Page 154 of King Luna

I give Waimarie and Annika soft boops with my nose before sprinting out the door, anxious to get back to Noah.

I don’t need Annika’s guidance to find my way out of the tunnels; my wolf remains on high alert, following the clearest scent trail I’ve ever tracked: the rotten, urgent scent of our distress from when we entered. The second I reach the door, I sniff the cool air blowing in through the cracks. Once I’m sure no one is around, I hop from the exit, my body bursting with a second round of adrenaline as I bury the door in dirt with a few kicks of my back legs.

My wolf weaves through the garden, sneaking through the bushes with rapid, expert dodging of rose thorns.

I’m a little stunned that pumpkin bread gave me so much energy. Between my snack and my wolf’s pride of returning to Noah’s side after protecting our Lunas, I feel like I’m flying.

But I spot an Alpha sniffing in the distance—his nose pressed to the garden’s stone path.

He’s probably searching for Luna scents, looking for easy targets to distract our Alphas.

But he doesn’t notice me prowling. Watching him.

My swift paws make no sound as I hunker into the earth, speeding my run into a hunt.

The Alpha yelps at the claws lashing his face, my wolf sending him cowering into the ground. He scampers back onto his paws with bloody jowls, bolting away and leaving behind a trail of pee.

He better warn everyone not to come back here. Instinct takes over, and I pee on top of his pee, warning any Alphas who dare come close that I’m coming for them too.

I sneak to the field’s entrance, curling against the frigid stone as I pant away my stress. Glancing around the corner, my heart drops; the smell of blood lingers in the air, but there are no wolves to be seen.

They’re all fighting within the forest. While we can use its cover to our advantage, so can they.

The closer I get to the snarls, howls, and whines in the distance, the deeper the pit grows in my gut. Charging back onto the field, my stomach rolls, threatening to lose my pumpkin bread with how terrified I am of what I might find.

I’m on my way back, Noah. Are you okay?

We’re faring... Vik’s pack is kicking ass now that we're in his forest, but Mason has even more wolves pouring in. This has to be thousands of Alphas who joined the Super Pack.

Oh, God. I’m on my way to help you.

Stay low. Do you remember Viktor’s only rules before the Alpha battles?

No tail biting or other dirty tricks?

Yes. Every single one of those are exactly what I want you to do. Play as dirty as possible, and please, above all things, do not let yourself get caught.

I won’t, Alpha. You and our pup are my world.

Noah’s heart aches with mine, and I’m certain I understand the dark path his mind just traveled to.

Noah, I’m not letting us die. We’re getting out of this alive.

He doesn’t respond as I dash deeper into the forest—not until the sickening smell of fear and blood ices my veins over.

...I love you,Noah finally mindlinks.

That’s when I spot him: a flash of black in a sea of scampering, terrified wolves.

I love you too, my gorgeous beast. I’m coming up on your left.

Okay. Stay clear of these terrified ones. Fear bites are the most dangerous.

I slip through the trees, skirting around the insecure, flinching Alphas until I find Noah in the center, facing off against a far larger beast than my tiny wolf.

Rage bubbles in my chest at the sight of the stranger Alpha attacking my mate with his full heart, standing by everything he believes in with violent tenacity.

I slip through the less confident Alphas, using my Alpha musk to blend in with their equivalent rage.

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