Page 73 of King Luna

My eyes widen, heat crowding my face. But as Noah’s frown deepens, his arms curl tighter around me, jealousy creeping into our bond.

Annika was on the right track, but I’m almost certain she misplaced his upset; he wasn’t jealous when he wasn’t invited, his heart is protesting now that he’s picturing the possibility.

I’m smiling again, gazing up at him from his lap; I know exactly what he’s about to say.

“Not interested,” Noah grumbles.

I chuckle. “Thought so.”

Annika groans, dropping her head against my arm. “Boring.”

Waimarie sputters out a laugh. “Nah, he’s simply consistent. Care to share why, though, Noah? I always look forward to your creative rejections.”

Noah’s glare deepens. “Hmm...”

Waimarie rubs his arm. “Ah! If you’re not open to sharing, no worries, eh? But you do smell even more jealous now, so... Did Anni hit the mark?”

“No. I—” Noah huffs, turning to scowl at the rocks beside our picnic blanket. “I’m not usually l-like this, but yeah, I’m jealous. But not because we’d be left o-out if we don’t join. I don’t know what Aliya thinks about group sex, so I’m not speaking for her, and, to be clear, I’m fine with us watching others or being watched during mating rituals. But with this, for me— It’s different when other people get directly involved because I—”

Noah clears his throat, shuffling beneath me. When he speaks, his deep voice is soft enough that if we weren’t all bundled up together, I might not hear him.

“I want her to myself.”

Butterflies fill my chest. I gaze up at him, his burning jealousy in our bond mixing with a burst of passion.

As emotions flicker between our connection, I realize he’s not telling the full story. He doesn’t simply want me to himself, and it’s not as if he claims ownership over me. Just like he said, I’ve never felt a spark of jealousy during our public mating rituals.

On one hand, it could be due to trauma; we’ve both had to trust each other to our cores in order to fully let go during sex.

But I know my mate. Judging by everything he’s shown me thus far, Noah craves the emotional intimacy of our privacy. Our physical union is sacred to a vulnerable piece of him, and he must want to keep that between us. To resolidify our bond each time our bodies connect, in a way only we know.

Heat races down my core. The second my pheromones gush from me in response, Noah’s body reacts, mirroring me with an equally eager scent.

And Annika breaks into a sly grin. “Oh? What’s going on here? Do I spy a jealous, possessive Alpha, Mr. I-hate-Alpha-domination?”

Burying his face from our view, Noah grumbles into my shoulder, hugging me closer as his ears burn against my cheek. As I pat his head with my puffy gloves, I can’t help but giggle.

“At least I’m all warmed up inside now,” I whisper.

Waimarie lets out a sharp laugh. I chuckle with her, covering my icy cheeks beneath my fuzzy gloves. Soon, all three of us Lunas are laughing, and Noah joins in, shaking his head.

“Well, Anni, I know Tane will be happy for another massage, at least—and a bit of group fun tonight won’t hurt,” Waimarie says. “Let’s see what happens if I ask.”

The four of us return our gaze to the shore. In the distance, Viktor and Tane scamper in circles, their massive wolves taking occasional dives at each other to rile themselves up again.

But as Waimarie breaks into a grin, one wolf halts. Tane remains frozen—even as Viktor nips at him all over, dancing around his chest.

Then Tane bolts.

Waimarie erupts into heavy belly laughter, collapsing into my lap. I can’t help but cackle with her, loving Tane’s speedy run as he races toward us; his tongue flops out the side of his mouth as he bounds down the bank, black fur slicking back in the wind until his alert eyes look absolutely unhinged.

Annika and Noah laugh just as hard, our amusement only rising as Tane can’t stop, accidentally flinging himself through the forest brush behind us. A moment later, he bursts out in his human form, butt-naked and grinning.

“I’m ready!”

Waimarie hops to her feet, glomping onto her mate with a beaming grin. “I guess you really are, e te tau. You don’t even have to get undressed for the massage.”

Once Viktor catches up, laughing along with us, we head into the lodge’s main lobby. More wolves linger inside than I expected, a few Alphas pulling Noah and Viktor into a conversation just beyond the lobby in the nearest event hall.

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