Gathering my face in his big hands, Noah plants soft kisses over my cheeks, smiling wider as I grip him like a lifeline. “You don’t have to do or say anything. You’re our very first King Luna, so there are no traditions to uphold. Just keep being you.”
He’s right. Drawing inspiration from Noah’s tradition-shattering wolf, I loosen my shoulders, allowing myself to laugh at the rollercoaster of our lives. Diving into Noah’s arms, I kiss him hard. When wolves around us only cheer louder, my smile breaks our kiss.
We haven’t walked this path before, but at least we’re walking it together.
It’s hard to believe we’ve been in Sweden a mere two and a half weeks; it feels like a lifetime.
By the time we’re ready to fly home, Mason has revealed further information about the Super Pack’s reach, but not enough. Not to mention he confessed to killing our dads with Jack, but now refuses to say more about his father. We’ve decided to bring him back to Greenfield, keeping him detained in our own confinement den in the hopes he’ll eventually share something about Jack’s whereabouts as he’s rehabilitated in his hometown.
As we say our goodbyes to Viktor, Annika, Tane, and Waimarie, my heart is sore with far too many emotions to express.
While the rest of our dear friends chat, I pull Annika to the side. “Thank you for everything, Luna. You gave us a safe space to stay, and I couldn't be more grateful.”
“And I'd do it again for you, mama. Without you, we might not be here.”
I hug Annika tight.
But when I nuzzle her cheek, Annika’s breath halts.
“Is everything okay?” I pull back, rubbing her shoulders.
Waimarie glances over at us, joining our side. “What’s wrong, Luna?”
“I, um—” Annika flushes, peeking at us through her eyelashes. “Vik and I have a secret we’ve been waiting to share.”
All at once, our Alphas whip their heads to us, their ears on high alert. Waimarie and I laugh, and Noah's warm arm returns around my back—just in time for me to gasp as Annika fetches a familiar piece of plastic from her purse.
Holding up a positive pregnancy test, Annika drops my jaw. “That welcoming dinner really did the trick.”
Waimarie and I throw our arms around a giggling, overjoyed Annika as our whole group cheers in surprise, Tane and Noah hugging a chuckling Viktor.
“Oh my goodness, congratulations, mama!” I laugh.
I let out a happy hum at Annika's giddy scent, suddenly understanding why she’s smelled a bit sweeter the past few days.
But as I meet Noah's wide, petrified eyes, his jaw slackening, I bite my cheek, struggling to hold back my laughter.
Fuck! We really have to control ourselves better, Aliya! Is this almost exactly two weeks from the dinner?!
Viktor nudges Noah's side, leaning in close. “Hey, man, it'll uh... be weird to not have you here to spar with.”
Us Lunas giggle even harder as both Alphas sink into a somber silence, leaning on each other for support. I let out a bright sigh as Noah and Viktor hug it out, a stark contrast to how they treated each other when we arrived.
But my heart belongs in Greenfield, and elation swirls through my chest at the thought of returning home. Sometimes, I still can’t believe I have a pack to return to.
A few hours into our flight home, Noah buzzes with a sudden excitement.
I turn to him expectantly—just before he turns to me. When we meet eyes, he drops his stare with a grin, his flustered cheeks widening my smile.
Noah scoots closer. “I know this is a really fucking weird place to say this, but I feel so relieved we finally have one Hart in custody that I want to—” Noah stops, biting his lip. “W-well, I don’t know.”
I giggle, snuggling in closer. “What is it, my shy Alpha?”
“W-what if...” He peeks up at me as our bond bursts with his anticipation. “What if we pick out a new house of our own when we get home? I know you moved into my place, but what if we choose something new, together? Somewhere we’d like to raise Little Wolf?”
My whole being lights up, soaking in just as much joy as Noah’s. Before I can respond, he breaks into a beaming grin at my giddy smile.
I laugh. “I’dlovethat, Noah.”