The Perfect Luna by Marissa Gilbert

Chapter 43. Guilt
Maya was crying quietly all the way down until the Lycan kingdom and Reid didn’t know what to do. She did not show it to him
and neither did she sob or weep, but her eyes were red and puffy and she was wiping them with her palms every few seconds as
she turned away to
stare at the window.
He never wanted a mate in the first place, never looked for one. And when he saw how
finding a mate changed his best friend Gideon, he decided to stay away from wolf mingling events and stick to the she-wolves he
already knew, considering them safe options. Luckily,
there were quite a few who were always ready to keep him company.
It was supposed to be for the best. He wasn’t a family man anyway. Maybe a funny uncle
material. But this was it. He was a Beta and needed his focus on his work at all times.
Yet when he first sensed this amazing scent of almonds and something floral that evoked everything feral and primal inside of
him within seconds, all his rules and self-taught mantras went to hell. He struggled for a few minutes in his car, trying to talk
himself out of
going there and finding his mate. But gave in rather quickly under the pressure from his wolf, Nox, who was eager to meet their
mate.
He had to see her too; had to know who she was.
And when he saw her with another man who tried to hurt her, all his instincts flared up. It was a done deal. That woman was his
and he wouldn’t let anyone touch her, let alone hurt her.
He disobeyed his king’s orders for the first time ever and left Riannon behind without any
support. Before that, they planned for him to stick around with her as a representative of the Lycans on the pretence of helping
her with their new law project. That would allow him to be there to protect her if needed as it was required from their positions.
She was already his Luna regardless of being marked and married to some annoying werewolf Alpha.

And now his Luna was on her own.
It was her silent order, of course, to take her best friend out of this place. For some reason, she considered that more important
than their initial plan and he decided to trust her instincts as Maya’s safety suddenly became of prime importance to him too.
But he knew that he would pay for this. Because Gideon trusted him what he treasured the most and he failed his Alpha and his
king.
“It’s going to be okay,” he decided to try and break the ice but his mate snapped her head
in his direction and glared at him with the intention to kill. As if he was at fault before her.
Which he wasn’t.
She wanted to hurt him on purpose and he let it slide. He could sense that his mate was using her snarky attitude to hide how
worried she had been inside. And he could understand that. He liked Riannon a lot, but she was new in his life. If he had to leave
Gideon in the sea full of sharks, he wouldn’t be happy too. He couldn’t be happy now either. The guilt was washing over him in
waves. But it had already been done and he had to trust Riannon with this one. Hopefully, she knew what she was doing.
“Reid,” he stated calmly.
“Reid, let me tell you a little story,” she spoke in a voice one would speak to a child that wasn’t bright. “Once there lived three
girls and they were the best of friends. A lot of sh*t happened, some dead parents, dead siblings, boyfriends being as*holes,
terrible life choices, but the three of them stuck together. Then one of them died too, living the other two. And they swore to stay
by each other’s side no matter what! Guess who these girls are, Reid?”
“You and Ria,” he answered plainly, allowing her to let out the steam on him.
“Correct! What a clever boy you are!” she praised him,”I... I left her there! You have no idea what is going on there and what it
means to me! She...”
“She is sticking up for you, Maya,” he interrupted her speech and she looked at him with wide eyes, “Just like you promised. It
was her choice, not yours or mine. You were in a far worse situation there according to her. And I had to take her lead. Knowing
Riannon, she can take care of herself. And she will not stay there for a long time, trust me.”
Maya bit her lip almost to the point of bleeding and turned away to the window to hide the

