Page 61 of Luna's New Reign
But no matter what comes next, we won’t let it take her. Or Locke.
We’ll fight for her.
And we’llwin.
29
NEPHELINE
The days pass, meshing together as I come to terms with the changes in the pack lands, in my head, and in my body. I’m fully showing now, just a little curve to my belly but it’s noticeable beneath the thinner clothing prepared for the blooming spring.
The laughter of children carries on the soft breeze, curling around me like a song I almost remember. We walk through the packlands—Mateo to my right, Darius to my left, and me cradling the growing bump beneath my shirt, my hand resting protectively over the little life inside me.
The pack’s energy hums all around us—peaceful, warm,alive. Since the news of my pregnancy spread—it was a little hard to hide when one of the Betas blurted it out, the mood of the Nightshades has shifted. It’s as if the veil of darkness we’ve been wading through finally lifted, even if we know it’s still out there, waiting. The families we pass stop to smile at me, their faces glowing with hope, their words soft and kind.
“Luna!” a small voice calls and I glance down to see a pup running up to me, his little cheeks flushed from playing. He clutches a flower in his tiny fist—a crumpled daisy—and thrusts it toward me with a shy grin. “For you.”
The genuine sweetness of the moment makes my heart squeeze painfully. I crouch down, as gracefully as I can, and take the flower, brushing a finger over his dirt-smudged cheek. “Thank you, little one.”
He beams before darting off again and Mateo laughs softly beside me. “You’re winning hearts already,” he murmurs, his eyes bright as he watches me stand.
“They’ll stop bringing me flowers when they realize I’m not as sweet as I look,” I say, scrunching my nose as I tuck the daisy into my hair.
Darius snorts, reaching out to steady me with a hand on my lower back. “They’ll never stop. You’re their Luna now, whether you like it or not.”
I roll my eyes, but there’s no real heat to it. Idolike it—the attention, the warmth, the sense of belonging that swirls around us like the heart of a living thing. It’s just hard to let myself feel it fully when a shadow still lingers in my mind.
Locke.
I can’t focus on much else these days. Even now, as Mateo exchanges playful words with one of the newly appointed elders and Darius leans down to pick up a pup who tugs at his pant leg, I feel my thoughts drifting. The bond with my brother stretches like a fraying rope across my mind. Sometimes I think I can hear him—a rustle of sound, a murmur of breath—but it’s never enough.
Still, I talk to him anyway.
In my head, we’re always in the same place—those fields just beyond the Redstone packlands. The wildflowers grew tall and unruly there, rolling like waves under the wind. I wasn’tsupposed to run there, not without a mate, but Locke had always been a rulebreaker.
In my mind, I see it clearly—the sunlight soft over the hills, Locke’s wolf hanging in the shadows at the edge of the tree line. He never steps into the light. Never speaks back. But I talk to him anyway, telling him about my life.
I tell him about the pack. About Mateo and River, Asani and Remi. And Maverick. About how they’ve all made it their mission to keep me as comfortable—anddistracted—as possible, especially with this pregnancy throwing my body out of whack. I tell him about the colors in my coat and Maverick’s bird, and how I’ve finally become the Luna Locke always knew I would.
Most of my days are spent in my nest now, curled around at least one of my mates. My skin itches if I’m alone for too long, the bond pulling at me like a hunger I can’t ignore. Mateo, Asani, and River have taken it upon themselves to find every excuse to keep me in bed, hands roaming over me, lips coaxing the tension from my body. It’s almost ridiculous how much they pamper me, how far they’re willing to go to make mefeel.
And I do.Goddess,do I.
But there’s still the emptiness where Locke should be.
“Nepheline.” Mateo’s voice snaps me back to the present and I blink up at him as he watches me closely, his eyes narrowed in concern. “You’re drifting again, princess.”
I force a smile, though I know he sees right through it. “I’m fine.”
“You’re a terrible liar,” Darius chimes in, shooting me a knowing look as he places his hand back on my lower back, steady and firm. “What’s going on in that head of yours, Bambi?”
I glance between them both, my fingers brushing absentmindedly over my bump as I shrug. “I was just thinking about Locke. About… how I used to run with him when we were kids.”
The way Mateo’s expression softens nearly unravels me and I have to look away before the tears can gather in my eyes. “He’ll come back to you,” Mateo says softly, the promise in his voice strong enough to make my chest ache.
“And we’ll tear apart anyone who keeps him from you,” Darius adds with a growl.
I laugh under my breath, the sound shaky. “You two really know how to make a girl feel special.”