Page 9 of King Luna

“No, there’s no ‘I guess.’ You were still the one I chose to call in my worst moment.”

Slumping into me, Amy drops her head against my shoulder, letting out a true sob.

I shut my eyes hard, struggling not to stoke my bitterness against Steven. But there’s truly no end to the pain he caused that night. I’m sure my parents rolled in their graves, having to witness what he did to me in their home, ruining the safe space they left behind for me. We knew the system to prosecute Steven was broken, but Amy and I had to witness the gory depths of its failings, the cops refusing to charge him no matter the evidence upon evidence we provided. It was my fault in their eyes too for not bending to Steven’s desires, and therefore, Amy had to be reminded she was never safe either.

If someone did this to her, how helpless would I feel if all I could do was hold her through the pain, depression, and suicidal ideation that followed? Knowing this trauma was now embedded into her for the rest of her life, but not knowing if she’d survive another night through her suffering?

Guiding Amy to the back of the den, I urge her to sit by my side. Luckily, she obliges, dragging her feet until she slinks to the ground against me. I have to smile.

Holding her head to my shoulder, I drop my temple against it. “I told you I don’t want you to feel imposter syndrome from having trauma from this too, right?”

She fiddles with my fingers. “Yeah, but it’s nothing compared to the pain I found you in—”

“Yes, it is something. Because you witnessed a traumatic event through me, just the same. Don’t discount this for yourself.”

She huffs. “Okay, fine. But that doesn’t change wishing I could’ve been there with my wolf. To tear his fucking head off.”

“Maybe not. But you said it yourself: if he really was a Lycan, he probably smelled I was part-Lycan and used intense scent blockers ever since, ensuring he never let on what he was, right? If that really is true, he succeeded in disguising himself, and that’snotyour fault. That means he was hiding from the start, fromallof us.”

Amy shakes her head, her eyes vacant as she stares at the rocky ground.

And I can’t stop it: bitterness crawls up my throat, anger shortening my breath. “I can’t say I trusted a single other person in the world to come find me in the heap on the floor, and to have the internal strength to lift my soul out of the depths—” My voice catches with emotion.

Amy dives in for a hug. “Fuck—”

I hold her close, shaking my head. “You held me, you helped me clean my damaged body, you fed me when I had no strength to even open the fridge, you took me to the doctor to rid him from me, you took me to therapy—”

Amy’s pained cry puffs hot air against my chest, striking my heart.

My voice shakes as I stroke her head. “Steven did what he wanted, no matter who would be there to protect me. So when I had no other family left, you stepped in and did everything in your power to mend my shattered soul. That’s more than I could ever, ever ask for, Amy. I literally owe my life to you.”

Amy’s shoulders finally loosen. She nuzzles in, cuddling me as close as she can.

I silently vow to hold Amy for as long as she needs me to, just like she did for me that day. By the time she slumps against me in pure exhaustion, her breath slowing into near-sleep, I break into a smile; I really have been best friends with a sweet little guard dog puppy, ever since we were little. I can’t believe she doesn’t think she did her job well; for all we know, what if she was the only reason I didn't have a shitty boyfriend growing up like all my friends did? Not until one literally prevented himself from meeting Amy and everyone I knew, refusing to meet them—and isolating me in the process. Neither of us stood a chance against his manipulation.

I hope she can let this go. I know I’ve struggled to, but I can’t stand the thought of her suffering too deeply over him. In that way, I understand how she feels, to my core.

Combing through her shiny, soft hair, I lower my voice to just above a breath, just in case she’s asleep. “Thank you. I love you.”

She sighs against me, readjusting herself to curl into sleep with her head on my lap. Gazing out to the entrance of the den, I sit in silence, observing the world around me. Birds peck for worms in the grass, the rain crashes against the flora as it ebbs and flows in its downpour, and Amy’s lungs rise and fall beneath my hand on her back. As I exist in the stillness, my heart settles into pure peace. I hope Amy’s does too.

When Noah finds Amy and me still huddled up in the den half an hour later, his adoring smile brightens my heart the rest of the way. He settles in on my other side, holding the healing quiet with us.

Chapter 3

“Are you sure you’ll be okay with staying a few hours? I know you’ve been feeling extra sick this week.” Amy bites at her nails in her apartment doorway, Kira’s arm draped over her shoulder.

Shifting Lexi to my hip, I smile. “Are you kidding? We’re so excited to be with this sweet one—and to get some parenting practice in before we have our huge wolf baby.”

“Girl, that kid really did look massive,” Kira mutters.

“Kira...” With my groan, we all break into laughter. We’re not having twins, after all, our latest ultrasound showing one big baby growing just as rapidly as any other Lycan pup at fourteen weeks. This also means we’ll likely have a baby in our arms in a mere four and a half months... or less.

Noah reaches around me to give Amy’s shoulder a soft squeeze. “Seriously, though, you’re both doing us a huge favor next week by helping us keep Greenfield safe while we’re in Sweden. Giving you a break for a date night is the least we can do to thank you.”

“Oh, come on. You all spoil us too much here already, Alpha. We wouldn’t raise Lex anywhere else.” Kira scrubs Lexi’s head, giving her one last cheek kiss before Kira urges her anxious wife down their apartment steps.

“Let’s say, ‘See you later, Mom and Mommy!’” I hoist a sniffling Lexi higher on my hip, waving to Kira and Amy as they grimace on their doorstep.Amy and Kira, leave, right now. You’re torturing yourself, and we want you to go have fun.

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