Page 16 of King Luna

Noah suddenly buries his nose into my neck, giving it a quick nip.

It startles a screeching giggle out of me, sending a tingling shockwave to my toes. “Noah!? What’s going through that wolf brain of yours?”

He growls against my throat, prowling over me to cuddle me closer. “I don’t want to let you go for the day.”

I laugh. “Me neither. I wish we had enough time for you to knot me at least twice like I want you to. We’re almost out of cuddle ball time, sadly.”

Groaning, Noah rubs his forming erection against my thigh. He sucks in a breath to speak, but halts. Then he blows out a slow exhale. “I know.”

Holding the silence by biting my lip, I wait to see if he has something more to say. Sometimes all my shy Alpha needs is a few extra seconds to gather his thoughts—and the more important they are, the more time he needs.

But Noah growls deeper, nipping my neck faster.

I sputter out a laugh, digging my nails into Noah’s back as my toes curl. “Stop it, you wild wolf!”

He sighs, propping himself up on one elbow to look me in the eyes. Swiping my sprouting baby hairs off my forehead, Noah turns a deep shade of red.

I have to laugh. “Okay, youreallyhave something spicy on the mind.”

Breaking into the most gorgeous smile, Noah lets out a soft laugh that squeezes my heart. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh, no. You definitely do.”

Erupting into giggles, Noah nuzzles our noses. Planting a soft kiss on my lips, Noah pulls back to laugh again. “Okay, yeah. I do. But I’m a little—”

He hums in thought, blinking faster as his eager scent hits my nose. I inhale a lungful of it, a heartbeat forming between my legs as his delicious scent swirls into my core. Except instead of Noah’s sharp, lusty Alpha musk, his scent contains a flowery sweetness—one he almost never allows out.

I stroke his back in an effort to keep us both from overthinking this sudden change. “You’re a little, what?”

He drops his forehead against mine, taking a shaky breath. “Nervous.”

“Oh? It’s that good of a fantasy, huh?” I can’t help but grin as Noah breaks into hearty giggles.

“I mean— W-well, yes.”

Turning on my side, I shimmy up to him until we’re melded together again, pushing more gorgeous laughter out of him. “Tell me more, my shy Alpha. We only have ten more minutes before we have to get out of this bed, and I won’t be able to focus during therapy if my imagination is running wild.”

Noah chuckles, shaking his head.

But he still doesn’t speak. As Noah traces my eyes with his gaze, his big hand covering my whole hip, I stroke his hair, parsing through our conversation thus far. After all we’ve done in bed—and the wild sex we’ve had in the forest, in frontof the whole damn pack—what sort of sex-related thing could still embarrass my mate? My heart leaps in excitement. Maybe Noah’s thinking of confessing a kink he’s never tried before, and he needs a little encouragement—needs to know I won’t make fun of him for it.

I soften my smile. “Would it help to mindlink it?”

Noah twists his lips. But to my surprise, he doesn’t mindlink me; he leans closer, pressing our foreheads together until our eyes are only an inch apart. When he speaks, his breath tickles my lips. “I’m just working up the courage.”

My heart softens for my sweet mate, his determination exciting my wolf into wagging her tail in our bond. Noah breaks into a smile, blinking faster, and I do my best to stifle my wolf.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to pressure you. I’m just a little excited because I can feel it; this is something coming from your heart, isn’t it?”

Noah sucks in a sharp breath, blinking a few more times as nerves rattle our bond. Then he gives me a quick nod. “Yeah.”

“Okay. I’m here to listen, but we can always wait to talk about it if you need to—”

“Your Alpha musk makes me feel safe,” Noah blurts out.

My breath escapes my lungs. I’m afraid to move, to even blink; Noah’s breath speeds into an anxious jog, his eyes racing between mine to read any minor rejection he can find in my reaction.

But Noah’s words strike deep into my heart, igniting a joy I’ve rarely experienced. I’ve never considered my occasional, strange, Alpha-like scent bursts to smell like atrueAlpha musk. Does Noah? I didn’t expect to feel so enticed by the possibility—so desperate to know the truth.

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