Novel-novel oleh Natalie May

The fires burned for two days.We lit them at the southern edge of the forest, one pyre for each of the fallen. Seven warriors. Four women. And a boy too young to know how to hold a blade.I stood among the mourners, wrapped in a black shawl, the scent of smoke clinging to my skin. My hand rested low on my belly, as if to shield the twins from the grief pressing down on us all. No one spoke.The flames crackled high into the morning sky above us, the sky churned between gray and blue, refusing to choose. And the ashes of our dead were taken by the wind. Catherine said a few words over each pyre. I couldn’t tell you what they were. My ears only heard the mothers sobbing. The warriors staring hollow-eyed at the flames. The little boy clutching his father’s sword because his father would never come home to wield it again.The pack had survived the attack. But we would never be the same. I didn’t move until the last pyre burned low and the wind carried the ashes into the trees.In the

“It’s too quiet.”I stood by the window in my temporary quarters, arms wrapped around my middle, whispering those words over and over to myself as the weight of the twins pressed low against my spine. The stars blinked above like they, too, were holding their breath. There was no wind, no birdsong. Just the heavy silence of something about to go terribly wrong.Then I heard it— three long howls, starting and ending the same way.It was the signal.It meant that rogues were now approaching us.Within seconds, the entire pack erupted.Boots pounded against wood. Doors slammed. Voices shouted. I grabbed my cloak and was already halfway down the stairs when Anna found me near the foyer.“Luna, you have to get to the shelters,” she said, gripping my arm.“No.” I yanked free. “I need to get to the command tent.”Just then, Lilith dashed down the stairs in a frenzy, clutching a small bag. “Let her be stupid as she pleases! Always wanting to be the hero!”She was gone in a second. No doubt

The chill of early morning clung to the air as we waited at the southern gate. A low mist curled across the gravel path like breath from the forest itself. I stood beside Sebastian, our shoulders just far enough apart to remind me that we were still worlds away from each other.He didn’t say a word. Neither did I.But my pulse thudded against my skin with every second that passed. Because this— what we were about to face— was no longer just a political worry or vague tension. It was a real war.Then I heard them.The low rumble of hooves and boots came first, and then I saw them: rows of North Ridge warriors, all in dark clothing and moving in unison. In front of them rode a tall, broad shouldered man with a quiet assurance in his posture. His dark armor clung to his body like it had been forged just for him. Alpha Killian.Sebastian stepped forward as Killian dismounted, a rare flicker of ease crossing his face. “Brother,” he said, reaching out his forearm. “You’re right on time.”

A week later, I stood in front of the mirror as Anna adjusted the silver-lined shoulder cape draped over my ceremonial dress. It was the same one Catherine had worn during her own Luna crowning— It was a beautiful deep red dress with silver jewels adorning it. “You look like a Queen,” Anna whispered. I didn’t feel like one. When I finally stepped out and saw the great hall bathed in silver light, lined with wolves from all corners of the territory, my breath caught. Sebastian stood already at the center of the circle, dressed in ceremonial black. He turned slowly as I approached, and for a moment, everything fell away— every wound and every betrayal. The air between us sparked. My wolf surged inside me, tail high, wnd whimpering with hope. ‘He’s still ours,’ she whispered again. And I hated how much I wanted to believe her. I forced myself to stay focused and the silence in the hall felt almost like a living thing. It crawled down the back of my neck and made the h

The drive back felt longer than it should have. Maybe it was the weight in my chest, or the way the air shifted the closer we got to Silverback territory. I could feel the pull of the pack bond again— a low hum beneath my skin, like the land itself remembered me.And the mate bond… the severed bond was making my chest start to hurt again the closer I got to Sebastian.I kept my eyes on my hands. My fingers rested protectively over my bump as the babies stirred softly inside me. My children… they were the only thing that mattered now.Catherine sat next to me in silence. She didn’t press. I was grateful for that. I didn’t think I could speak without something breaking loose in my throat.When we passed the outer gates, the guards looked stunned. Their eyes flickered between me and Catherine like they couldn’t believe I was really here.One of them bowed deeply. “Welcome home, Luna.”My stomach clenched at the word.Home.Was it still that?I said nothing as Catherine thanked them.The

