From Rejected Mate to Luna Chapter 165

Julia's POV

Matthew's strong arms cradled me against his chest as we stood beneath the silver moonlight. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat echoed through my body, a comforting drum that seemed to match my own. After our honest conversation in the moonlight garden, something had shifted between us - walls crumbling, bridges rebuilding.

"So," he murmured, his lips close to my ear. "Spring Valley or your apartment first?"

I considered my options. Part of me wanted to run away with him immediately, to leave everything behind. But the practical side of me knew better.

"My apartment," I replied, nestling my head against his shoulder. "I need to pack some things and handle the paperwork for my transfer from the Star Shadow medical team."

His arms tightened slightly around me. "Always the responsible one," he teased, but I heard approval in his voice.

"Someone has to be," I replied, allowing myself to relax in his embrace. It felt so natural, so right, despite everything we'd been through.

*He smells so good,* Kaia purred in my mind. *Like pine and moonlight and home.*

I silently agreed with my wolf, though I wouldn't admit it aloud. Matthew began walking, still carrying me as if I weighed nothing.

"You know I can walk, right?" I said, though I made no actual attempt to free myself.

"I know." His voice rumbled through his chest against my ear. "But I've spent weeks apart from you. I'm not ready to let go yet."

Something warm bloomed inside my chest at his words. The Matthew who'd walked away had been replaced by this man who seemed afraid I might disappear if he loosened his grip.

"You could go back to Spring Valley tomorrow," I told him, trying to sound practical. "I'll join you after I handle my work transfer here."

He stopped walking, looking down at me with intensity. "My father can manage the pack for a few more days. I don't want to leave you, Julia. Not even for a day." His arms tightened slightly around me. "I've spent enough time apart from you already."

My breath caught. The sincerity in his eyes was unmistakable. Before I could respond, he began walking again, his gaze fixed ahead as we approached my apartment building.

At my door, he gently set me down, and I fumbled with the keys, suddenly nervous. The weight of the moment - of what we were choosing - pressed down on me. When the door finally swung open, Matthew swept me up again without warning.

"What are you doing?" I laughed as he carried me over the threshold.

"Being traditional," he replied with a grin that made him look years younger.

The moment the door closed behind us, something changed in the air. Our eyes met, and the playfulness evaporated, replaced by a charged silence. Matthew slowly lowered me until my feet touched the floor, but his arms remained around my waist.

I'm not sure who moved first. One moment we were standing there, breathing the same air, and the next his lips were on mine, hungry and desperate. My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer as weeks of separation and tension dissolved in that kiss.

His hands splayed across my back, pressing me against him as if trying to eliminate any space between us. My wolf Kaia howled with delight inside me, and I could feel her reaching out, sensing Hati just beneath Matthew's skin. For a brief, electric moment, I felt our mindlink flutter to life, carrying a burst of his emotions - relief, desire, and something deeper that made my knees weak.

When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Matthew rested his forehead against mine.

"I should..." he gestured vaguely toward the bathroom. "Shower. It's been a long day."

I nodded, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. "Towels are in the cabinet under the sink."

"Join me?" he asked with a mischievous glint in his eye.

I rolled my eyes, though heat rushed to my face. "Nice try," I said, giving his chest a gentle push.

*Why not?* Kaia whined. *He's our mate!*

I ignored my wolf's protests as Matthew chuckled and headed for the bathroom. The door closed behind him, and moments later I heard the water running.

Alone in my living room, I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. What was wrong with me? We'd just decided to try again, and already my body was betraying me, wanting to rush headlong into things. I needed to be smart this time, to rebuild trust before anything else.

*You're overthinking,* Kaia huffed. *Our mate is here. He chose us. We chose him.*

"It's not that simple," I whispered.

But as the minutes ticked by, the sound of running water became hypnotic. My wolf's senses picked up every splash, every shift of Matthew's body under the spray. I found myself moving toward the bathroom without conscious decision, drawn by some invisible thread.

I stopped outside the door, leaning against the frame. What was I doing? This was ridiculous. I should walk away, make some coffee, act like a rational adult instead of a lovesick teenager.

The water shut off. I froze, suddenly aware of how this would look if Matthew opened the door and found me standing there like some kind of stalker. I turned to leave, but before I could take a step, the door swung open.

I stumbled backward, directly into Matthew's chest. His skin was still damp, droplets of water tracing paths down the defined muscles of his torso. A towel hung precariously low on his hips. The scent of my soap on his skin made something primal inside me stir.

My hands instinctively pressed against his chest to steady myself, and the contact sent an electric current through my fingers. Our eyes met, and I saw his pupils dilate, a ring of gold suddenly surrounding the green. Our mingled scents filled the small space - his natural pine and earth notes, the clean smell of soap, and something unmistakably *us* that hadn't existed before.

"I was just..." I began, but couldn't think of a reasonable explanation for lurking outside the bathroom door.

A slow smile spread across Matthew's face, his eyes dancing with amusement. He reached up, brushing a strand of hair from my cheek with gentle fingers.

"For someone who said 'no' to showering together," he said, his voice low and teasing, "you seem to have a hard time staying away."

My face burned. "I was just passing by," I lied, knowing it sounded pathetic even to my own ears.

Matthew leaned closer, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. "You know, Julia White," he whispered, sending shivers down my spine, "for a woman with such a brilliant mind, you're a terrible liar."

I opened my mouth to protest, but no words came out. His nearness was intoxicating, my body responding to his proximity in ways my rational mind couldn't control. Matthew pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, his expression softening from teasing to tenderness.

"It's okay to want this," he said quietly. "To want us."

My throat tightened with emotion I wasn't ready to voice. Instead, I stared at his face, memorizing every detail - the slight shadow of stubble along his jaw, the tiny scar above his eyebrow, the way water droplets clung to his eyelashes.

Matthew's thumb traced my lower lip, his touch feather-light. "I'll never rush you," he promised. "But I'm not going to pretend I don't want you, either."