The Last Moonborn Wolf

My new prison.

Harper’s POV

I stare at Mason, waiting for an answer, but the longer the silence stretches between us, the more I realize I already know he is not going to answer me and reveal something private about himself. He does not trust me. I cannot blame him, because I do not trust him either. Trust is earned, and we do not know each other well enough to trust each other.

“Who is Blake Jackson?” I ask again.

Mason looks ahead, his expression unreadable as always, like he has spent years perfecting the ability to hide his emotions and feelings from the world. I guess a King cannot show weakness. I know that as soon as an Alpha shows weakness, then he will be challenged. It must be worse for a King.

“Nobody you have to concern yourself with,” he says.

The answer makes my eyebrows rise.

“Nobody? Really? You know my Alpha wanted me to become his Luna, but for some reason, most probably because I am only human, he did not want to have me as his Luna,” I say.

His eyes move toward me.

“Hmm. Interesting. Blake Jackson is not a weak Alpha, and he does have some royal blood in him. He used to be a prince of the South before I conquered the South, but if I could tell that you have a wolf but it is hidden deep inside you, why would he not pick up on it? However, he is a nobody, and you do not have to worry about him. He will not bother you as long as you are with me,” Mason says half to himself.

I almost laugh because there is nothing about Alpha Blake Jackson that feels like nobody. A man who can appear in front of the King of the North without fear is not a nobody. A man who knows enough about me to say things that make my skin crawl is someone I have to worry about. I know that look in Mason’s eyes. It is the same one I saw when he spoke about love. The King of the North has built a wall around his heart, and he will not allow anyone inside.

“Why did you conquer the South? What did that kingdom do to you?” I ask.

“Nothing that concerns you,” Mason says.

Again, he closes up like a book. You cannot ask him anything. I am going to his kingdom. I have to trust him with my life, and he does not even want to trust me with one secret!

“You are impossible. You think I am too weak to handle whatever you are hiding. You think I am a weak human, don’t you?” I say.

His eyebrow lifts slightly. I have noticed he does that when he is irritated or surprised.

“Excuse me?” Mason asks.

“You heard me,” I say.

I see the surprise in his face for a moment, and I almost enjoy it. Not because I want to annoy him, but because for once I want someone to understand that I am not going to stand silently while people make decisions about my life. I am tired of being ordered around, and I am tired of being everyone’s punching bag.

“I am the King,” he says.

“And?” I ask.

His expression changes from surprise to annoyance. His dark eyes run over me as if he is measuring me.

“And most people do not speak to me like that,” Mason says.

I look at him.

“Maybe that is the problem. Perhaps someone should speak to you like you are a human also and not only a werewolf and a King,” I say.

For a moment, he says nothing. Then, surprisingly, he turns away. The rest of the journey continues in silence.

When we finally reach the Northern Kingdom, I understand why everyone fears Mason Whitlock. The castle appears through the mountains like something from another world. Black stone walls rise high into the sky, surrounded by silver towers that shine beneath the moonlight. The banners of the crowned wolf move with the wind, showing everyone who owns this land. It is beautiful, yet it speaks of power. It looks like the home of the most powerful creature in our realm. It looks like the house of the most feared man, the King of the North.

Yet, the moment I look at it, my chest tightens. I laugh bitterly. To me, it is just a prettier, stronger, golden cage. Another prison where I will have no freedom. I spent years trapped inside Silverline Pack because they believed I was nothing. Now I am standing in front of a castle where everyone will see me as the strange wolfless girl the King brought home. Maybe this is my life. Perhaps I will never truly be free.

I get out of the carriage. I can only stare at the castle in front of me, unwilling to be led into another prison. I feel like I want to run away. Mason notices I am not following him.

“What is wrong now?” he asks.

I look at the castle, and I sigh.

“Nothing,” I say as I force my feet to move closer to my new prison.

Mason walks next to me and studies my face. I can feel those dark, emotionless eyes on me.

“You are a terrible liar,” he says.

I smile bitterly again.

“I thought Kings only cared about their own problems,” I say, keeping my voice emotionless. I do not want him to pick up on the weakness in me.

“I do,” he says.

“Then why ask?” I say, annoyed with him.

“Because you are now under my protection and you are one of my problems,” he says.

Protection, a word I hate. Everyone uses it like it is something beautiful. But my entire life, people have used protection as an excuse to control me.

“I did not ask for your protection,” I say.

The expression on Mason’s face hardens as he stops me, takes me by the shoulders, and turns me to look him in the eyes.

“You would rather return to Silverline?” he asks.

“No, of course not,” I say.

“Then stop acting like I am your enemy,” Mason says.

I do not look down or away like I used to with Alpha Carter of the Silverline Pack. I look him in the eyes.

“I do not know what you are, Mason. I do not know if you are my protector or my captor. I know you saved me. I know you are different from them. But you still make choices for me without asking what I want,” I say.

For the first time, he looks like he does not have an answer. The silence between us grows. The soldiers around us suddenly become very interested in anything except our argument. No one talks to the King like this. Mason finally speaks, but not to me. He talks to the omegas that are waiting for him outside the castle.

“Prepare the west wing for Luna Harper. She will be living there, and you will respect her and do as she says,” he says.

“The whole west wing? How big is that? I thought you would give me a room,” I say, surprised.

Mason turns back to me again.

“What do you mean by a room?” he asks.

I look at the castle.

“Nothing,” I say.

“You think I am locking you away. You are not a prisoner, Harper,” Mason says.

Something flickers in his eyes. For a moment, it looks like pain, but only for a second. Then it disappears, and he is his cold, usual self.

As I step into the castle, a strange feeling moves through me. That whisper inside my head and that presence I sometimes feel. The same one I have felt for years but could not place, only this time, it feels closer. It feels almost awake. I wonder if my wolf is trying to escape. Maybe she is trying to warn me. Because it feels like something inside these walls knows who I am, and it has been waiting for me to come home.