“I just worry,” he muttered, looking adorably sheepish.
“I know you do. And I love you for it. But if you don’t give me some breathing room, I’m going to smother you with a pillow in your sleep.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
He cracked a smile at that, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. Then he stepped forward, cupped my face in his hands, and kissed me slowly. Softly. His lips moved against mine with a tenderness that made my heart flutter, and by the time he pulled back, I had completely forgotten what we were arguing about.
“That’s cheating,” I murmured.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I knew his hovering came from a good place. He had spent a month watching me lie unconscious in a hospital bed, notknowing if I would ever wake up. Of course he was anxious and wanted to keep me safe.
But I needed to feel useful again. I needed to feel like myself, not like a fragile doll that might shatter at the slightest touch.
The one good thing about the past few days was the security situation. Moonfang’s guards had arrived at our pack, and now everything had double protection. Guards at every entrance. Patrols running around the clock. Cameras covering every angle. The pack was completely, absolutely safe. There was no way anyone could reach us now.
That should have helped Knox relax. It didn’t. If anything, his separation anxiety had gotten worse. He couldn’t stand to have me out of his sight for more than a few minutes. Even showering had become a team activity, though I wasn’t complaining about that part.
More memories had started to come back over the past few days. Mostly from my youth and teenage years. I remembered my parents now, their faces clear in my mind, their voices echoing in my ears when I closed my eyes. I remembered Sarah taking me in after they died, helping me through the grief. I remembered opening the bookstore café, hiring Mika and Vivi, building a life for myself in Pine Valley.
The more recent years were still fuzzy. I had fragments of the twins’ early childhood, pieces of my time in Ravenshollow, flashes of Knox that made my heart ache with their intensity. But the full picture hadn’t come together yet.
It was okay, though. My visits to the doctor had told me I was healing fast. My brain was recovering, making new connections,filling in the gaps bit by bit. I was strong. I would get through this.
We had moved Blake back to our house with the twins a few days ago. Sarah had been taking care of her, but now that I was awake and recovered enough to nurse, it made sense for our daughter to be with us. The twins had been over the moon. Rowan had immediately appointed himself Blake’s official protector, watching over her crib with the seriousness of a guard dog. Thea had decided that Blake was her personal baby doll and needed to be dressed in a different outfit every hour.
Which meant we had to watch them both at all times. Thea kept trying to pick Blake up, and we couldn’t let her. Both of them were too young for that. Thea didn’t understand why she wasn’t allowed to carry her baby sister, and Blake was too fragile for a well-meaning but clumsy five-year-old. So there was always an adult hovering nearby, ready to intervene when Thea’s enthusiasm got the better of her.
Sarah, Serena, and Marcus came over frequently to help. Knox’s parents had been surprisingly attentive, doting on the grandchildren in a way that Knox told me was very different from how they had raised him. Better grandparents than parents, he’d said with a hint of old bitterness. But he was grateful they were trying.
Everyone had teared up when we told them our baby girl’s name. Blake. After Knox’s brother. After Noah’s twin. The man who had died protecting his pack, whose death had sent Knox spiraling into guilt and grief.
And when we had asked Noah to be the godfather...
He had actually cried. Full on tears streaming down his face, his shoulders shaking, his voice breaking when he tried to respond. In that regard, he was similar to Knox. They both wore their hearts on their sleeves, showed everything they were feeling without shame.
Noah had hugged us for a very long time. Then he had taken Blake from my arms and started rocking her gently, stars in his eyes as he looked down at his niece. His goddaughter. The baby named after his lost twin.
I was glad. Noah deserved happiness. He deserved to heal from the past as well. He was such a good soul.
Now, a few days later, we were at the pack building. Knox, Noah, Ryder, Hunt, and the tech specialist, Lucio, were all working in the main conference room, going over security protocols and trying to track down whoever had been intercepting our communications.
I had decided I needed to be useful. I couldn’t fight wolves. I didn’t have claws or fangs or supernatural strength. But I could help with the operation in other ways. I could bring coffee. I could observe. I could pay attention to details that others might miss.
So I made coffee for everyone and walked into the conference room without knocking.
I was Luna. I didn’t need to knock.
The men looked up as I entered. Knox’s face immediately softened when he saw me, a smile tugging at his lips. Noahgave me a nod of acknowledgment. Ryder looked mildly amused. Hunt was too focused on whatever was on the screen to notice.
And Lucio...
Lucio smiled at me with perfect white teeth and warm brown eyes.
“Luna,” he said smoothly. “How kind of you to bring refreshments.”
