Free Resisting the Moon: A Royal Shifters Novel by L.P. Dover

also this,” he said, squeezing my hands. “Your touch keeps me sane.” He wasn’t lying. I could feel his tension seeping away. “Was he human?” he asked.
    I nodded. “Basically, our relationship was doomed from the start. No one knew I was dating a human. My parents, especially my mother, would’ve given me a hard time. But I loved Cliff. He was a good man.”
    “What happened?”
    Closing my eyes, I remembered seeing his face for the last time in the hospital. I could still hear the last beats of his heart. “When I wasn’t aging, I had to cut ties with him before he noticed. A few years later, I went to check on him and found out he was in the hospital, dying from cancer. Before he took his last breath, I was able to see him again.”
    Sebastian nodded in understanding. “So you’re afraid of losing me? Is that it?” He moved closer and cupped my face in his hands. “I can promise you I’m not going anywhere.”
    I shook my head. “I’m cursed, Sebastian. Everyone I’ve ever loved has been taken from me.” Taking a deep breath, I blew it out slowly. “You don’t know this, but I was set to be mated to another man thirty years ago.”
    “Go on.”
    I didn’t want to tell him about my intimacies with other men, but it was the only way to get him to understand. “He was our pack leader and one of my closest friends. We knew that to make our pack strong, our union was the best bet. He needed a strong female and I was the strongest. However, he wasn’t the only one who wanted me.”
    Recollection sparked in his gaze. “Is that why your pack split up?”
    “More like demolished. As far as I know, everyone was killed, except for a few of us.”
    “And your intended, what happened to him?”
    I shrugged. “Killed. He said he would come for me and he never did. My pack was slaughtered because of me and I’ve never been able to forgive myself for it. Finn told me to run when I should’ve followed him and fought. I will never make that same mistake again.”
    He tilted my face up. “But you lived to see another day. Things happen for a reason, love. Your choices brought you to me. This is where you belong.”
    My lip quivered and I bit it. “What if I lose you too? I can’t bear the thought.”
    Before I could take a breath, he closed his lips over mine, wrapping his arms around my waist. I was too tired to fight, and gave in, opening myself up to him. His lips were warm, his hands rough as they reached underneath the hem of my shirt. I didn’t want to let him go, but he broke away first.
    Leaning his forehead to mine, he closed his eyes. “If you don’t finish this, you will surely lose me. The rage will drive me insane and I won’t be able to control it. You need to make the choice soon, your fear . . . or my life.” He stepped away and disappeared inside, only to emerge again and take off into the woods.
    I stood there frozen, with the weight of this words sinking in. He’d given me his terms and now it was my turn. Only, I didn’t know what to do.

Tyla
    F or the rest of the night, Sebastian stayed in his wolf form and kept guard outside. I tried to search for the stone but couldn’t find it. He had it hidden well. It wasn’t until the early morning hours when I awoke to sounds of him coming inside and hopping in the shower. He was avoiding me. I guess I deserved it.
    “Knock, knock,” I said, tapping on the bathroom door. It opened slightly and steam billowed out.
    “Yeah?” Sebastian replied.
    I could see his form through the cloudy, glass shower door. I fought back the urge to say ‘fuck my fears’ and jump in the shower with him. When I didn’t answer, he opened the door and looked at me.
    “Can I help you?”
    Clearing my throat, I turned my head. “Where’s the stone?”
    He shut the shower door. “Safe, why?”
    “I want to use it. We need to know more.”
    Opening the door again, he turned the water off and got out. I met his gaze and it took all I had to keep it