Page 131 of Crystal Luna

“So many things would’ve been nice to know, yet here we are.”

“When did you learn to control your shifts like that?” Isaiah asked, trying to steer the conversation.

“Full control? Maybe a year or so after joining the Howlers.”

“And when did you discover you could do it?” Ash asked, taking Isaiah’s hint.

“A few weeks after I arrived. Rayan triggered me so much that it happened.”

“And he still ended up your best friend?”

“Yes. After joining, Marvin wanted to pair me up with Leroy, but I wanted Rayan. Since he’d figured it out in the first place, I thought he could help me manage it.” She turned towards the stairs and grabbed her backpack, nodding to the oven. “Don’t let them burn.”

“Yes, Luna.”

Vel gave the two of them a brief glimpse of her amused grin before she disappeared upstairs and out of sight.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Velora

After changing, Velora came back down to find her cooked pizza sitting on a plate between Asher and Isaiah on the couch. She glared at them, a silent gesture for them to figure it out themselves but Isaiah only picked it up and patted the empty spot.

“You can choose the movie,” Asher said, trying to sweeten the deal.

“I don’t care.”

Isaiah patted his hand again. “But you do care for your pizza so just come sit with us.”

Velora clenched her jaw, but did as she was told. Isaiah handed her the pizza almost as a reward.

The twins cleared their plates, then patiently waited for her to do the same. Once her plate was empty, Asher took the dishes back to the kitchen while Isaiah laid a pillow across his lap.

“Lay down,” he demanded.

“Fuck no.”

“I’m not asking you, Vel.” There it was—his impatience finally slipped through his otherwise calm demeanour. “And I don’t like repeating myself.”

His raw need for some semblance of intimacy shimmered through the bond, compelling her to do as he’d asked. She repositioned herself to lay down with her head in his lap—though she hated every second of it.

“Good—now Ash can massage your feet. You’ve been up and about all day.”

Velora shot Isaiah a disapproving glare as Asher took her feet into his lap. She knew she could leave at any time, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Now that she’d seen Isaiah crack, she was dying to see what lay beneath the surface.

Isaiah massaged her scalp in time with Asher’s hands on her feet, gazing down at her with curiosity. “Why didn’t you move into the Howler’s alpha house?”

“I wasn’t luna. It would’ve been disrespectful. I wasn’t there to replace Laureen in any sense.”

“As if letting the alpha fuck you wasn’t disrespectful,” Asher mumbled, though his hands stayed gentle on her feet.

She softly kicked at his belly, amused when she made him flinch. “He’s a widower. He’s allowed to seek out comfort for that loss—even if it’s with someone else.”

“I thought it was impossible to be with someone after losing one’s mate, let alone fuck them.” Though he tried not to show it, Isaiah’s voice held a bitter undertone.

“You know that a relationship can consist of so much more than just fucking, right?”

“Clearly, otherwise you wouldn’t have stayed with him. But tell us what he did that you enjoyed so much.”