Moonlight Rebirth

Lilac

Where did you go?

Lilac

I need to see you.

Kyril

I don’t want you to see me, Lilac.

Kyril

Now that you’ve seen what I did.

Kyril

The day I went feral.

Lilac

Kyril.

Lilac

That’s not what I see.

Lilac

Please!

Kyril

It was a long journey, Lilac. A hard fight.

Kyril

Maybe I should take some time.

Lilac

I’m your luna.

Lilac

You need to listen to me.

Kyril

Okay.

Kyril

I’m listening.

Kyril

What is it?

Lilac

I have a surprise.

KYRIL

Kyril sat on the edge of the bed, head in his hands, staring at the floor. He was in no mood for surprises.

Seeing Serena had messed with his head, reminded him of his terrible act all those years ago.

Even if he hadn’t killed her, his wolf certainly had tried.

And now that Lilac had looked into the past and seen him like that with her own two eyes? How could she even bear the sight of him?

Still, he appreciated the confidence in her voice. Her demanding to be listened to, to be taken seriously. It was a reminder of how much she had grown.

The Lilac he’d first met, the Lilac who had stood behind him when she met his council, that very same Lilac was ordering around her alpha.

If he hadn’t been so exhausted and full of self-disgust, he might’ve found it amusing.

But not right now. Right now it only made him more melancholy. Because, even though his luna was growing, Kyril had still failed to tame the wild lycan inside him.

Zion had seen it in him. Stavros Tadd had seen it in him. His feral side lived on, and if he wasn’t careful, it might one day consume him.

What if he actually killed someone? What if he ever hurt his mate?

In a rage, Kyril threw the contents of the side table to the floor, enjoying the sound of the lamp shattering against the floor.

~This is what I am,~ he thought. ~No more.~

~An animal.~

~Untethered.~

~Unworthy of love.~

He felt like he needed to shift right then and there. To fight something. To tear something apart between his teeth.

And then he heard it behind him: a growl.

Kyril spun to see Lilac’s small wolf, baring her teeth mischievously at him. She took one step back. Then another.

~What is she doing? Is she...challenging me?~

“Lilac, I’m in no mood for games.”

But he had to admit, watching her slowly back away from him was irresistible. He felt the hairs on his arms curling into fur, his teeth sprouting, his lycan yearning to take over.

“NO!” he shouted.

He couldn’t let it. It was the same lycan that had nearly murdered Serena. That would kill again if given the chance.

But then Lilac did something so surprising it left Kyril speechless. She snarled at him in the most aggressive manner he’d ever seen from her.

His sweet flower of a mate was threatening him.

And it was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

Before Kyril knew what had come over him, he shifted and lunged for her. But Lilac was too quick.

Her wolf bounded down the stairs and out the door into the night.

Kyril gave chase, his lycan overcome with lust and hunger.

~Where~ he wondered, ~is she taking me?~

Kyril

You can’t run forever.

Kyril

I’m going to catch you, little flower.

Lilac

Don’t forget.

Lilac

I have a surprise first.

Kyril

You can’t make a wolf wait forever.

Lilac

It’s worth it.

Lilac

I promise.

Lilac

Lilac ran and ran and ran, knowing the destination she had in mind was far but absolutely necessary. She had to show Kyril what he really meant to her.

It was the only way.

At last, they made it to the outskirts of the old village, and Lilac shifted into her human form, panting, stopping to catch her breath. She spun to see Kyril shift as well, mere feet away from her.

They were naked in the moonlight, but it made no difference to Lilac now. Not after everything they’d been through.

“What is this place?” Kyril asked.

But she could tell that beneath his question was another. What could possibly be worth postponing the carnal desires he had in mind?

Lilac turned to consider the field of flowers and the lilac trees at their center.

“This is where I was born, Kyril,” she said.

Kyril frowned, surprised. This was the last thing he’d expected to hear from her. And Lilac grinned, understanding why.

“I know, it must seem strange,” she admitted. “Bringing you here of all places. But I have a good reason.”

