struggling suddenly, trying to get away – doing anything to break out of his grasp – but he just laughs at me, pinning me against him.

“A flighty one,” he murmurs, still staring down at me, pleased. “Should I let you free, little doe? Chase you down in the forest? Pin you down in the pine needles? Is that what you want –  to run?”

I freeze, my eyes going wide as I stare up at him, my mind blank when I search for solutions, for an answer, for anything –

He laughs at me again. “Well,” he says, leaning close so I can hear his sensuous hiss, “then do it.”

And then, to my shock, he releases me.

I blink once, still staring at him, my mouth falling open. But he slides his hands coolly into his pockets and glowers at me, his eyes lit with some wicked light under his lowered brows.

“Well? What are you waiting for?” he asks, his voice low with cunning. “Run.”

I bolt.

My muscles pulse and carry me forward before I can decide otherwise, and suddenly I’m past him, my legs working in a fury to run –

Run –

As hard and as fast as I can.

But it’s not fast enough.

**2 Hours Earlier**

I can’t help but roll my eyes as the sun takes its final peek over the summer palace, casting a golden glow on the marble steps that my sister and I climb.

God, I hate this place.

Ridiculous, I think, balling the dark blue silk of the gown my mother chose in my hands. It’s all ridiculous, and such a waste –

“Oh, come on,” my little sister jeers, laughing as we make our way toward the Celestial Entrance. “You’re writing every single one of your emotions right on your face, Everleigh – can you tone it down a little? Some of us,” she says, gesturing to herself, wrapped in gorgeous rose silk, “actually want to meet some eligible Alphas tonight.”

I give Callista a little glare out of the corner of my eye, but, for her sake, I hold my skirts lightly and wipe my expression. “Happy now, Calli?” I ask, giving her a broad fake smile.

“Yes!” she quips, giving me a real grin in return. I sigh, letting my face drop.

“Why do you even want that, Calli?” I murmur as we continue our way up the endless staircase. “Tied to one of those stuck-up jerks for the rest of your life? I mean -”

Calli laughs at me a little, shaking her head. “Listen, Evie,” she says, “not all of us want to live by a little cottage by the sea, alone, isolated from everyone, running around collecting shells with our secret illicit chil-”

“You shut your mouth!” I hiss, glaring at her again and looking around to make sure she wasn’t heard.

Callista rolls her eyes at me this time, but she does hush up. We’re getting close to the entrance anyway – near enough for one of the other guests, or the Gammas, to hear. And we both know that above all things, I’ve got to keep the details of my life precisely that.

A secret.

The Gamma waiting for us at the top of the stairs bows low as we reach him.

“Celestials,” he murmurs. “Your names?”

“De Silva,” I say dispassionately. “Callista,” I continue, indicating my dark-haired sister. “And Everleigh.” I drop my hand, letting him puzzle out to whom the second name belongs.

The Gamma nods and scribbles the names down on a piece of paper, handing it to a child who runs to the man standing inside at the top of the grand staircase.

That done, the Gamma bows low, gesturing toward the wide patio where we can wait to be announced to the court waiting in the ballroom below.

“Okay,” Callista says, anxiously straightening her bodice and shaking back her hair. “How do I look?”

“Beautiful,” I say, meaning it as I cock my head to the side and consider her in the last rays of the summer sun. I don’t even have to exaggerate to make her feel confident – my little sister, with her trim waist and her shining chestnut hair – such a contrast to my blonde – is stunning tonight. “The King would be an idiot not to grab you the moment he lays eyes on you and declare you his next Queen.”

Callista bites her lip and gives a little wiggle of excitement, glancing toward the doorway. It will be her first time entering the summer palace, and I don’t blame her for being excited. After doing it maybe a hundred times, though, it’s lost a bit of its charm for me.

The Gamma at the door nods to Callista, letting her know she’ll be next. She gives me an impulsive kiss on the cheek before hurrying through the door. I sigh as I watch her go.

My little sister thinks she’s going to a ball tonight, but really? She’s going to a meat market. All I can do is hope her sweet little heart doesn’t get ground to pieces in the first fifteen minutes we’re here.

I lean against the pillar at the top of the stairs once Callista is gone, crossing my arms over my chest and waiting for my turn. Honestly, I had thought I was done with all of this nonsense – the balls, the courtships, the Alphas sniffing after females like panting hounds. It’s all a ridiculous act, a game that I retired from five years ago after eight breathless months at court with my best friend, Angeline. She had been the King’s short-lived second wife then, and once she was gone…well, I’d had no reason to come back.

And two very big reasons to stay away. 

And I’ve been happy with my new life away from all of this – really, blissfully happy – until about a month ago when the King’s summons arrived. One stupid ivory invitation, with one horrible demand.

All eligible Alpha-Born women are invited to attend the King’s Solstice Celebration.

