Page 58 of King Luna

Annika shrinks, her eyebrows knitted in clear fear. But I perk up, courage building in my chest at the Alphas’ affirmation of my thoughts.

“What tipped me off the most is that Mason Hart decided to intimidate, disturb, and frighten us when he left our pack—not challenge us. He was distorting us, psychologically.”

I swallow hard as Noah fidgets, his Alpha musk stirring up Tane’s and Viktor’s protective scents until my eyes sting.

“So, do you reckon they’ll target literally everyone at the Summit, or just us?” Tane asks.

“I don’t know. They might be cocky enough to fight everyone, but I think we were on the right track with protecting the most vulnerable, smaller packs first. Maybe they know they wouldn’t be able to kill the strongest of us. At the same time, who they kill might not matter to them. By killing off as many leaders as they can, and then splitting up to divide and conquer packs while they’re overwhelmed and grieving, they can continue building what we’re all pretty sure is a global super pack—until they’re too huge for even us to stop. I mean, can you imagine what they could do if they overtook a pack from justoneof us here? Enlisting even a quarter of the Alpha pack members from any of our huge packs would be devastating. Not to mention how they’d probably abduct a ton of Betas and Omegas as forced mates.”

This time, the silence stings. All four of our allies glance at one another, their expressions unreadable. I can only imagine what they’re mindlinking about this—like I said, they hate this possibility too. The sour sting of fear and anger lingers in the air, verifying it.

But the silence stretches one second too long, burrowing hurt into my gut; they don’t believe me, do they?

Noah sucks in a tight breath, but I can’t bear to look at him—not even as he applies slow, soothing pressure down my thigh in an attempt to comfort me.

I drop my chin, unable to watch this unfold a second longer.

But Annika’s soft, shaking voice cuts through the silence. “She’s right.”

Viktor drops his head into his palms, rubbing his eyes hard.

Waimarie’s jaw flexes. “I was about to say the same. And to add to Aliya’s thoughts, I wouldn’t put it past them to kill us with weapons, not just their wolves.”

My heart drops to the floor. I hadn’t thought about that, but Waimarie is spot-on; what would stop them from stabbing us? No,shootingus?

“Oh. Like Alpha Ritchie and my dad,” I whisper.

Noah’s form tenses beside me. His eyes zip to mine, flashing golden.

A wave of turmoil strikes our bond. My jaw clamps shut, my whole being wracked with horrendous nausea. As I stare Noah in the eyes, I feel every flicker of dread, denial, and grief tearing through us. But beneath it all, a deep knowing roots itself in our bond.

Fuck. This really could be our answer to how they died, couldn’t it?Noah mindlinks.

Dropping my eyes to my lap, I chew on the inside of my cheek, fighting off tears.

Our waiter chooses this moment to bring us our food. No one says another word for a long time, struggling to smile and thank our waiter with tight shoulders and fleeting, cautious glances.

But before I slip into full despair, Waimarie grasps my hand. “Ki te kotahi te kakaho ka whati, ki te kapuia e kore e whati.” As Tane’s eyes soften in adoration for his Luna, Waimarie beams back at him. “It means, when we stand alone, we are vulnerable, but together, we are unbreakable.”

Her words strike my core, leaving me breathless. Like a true Luna, she reorients my focus to one of hope in an instant, and nurtures my heart in the process.

Waimarie straightens in her seat. “Alright, now that our Greenfield allies have shared this important revelation, let’s adjust our plan. Anyone have ideas?”

Tane and Viktor leap into action, spouting off idea after idea. Although we don’t acknowledge it aloud, it’s clear our allies are joining me in allowing Noah his space to contemplate quietly in the corner as he picks at his food, still reeling at the thought of our dads’ murders. But as we sort our tactics together, pointing out additional ideas and possibilities, I stroke Noah’s hand, loving the tight pressure he applies back—returning my soul back to this earth, no matter how unsafe this realm may feel. It’s true; no matter the attacks coming our way, we’re not alone in facing them.

Soon, I’m comforted enough to dig back into my food. Whether it’s intentional or not, Noah softens his rigid torso beside me. He glances at me eating, gradually lifting his fork faster to his mouth. I smile; I guess I’m modeling security for him too.

As we nourish ourselves over a discussion to keep us all safe, I can feel our hearts returning to safety too. I don’t know how we’ll get through it if a super pack does arrive, but for now, I’mrelieved Noah’s here to experience this with me. That he doesn’t have to experience his grief alone anymore either.

Chapter 14

Once we’ve finished dinner, our allied group heads down the Community Center halls for the meeting room. Tall, arched windows line the hallway on one side, old knotted columns bracing wooden ceilings above our heads. Muddled sunlight streams in, painting the floor in a soft blue hue as it bounces off overcast skies.

Viktor stops before two wooden doors, iron bars lacing the front. He swings it open, waving us inside with a flashy smile. “After you.”

As Annika, Waimarie, and Tane filter in in front of me, Noah and Viktor trail behind us. Thankfully, there’s no seat at the head of the pristine white table, or else Viktor might torture Noah about being the King again.

But when Viktor sits at the computer at the front of the room, he frowns. “Anni, I already forgot how to turn this fucking thing on.”

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