Page 172 of King Luna

Noah studies me carefully as my heart dips. “But?”

I slump. “But... If we’re going to move, I should probably sort through my parents’ old cottage and decide what to do with it, once and for all. It just doesn’t feel right to sell it.”

Noah’s brows furrow as he takes my hand. After a long silence, he softens his voice and leans in closer. “Are you sure you feel ready for that decision then, love?”

“It’s been hanging over my head. But now that I've lived with you for a while, I feel ready to move forward with it somehow.” I sigh. “Either way, it sounds like a dream come true to create a home together, my love.”

With that, Noah kisses my forehead—hard. I giggle in surprise.

Noah grins. “In that case, I’ll help you through every step of the way, and we’ll figure out how we can take the stress offyour shoulders with such a big decision. Maybe there’s another solution, rather than just selling or keeping it.”

I smile. “Maybe.”

Then I straighten, clutching Noah’s hand.

His other hand lands over mine. “What’s wrong?”

Blinking a few times, I vibrate with excitement as the pieces fall into place. Turning to Noah, I keep my voice just above a whisper. “What if we allow a refugee parent to raise their children in my parents’ home, rent-free, until they’d like to live elsewhere? I can’t make it a home for our kids, not after what I know happened to me there, but that wouldn’t stop someone else from absolutely loving that home.”

Noah sucks in a deep, awed breath. “Goddess, that’sincredible, Aliya. I love that. Let’s do it.”

As we share a deep kiss, a subtle hiss comes from across the aisle.

“Disgusting,” Mason mutters.

Rolling my eyes, I grip Noah by the jacket collar, kissing him as much as I please. Noah breaks our kiss through laughter, keeping his hand over my mark.

To my surprise, I haven’t retained any of the panic I felt around Mason/Steven—not after I last confronted him, and not with everyone here, by my side.

Maybe it helps that my and Noah’s glares alone have kept Mason invisibly detained the whole flight beside Yasmine—unbeknown to every human on board. With Yasmine meeting us in London, Viktor’s strongest two Alphas were able to hand Mason off to our pack’s custody, allowing Noah and me to keep our distance from him and never speak to him again, as promised.

I glance at him just as he shrinks into his seat, cowering away from Yasmine’s bared fangs.

Yasmine chuckles. “That’s what I thought.”

Nestling into my mate with a grateful purr, I already feel like I’m home.

It’s not until my feet touch the Greenfield grass that I realize I was wrong; we’re welcomed by a giant pack of adoring, sweet faces. After all the stress we endured, they greet us gently, no matter how excited they are to have us home.

And Greenfield is my home. Not only with Noah’s presence residing here, but also with everyone else by our side, surrounding and protecting the wolves I love. And soon, we’ll be adding another little wolf to Greenfield Pack.

Chapter 36

It takes two months for Noah and me to stop clinging to each other a little tighter, afraid to lose each other like we almost did at the Alpha Summit. Our pack celebrates me as King Luna alongside my sweetheart of a King Alpha, but nothing makes me feel more appreciated than Noah’s careful hands as they comfort my ever-swelling belly each night, the two of us laying in silence as we feel our baby’s kicks.

Winter has officially set in, coating the yard in a blanket of pearly white and a blissful silence. The moonlight flickers through Noah’s eyes, catching their wolven reflection to remind me what a powerhouse I have beside me—especially as his soothing Omega scent coats my skin after a long day of aches and exhaustion, allowing me to finally rest.

“I have a secret.” Noah’s whisper is so gentle that I’m not sure if I imagined it.

When I snuggle closer, moving my head to his pillow, Noah kisses the tip of my nose. His big hand rests on my belly, right where I told him Little Wolf last kicked me. He sweeps across my skin, his thumb caressing the curve of my abdomen and loosening the rest of my limbs.

I’d be tempted to close my eyes if I wasn’t waiting on this secret he has to share—and I can feel it’s a big one, his stinging anxiety seeping into my chest.

“Sometimes, I feel bad that—” Noah clears his throat. “I feel bad that it’s so hard on you to carry Little Wolf, and— And I’malso always curious how it feels. I wish I could take on most of the work for you, and instead I’m just... here.”

I prop myself on my elbow, my brows furrowing. “You don’t think you take on a ton of work for me? Noah, I really couldn’t have survived this pregnancy without you already, and we’re not even through some of the hardest portions.”

“I-it’s not just that, it’s—” Noah’s voice wavers with nerves, flipping my heart. When he speaks next, his soft voice comes out smaller than I expect. “I wish I could carry them too.”

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