“Now, you have me curious,” Kyril admitted.

But the longer he was in his human form, the more he had time to think, and overthink, and lose himself in self-hatred, the closer Lilac knew she came to losing him.

She had to overcome her nerves and speak plainly without stuttering once.

Their mating bond depended upon it.

“Do you see those lilac trees?” she asked, pointing. “My father always said that Ales and I were born during the storm of the century.”

She pointed to an old faraway building. “But when he looked out that window, he saw that the lilac trees appeared mysteriously untouched by the storm.”

Lilac turned to look Kyril right in the eye. “He named me Lilac for that reason. I was calm when the world was raging around us. And that’s what I am for you, Kyril.”

She took his hand and stepped closer to him, tears filling her eyes.

“When you are lost, I will be your home. When you are angry, I will be there to soothe you. I am your mate, your tranquility, and I will always love you, no matter how scary the world may seem.”

Kyril looked at a loss for words. He slowly shook his head and, for the first time, it was his mind that ~she~ could read.

~How did I ever get so lucky? I don’t deserve you.~

“No, Kyril,” she said forcefully. “That’s where you’re wrong. You do deserve me. We both deserve each other. If you truly want me to be the best luna I can be, you need to be the best alpha. And that will only happen if you forgive yourself.”

“But, Lilac,” he said, eyes cast downward, “I don’t know how.”

“Shift for me, Kyril,” she said, echoing his words back to her.

When she was most vulnerable, he soothed her. When she was overcome by anxiety, he eased her nerves.

She would do the same. She would help him love and accept himself.

Kyril nodded and shifted until she was naked, holding on to his lycan and looking into those beautiful monster’s eyes.

“This wolf is you,” she said, snaking her fingers through his fur. “I love him as I love you.”

Then Lilac shifted, and together, the two wolves ran from the meadow into the pale moonlight.

This was no physical transformation.

This was a shift of the heart and spirit itself.

KYRIL

Kyril couldn’t believe what Lilac was doing. It was as if with every rush and spurt, every leap and bound, they were becoming new beings entirely.

Kyril had only ever thought of his lycan as a violent means to an end, an essential part of himself that he needed to keep carefully controlled. Or else.

But Lilac loved his wolf; she wanted his wolf. She demanded that he love his wolf, too.

Whereas the full moon used to terrify him, now he found that its soft light brought him joy and peace.

They ran through the woods, chasing and nipping at each other’s heels, and Kyril swore he felt as if his spirit itself was being cleansed and reborn.

The Goddess Selene was smiling down upon them, and he thanked the heavens to simply be alive.

And to have found a mate as pure and true as Lilac.

He finally leapt and pinned Lilac to the ground in the middle of a clearing atop a mountain peak. It felt like there was nothing but Kyril and Lilac and the moon itself.

Their wolves looked into each other’s eyes, and he knew. After this night, nothing would ever be the same.

Slowly, lovingly, the two shifted until they were naked in their human form, their bodies intertwined.

“Lilac,” Kyril whispered. “You did it.”

“Did what?” she asked with that sweet innocence still in her eyes.

“You helped me let go. I...I don’t feel any pain anymore. I feel free. You saved me, Lilac.”

She smiled, and it was the most beautiful smile Kyril had ever seen. He brought his lips to her and kissed her with the passion of every part of him.

The man. The wolf.

The body. The mind.

He poured all of himself into that kiss. It felt like it went on for hours and passed within a single second at the same time.

When Kyril finally pulled away, he could hear the soft moan escaping his mate’s lips.

“Kyril,” she said.

She had never said his name like that before. There was a deep and intimate craving in that tone of voice.

The way her nails curled into his exposed back. The way her neck arched as she pressed her body toward him.

It was so unlike her and yet so perfect.

When Lilac looked into Kyril’s eyes, he realized. Lilac was no delicate little flower anymore.

This was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted.

After all the tension and confusion and angst that had come to define their mating, Kyril and Lilac were finally bonded.

“I want you,” Lilac whispered. “I’m ready.”