Scarred Luna

Kieran’s POV

A long sigh slid past my lips as I laid on the bed, the comfy feel of the duvet pressing into my back. With how comfortable I was, it wouldn’t take up to a minute for anyone in my shoes to fall asleep, anyone but me. Why? Because my mind was a whirlwind of emotions and for some strange reason, I couldn’t bring myself to calm the raging storm that was swirling inside of me.

Focus, Kieran. Focus.

But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t bring myself to do so. It felt impossible at this point because the more I tried to forget about it all, the more the memory seemed to climb to the top of the list of the memories I wanted to forget.

Xander. Alpha Xander. Ughhhh.

Involuntarily, I found myself trailing my tongue over my lower lip. It had been weeks since the Alpha and I locked lips, but I could still very much taste him. He tasted like whiskey with a hint of mint and cinnamon. A whiff of vanilla too hung around the corner of my lips, but for the life of me, I couldn’t help but stop thinking that that was the outcome of both our mouths combined together.

Kieran!

But that was the problem, no matter how hard I scolded myself, or tried to distract myself, nothing was working. It was like I was stuck in a time loop in my mind, with the only memory on replay being my kiss with Alpha Xander. Even if I were given all the most beautiful words in the dictionary, none of it could do a perfect job at describing how perfect that kiss was. Perfect was an understatement to be honest and trust me when I said I wouldn’t mind a fraction of that kiss every second.

I wondered if he was thinking about the kiss the same way I was. Was it just me? Or could he not get the feel of my lips slammed against his out of his head too? I doubted it. Alpha Xander was extremely handsome and good looking, and I could bet my life he’d kissed a number of women in his lifetime. He wasn’t like me, who’d just had her very first kiss in forever.

Yes, Alpha Xander ws my first kiss, and now that I thought about it, the more sense it made. Could it because I hadn’t missed any other person prior to this, that’s why I was reacting this way? You couldn’t blame me, I never believed it would happen. Why? Because I’d killed my dreams of having a magical first kiss a long time ago.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

While I was in Alpha Lucas’s pack, there was nothing like romance. I was basically a sex slave to assault and treat as he liked, so where in the world was a perfect first kiss supposed to come into? It was just wishful thinking at that point and instead of thinking about it all the time to get my heart broken, I would rather shelve it to the back of my mind. And I had, until I met Xander.

With another loud groan at the surge of unwanted memories that filled my head, I got off my bed and headed straight to the garden. The same garden where it had all happened. A particular memory nipped at the front line of all the others, and I shook my head back, willing them to all disappear.

No matter what happened, I would always come to the gardens. It was the one place that gave me peace and solace when I needed it, and as usual, I was going to avoid replaying any memories. How hard could it be, right?

I skidded to a halt in my tracks the moment my eyes reached someone’s back. He was tall and dark, with a light brown shade of hair curling around the back of his head. The muscles of his back rippled along the lines of the tight T-shirt he wore as he moved his arms right and left, front and back, stretching.

My hands itched to touch the huge bulge in huge arm, but I kept the urge to myself. How weird would it be if I just started running my fingers across his body? Whoever he was, I wasn’t sure he worked here. Because if he did, I would have recognized him. That and the fact that not a lot of people who worked here were built like that.

Except Alpha Xander.

Had he done something with his hair? I narrowed my eyes as I studied him. Nah, it can’t be Xander. I recognized him anywhere, even in the dark. Or did he-

The rest of the words to my question died in my throat the moment the man raised his head, before turning in my direction. I felt my breath hitch in my throat immediately. It felt like I could no longer speak, as my legs fell to mush.

“Hey there, beautiful.” I wasn’t sure which was more charming, his pristine white smile or the fact that he had an angelic voice. “Took you long enough.”

“Who are you?” I managed to get out. My voice quivered slightly and I hated how I couldn’t get a hold of it. “What -what are you doing here?”

“I came here to watch the gardens.” He smirked. “But now that you’re here, I’d rather gaze upon nature’s finest artwork.” he said and I was genuinely caught off guard.

“Oh,” I mumbled. It didn’t take too long for my cheeks to warm up, a red hue tainting the sides.

“You must think I’m flattering on you.” The young man continued his assault on words as he stalked towards me. Even his gait had a certain bounce to it. When he stopped just a couple of inches short from where I stood, he continued. “But I’m not, even if I was, I doubt anything I would say could match up to your ethereal beauty.”

“I.. I..” this wasn’t a usual occurrence for me. I had barely had a conversation or be in the same room with a lot of guys so how could I answer him? If anything, I wanted nothing more than for the fountain to open up and swallow me whole.

“I’m Oliver.” The man bowed. Small shivers traveled across my palm as he brought it closer to his lips. Before I could make sense of what he was doing, his lips connected with the back of my palm. Ummm… I was honestly just really shocked and rooted to the spot.

“And I know you’re a princess, but I would really love to know your name.”

“Kieran..” I breathed out, like I was being hypnotized. His courage was so shocking to take in. I cleared my throat again before answering. I was beginning to sound like a fan girl.

“My name is Kieran.” I said, much more clearly.

“That’s one of the most beautiful names I’ve heard.” He said as he gave me a lopsided grin. “And it’s quite befitting for an angel who- ”

“You should leave her alone.” Someone’s deathly calm voice said from behind me. Xander. The moment he spoke, I froze. “Leave Kieran alone.” he repeated, like he meant for it to sink into Oliver’s skull.

“Xander!” Oliver grinned, tilting his head to the side to catch a glimpse of the man who had just spoken behind me. “It’s been so long!”

I stepped aside and turned to assess the conversation.

“What are you doing here?” A ghost of a smile made it way to Xander’s lips as he walked further into the garden.

“Is that how to welcome your friend?” Oliver shot back, his grin never faltering. “I thought you would have learnt some manners by now?”

“I would have.” Something dangerously low resonated under Xander’s voice. “If you had learned to stop flirting with any woman you saw.”

“Beautiful woman, you mean.” Oliver let out a loud laugh, before drawing his gaze back to me. I watched something dark flicker in his eyes for a bit, before disappearing again. “And Kieran here isn’t just beautiful, she’s a goddess. A reincarnation of the moon goddess herself.”

“Don’t you dare.” Xander warned and I almost grinned at how territorial he sounded. “Don’t you try to…”

“Relax.” Oliver cut him off before he could get any more words out. “I’ll try to make sure she doesn’t fall too hard for me.”

*You’re pathetic.” Xander rolled his eyes and I could tell it was just an attempt to block out the jealousy, but there was something in there. Almost like he felt me staring, he immediately turned to me and gave me a weird look before he spoke.

“Stay away from him.” he simply said, a hint of a warning to it.

“Don’t” Oliver countered and I turned to him.

“Listen to me Kieran” Xander said and I turned back to him.

“Don’t!” Oliver countered again.

Xander groaned.

“Asshole” he said before he turned his back on us.

“Now if you’d like, carry your dirty ass into the house for lunch.” he said to Oliver and I almost laughed out loud.

Oliver hummed a tune as he followed Xander and they both went into the mansion, leaving me and my thoughts behind.

So, Oliver was Alpha Xander’s friend?