Page 153 of King Luna

The attacker Alpha sneaks back onto the field, his snout trained onto the scared wolves behind Annika, Waimarie, and a few other Lunas I recognize—their wolves holding the line with protective snarls as they inch backward to the Community Center.

My wolf bursts from the brush, cutting across the field and overtaking the Alpha’s speed to beat him there. Leaping in front of the huddling group, I lick my bloody fangs, keeping my paws splayed. With the deepest growl I can manage, my hackles raise, every inch of my skin disgusted by this Alpha’s intentions.

The Alpha hesitates, skidding in the grass. He dashes to the left in a wide arc, avoiding crashing into me just in time before sprinting back into the woods. I want that to be the end of his confidence, but as I turn to Annika, I spot the Alpha prowling in the brush, waiting for another opening to attack.

And I see why the Lunas weren’t running; the wolves behind us have entered the “freeze” state of trauma, staring with wide, tracking eyes at the Alpha, no matter which herding method Annika and Waimarie attempt. Before the Alpha can realizewe’re extra vulnerable, I let out a sharp yip, and the wolves jolt, breaking out of their petrified trance. I leap in a zig-zag around the scared wolves, herding them back faster.

Since I can’t mindlink them, I’m surprised by how well they obey, just from my urgent scent and body language. They huddle in close, allowing my wolf to guard them at their flanks as we dash from the field.

When a different straggler Alpha spots our susceptible group, sneaking up on my tail, I put on my meanest snarl, whipping around and slashing my claws at him without a second thought.

The Alpha yipes, his tail tucked as he scampers back to the field with petrified yelps.

I didn’t even touch him, but I must look terrifying; my wolf’s fury has left me shaking and panting, burst after burst of adrenaline firing my nerves at their peak.

But not even the sight of a scared Alpha makes me feel better. This should’ve been a day to celebrate my mate’s victory and to recover. By this point in the Alpha Summit, we’ve spent nearly all our energy on surviving the dominance challenges, and I bet that’s exactly why Mason showed up now.

I don’t even need to go home, if that’s too much to ask of the universe. All I want is to at least go back to a couple hours ago—when my main worry was Noah losing the title of King Alpha. Now I’m just hoping I’ll get to see Noah hold onto his life for another minute.

My stomach somersaults, never feeling heavier as my aching back strains over our growing baby. I don’t want to be forced to do this without Noah.

Using her teeth, Annika yanks open a hidden cellar door in the garden behind the lodge. Her gray-and-ivory wolf guides our group underground—into the Community Center depths.

As we silence ourselves, Annika slinks through underground tunnels, guiding us in the dark with soft pants. When my eyes adjust to the lack of light, I spot Markus in his blanket cocoon, hooked over Annika’s bottom fangs. Even her pristine wolf looks shattered, her ears slicked back to her head in agony. Yet she’s still guiding us all to safety, not giving up.

Once the wolves pile into an innermost chamber in the basement, Annika shifts back into her human form—followed by Waimarie. The other scared wolves must not feel safe enough to shift back, cramming their massive forms as deeply as they can into the back of the room in a quivering cuddle pile. All that can be heard is soft panting, silencing ourselves as best as we can in our panic.

But in her human form, poor Annika breathes so raspily that I’m afraid she’s having an asthma attack, my heart twinging with her every wheeze.

“Darling, we’re okay—” Waimarie steadies Annika’s hands, helping her light a match from a hidden, dusty stash in the wall. “We made it, love. Breathe.”

The second Annika lights the fire, resettling Markus safely in her arms, she turns to me. Wide, shattered eyes stare back, candlelight flickering in her fair irises.

I whine, reflecting in her agony as I ask the same question: how did we get here?

“Goddess,Aliya—you saved—” Annika erupts into desperate cries, gripping my fur. “You saved our mates from being shot! I couldn’t stop it. I saw the barrel aim at us too, a split second before you leapt to—”

Annika can hardly choke out her words as she collapses against me, multiple Lunas erupting into whines as she bursts into loud, frantic cries, expressing the sorrow in the air for all of us.

My ears flatten back as tightly as they can press. But as I allow myself to take a deep breath, I’m terrified: I can finally feel how hard my legs are shaking. What if I have no energy left to help Noah keep us alive? It’s far from over. What’s it like out there now—is it worse? And who died already, despite our efforts?

Waimarie snuggles me with Annika, wiping the blood from my chin and chest as she sobs into my fur in gratitude. Multiple wolves stream in to copy her, licking me clean as they wrap me in their loving warmth.

But my wolf pants and whines in distress; I need to get back to my mate.

Giving them each a soft nuzzle in their hair, I ease my paws back, sending a clear message of my intentions.

“Luna, wait—” Annika pulls a crushed lunch sack from Markus’s diaper bag. Even before she opens it, my wolf drools onto the tile from its scent; Annika reveals three slices of smushed pumpkin bread. “Please, Luna. You need your strength—”

My wolf snatches the bread into her jaws, swallowing it whole—paper sack and all.

A burst of cinnamon and pumpkin swirls at the back of my tongue, alighting my wolf in pleased bristles.

Annika blinks, a weary smile lifting her cheeks as she gazes up at me. All at once, the Lunas around me burst into giggles and tail wags, lightening the heaviness in my chest.

Waimarie gives my ear a deep scratch, urging me into a pleased grunt. She smiles even wider, inspiring a burst of energy within me. “Oh, good girl, Luna!”

Annika giggles despite the tears still cascading her rosy cheeks. “Please, stay safe. You’re dear to all of us.”

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