Page 5 of Luna's New Reign
River nods, his tone even as he speaks. “We went for a run before we came home. It’s still there. A thin film of magic around the packlands, like a barrier.”
Asani’s shoulders relax slightly, though his confusion lingers. “Then how do we know they’ll even make it through?”
“That’s the point,” I say simply. “If they’re meant to be here, they’ll find a way.”
He’s silent for a moment, processing my words. Then, slowly, he nods. “Then I guess it’s up to fate to bring them to us.”
A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth as I reach toward Asani, my hand sliding behind his neck to drag him into a wolf’s kiss, our foreheads pressed against each other. Calista told me that Asani would betray me and now he’s become one of my best Alphas. “We’ll welcome them home,” I begin, magic surging through my words. “Anyone who comes to these packlands without malice will find shelter.”
Asani exhales softly, his tension easing as he closes his eyes. For a moment, the chaos fades, replaced by the quiet understanding between Alphas.
It’s not perfect. Hell, it’s barely a plan. But it’s a start.
3
MAVERICK
Nepheline is curled against me in the nest, her breath warm and steady against my chest. One of her hands has a death grip on my shirt, her fingers clutching the fabric like it’s the only thing tethering her to this world. She’s passed out, exhausted from the weight of everything, but even in sleep, her brow furrows as if she’s fighting invisible battles.
I haven’t slipped into one of her dreams since that one evening so I have no idea the chaos running through her mind but I wish I could take all of it away and just give her peace.
On her other side, Darius lies propped on his elbow, his hand moving gently through her hair, each stroke like a prayer. His gaze is fixed on her as it always is, like she’s the most perfect thing he’s ever seen.
“She’s everything, isn’t she?” I murmur, my voice low enough not to wake her.
Darius doesn’t look at me, his eyes never leaving her face. “Yeah. She is.”
I shift slightly, careful not to disturb her, but she only nuzzles closer, her sweet scent wrapping around me. The corner of my mouth lifts in the faintest of smiles. She dragged me up here earlier, saying that she needed to feel my heartbeat against her ear, to know that I was still alive. I don’t blame her. Had the roles been reversed, we would have all needed her at our side. “I saw parts of her dream,” I say.
That gets his attention. His hand pauses mid-stroke and he finally turns his head to look at me. “You saw her dream?”
I nod, my fingers brushing a strand of hair away from her face. “From before. When we first met. Back in the Redstone pack. She dreamed of the days you’d run around the courtyard together. Do you remember?”
Darius’ lips twitch into a small smile, one that looks almost foreign on his usually guarded face. “I’m still remembering pieces. It’s coming back to me in flashes, but yeah… I remember the courtyard. I remember her laugh. The joy on her face. I miss when it was simple, when she was my entire world and we didn’t have to worry about everything else.”
I let his words hang in the air, a rare, quiet moment between us. It’s not often that Darius lets his guard down like this and I don’t take it for granted. “How does it feel knowing you’re part of the Sapphire pack now? Does it feel weird that you left all that behind for our Omega?” It’s not a simple question but I wonder if I would have made the same choice for an Omega I never met. Without a second form, my entire upbringing centered around the nonshifters way of living. Unless we were in love, we wouldn’t upend our lives for something uncertain.
Darius exhales softly, his gaze shifting back to Nepheline. His hand resumes its slow, soothing strokes through her hair. “It feels right,” he says after a long pause. “Like it was always supposed to be this way. I couldn’t have made a better choice, Maverick.” His eyes soften as he watches her. “Bambi’severy bit the Omega I could have wanted. Strong, stubborn, compassionate… and she never lets me forget why I’m here. Why I chose her.”
I nod, understanding his words in a way only someone who loves her could. She has that effect on people—pulling them in, grounding them, making them want to be better, stronger. Nepheline stirs slightly, a soft noise escaping her lips as her lashes flutter. Her grip on my shirt loosens just a little, and her eyes blink open, hazy and unfocused.
Darius chuckles softly, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek. “Welcome back, Bambi,” he murmurs. Her attention shifts entirely to him, her gaze warming as a small, sleepy smile graces her lips. And just like that, the room feels lighter.
I fall silent, watching them together. Darius, the perfect Beta, and Nepheline, our fiery, untouchable Omega. They’re everything I never thought I needed and yet, here we are.
She doesn’t let go of me, though. Her hand tightens in my shirt again as they share a kiss, both sweet and passionate, Nepheline tasting Darius in a way that shows just how much she loves him. I feel honored to watch them, a moment between our Omega, our Luna and her Beta.
Moments later, Nepheline drapes herself over my side, her gaze meeting mine as she shares the same kiss with me as she did Darius. I’m lost in her sweet scent as I pull her closer, one arm wrapping around her waist and the other slipping into her hair. She moans into my mouth, pressing herself against me as the room heats with her desire.
“Alpha,” she breathes against my lips, “I need you.” Her words are a plea and a demand wrapped up in pretty words. Her back arches as Darius scoots closer, laying soft kisses along the back of her shoulders, a gasp falling from her parted lips. Nepheline is always beautiful but there’s something different in thesemoments when she submits to us, when she craves us and our touch.
“You’re mine, kitten. You always will be,” I purr before kissing her again, my hands roaming up and down her back. It draws giggles from her lips as she tugs at my shirt, desire turning into need. Her frustration is adorable but I need her just as much as she needs me. That moment in the living room earlier terrified me if I’m being honest. One moment I was there—the next I wasn’t and then I was awake again in her arms.
I thought I lost her.
I don’t ever want to feel like that again.
Nepheline growls as she partially shifts, dragging her claws down my shirt and pants to strip me of my clothes. I would expect nothing less as she undresses and then straddles my waist. “Need you,” she mumbles again, her eyes unfocused. Her scent is much sweeter now, some part of her biology needing her to reconnect with me—as if her Omega is driving her instincts completely.