Page 6 of King Luna

I blink a few times. “Excuse me?”

Amy sighs, straightening her back and softening her voice. “Oh, no thanks, not today. I’m not pretending like I’ve avoided shifting as much as I could since I got pregnant, or anything.”

My jaw drops. “Is that supposed to beme?!”

Amy’s devious giggling dissolves into loud cackling. I sputter out a laugh, tugging on her arm.

“Stop it, Amy! I know I made you come with me so that I can try to force myself to finally do it a few times in a row today without stressing Noah out, but I really can’t stand the thought of my bones and muscles warping around my baby. What if the placenta detaches, especially since it’s still newly attached? What if—”

Amy laughs. “No, no, no. What’ll actually happen is that you’ll be teaching your massive wolf baby how their body feels to shift so they have an easier time growing up!”

“Yeah. But I still don’t like it,” I mutter.

Wrapping her arm around my shoulders, Amy gives me a tight squeeze. “Fine, fine. I’ll just wait another hour to nag you about it again.”

All I can do is groan, leaning my head against hers as our laughter echoes through the trees.

Sensing an oncoming downpour, Amy and I transition from a leisurely walk to speed walking. Despite our waterproof jackets, I’ve been extra cold and shivery lately—which isn’t boding well for how I’ll handle the weather at a Swedish mountainside cabin in mereweeks.

Amy has a point; before we fly across the world, I want to allow my wolf to not only feel free to shift, but also organize her den. She’s already in full-blown nesting mode, but to a level I never anticipated—my waking thoughts filled with the ways every nook needs to be adjusted before our pup comes. We’ve already gathered extra blankets to immerse in Noah’s scent for our den’s physical nest, and I’ve found my feet guiding us to our den anytime I have a spare moment—another reminder this really is more of a Lycan pregnancy over a human one.

I never thought I’d be so set on giving birth in a freaking cave, but I don’t think anyone in the world could convince me otherwise. Thankfully, Noah and I have wolves jumping at the opportunity to support us through the birth and postpartum process, even beyond our friends and family.

But when Amy and I approach the edge of the den today, a putrid scent crosses my nose—the unmistakable scent of death.

Slapping my hand over my mouth and nose, I swallow hard. All I can do to keep from puking is to grip Amy.Oh, my God, A., what the hell is that?!

Her torso rigid in full alert, Amy presses me to the outside of the cave wall, shielding me from potential danger as we silence our breaths. Peering around the entrance of the den, Amy gasps.

She turns to me, and my stomach plummets; I haven’t seen Amy’s eyes this focused and wild in a long time. Not since she found me on the floor after Steven broke in.

With a firm squeeze of my hand, Amy leaves my side.I’ve got you, babe. Stay right here.

The second Amy disappears from my view, sneaking around the side of the den, my heart lurches into my throat.What did you see? Was someone here?

Amy sighs. “No one else is here. But I’m not gonna lie, this is creeping me out.”

I swallow hard, releasing my mouth to pinch my nose shut tight. Taking a wary step, I lean over the side of our den, searching for Amy’s bright auburn hair.

She’s stationed right in front of the den. So is a long-dead animal carcass, hardly a single piece of it remaining beyond the bones.

“Holy shit,” I hiss, joining Amy’s side. I can hardly bear to look, my chest aching for both the animal and for what this could mean. “Was this a threat towards Noah?”

Amy shakes her head. “I have no clue. Whatever it is, it’s ominous.”

My breath heightens. “What do I do? Is it still safe to have our pup here, or should we—”

Amy and I freeze, gripping each other tight on instinct; loud, thunderous paws race through the forest.

No, not justthroughthe forest. They’re coming closer. Toward us.

This must be who left this here. Someone waiting in the brush, ready to attack once we stumbled across their silent warning.

Before I have time to think about it, it happens; the sprinting wolf arrives, and my wolf releases herself from my core, white fur exploding from every inch of my skin.

Claws extended, I throw myself onto the black mass whirring by, latching onto their back. The hulking wolf snatches up the carcass, dipping their spine with a sharp bark as I tear at their fur with my teeth.

How dare they try to intimidate me into submission. I bite harder, faster, sending a clear message:don’t you dare fuck with us.

---