Page 130 of King Luna

No, wait. Is that another intrusive thought? I need to focus on the present moment.

I try to focus on the soothing breeze ruffling my hair, but the feeling gets worse and worse as my phone chimes again. Then again.

Okay, fine. I’m giving in and looking.

But when I check my notifications, my heart rate spikes so high that I struggle to breathe.

My panic is strong enough to whip Noah's attention off his practice battle. Shifting back into his human form, he takes swift, determined strides toward me, calling out. “What?! What’s wrong?”

His golden eyes are so vivid that they nearly glow. Reid shifts back after Noah, his brows furrowed at Noah’s heightening alarm.

All I can do is stare at my phone, blinking over and over again as if it’ll make the notification disappear.

When I open the notification, I find a direct message from a new social media follower I've never seen before. But the username “stbarrett92” leaves little doubt in my mind of who it is.

Steven.

Noah stoops to my eye level, gripping my shoulders. “Tell me what’s wrong, Luna.”

I shake my head, unable to speak as my eyes trace Steven’s messages, again and again.

stbarrett92:Hey, I know I’m not supposed to contact you but I thought you should know something I heard

stbarrett92:I was at the bar last night and another hunter was bragging to my buddy

stbarrett92:This old dude was fucked up and said he accidentally shot someone 5 years ago and got away with it.

stbarrett92:Do you think it could be your dad?

I drop my phone, scrambling away from it like a poison. It lays face up on the forest floor between me and my wide-eyed mate.His severe focus hardly allows me to catch my breath; I don’t want to have to witness his crushed reaction when reading these messages too.

Noah picks it up, and my heart drops as he reads the message. Then he reads it again. And again.

Until I let out a sob.

When Noah’s eyes flip up to mine, there’s a split second where pure bloodlust hazes his eyes over.

Then he melts for me, his forehead warping in agony. “Luna... My poor Luna.”

Noah tugs me tight against his chest, whining over me.

But it doesn't help. With all the chaos of tonight’s battle, every scent, sound, and touch clutters my mind.

“Please, take me back to our room,” I rasp.

Glancing at Reid, Noah hoists me to my feet. “Thank you for the warm-up.”

“Don’t thank me. Go,” Reid says. “You still have an hour and a half. I’ll come get you if it’s getting late.”

My stomach jolts, pushing a panicked whimper from my lips. How can anything in the world feel okay enough for Noah to fight for our lives in an hour and a half, let alone for us to function as a potential King and Queen? We dart back to our room, not a single word more shared between us as dread seeps through every inch of our bond.

Once we’re locked behind our door, my knees wobble. Noah hurriedly guides me to my makeshift nest, placing me at the edge of the mattress as he stands before me. His hands are outstretched and shaking, ensuring I don’t topple over.

The sudden silence is stifling—especially when I find Noah gazing back at me with eyes just as wide.

For a while, we say nothing. But as Noah’s panic rises in my mind, I grit my teeth, and Noah lets out a shaky breath in response.

“He could be lying, Aliya.”

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