Dimitri’s POV
My heart was going to jump out of my body. I’d never been in so much pain. I’d never been so scared in my entire life.
She wanted to reject me? She wanted to leave me?
Fuck no.
I would never let it happen. She was mine. She belonged here with me. I couldn’t let her leave. It would kill me.
I kissed her marking spot and she squirmed. I pressed her even closer to me. I continued kissing her neck gently. My tastebuds were going to explode. I’d never tasted anything as delicious as her.
“I love you, Maddie,” I said quietly as I traced my lips to her jaw. “I love you, my queen.”
She grabbed the back of my jacket and pressed herself even closer to me. We were now as close to each other as we possibly could have been. I was in fucking heaven.
She buried her head into my chest and a small sob escaped her.
“I can’t…,” she spoke, her voice muffled. “I…”
“You can, princess,” I said as I leaned my head on hers. “You were made for this. I will be with you every step of the way.”
I tangled my fingers into her hair and pulled her head up gently. Her cheeks were red and wet from her tears. I leaned in and rubbed the tip of my nose against hers. I wished that I could kiss her, but I didn’t want to do it while she was afraid and crying. Our first kiss would be special.
“You and I will move to our own house, Maddie,” I said softly as I pressed my cheek against hers.
I was completely taken over by the physical aspects of the bond. My whole body was covered in tingles. My heart was hammering inside my chest. It felt like I was being tickled from inside and it was the weirdest and the most pleasurable feeling I’d ever experienced.
“You will never have to see Mike again if you don’t want to,” I continued. “I am not letting you leave me just because of him.”
Maddie’s hold on me tightened. She sobbed quietly.
“It’s not just about Mike,” she cried out. “I don’t belong here. I never did. I…”
I lifted my head and tightened my jaw.
“You belong here, Maddie,” I said sternly. “You are my mate. You are a Luna of this pack. You are the Queen of this Kingdom. This is where you belong. I have no idea why you believe that you don’t, but I am not letting you leave me because of it. I am not letting you go, Madeline. Forget it.”
I would lock her up if I had to. I didn’t give a crap. She belonged here with me and I would be an insane motherfucker if I let her go.
Not to mention how painful it would be. Not to mention that there were rogues everywhere. They would kill her. If they found out that she was my mate they would capture her and torture her. Pain and anger exploded inside me just thinking about it. I couldn’t let her leave. I simply couldn’t.
“We have a huge issue with rogues, princess,” I said worriedly. “If you left they could hurt you. If they found out that you are my mate they could take you and torture you to get to me. It would kill me, Maddie. I would die if something happened to you. I can’t let it happen. I can’t let you go.”
She furrowed her eyebrows a little. I saw worry written all over her face.
“What is going on with the rogues?” she asked, making me smile a little.
“And you say that you weren’t made to be a Luna,” I said softly as I pinched the tip of her nose. “Look at you working already.”
Her eyes widened in surprise and I chuckled.
“We don’t know much,” I answered her question. “They are attacking our borders daily and we can’t figure out why. We captured a few of them, but they never said a word about why they were attacking us or who was behind it all.”
Maddie furrowed her eyebrows again.
“I think that they are after my throne,” I continued. “Which is why it’s extremely dangerous for you to leave, love. You are my biggest strength and my biggest weakness. If they took you and asked for my throne in exchange for you, I would give it to them. I would give every fucking thing I own just to get you back. If they hurt you I would feel it. If they killed you I would die. We are bound even without the mark, Maddie. You are my heart and my soul and I can’t lose you.”
Maddie gulped and another tear fell on her cheek. I wiped it away with my thumb.
“Promise me that you won’t leave, Maddie,” I said as another wave of fear washed over me. “I will make sure that you never have to see Mike again if you don’t want to. I will get rid of everything that ‘s bothering you in this pack. You are my number one priority and I will do whatever I have to do to make this a place where you feel comfortable.”
Maddie closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on my chest. My heart almost exploded with happiness. I tangled my fingers into her hair and held her against my chest. I leaned in and kissed the top of her head.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” she said, her voice laced with fear and pain. “I can’t hurt you. I just found out that you are my mate and I already feel connected with you in so many ways.”
I smiled and placed another kiss on the top of her head. She looked up at me and gulped.
“But I worry that you will be hurt if I stay,” she continued quietly. “I don’t know what the Goddess thought when she gave me to you, but I am not made to be…”
“Stop it,” I interrupted her. “Stop saying that you weren’t made for this. Stop implying that this was some kind of mistake. Our bond isn’t a mistake, Madeline. It is the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me. You are the most precious thing in the world to me, Maddie. You are not a mistake. This is not a mistake.”
I couldn’t hold back the tears. Hearing her say that the Goddess shouldn’t have bound us together was so fucking painful. I felt like a million knives were jammed into my chest at the same time.
Maddie raised her hand and wiped the tears from my cheeks.
“I am sorry,” she said quietly. “I never meant to hurt you, I…”
Her voice broke and she stopped talking.
“I know, Maddie,” I said as I leaned my forehead against hers. “Please stop talking about leaving me. Please.”
She took a deep breath and her hold on me tightened. I understood her fear, but I wouldn’t let her leave me because of it. I would never let her go. She was my heart and my soul and I wasn’t going to lose her.
