Page 73 of Luna's New Reign
He moves quietly to sit by my side, his gaze softening as he takes me in. I’m sitting there in the middle of the room, arms wrapped tightly around myself, like I can hold myself together with sheer willpower.
“Why aren’t you with them?” I ask softly, curling into his side as he wraps an arm around me.
Maverick’s lips twitch faintly. “Because you need someone to stay. And because we don’t all need to fight tonight.” His voice is calm, steady in a way that makes me feel like I can breathe again, if only a little.
I look up at him, blinking back the tears blurring my vision. “What if they don’t come back?”
Maverick’s dark eyes meet mine, unflinching. “They will.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do,” he counters, brushing his thumb over my cheek. “Do you know why?”
I shake my head, sniffling.
“Because you’re waiting for us,” he says softly, his voice filled with quiet conviction. “Because every single one of us has something to come home to.You.You’re our everything, Neph. There’s not a damn force in this world—magic, darkness, or the First Alpha himself—that can keep us from you.”
His words cut through the fear clawing at my chest, grounding me when I feel like I’m about to shatter.
“You really believe that?” I whisper.
He leans down, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to my forehead. “With every ounce of my being.”
I close my eyes, letting his words settle into me like a balm. I can feel the magic rippling at the edges of the veil, feel the darkness creeping closer, but Maverick’s presence keeps it at bay—for now.
“Rest,” he murmurs, brushing his fingers gently through my hair as I curl into him. “They’ll be back in the morning. All of them.”
I don’t believe him completely. I don’t know if Icanbelieve him. But his voice is steady, his touch warm, and I let myself cling to that.
Because right now, it’s all I have.
As I drift toward an uneasy sleep, wrapped in Maverick’s arms, I whisper a silent promise into the darkness.
>>> I’ll be here. Waiting for you.
34
MAVERICK
I see everything.
Through eyes that are not mine, I see the blood-streaked blur of silver and gray wolves clashing violently beneath the cold shimmer of the stars. I see their teeth snapping, claws tearing into fur and flesh, the echoes of snarls and pained yelps carried on the wind like a war song. The moon hangs low in the sky, almost serene, as chaos unfolds below it.
Remi is a streak of quicksilver, darting between wolves with sharp precision, tearing through their ranks like he wasbornfor this. He’s all grace and fury, his gray fur lit up by the moonlight, but there’s no joy in his movements—only grim determination.
River is a wall of silent, unstoppable power, his dark gray wolf holding the line as he slams into the enemy with an unrelenting ferocity that feels like thunder breaking over the earth. Where Remi cuts, River shatters.
Asani’s jet-black wolf prowls like a shadow, circling their flanks and finding openings the others don’t see. He’s vicious,precise—every strike a calculated kill, his growls low and lethal. A strategist even in his second form, his mind sharp despite the haze of battle.
Darius moves just as swiftly as Remi, flashes of silver as he stays low to the ground, using his small size and speed to catch wolves off guard.
And then there’s Mateo.
Mateo is something else entirely. His black and red wolf stands at the front, an Alpha in every sense of the word, leading the charge with teeth bared and eyes blazing. Every wolf on the battlefield instinctively looks to him, follows his lead without hesitation. His power ripples through the bond, pulling the pack together as one unshakable force.
The ground trembles beneath their weight. The night is alive with the sounds of war.
I cling to the images, my heart hammering as I feel their snarls through the mindlink—raw, primal, alive. But there’s something else. Somethingwrong.