“But…” She looked at the celebrating pack, the wolves who had knelt for Adrian and accepted her as Luna, the ones who still watched her with wary eyes. “It’s a lot.”
He followed her gaze, and his jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
“Who?” The word came out low and dangerous. “Tell me who’s giving you trouble and I’ll?—”
“No one’s giving me trouble,” she said quickly, squeezing his hand. “It’s not like that. It’s just… I spent my whole life being an outsider. Orphanages, foster homes, schools where I never quite fit. I learned to expect it. To be comfortable with it, even.”
She gestured at the celebration around them.
“This is the opposite of that. This is people wanting me to belong. Expecting me to belong. And some of them don’t even want me here, but they’re trying because you asked them to, and I can see how hard it is for them and?—”
Her voice broke.
Damn it.
He pulled her against his chest without a word. His arms wrapped around her, solid and warm and safe, and Harper let herself lean into him for a moment. Let herself be held.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled against his shirt. “This is stupid. We should be celebrating.”
“There’s nothing stupid about having feelings.”
“Says the man who communicates in grunts and glares.”
A rumble of laughter vibrated through his chest. “I’ve been told I’m learning.”
She pulled back enough to look up at him. The firelight painted his features in shades of gold and shadow, highlighting the strong line of his jaw, the dark slash of his brows, the soft warmth in his golden-brown eyes.
Beautiful,she thought.How did I get so lucky?
“I want to be here,” she said firmly. “I want this life with you. I just… need a minute. To process.”
He studied her face, and whatever he saw there made him nod slowly.
“Then let’s get you somewhere quiet.”
Before she could respond, he bent and scooped her up in his arms.
“Adrian!” She yelped, grabbing his shoulders. “What are you… Put me down!”
“You said you needed a minute.” He started walking towards the main house, ignoring her protests. “I’m giving you a night.”
“I can walk!”
“But why would you want to?”
A wolf-whistle cut through the noise of the celebration. Then another. Her cheeks flamed as she realized the entire pack was watching their Alpha carry his mate away from the bonfire.
“This is embarrassing,” she hissed.
“This is tradition.” His eyes glinted with amusement. “The Alpha claiming his Luna before the pack. Very romantic.”
“Very Neanderthal.”
“Same thing.”
Laughter and cheers followed them across the clearing. She caught a glimpse of Elise giving her a thumbs up, Julie smiling, and Derek raising his cup in a toast.
And yes, she caught some of the other looks too. The disapproval. The discomfort. The wolves who clapped because they were expected to but couldn’t quite meet her eyes.