Invited, it had said, as if we weren’t obligated to be here. Three nights of dancing, feasting, and debauchery, all because the King’s third Queen died six months ago and he’s already hungry for another. Apparently, the three children that the third wife had given him weren’t enough – he’s still hungry for more.

And since he’s already declined to wed all of the eligible women at his court, he’s now calling in reinforcements from the country, requiring all available Celestials of marrying age to be present.

Apparently, he wants a buffet of choices. It all makes me want to vomit.

The Gamma at the door raises his hand to me, interrupting my thoughts and letting me know that it’s my turn. Sighing, I stand up and straighten my spine, steeling myself. “Just a few hours,” I murmur to myself. “Then you can go home to your real life.”

God, if I only knew, in that moment, just how wrong I was.

Chapter 2 – In the Garden

I step forward to the crystal doors to the palace, nodding to the Gamma, who announces, quite grandly:

“THE CELESTIAL EVERLEIGH DE SILVA.”

The Celestial Entrance to the palace is beautifully structured for moments just like this. It’s a long walk up the marble stairs outside, but the climb allows you to enter the ballroom at the top of a sweeping staircase that overlooks the sunken dancefloor beneath.

You have two choices once you’re announced. You can either hurry to the left and lose yourself in the crowded balcony that rings the dance floor, or, as most choose, you can walk slowly down the long marble staircase, letting everyone get a good look at you as you descend.

The staircase is a gift, really, to women who seek Alpha husbands, as every Celestial has a chance to shine like a jewel. This staircase is the whole reason why Celestials have a separate entrance from the Alpha men, so that prospective husbands can take their time surveying a woman before ever having to say a word to her.

No extra points for guessing which option I choose tonight as I step to the top of the stairs, dropping into a deep curtsy and holding a hand to my breast to show the obligatory respect to the King and the nobility filling the room.

A few people glance upward, their hungry eyes flickering over me, but not too many. My heart pounds as I scan the room for him – the one person I very much do not want to see tonight. I know that I’m most vulnerable bowing here, alone, with everyone’s eyes on me. But maybe I got lucky – maybe he’s in another room –

I quickly spy my sister, who stands out like the ruby jewel she is, waving up at me from a crowd of friends. In the distance, I can see the King holding court with his favorites, not even glancing at all of the women he ordered to attend tonight.

But the Goddess is on my side this evening, and he – the one I absolutely want to avoid – is nowhere to be seen. Huffing a sigh of relief, I rise from my curtsey and give Calli a little smile she probably can’t see. Then, I quickly make my way to my left, losing myself amongst the crowds of Alphas and Celestials enjoying the food and drink being served up here while those below dance.

Maybe, just maybe, I can get out of here unscathed tonight.

I grab a glass of champagne from a waiter’s tray as I move through the crowds to the garden terrace that I know presses against the ballroom’s southern wall. I look down at the golden bubbles as I walk, avoiding as much eye contact with other people as I can. My parents are here somewhere, probably conniving with their Alpha friends to make a match for Callista. I have no interest at all in getting caught up in those conversations. 

I breathe out a long, relieved breath as I reach the ornate copper-and-glass doors that lead to the terrace, stepping through them as quickly as I can. There are fewer people out here, as there always are. Everyone wants to be inside, with the food, the action, and the romance. But I am very happy to let my evening pass out here in solitude.

The terrace is lit with the fading blues and lavenders of dusk, and I take a deep breath as I walk along its length, suddenly hit with a wave of nostalgia that instantly takes me back five years.

Angeline and I walked these gardens daily when we lived here. And we had both been just…so incredibly happy. We grew up together, always best friends, but she’d asked me to join her at court as her handmaiden just after the King had chosen her as his second bride. It wasn’t a hard post, really – mostly just drinking too much champagne and laughing in our favorite secret garden niches when she wasn’t at the King’s side. 

I smile as I walk, remembering how we would lie ourselves down beneath the rose bushes to gossip about who was sleeping with whom, and why, and where, and how. I close my eyes, breathing in the familiar scent of this place, allowing myself to imagine, just for a moment, that I have my friend back.

She was so bold, so full of life, and no one could make me laugh like she did.

God, I miss her.

I open my eyes and blink rapidly, tilting my head back to keep the tears from falling down my cheeks. Angeline would tease the hell out of me if she saw me crying at her memory. I smile, remembering her particular sharp verve for life as I walk down the steps from the terrace into the gardens themselves. There’s a waiter at the bottom who refills my champagne, and then I set off onto those twisting paths, sorting through my memories of my friend.

Minutes pass quickly as I wander deeper and deeper into the garden mazes where hidden secrets are tucked behind each new hedge. I smile as I watch the gardeners move slowly through the twisting gravel paths, lighting little lamps as the night darkens. But they quickly finish their work, and I find myself blissfully alone, the crunching of the gravel below my feet the only sound as the noise of the ballroom fades away behind me.

