Page 174 of King Luna

“Oh, my love—” I huff with him, my lungs pushing my belly against his until we loosen our hold on each other, chuckling. “Of course, I’m sure. I’d love for you to be able to experience this with me.”

Noah doesn’t respond; he holds my head in both hands, pressing quivering lips to my forehead as his scent overflows with gratitude. I adore how tender his heart feels, my smile gushing from me. As I close my eyes once more, meeting Noah’s wolf back in our bond, I find him circling in the snow behind Little Wolf. Once he finally plops down, Noah nudges our pup into place on his soft belly fur, purring as he gives them slow, careful licks.

Little Wolf glows brighter and brighter, the beauty of their soul stunning me so deeply that my eyes fling back open.

I find Noah gazing back at me, his eyes shining in the dark. “Holy shit, I feel them. I feel them in our bond, clearer than ever.”

Gripping Noah tightly, I crash my lips against his, cuddling him as close as I can despite our pup blocking our cuddle ball. Noah curls me into his arms, just like his wolf holds our pup, and I couldn’t be happier.

“I feel them too, Noah,” I whisper. “I love them. I love both of you, so much.”

Propping himself over me, Noah gives me a slow, heavy kiss. When our lips release with a smack, I sigh in bliss.

Noah chuckles, his nose stuffy as he strokes my hair back. “I love you both more than anything. Thank you for doing this with me.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, my love.”

Chapter 37

The following morning marks six months into my pregnancy, and Noah’s presence has nestled deeper into my heart than I imagined possible. I can’t absorb every single emotion he has all day—that’d be way too overwhelming—but if I wanted to, I could listen in to find every minor flicker of feeling within him.

And with how open we’ve become with each other, I’ve reached an unexpected roadblock in our lives: I’ve hit my limit of tolerance with Lilian’s needless blame and cruelty.

We’re sitting across from each other in the Community Center kitchen, having just finished prepping tonight’s dinner for the pack. Noah’s mother shares his sharp, deep-set eyes, and more mannerisms than I can count, but the longer I listen to her soft voice chatting with me about the near-complete Greenfield Daycare we’re building together, the less I can understand why she never speaks this gently to her son.

Lilian pauses, her brows furrowing. “How are you feeling, Luna? I know you’re starting your third trimester, so I hope we didn’t work you too hard. You look stressed.”

I swallow hard. Her words stoke a fire in my gut, intensifying my breath.

As my heart pounds faster, I cup the base of my belly, gritting my teeth. I can hardly bear to look at her staring back at me so kindly, knowing what she’s done—how she’s tormented Noah foryears.

Noah should be rejoining us in a few moments, but he’s likely stopped on his way out of the bathroom by excited pack members. He doesn’t say it out loud, but I know he needs her guidance right now; he’s about to become a parent too.

And I don’t think I can bear to see Lilian reject Noah a single time more. Not while I’m carrying his baby, knowing how deeply my soul has bonded to them already—and how deeply Lilian’s soul must’ve bonded with Noah’s too. How can she bear to break his heart?

It’s too late to calm the fire in my gut. My true thoughts snap from my lips like a red-hot iron brand. “Why did Ritchie let Jack go after what he did to your son? And why are you still blaming Noah for it?”

Lilian’s eyes harden. She sets down the napkin she’s been fumbling with, clasping her hands in her lap. “We didn’t think he’d live. Jack’s mate licked his wounds until he survived, even though she still had his bruises on her face. We realized their bond hadn’t fully broken, and we didn’t want his death to kill her. But that was after we found Mason in the bushes, watching his father be attacked half to death. Ritchie couldn’t bear to break Mason more than Jack probably already did, so no matter how pissed he was for Noah, he couldn’t kill Jack.”

My throat runs dry. When I speak, my voice is darker than I’ve ever heard it. “You’re telling me my ex almost saw his father get killed, and he still shot my dad dead?”

Lilian drops her head, her forehead contorting through the start of tears.

I shake my head. I have no tears left, only rage. “I still don’t get this. I love you, Lilian, and so does Noah. So why do you blame him for Ritchie’s death when you know how badly this hurts?”

When her eyes meet mine, I stiffen; her irises shine a furious golden, just like her shifted wolf. “It’s not your place to question how I relate to my son.”

Gritting my teeth, I shake my head. “You’re not turning your aggression on me. And it’s absolutely my place. I won’t have you treating my mate like this in front of our pup.”

“Now you’re threatening me with my future grandchild? All because your mate allowed mine to die?”

I can hardly breathe, my eyes widening. “No, it’s because none of this has ever made sense. How the hell is it Noah’s fault? What could he possibly have done to deserve this treatment, Lilian, truly?”

“Nothing, okay?” she snaps, her face scarlet. “That’s the problem. Ritchie knew Noah was stronger than him—that he could beat him in a traditional top Alpha challenge to take his place. But after all that training that hurt Noah to begin with, he let his father grow old and stressed instead of using his skills for good. My son didn’t want to be top Alpha anymore.”

My blood runs cold. Knowing the hell Noah has been through due to his top Alpha status, that thought terrifies me. I grip my belly with both hands, struggling to catch my breath. “What?”

“He was too damaged by Jack. But top Alphas don’t usually live very long, Luna. I hate to say that to you because it killed me my whole life to know, but it’s true. They’re targeted until they forfeit their title, so if our pups wait to take over, we just grow weaker. Which made his dad a target past his prime.”

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