Page 1 of King Luna

Chapter 1

Closing my eyes, I tip my head back, inhaling fresh forest air. My Lycan side has taken over my senses lately, with scent taking charge—even in my human form. Between my nose and ears, I can almost pinpoint the exact location of each Greenfield Pack member around me, doing their best to scope out a safe place to build a new community structure: the Greenfield Daycare.

This morning’s raindrops trickle from the trees. Tuning into their soothing song, I can picture it: a flurry of pups dashing around the forest floor in their raincoats, filling the precious first decade of their lives with connection and laughter. I can envision them nourishing their wolves’ inner curiosity with hands-on examples of the world around them, tucked away in the safest area of our forest. Not only would the daycare sit a half mile from Noah’s den, allowing our top Alpha to swoop in to protect them in a heartbeat, but this spot is also within walking distance to the Greenfield Pack’s main neighborhood, giving parents the convenience and care we’re hoping to provide.

And our pack’s current pups aren’t the only ones who will benefit from this future daycare building. Allowing the voices surrounding me to fade in the background, I draw my focus to the life budding in my womb.

I still can’t believe I’m pregnant. Our pup is already so dear to me—scarily so. Since my first trimester began, I’ve had endless, OCD-stricken nightmares that everything I care about is a lie. What if my mind conjured up our desire for this child,or Noah’s love for me, or even Noah’s existence? Or maybe our mate connection was never mine to experience, even if the idea of him being fated to another guts me. But my mind especially loves to doubt that we’re actually having this baby together. I keep waking up panting, gripping my belly to make sure they’re still here.

I’ve never been so terrified to lose something before. Even now, my heart pounds at the mere possibility.

I love you so much, that’s all,I mindlink to where I envision our baby is inside me, broadcasting my thoughts in the hopes they can feel it. Lilian, our Elder Luna and Noah’s mother, thinks it’s possible, claiming she formed blood bonds with each of her children before they were even born, similar to the emotional, spiritual tie Noah and I hold as mates. I want to believe her.

And I also want to believe I’m strong enough to care for this little one. Instead, I can’t stop thinking about how I might be allowing a poisonous level of anxiety to seep into our baby through their umbilical cord. My stomach somersaults, souring my throat with nausea.

You okay?My best friend interrupts my thoughts, her mindlink grounding me back into Greenfield Forest.

I blink a few times at the rustling evergreens before turning to Amy beside me, her eyebrows pinched in concern.

Meeting Amy’s big brown eyes, I give her a soft smile. She’s framed by a sea of towering trees, their stormy greens a stark contrast to her soft auburn hair. She’s snuggling her little one, Lexi—my dearest “niece.” Lexi is passed out, asleep, and drooling against Amy’s shoulder.

Biting my lips to stifle my adoration, I tuck Amy’s silky hair behind her ear, allowing her to stop tilting her head away from Lexi’s squishy cheek. Huddling in beside them with a gentle hug, I let out a slow exhale.I’m okay. This is just surreal.

Amy leans against me, providing cozy counterpressure until our waterproof jackets crinkle.The fact that we’re both becoming moms this year, or that we might be standing where the Greenfield Pack’s daycare will begin being built by the time you come back from your trip?

I shake my head in disbelief.Both. All of it.

Amy gives me a gentle smile, likely smelling my reeking nerves. I can’t help myself lately; uncertainty surrounds me. I keep waiting for the bad news. Or I catch myself looking over my shoulder, expecting another hulking, angry Alpha to appear behind us with how on edge Noah has become beneath never-ending tension at our pack’s borders.

On instinct, I press closer to Amy, inhaling lungfuls of Lexi’s sweet scent to calm my racing heart. Amy frowns. But before my best friend can pull more secrets from me, a cheery voice calls out from the brush.

“What do you think, Luna?”

Just as my focus zips to the bushes in the direction of Rainn’s voice, her head pops out of them with an explosion of flora. Leaves remain sprinkled throughout her dark brown, wavy hair as she smiles, awaiting my approval of our future Greenfield Daycare.

My mate’s sweetheart of a sister breaks me out of my anxiety in an instant, leaving Amy and me in a fit of giggles.

“What do I think? Other than that you’re the cutest, Rainn?” I turn over my shoulder, taking in the breezy, beautiful sight around us. Rainn’s laughter widens my smile, easing the tension from my body. “To be honest, I think it’d be a shame to cut down these trees, even though I’m interested in building here. It’s so peaceful.”

The brusque, bulked-out Alpha woman we hired as our contractor pops out from behind Rainn, wringing her hands. “We just finished sniffing out the trees in the whole area.They were the product of improper re-seeding by humans, so a majority of them are dead, and they’re way too close to each other. If they fall on their own, they might take down the healthy ones. Basically, we’ve gotta take a ton of them down anyway. That’s why we wanted to show you this patch.”

Tugging her shirt back into place, Rainn joins my side. “Can you picture it?”

Gazing out at the forest floor, I smile. “More than picture it. I can feel it. You all did an incredible job. I can’t wait to show Noah.”

The contractor’s chest puffs in pride, tempting me to laugh at the precious, clear vision I’m given of how giddy her wolf side must look. I don’t want to steal her moment by making her think her pack Luna is laughingather instead ofin adorationof her, so I turn my back, running a hand over my tiny, swollen belly.

Unfortunately, it’s the first time in many minutes I’ve taken a single step. And one step is all it takes for me to wince, another stab of ligament pain shooting up my abdomen.

Before I can take a breath, every wolf around me dashes to my side.

“What’s wrong?” Rainn asks.

“Did something hurt?” Amy asks.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I laugh, but it’s too late.

The poor contractor’s excitement has fallen from her blanched face. “Did we walk too much?”

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