*Cali POV*
I walk through the bed of roses in my meticulous garden. It is an attempt to clear my head. Leroy is driving me insane. We claimed each other during the Luna red moon, yet both our marks are gone. It’s a clear message that we are not yet permanent mates. It sucks, but we both knew the prophecy. He is taking this too hard. I can’t deal with him right now, hence walking here when he is inside interrogating his Epsilon. 
I enviously watch the butterflies flipping their colourful delicate wings. They seem at peace and happy. Perhaps like I was a day ago. The whole of the red mood was complete bliss. For a moment, I thought life was perfect. Having my mate with everyone and everything else completely gone is something words cannot express.
I am still walking aimlessly in the garden when the Epsilon shows up. 
“My Queen.”
“I did not summon you,” I say and realise just how short my fuse is. This man has shown up like this my whole life. He only does when he has a point to make. 
“Sorry. Please proceed.”
He nods his head before he utters his riddles. 
“The prophecy holds, but each determines their fate.”
“It does not seem like any of us determine anything,” I refute his words, or what I think he means. 
“You are the rarest breed even amongst the elite. Blessed with tremendous power. A Queen above queens. A mate must be worthy or none will do.”
I can’t help but let out a laugh at his words. 
“If Leroy is being tested, then why does it feel like I am the one being weighed?” I ask. “I believe I have been through enough really,” I add and he lets out a sigh while I continue to vent my frustrations. 
“I have royal blood pulsating in my veins, yet I was cut out of my dead mother’s womb, born to be a nameless slave with no rights and no roots. Now this?”
I don’t mean to pity myself, but I can’t help comparing my whole life to those of my fellow royals. Surely, the maker has some balancing scale showing that I have endured enough. 
The Epsilon does not respond to any of my questions. He continues with his riddles as usual. 
“A mate bond is incredible and almost irresistible, My Queen. Can anyone resist it?” he asks what I assume is a rhetorical question and vanishes. 
I narrows my eyes, analysing his words. I can’t help but laugh as I pose the question to no one in particular. 
Who indeed?
I guess I will find out if a mate prophesied to have other mates before me can indeed resist the incredible pull and truly choose me. I definitely don’t want a mate who will fail in defying the odds to be with me. 
I suddenly feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can’t help but hum my favourite tune as I dance with birds and butterflies in this magical garden. 
I don’t see Leroy approaching until he has his arms around my waist. He inhales loudly as if taking in my scent. 
“Someone is in a good mood,” he points out and plants a kiss on my neck before his canines sink in. 
“Leroy!” I cry out, shocked and turn to look at him. A warning of what he planned on doing would have been nice. 
He looks at me with his chest rapidly rising and falling. Perfectly sculpted body, with just his pants and shoes on. I have to forcefully peel my eyes off his sensual abs. I have seen a fair share of sexy men, but he still takes the cup. 
“I don’t care about the stupid prophecy. I am going to mark you everyday until it is permanent,” he  declares, his voice firm and husky before looking up and screaming his lungs out. “Do you hear that?” he shouts with his hands clenched into fists. 
Stupidity is declaring war with a deity you can’t reach, nor challenge. He, however, looks so damn hot in his rebellion, I can’t help but mark him back. I guess I am in this too deep already. 
He sighs out loud, relieved. Did he think I would leave him hanging?
“Luna red moon or not, I love you, Cali. I always did and I always will. Humans have no mate bonds, yet they love. I will love you with everything in me.”
I look at him. His words are touching and make my heart flutter, but we are not humans. They don’t have a mate bond pulling them to someone else. 
“How does Sky feel about this?” I enquire. Sky has always loved me, but wolves are very simple beings. They will always choose their mates, no matter whom they love. They suffer a great deal when their human chooses to do otherwise. 
“I did not ask him.”
“Leroy,” I call to him softly. 
“Don’t do that. Nothing about you is negotiable from now on,” he says sternly. 
I nod and rest my head on his chest. Hearing his heart beating sends electric waves through my body. 
“I love you too, Leroy,” I finally declare. 
He chuckles and drops his head. Our lips meet into a passionate kiss. A few minutes later we are both breathless and so aroused. I can feel his erection against me. 
He questions when I break off the kiss and gently push him away. 
“Cale is hungry and upset,” I tell him right before Betty shows up with the screaming boy. 
Leroy shakes his head and stands behind me to hide his erection. 
“I am sorry to disturb my Queen. He…”
“It’s okay, Betty,” I interject, already consumed with guilt. I have not spent much time with him in the past two days. I made a conscious decision to be with him as much as possible since Phoebe’s death. 
“Come here, my cuteness,” I say, taking Cale, who immediately locks his eyes with me and stops crying. 
“You can blame your daddy for disrupting our me and you time,” I tease before taking a seat on the bench and feeding him. 
“Seriously?” Leroy asks, his voice deep and more intense than usual.
I look at him when he takes a seat next to me. He pokes Cale’s cheeks before getting closer to me. 
“Lord, you are hot even when nursing,” he whispers and Betty giggles. I guess she heard that. 
We play with Cale for an hour before he is fast asleep. That’s when I am whisked away to my chambers. We can’t seem to control ourselves as the whole Luna Red mood repeats itself. 
I wake up two hours later, and sense foreign wolves. That’s when I recall that Palmville pack was visiting today. They were not here for the castle commission because they were burying their Luna mother that day. I wake Leroy up. We take a quick shower and head out. We are descending the stairs when Leroy grabs my hand, prompting me to stop and look at him. 
“What is it?” I enquire when I see vein’s bulging on his neck and sweat falling from his brow. 
“She…is…here,” his response sends my head spinning.
“Your mate is here?”