Page 21 of King Luna

I grasp her tight with a groan. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you, but you seemed so concerned when I walked in that I wanted to make sure everything was okay. Are you safe?”

Stooping over in relief, Jenny laughs—her usual, bright smile on full display with bouncy, ringlet curls framing her face. “Oh, you are such a sweetheart. It’s nothing, just a huge animal of some sort.”

“What, where?” I laugh along warily, but my guts flip. Sheabsolutelysaw something. Something so unusual that she doesn’t give me a single detail more before waving me into her office.

“It’s gone now. Sorry to lose track of time!”

And now I’m ten times more nervous to talk about Mason, hobbling on shaky legs to Jenny’s cushy couch.

“Are you okay? Did that trigger you?” Jenny asks.

Settling into the cushions, I huff out a heavy breath. I’m a bit relieved she just gave me an easy out; maybe I can talk about Mason retriggering me after all.

But all I can do is nod. Post-adrenaline weighs me into the couch cushions, upsetting my already-rocky stomach.

“You’re doing a great job at regulating using your breath, so let’s keep doing that together.” Jenny softens her voice, taking a few slow breaths with me, in and out. After three rounds, she gives me a gentle smile. “You’re right here with me. You’re safe.”

I nod, but I’m sure my smile looks as weary as I feel. I’m tempted to shift with Noah, stealing him back to bed to sleep off the stress.

But Jenny’s grin grows. “Plus, there’s this big, burly, outgoing accountant next door that I could scream for help from, God forbid anything happens.”

I laugh, my shoulders softening. “True, I’ve seen him.” I’ve also smelled him; pregnancy made scents strong enough to bulldoze my brain with one wisp of a scent. Just walking by the accountant’s door a couple weeks ago, I realized he was another Greenfield Pack wolf.

“Are you noticing any extra anxiety or hypervigilance since your pregnancy began?” Jenny asks.

Anxiety stings my veins. “Yes.”

“Like what?”

Dammit. I don’t think I can avoid this any longer. My whole body tenses, warning of old PTSD symptoms resurfacing. Pregnancy exhaustion tugs on my limbs like I’m wearing a coat of bricks, yet I shuffle in my seat, unable to hold still. “Sorry, I know I'm a bit quiet, but something happened recently, and I've been a bit nervous to talk about it.”

Jenny keeps her eyebrows in check, but I see it: that near-imperceptible twitch of concern in her forehead. “Are you nervous to talk about it with me?”

I bite my lip. “Not exactly. It was just so weird; this one guy from our town was following me and being gross, except this time, I had a whole group of my best friends around, and I felt completely fine afterwards. Poor Amy was triggered by it too, though.”

Jenny’s eyebrows arch in reflected sorrow. “I’m glad you both have each other.”

“Me too,” I whisper.

After updating Jenny about my heart-to-heart with Amy, she hums in thought, tilting her head. “So what part about this latest stalking incident still makesyoudistressed?”

“Well, it’s over, and I’m talking about it with Noah and Amy, so it’s helping to avoid a PTSD-like reaction. But I still feel a little creeped out. Like he’s going to return. Just like—”

I hesitate, my insides churning; it’s been a while since I’ve been afraid to say Steven’s name. I don’t want to lose progress.

But Jenny nods. “Correct me if I'm wrong, but since we know each other kind of well by now—” I giggle, and Jenny smiles. “I have aprettygood guess about where this is going.”

I groan, shutting my eyes. “I can imagine.”

Jenny’s infectious cackle fills the room, leaving me laughing with her. But she’s right; we know each other well, and the second I open my eyes, I know she’s seen right through me.

“Are you worried that he’ll return, or are you worried about being worried thathe’llreturn?”

I frown, wanting to be annoyed. But I can’t help but let out a giggle. “Maybe you do know me.”

Jenny joins in on my laughter until our smiles lighten my heart.

I sigh, cupping my belly. “I don't want to go back to how I used to be. I'm really scared that I'll not only hurt Noah with my trauma now, but also our sweet baby.”

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