Page 59 of King Luna

Annika’s eyes widen. “Turn iton?”

Viktor’s frown deepens. “I’m a big meatsack designed to protect you, okay? I don’t know how to do any of this shit.”

Annika shakes her head as she leans over him, setting up the computer with an adoring smile.

Tane’s chuckle is hardly contained, his shoulders shaking as he runs wide fingers through his bountiful, long curls. “It’s alright, bro. It’ll be even more worth it for me when I successfully kick your assandrun my own tech.”

Viktor barks out a laugh. “Shut up.”

Waimarie smiles at me, but when I turn to Noah, his eyebrows are knit.

I slide my hand into his.What’s going through your mind, love?

Noah huffs. His eyes lift to the screen, glaring as a massive list of names appears.That. I’ve been dreading this list.

Every muscle in me tightens. Noah mentioned a handful of trusted allies were joining us in collecting a list of names of violent, Alpha-domination-leaning Lycans they’ve encountered, and we’d review our findings at the Summit.

But our combined list can’t be this long... Can it?

As Viktor scrolls, the list stretches on and on, each subsequent page stifling my breath. Just like Noah’s list, it starts off in the red zone, the most dangerous names like “Mason Hart” littering the page—many of them with locations “Unknown.” Then there are active participants in the yellow zone: names of traitorous pack members who were actively hateful enough to leave us for Alpha-domination packs, such as Mason’s crew of followers. The gray zone is the largest, filled with wolves thatmightbe involved, but none of us could prove it. I wish that could provide some hope, but I advised Noah to come up with a set of qualifying rules, including at least one report of verbal or physical violence.

Which meanseveryonelisted has acted on their Omega-hating beliefs, in one way or another.

Viktor speaks low to Annika in Swedish, pointing at the end of the list. They add three additional names from this morning.

The room falls eerily silent, not even Tane daring to speak a single word. As we stare in solemn silence at our King and Queen Lycans, Annika meets my eyes, giving me a somber, aching smile.

All I can do is shake my head in horror.

“Alright, we’ve already banned everyone from the Summit who’s in the red zone. Which leaders will be here tomorrow from the yellow and gray zones?” Noah asks.

Annika opens a second tab, pulling up a far shorter list of names: a mere thirty-two. I want to loosen my stomach enough to exhale, but I wrap my arms tighter around our growing baby on instinct: these Alphas are all qualified as dangerous packleaders. How many Lycans follow them?

The Alphas get to work, highlighting names of Alphas they consider a serious threat in the upcoming Summit battles. Since Viktor is King Alpha this year, he gets to decide who fights who, so we split the worst offenders amongst Noah, Viktor, Tane, and a few of each Alpha’s other closest allies.

Waimarie takes Noah’s seat beside me, leaning in close with the softest, kindest smile. “Luna, we’re here with you.”

I bite my lip, struggling not to plummet into deeper fear. “Am I catastrophizing, or is it as bad as it feels?”

Waimarie doesn’t answer right away. I glance across the room at Annika for answers, but her eyebrows warp, threatening tears.

I drop my chin; I can’t bear to look, knowing Annika experienced something deep and dark in connection to this as well. As Noah’s emotions fluctuate between anger and horror, I close my eyes, slowing my breath. I want to be here to protect Noah from this. But as my hand covers my belly, guilt burns like acid down my limbs. Was it wrong of us to try for this baby amidst all this? Not only am I putting them in danger, but I’m also not in an optimal state to protect Noah.

At this thought, my wolf tenses in our bond, snarling fiercely. I blink a few times, startled by her intensity. I’ve never felt her defy me so greatly before, but her message was clear:we’re not backing down from this fight. Especially not now.

But I want to protect her too. She went through hell with me, all while I was denying her presence inside my heart.

Viktor clears his throat, struggling to keep his volume down with how deep his voice is. But as Annika turns to him, I’m startled to find Viktor’s eyes on me.

They flit away, returning to Noah. With my wolf on high alert, and the help of reading Noah’s lips, my hearing heightens, allowing me to catch something I’m not sure I was meant to hear:strongest wolf... pregnant.

That’s all I manage to catch.

A memory comes to mind that I nearly forgot; Noah mentioned his strongest Alpha once before. Outside of Celestial Couture, Mason claimed he was leaving Greenfield alongside “our strongest Alphas,” and Noah mocked him for it. I still have no idea who Noah’s strongest Alpha is, and I forgot to ask at the time, terror taking precedence as Mason stalked us.

Are they discussing the same “strongest wolf?” Maybe they’re also discussing the dangers of this situation, considering my pregnancy? Or maybe Noah’s strongest wolf, Yasmine, is different from his strongestAlpha, and they’re just talking about Yas after all. But what if Noah has some hidden Alpha assassin we haven’t talked about, and this wolf happens to be pregnant right now too?

Noah claimed Mason knows Greenfield’s next strongest Alpha—Noah takes first place, of course. But what else was it that Noah said that day? It was something Mason didn’t like.

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