Page 63 of King Luna

I shut my eyes, blowing out a slow breath. “You’re right. And facing that possibility, even while you come home to me every night, hurt and scared, has made you the best leader for us.”

“And you.”

My heart flips. Tugging my forehead to his lips, Noah lets out a soft sigh, his breath ruffling my hair. I inhale his sweet, soothing scent as he soaks me in it, leaving me in a cozy warmth.

“I want to be better at it, though. More confident,” I whisper. “For myself too.”

Giving my forehead a last, punctuating kiss, Noah sighs. “I know. I feel the same about myself, always. And I know reassurance is an OCD nightmare for you, but I need you to know that I didn’t promise anyone you can take them all down in battle in my stead or something, okay?”

Breaking into a smile, I groan. “Okay, okay. Maybe that was a bit extreme of me to assume.”

“No, I get it. Like I said, I completely fucked this up. And I learned my lesson too: I won’t keep my thoughts about you from you anymore, even if it’s a lot of fucking pressure on you. All you have to do is to continue believing in your wolf, and giving yourself more credit. Can you try that for me? For yourself?”

Nodding, I press Noah’s hand to my belly, unable to fully feel sure of myself yet, no matter how badly I crave it.

But Noah grins, barely suppressing a giggle. “You’re badass enough just standing here, but I’ve gotta admit; they’re lucky they don’t have to face off with your wolf. We’d need to hire a team of extra medics.”

I groan. “Alright, alright, sure. Let’s just go back inside and try to figure this out.”

Laughing, Noah follows after me, his hand on my shoulder reminding me he has my back too. A small, delighted piece of me perks up from Noah’s words, desperate to be the one he leans on, especially with the unwavering, gorgeous strength I witness in him every day—a sturdiness in his heart that keeps me rooted in the earth. Maybe it’s selfish, but I want Noah to be right about me. To be seen as strong enough to be his grounding force too, even when I feel my most vulnerable.

Chapter 15

Tonight marks the Alpha Summit’s official first day. Nerves course through me, souring my appetite.

Fetching a silvery, beaded cocktail dress to complement my moonstone necklace, I shimmy into the fitted fabric, having to tug it down a lot harder than I expected to with my expanding waistline. But when I turn to the mirror to finish tidying my appearance, I gasp at what’s reflected back.

“Um, Noah?”

Noah pokes his head into the bathroom, straightening his tie. “What’s wrong?”

I cover my breasts just in time, my eyes wide as Noah meets my gaze in the mirror.

When he steps into the bathroom, furrowing his eyebrows, I swallow hard as I get a full look at my mate. Of course, Noah’s about to give me a heart attack with how classy he looks, his dark, disheveled hair accentuating his polished black suit.

But as Noah blinks a few times, taking a good, long look at me, I turn red hot. “I’m— Um— Not quite fitting in this, anymore.”

Turning toward him, I lower my palms, revealing the front of my low cut dress. The deep V-neck stops at the base of my sternum. Its silvery fabric is designed to frame the outer halves of my chest without a bra, the back sloping into a low arc.

Except I’m spilling out the front of it, my nipples peeking past the fabric strapped over them.

Noah’s eyebrows lower—curiosity dissolving into a serious focus. It’s doing nothing to stave off the building heat in my belly from having his smoldering eyes all over me.

“Fuck, well, that’s— Hmm.” Noah’s Adam’s Apple bobs sharply before it glides back down, just like his eyes drifting down my form. As his gaze sweeps back up me, I swear I feel it tingling over my skin.

His quiet focus stirs my heart into overwhelm. Then I smell it: a sharp, hungry Alpha musk stings my eyes, forcing me to blink through its mouth-watering spices.

I fidget with my wide dress straps, tugging the fabric inward as I attempt to ignore the sudden throbbing between my legs. Noah clears his throat, his ever-alert wolf eyes catching on every minor movement.

“Well, what if—” He attempts to pull the fabric over the outer slope of my breasts, but I suck in a tight breath, squirming away from how sensitive I’ve become.

Noah freezes. Without lifting his chin, his gaze flickers up to mine, and my belly lurches through the sharp thrill it gives me; the second his eyes flash green, his Alpha musk returns even stronger.

His soft voice comes out deep enough to buzz through my chest. “I’ll be gentler, yeah?”

Slipping a finger beneath the edge of the fabric at my cleavage, Noah tugs the straps inward until they no longer cup my chest. Repositioning them like wide panels of fabric down the middle to cover my nipples, Noah exposes my side boob as a trade off.

“There,” he mutters.

---