Page 12 of Crystal Luna

“May I ask why?”

“I never thought I’d be able to leave. I was trapped, but with the shift, I realised that I could run.” She paused as a faint smile stretched her lips. “She made me realise. It felt like she was trying to push me to leave.”

“How did you shift back to human?”

“My father once told me how he’d learned to shift. I pictured myself in a mirror and started wiggling my toes and stretching my arms.” She sounded proud of herself, her smile growing as the words became easier.

“Very clever,” Wayne praised. “I like that approach.”

Her cheeks flushed and it was the sweetest sight. Her eyes were still resting on her hands, her thumb still soothing her knuckles, but she seemed less tense now.

“Do you do the same when you shift into your wolf?” Heath asked and chimed in for the first time.

“Yes.”

“How soon after you two met did you run away?”

“I’m not sure,” she admitted, her heartbeat slowing. “Minutes maybe? I packed a few belongings and then left.”

Wayne opened his mouth to ask another question but Heath shook his head, sensing that Velora had more to say.

A moment later, she continued, “I know it was stupid. I knew it at that time too, but I couldn’t stay there. They were all occupied, no one would miss me for hours. If I waited, I wasn’t sure if they would let me go. I wouldn’t have been able to keep her a secret.”

Leaning forward, Heath tried to soften his usually very distanced voice. “Velora, please look at me.”

She did, but timidly.

“I don’t want you to think that you have to justify any of your decisions. You did what you had to do and in that moment that choice was the best for your survival.”

“I stole money,” she blurted out, visibly regretting it as soon as the words left her mouth.

Heath couldn’t help his lips from twitching as he smiled at her. “You needed that money and had a right to it—just as much as any other pack member. You were free to take it.”

Her eyes widened like he’d shown her a portal to another world. Heath realised that it had never occurred to her that she had the right to anything other than basic survival. It hurt his heart, making his alpha pride twitch to know that another alpha found it acceptable to treat a member of his pack that way.

“We treat everyone equally here. There is no need to slave yourself away for the selfishness of someone else.”

“Unless you are me,” Wayne laughed.

Her lips curled into a shy smile.

“Would you like to go on a run with me?” Wayne asked.

She nodded, the motion cut short as a thought occurred to her. “What about Evelyne?”

“It’s very sweet of you to think of her. We won’t go far. She promised to link me if she needs me.”

Heath spoke up. “I believe she sent him away because he was driving her mad.”

Finally, her smile reached her eyes.

“Enough talking about me now,” Wayne announced with a chuckle as he stood up. “Shall we?”

Heath watched as Velora stood and followed his beta out the door. Her shoulders were squared and her hands fidgeted with her shirt. Right before she disappeared out of view, she looked back, her eyes still brimming with fear, though he could see excitement sparkling just beneath the surface.

Heath buried himself in work, desperately trying to squash his anger over what Velora’s pack had done to her. He only looked up when he heard Mia’s excited voice, seeing them both bounce into the office side by side.

“Daddy, Evelyne’s water broke!” she announced with a cheer.

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