Bonus Chapter 15

My heart races fast now to know if those women’s jewelry has shone under the Black Moon. 
*Please put it back! Please put it back!*
I pray in my mind, staring now at Briar’s stone-studded bracelet. 
When I see her putting it back on, I feel my body calming down. 
But then, Theo reaches for the goblet she placed on the table and drinks the wine, the entire time his gaze locked on her eyes.
It’s so... attractive and hot.
“What about the wine, Luna?” I ask.
“If the jewel does not shine, and the person who got the wine is interested, they can drink the wine at any time tonight. If this happens, it means that they are interested in the person just for the night.”
My heart races again when I recall that the other women’s goblet before Briar is still on their table.
Oh, Goddess! Please don’t bless them!
I know he is my fated mate, but I believe in the Moon Goddess’ blessing. She can give him anyone. What if he asks for the Goddess to find him a better match? What if the Goddess agrees he deserves better than me and then blesses him with someone else? 
Someone he can choose and be blessed by the Goddess herself.
Because I’m too problematic and not worth it.
I scan the place, my gaze landing on the owners of the goblets on their table, mingling amongst the crowd. Maybe an Alpha like Azrael will choose to enjoy the company of some of the she-wolves here who offered him their wine. 
Allie starts talking with Alpha Ethan, I spot them exchange smiles. Then my gaze shifts to Azrael’s table once more. I can see that he and Theo are polite to all of them, and they know them. They talk. Too much for my liking. 
Looking at Lily, she’s now staring at Azrael. Maybe they are talking through mindlink. 
Maybe they’re planning to choose another mate and cut me off from their bond.
Tears well up my eyes.
I bet if Lily were sitting, her table would be crowded with goblets too. She’ll have a lot of unmated wolves showing her their sparkly stupid things, talking to her, touching her. 
*They are mine!*
After another woman leaves their table, Azrael’s eyes meet mine.
Our last encounter echoes in my mind. Our fight.
His gaze is too much to bear so I shift my eyes to Lily’s, and I spot fury in there. 
I move my gaze to the sky so the tears don’t fall. 
Allie was right, the sky is breathtakingly beautiful. The stars are so bright that it seems like I can touch them with my fingertip if I raise my hand.
Dancing has begun. My heart races with the sound, and before I know what I’m doing, I’m standing from my seat at the table, grabbing my goblet. I catch the Luna and the Alpha half-smirking next to me as they look back and forth between Azrael, Lily, and me before I make my way to my mate’s table.
Everyone looks at me, a knowing smile flickering across their faces, but there’s something else in their eyes—something almost reverent. I don’t know if it’s the Black Moon, but I can *feel* them.
I’m still mad at him. At Lily. But I keep going, threading through warm bodies until Azrael is in perfect view once more. 