The evening has progressed into twilight now, and the fireflies are starting to shake the sleep from their wings. I smile, lifting a hand to trace one’s path as it gently drifts through the air. Quite suddenly, I remember a very specific, very rare variety of rose that only opens its flowers at night, one of Angeline’s favorites.

Curious, I start to look for that flower, wondering if I can still find my way to its particularly hidden little alcove. I do my best to follow my nose and feel a little thrill when I stumble into their sweet little alcove, where the white roses climb up both the walls and the sides of the stone fountain at its center.

And that’s where he finds me, the Alpha King who claims me. Who changes my life forever.

And now, from whom I run – desperate to get away – But as I sprint through the gardens, past the hedges and flowers, I hear the King pounding behind me, gaining ground.

Chapter 3 – The Chase

My legs propel me further into the maze of hedges and plants, my breath tearing at my lungs as I flee from the Alpha chasing me – a man so powerful he could tear me limb from limb with his bare hands –

I hear laughter as he draws near, which just makes me gasp for more air, makes me push harder. But a touch on my back, then a brush of his hand against the bare skin above my dress –

I shriek as I feel him gaining on me and drive myself to a final burst of speed –

But it’s a wasted effort. His body slams into mine.

A scream rips from me as I feel myself falling, raising my arms to protect my head, my body going rigid in anticipation –

But the King wraps his arms around me as I fall, twisting in the air so that I land hard on his flesh instead of the sharp gravel of the path.

He’s laughing, then, a cruel, joyful, hungry laugh that reignites my fear. As soon as I realize that I’m unharmed, I rip at the arms that hold me to him, trying to free myself –

“Oh, no,” he scolds, spinning his body over and taking me with him so that my back is pressed into the ground, pinned down with his weight as he lies himself on top of me. Still scrambling to get away, I barely have a moment to think before he slides his steady hand behind my head, bringing my face close to his, pressing his mouth to mine.

I go still, my eyes flying wide in shock as the King’s lips part my own. I gasp, my mouth widening, and – encouraged – the King dips his tongue intently into my mouth, tasting me. The hum that resounds deep within his chest tells me that he likes what he finds. He uses his free hand to bunch up the blue fabric of my dress, sliding his hand up the outside of my calf, dipping below my knee, and working toward my thigh.

“No,” I beg, ripping my face from his and finding my voice in my desperation, “No, please –”

He laughs against my mouth. “Why wait, wife? I’ll have you in bed soon enough. I’ll take you here under the moon first, where I found you -”

I press my hands against his chest, not truly processing his words, just desperate to get out from beneath him. “No – stop – stop –”

I slam my hands against him, then, desperate blows that draw his attention away from his lust.

“You will take me, wife,” the King growls, tightening his grip on the hand behind my neck, forcing me to look him in the eye. “I claim you – you are mine –”

I go rigid at his words, my mouth falling open in disbelief. I am lucky, then, as a slow smile builds on his face as he watches me start to understand.

The King – a claiming –

He has marked me, then. Has marked me as the one to be his next bride.

“Yes,” he murmurs, apparently enjoying my shock, perhaps taking it as awe, his hand continuing its slow travel up my thigh. “I remember you, Everleigh de Silva. But you didn’t smell to me then,” his hand is dangerously close now, his fingers brushing against the lacy edges of my undergarments, “as deliciously as you do now.”

My whole body begins to shake then at the thought of it – the fact that he’s marked me, incontrovertibly, as his bride – his next Luna, his next Queen –

But still – I can’t – god, if he knew my secret – if he ever found out –

“Please,” I beg, my voice desperate, pressing my hands downward over the skirts of my dress to where his fingers linger on my skin. “Please, I can’t –”

He growls, suddenly livid. “You would reject me?”

“No,” I breathe, knowing that rejecting him – his anger at the insult, his rage – I would be dead in moments. My mind darts, searching for an excuse, any excuse –

“I – I’m a virgin!” I blurt, desperate. “I am the Selene of my family  – my father – he would never forgive me –”

To my shock, the King pauses, and then relents, sliding his hand back down along my thigh, loosing a heavy chuckle. He moves away from me just slightly, taking his weight off the top half of my body so that I can breathe more easily.

“Well,” he says, fixing me with a heavy, amused gaze. “Apparently, my bride wants a traditional wedding night.” He glances away from me, clenching his jaw in disappointment. “But…as you are young. Yes.”

My breath starts to even out in my relief. But he fixes that perilous gaze on me again, leaning closer to me and drawing a finger down my cheek. “I am excited to continue the chase, little doe,” he murmurs, bringing his face close to mine so that I can feel his breath on my lips. “But in the end, I will take you.”

I don’t move at all as he again presses his lips to mine, a slow and luxurious kiss. It seems to last forever, this exploratory movement of his mouth against mine as he savors me, learns me. His bride.

Then, with effort, he pulls away and raises himself so that he is kneeling on the ground, offering a hand to help me up.

“Come, wife,” he commands, standing and pulling me up with him. “It is time to make the announcement to the court.”