Page 102 of King Luna

Blinking a few times, Noah grins through a soft hum. “Well, actually, both of you, I guess. I meant you, though. You better be ready for her to beat the fucking shit out of you at a future Summit.”

Sputtering into laughter, I clutch his hand. “Noah!”

Tane’s booming laugh replaces the anxious throbbing in my heart with another cheek ache, Waimarie joining in with him until Noah’s smile reaches his eyes just the same.

Tane sighs. “Bro, I’m about to beat the shit out of you first. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“Alright, alright, sure. We’ll see.”

“We’ll see.” Tane mimics Noah’s deep voice before releasing another boisterous laugh, soothing the rest of my worries about their fight today; with how close they’re standing despite preparing to fight in mere minutes, our goofy mates must adore each other.

As Tane adjusts his ceremonial gear, Waimarie and I settle into each other—just in time for Annika to wave at us from the sidelines. Noah remains close, giving me a quick glance.

Dammit. He must feel my anxiety returning, my limbs buzzing through every breath.

“There’s our Luna!” Waimarie waves. “Come join me in cuddling our dear friend!”

Dropping his head, Noah doesn’t hide his smile from me.Goddess, Waimarie is an expert mediator, I swear. I should’ve had you two meet sooner.

He’s right; thanks to Waimarie’s warm greeting, Annika’s features soften, even though her pink cheeks grow rosier as she stares into my eyes.

After giving all four of us a hug, Annika drops into the seat beside me.

The resulting silence grates my nerves.

I try my best to sit in the discomfort of it all, quieting my breath as it speeds into overwhelm, but nothing can hide my anxious scent.

Whipping her head toward me, Annika’s smile dissolves into a weary frown.

My heart hurts. I squeeze Annika’s hand, blurting out my thoughts. “Sorry, I— Yesterday—”

“Sorry? No, no, Luna— A-about yesterday, um...” Annika fiddles with her skirt fabric. “I don’t want to be like those other Lunas and accidentally say something rude. It’s just... Youdidsmell like an angry Alpha—” Noah’s focus zips to us, and Annika waves her hands. “W-which is okay! I think you’re wonderful, Alpha or Omega, but...” She swallows hard, gazing into my eyes. “But I didn’t expect it to be so strong since I thought you were still mainly an Omega, and I got a little intimidated by how powerful you looked. That’s all. I’m so sorry if that’s rude.”

Thankfully, another Luna scoots past our row of chairs to reach her friends, pausing our conversation. I use it to give me time to think.

How am I going to respond to this? Noah’s furrowed eyebrows likely reflect my same concerns. Without spending ages detailing the nuances involved, I don’t know how to explain I’m not “either” an Alpha or an Omega, I’mboth.

And like Noah and I talked about, no one will probably understand. Not like we do.

But I don’t need them to understand. Most importantly, I want to show Noah that I’m not embarrassed of us anymore. That actually, I love who we are.

Maybe the simple truth is best.

Straightening my back, I look straight into Annika’s eyes. “I’m both. I’m an Omega-Alpha.”

Noah’s sharp inhale is minor compared to his elation erupting in our bond.

“O-oh! I—” Annika blinks a few times, her eyes darting between Noah and me. “I’ve never heard of that before.”

My heart sinks. I drop my focus to my lap, both hands still occupied by our ally Lunas. I’m tempted to let go.

Then Annika grabs my arm. “B-but I believe you!”

My breath catches. When I gaze into Annika’s eyes, I don't find the hesitation, disgust, or malintent I’m dreading. Her bright smile stretches across her face.

“I’ve never heard of it, but I can smell it's true. Thank you for telling me.” Annika loosens the rest of my concerns with her honest, relaxed stare.

But her head whips away from me; Viktor’s vibrant voice draws Annika’s attention a second before it grabs the rest of the Summit's focus. “Welcome to the semi-finals! Remaining competitors, line up.”

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