🐺 🐺 🐺
***Azrael***

I can’t believe what my eyes are looking at.
They arrive at my table at the same time, just like Theo has told me they would. Even though they come from different directions.
Contrary to all the females who approached my table, offered me their goblets and presented their jewels to the Moon Goddess above us, my heart only races for them.
My Sunshine and Hurricane.
Lily demands, “We need to talk!” at the same time Poppy says in just one breath, “You already have two mates! You will not drink wine from any goblet today but ours. Now drink it.”
Poppy’s sweet voice may have an adorable demanding tone, but she’s sporting pleading doe-eyes while she points with her delicate index finger to her goblet she placed on the table in front of me, as if I were going to mistake which goblet is hers.
Frozen, Lily looks down at her with her sultry lips parted, at the same time, she mindlinks to me, ‘Did she just think... Did she think you would fucking drink from someone’s goblet?’
Even though we aren’t in a good place, we both put it aside as Lily and I stare stunned at our little witch. 
I can see fear in Poppy’s aura, and I immediately put all our stupid fighting aside.
Standing up, I pick her up and then sit in the chair again, cradling her in my arms. My Sunshine instantly buried her face in my chest. 
“Please don’t choose anyone else. Don’t leave me.” 
Fucking hell!
“I would never! You both are my world, Sunshine!”
Gazing to the side, I spot Theo leaving the table and heading to Briar. Most of the females approached my and Theo’s table, daring to try to offer me their goblets, but I refused them all. Unlike Theo, who drank Briar’s wine, the girl he has pinned for since he was thirteen.
Every Black Moon Festival since we were allowed to attend to, Lily and I have spent almost the entire time unable to keep our hands off each other. This is the first festival we’ve arrived at alone.
Lily stares down at her while I run my hand up and down her back. Then my gaze rises to Lily. 
“He could never do that, Angel. If he did that, I would castrate him!”
Poppy lets out a soft giggle, and I sigh, starting to massage the back of her neck. 
My wolf growls in my mind when I take a look at my Sunshine’s small frame. Fuck, she’s so fucking beautiful. She looks like an angel, just like Lily’s pet name for her.
Poppy pulls back, but I continue massaging her neck. “I’m upset with you. And with you.” She moves her eyes up to Lily’s. “I don’t want to—”
“I’m sorry I hurt you, Sunshine.” I cup her face with my other hand, making her look back at me. “I should have been more careful.” My jaw tics. “Because of us, you ended up hurt. Physically and emotionally.” My thumb caresses her cheek. “I promise I’ll be a better mate for you.”
A tear rolls down her cheek. She nods at me, her chin trembling. “I don’t want to fight anymore. *Please*,” she says before hugging me tightly again.
Thank fuck. I exhale in relief.
My Sunshine’s grip is so tight that for a moment I’m surprised. She’s just a tiny thing.
I plant a kiss on the top of her head. Her hair smells faintly of herbal tea and lavender, soft and innocent like her.
I watch a flicker of longing and regret flash in Lily’s eyes before she stalks forward. She moves around so she faces my chair. I twist with Poppy’s on my lap just as Lily leans in to place her hands on the arms of the chair.
“We need to talk.”
“I’m waiting.”
“Waiting for what?”
“You know what.” I clench my jaw.
“You think I’m the one who should be apologizing?” Lily huffs. “Poppy and I shouldn’t have come to the pack. We were pretty happy in our house—”
“In that dump?” I snap, jerking my body forward at the same time Poppy winces in my arms, burying her face deeper into my neck.
“We were pretty good in there. Comfortable, even!” Lily barks.
“Comfortable?” I snarl. “Ava’s crib was bigger than the fucking bed you guys slept in. And way more comfortable.” 
She presses her lips together. “You had no right pushing me or Poppy into something we weren’t ready for.”
“I thought I wasn’t,” Poppy says, shifting her head to look up at her. “But I don’t regret coming here, Lily,” she says firmly. 
My Sunshine may have forgiven me, but she hasn’t forgiven Lily yet, and from her reaction to hearing Poppy call her by her name, she’s noticed it too. 
Lily’s chest rises and falls with her heavy breathing. She pulls away and crosses her arms, looking to the side. “I don’t care. We still could have stayed there.” 
“There’s that pretty lie again. You keep saying words you don’t mean, Lily. Should I believe you this time?” 
That seems to hit her hard. 
Poppy hugs me again and buries her face in my neck when the silence among us becomes too deafening, despite the loud noise of the music and everyone dancing.
Lily is angry. Deep down, she’s more angry with herself, which I know from experience that it’s a hard fucking pill to swallow. I can empathize. 
It’s through our mate bond how I know it’s a lot easier for her to make me the target of all her rage. She needs that release. 
My mate needs a target for her anger. 
Someone to blame so that she hurts a little less. And since I was a little boy, without even thinking it through, I decided I would be that person for her. 
I stare up at Lily. Goddess, she’s so fucking stubborn, she never gives in easily. She blinks several times, I can feel through our mate bond the suffocating emotion in her chest. How she is feeling terrible and doesn’t know what to do.
She glances quickly down at Poppy in my lap, then her longing eyes look away.
My heart aches to see her like this but the things she said were too fucking cruel and I can’t accept it, not for myself or for Poppy because I just promised my Sunshine that I would be a better mate for her.
Avoiding my eyes, Lily murmurs, “I have a couple of things I need to tell you.” 
I grunt, feeling her heart ache as if it were mine. “Hurry and tell me so I can put your mouth to better use then.”