Page 29 of Crystal Luna
“I see someone is snagging some baby cuddles.”
“I’m sorry. Evelyne fell asleep on the couch and Rayline was fussing—”
“Oh, no need to apologise,” Wayne interrupted her. “She’s far too proud to ask for help. Her parents have been here but she even sent them away.”
As soon as Wayne was close enough, she handed his daughter over. He took her with a bright smile and pressed her to his chest.
“Thank you for watching her—for giving Evelyne a break.” Then he tilted his head, mulling over his next words. “We’d be lucky to call you part of the pack one day.”
“I haven’t done anything.”
“Alpha Heath has kept me informed on your progress. From what I’ve heard, everyone loves you. Don’t let me start on Mia and Curtis.”
Velora attempted to hide her blush. Alpha Heath had raved about her and between the praise and their interaction that morning, her stomach fluttered.
“I’m sure Evelyne has already invited you, but we would love for you to join our Moonnight celebration. Just to see if you like it. Maybe we can convince you to stay.”
She kept quiet, unsure if she even wanted to decline anymore. So with her gaze to the ground, she nodded.
He chuckled lightly and bumped her shoulder. “C’mon, there have been a few people dying to meet the new pup creeping around the village.” When she didn’t move to follow him right away, he gave her a reassuring half grin. “We don’t bite, you know? We’re all bark. Come on.”
Chapter Ten
Heath
Heath was pinned to the ground by one of his warriors when movement caught his eye. He turned, catching sight of Velora walking alongside Wayne towards the gym. Her shoulders were slumped and her eyes were worriedly studying the crowd ahead.
Leroy took advantage of his alpha’s weakness and struck. His fist connected with Heath’s nose spraying blood over the two of them. Though Heath was alpha, he never expected his warriors to give him anything less than their best. Pain shot through his skull, but Heath used all his force to roll over and gain the upper hand again. He didn’t want revenge—he just didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of Velora.
He could hear Wayne explaining the Moonnight celebration to her. “We have a small clearing where we are going to gather. I believe we have at least one new pup this time around. Once his family has helped his wolf emerge, we’ll welcome him.”
Heath re-focused, but kept a close ear on the conversation.
“Not Alpha Heath?”
“No. With us, a wolf’s father will help them transition for the first time. It is something that has a long tradition with us and might be very different from others.”
“Our alpha always guided our new wolves,” she explained, her eyes trying to avoid everyone.
Heath hadn’t even noticed he’d dropped his guard again until Leroy fought back and he landed on his ass.
Fuck, he groaned to himself as he took his mind back off Velora.
Leroy wasn’t the type to give up easily. He always gave Heath a hard time. It was the exact reason why Heath usually chose him over the other warriors.
“And the one currently kicking our alpha’s ass is Leroy.” The sound of his name made him flick his eyes back to Velora, to where she and Wayne had claimed a nearby bench.
Her eyes landed on him, and Heath felt his pride take a blow.
Fucking shit… Wayne was right.
With an unrelenting punch, Heath knocked Leroy back to the ground. With another, he showed him the stars. Though he instantly regretted the outburst as soon as he caught sight of Leroy and his bloodshot eyes. But his warrior only grinned and gave him an understanding nod.
“Fine. You win, Alpha.” And with a mischievous grin he added, “This time.”
Heath stood and hauled Leroy to his feet. “This time.”
Now that the fight was over, Heath felt oddly unsure what to do. He wanted to go talk with Velora, but it didn’t feel right with everyone watching. Only a few hours ago, the feeling of her skin under his fingertips had made his blood run hot. But now, it didn’t feel right to pay her any more attention than anyone else.