tears forming in her eyes again. She had to do something about this stupid liquid secretion. She knew that he was right. Riannon
did what she would have done if she could. It did not make her feel better though.
They parked the car in front of what looked like a modern palace. However, Maya wasn’t in the mood to admire it. And all Reid
wanted was to get her inside of his room as soon as possible. Before he met...
“Reid!” his king’s voice sounded behind him and he turned to face his Alpha. Gideon stared at him in disbelief and then slowly
shifted his eyes to Maya. He balled his fists, trying to hold back his rage.
He was already angry when he found out from Savvy that Riannon left the pack and the kingdom. But he got calmer knowing
that his Beta was with her. And now there he was. With some girl and not his Luna!
bad.
“Where is Riannon?” Gideon growled.
“At her old pack,” his Beta replied honestly, not trying to hide the truth, “There has been a situation and she had to stay as a
result. And this is...”
“I don’t care what new wh*re you picked up and where,” the lycan king was on the edge
with his rage.
“She is my MATE!” Reid snarled at him, his protective instincts taking over, “I had to get her out of there!”
It didn’t help Gideon calm down at all.
“I am sorry,” his friend continued, stepping closer, “It was her decision and in the heat of the moment it seemed like the right
one.”
The punch was so hard that it broke Reid’s nose and knocked him off his feet. He stayed on the ground, covering his face with
one hand, trying to stop the blood until regeneration kicked in and knowing that he deserved that. He stayed down out of respect
to his king whose
trust he broke today.
“How is leaving my woman behind was the right decision?!” Gideon tried to hold back his fury. If he didn’t, he didn’t know how
this would end for Reid.

“You are her mate!” Maya whispered and for the first time since she got here he looked at her properly, “You are Ria’s mate!
But... how?”
“The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways,” he grunted, slowly realising that this girl
wasn’t just somebody. They already met. He noticed her red cried out eyes and her messy
hair. She did not look like herself but he recognised her now.
She also did not look like Reid’s usual type. Which was funny since she was his mate.
“I am Maya,” she tried to explain and his whole body tightened at her words, “I am...”
“Her sister,” Gideon nodded, letting her know that Riannon told him everything, “You... You are very dear to my mate.”
“I know,” her lips trembled, “She just... I am the one to blame, not Reid. She came there because of me and she had to stay
there. He wouldn’t let her go. And Roxy...”
She filled him in quickly on everything that happened. Gideon clenched his fists. It was unbearable. But in the short time that
they knew each other, the very first thing that he learned about her was that if she made a decision, she would stick to it no
matter what. And also he
“What do we do now?” the girl in front of him asked as she gave a hand to her mate, who was still on the ground. Reid took it
with some kind of hope in his eyes and Gideon realised that he already got a hard time with her. Not that it excused him.
However, he did not want to lie to himself either. He would have made the same choice in
0
his place.
“We continue with the plan,” the kind said. “The plan?” Maya gasped, “I haven’t heard a thing about a plan!”
“Let your mate fill you in then,” Gideon spared one glance at Reid and realised that it was too soon. Anger was still boiling in his
heart and Mars demanded blood. But it wouldn’t be the blood of their Beta that he would offer to his wolf. “I expect you in my
office first thing in the morning,” the kind muttered and left the Beta couple alone.

He went straight to their room, which still had her scent inside even though the omegas already changed the sheets like they
always did.
They were discussing the possibility of her going back to her pack and what she would be doing what she had to. So, he had to
stick to those thoughts. Riannon knew what she was doing when she stayed, and he had to trust her with that.
However, he had to listen to her voice. He needed it on a physical level.
So, he picked up his phone and called her, waiting to be connected with his eyes closed by his palm. Being separated from her
again felt even worse than before now.
“Ria!” he started speaking the moment the call was answered.
“Excuse me, who is this?” the male voice on the other end of the line seemed confused. He recognised her husband at once.
“This is King Gideon Stormhold,” he held himself back from growling, “I need to speak to Riannon. Now.”
“Your Majesty,” the Alpha sounded apologetic, “I am sorry. This is a bit inconvenient right now. It’s too late and she is sleeping.
We just reunited after the days of not seeing one another and were too hungry for each other if you know what I mean. She was
too exhausted by the time we were done with each other. It would be cruel to wake her up now. She needs her rest. We are
trying for a pup, you see..”