Page 56 of King Luna

I catch her as she envelops me in the biggest, warmest embrace. When Annika piles on, we erupt into giddy laughter, the three of us snuggling in close. Waimarie douses me in her excited scent in the process, loosening any remaining tension in my limbs. But as Annika copies her, blanketing me in a nurturing comfort as they nuzzle me, belly laughter spills out of me from deep in my chest.

But their comfort also frees my honest scent—heightening it enough to break past my scent blocker.

“Wait,Luna, you’re—” As Waimarie pulls back with a loud gasp, her gaze zipping to my belly, I already know what’s coming.

Ducking my head, I cup Little Wolf with flaming cheeks. “Yes, Noah and I are about to be new parents.”

As Annika looks to Waimarie, eager for her response, I almost can’t believe what I’m seeing; they’re not even our packmates, but Annika’s beaming eyes shine just as vividly as if we were family, encouraging Waimarie into a cheer of pure joy. The two women make my eyes water in happiness.

At least until I jolt out of my skin, startled by Tane’s resulting happy-scream.

I turn around just in time to see Tane smack the hell out of my mate’s arm, Noah not bothering to dodge. Instead, Noah shoves Tane back just as hard, unable to hide his face from us as he flushes just as red as I do.

“Bro! Your first pup!?” Tane wraps Noah into a hug, and my heart dances along with Noah’s, unable to process such a display of joy in front of me alongside our bursting bond. Before I know it, Tane reaches for Viktor and us three Lunas, gathering everyone for a group hug. As the empty restaurant fills with our celebratory laughter, Noah meets my eyes over our wiggling bundle of happy Lycan allies. His wide smile hits me to my core, bringing me to full tears; after all he’s been through, he’s genuinely, truly happy. Not only that, he’s so loved. We both are.

Before I can reassure everyone that my tears are a good thing, Waimarie strokes my arm, unfurling her fresh napkin from the table to dab at my eyes. “Oh, Luna, poor girl. Those pregnancy hormones really do a number on us, eh? Sorry to overwhelm you.”

“Isn’t she beautiful, though?” Annika whispers.

I blubber out a laugh, unable to respond. Bewilderment rattles me to my bones, forcing me to take in a shuddering breath.

But warm, wide palms sweep down my arms, embracing me in a scent rich with cinnamon-sweet comfort. As if my body knew who he was before my brain, I don’t panic at Noah approaching me from behind; I lean into him, allowing his presence to root me back into the earth. Both women soothe me with gentle touches as Noah leans over my shoulder, pressing a slow, loving kiss onto my cheek.

I sigh, steadying my breath. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be so excited for us tonight, but I could really feel it and— And it means a lot.”

“We absolutely get it, Luna. Come here—let’s all get settled.” Taking my hand, Waimarie guides me to sit beside her, followed by Tane. With Noah on my opposite side, Annika and Viktor snuggle into the bench across the table from us.

The couples take turns showing us baby pictures of their pups as we get to know one another. Noah seems looser than I expected, smiling far more than he was yesterday during our limo ride. He sticks close to my side, so I keep getting distracted by him; he seems to shine from within with his cheery smile, now that he’s included as another dad.

Noah does a double-take, meeting my stare. I don’t avert my eyes, instead leaning in with an affectionate nuzzle. No one else seems to mind, sharing their own affections across the table as we chat. I’m still not used to it, marveling at the way Viktor and Tane touch each other’s hands and arms as they chatter away, Annika and Waimarie pressing into Noah’s and my sides as they have a heated discussion about this new Lycan baby formula that I’m absolutely never buying based on the disgusting, clumpy sound of it.

But I freeze when Viktor turns to me; the King Alpha stares with unwavering, focused eyes.

“Aliya, I heard you had some thoughts about our current plans on how to handle the Alpha-dom cultists. Would you like to share while we’re waiting for our food to arrive?”

My stomach flips; the whole table falls silent. The ever-present wolves gaze at me, waiting.

Noah gives my thigh a gentle squeeze, but my throat locks tight.

I told Noah I had my reservations about our pack’s safety plans, but I didn’t expect all five top-of-the-top Lycans to place their full focus on me to start us off. It’s probably only been mere seconds, but it feels like I’m taking an eternity to gather my bearings, grappling with the truth; Noah wasn’t lying last night. Not only does he see me as his equal, but he’s also presenting me as one to our allies.

And I have to try not to allow OCD to overtake my mind. No matter what I say, its ruthless reminders chime in: if I make a mistake here, the whole world of Lycans is at stake.

But I want to do this anyway. Need to, for the sake of everything I value.

I clear my throat. “Thanks for asking. I did have a theory that might change our strategy, but I wanted to get everyone’s opinions on it first. You’re far more accustomed to Lycan traditions than I am, but that’s what got me thinking; after living through and understanding an abuser’s mindset intimately, I’m concerned we may have overlooked something huge.”

Viktor’s brows furrow, and I tense, preparing to be dismissed. But he’s not shutting me down yet, tilting his head like a curious puppy.

His low voice hums over the soft music playing throughout the restaurant. “Alright, let’s walk through it together.”

The remaining wolves follow his lead, leaning closer. I lean in with them, pausing as our waiter rushes by to grab something from his staffing stall. My stomach gurgles, thinking of how horrified he’d be if he happened to overhear this conversation. Guilt stings my chest, knowing our allies are about to be disturbed by my thoughts, just like I was—and I have no choice but to allow them to also experience this pitting disgust in my guts.

The second our waiter dashes back into the kitchen, I drop my focus to our table’s flickering candle, nerves striking my chest with every heartbeat.

“So, the plan has been to keep our second strongest wolves at home, protecting our packs while we’re gone—as in, when the pack’s most vulnerable, right?”

“Right,” Tane says. “That’s the usual protocol for the Alpha Summit, as well, but we amplified it ten times this year, stationing a few of our skilled members across the world in smaller, less experienced packs that have remained peaceful with us.”

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