CHAPTER 26I hadn’t slept since Sebastian left. I laid in the room I had grown up in, staring at the ceiling, counting the cracks that spread from the wooden beams like veins. My childhood bed felt too small now, like it couldn’t contain the weight of everything pressing down on my chest — the grief, confusion, anger, and above all, exhaustion.The wind howled softly through the old maple tree just outside the window. The room smelled faintly of old lilac and rosemary— my mother’s favorite potpourri— and it grounded me, even though my heart was still a battlefield.My hands instinctively curled over my swollen stomach, where my babies stirred quietly. Their presence was the only calm in the chaos, a pulsing reminder of why I was even here. Why I hadn’t gone back with Sebastian.I was so deep in thought and the knock on the door was so soft I almost thought I imagined it.“Alora?” came a voice, familiar and gentle, yet lined with tension. “May I come in?”I froze. That voice… It was C

CHRISTIAN & HAZEL I chuckled as the doctor squirted the gel on Hazel’s tummy, making her squirm. Hazel always reacted to the cold. I kissed her and watched as the wand moved back and forth, and the image became clearer. “There’s your baby.” The doctor, Suzanne smiled, clicking and measuring. I held my breath as she turned on the sound, and I heard the heartbeat. The odd noise filled the room, the fast, steady sound like music to my ears. “You’re sure you want to know the sex?” “Yes!” Hazel and I exclaimed. “It’s a girl,” Suzanne announced. I laughed. “I’m surrounded. My own little harem.” Hazel’s eyes were focused on the screen. She tilted her head, looking confused. “It all looks good…” Suzanne’s voice trailed off. I frowned at the subtle change in the noise. It was faster, like an echo of itself, the strumming continuous. “Well, look who’s been hiding,” Suzanne mused and glanced over at us. She grinned and winked at me. “You did good, Christian.” She peered at the screen in

HAZELI crawled into bed with Christian, snuggled into his side, and rested my head on his chest. He groaned as he shifted.“Are you all right?” I asked, worried that I had hurt him.He nodded. “Colin warned me that getting the sensation back in my legs was going to hurt. He’s fucking right.”Between rushing after Valerie, walking for everyone, moving around the house with his walker, and sitting on Valerie’s bed as he read to her for over an hour, I knew he was exhausted. But when I asked if he was ready to sleep, he said he wasn’t. I felt the same way too. Mentally, I was still wide awake. “Do you want some pain killers?”“No. As weird as it sounds, I want to feel it. I never thought I would get to this point, so aches and all, I’m going to go with it.”I laughed softly. “You’re right, Christian. You are weird.”He dragged her up his chest,causing a little gasp of surprise to escape me.“You wanna help me forget about the aches, Hazel?” he murmured in my ear, biting my lobe. “Make m

The room around me buzzed with activity. Voices, people moving, talking to me, trying to get my attention. I held my breath, scared that if I even so much as breathed, I would miss something important.My focus was on one thing. The doctor examining Valerie. I had insisted, and finally Hazel relented, seeing how upset I was about her. My wife glanced up, smiling as she lifted Valerie to her shoulder. She tilted her chin, letting me know everything was okay. A fact that she was certain of, but I needed to be sure. She handed Valerie over to me and escorted the doctor out and I relaxed, pressing a kiss to my daughter’s head. She looked up, wrinkling her nose.“Hi, Daddy.” “Hey, baby girl.” She patted my hand. “Boo-boo better,” she cooed. “Good.” “Yeah, Daddy feels better.” I brushed a curl off her face. “How did you know?” She pushed on my cheek with her tiny finger. “You Daddy again. You smile.” I dropped my head, pressing kisses all over her sweet little fa

I had never tried to comfort a person still caught between being a young man and a grown-ass adult. I had never reached out and been the role model.It was another lesson I was learning.Dennis was emotional. Filled with apologies. Begging for forgiveness. Once I broke through his stuttering words and barely held-back sobs, I set him straight.“What happened was not your fault. You didn’t put me in this wheelchair, Dennis. None of it is your doing. You need to stop blaming yourself.”“I can’t.”“You can. Get some help. I’ll ask Randy to take you on. He is an amazing person to help you sort things out and get your head straight.” I barked out a laugh. “If he can handle my shit, he can help you.”“But he’s here.”“Yes,” I agreed. “Which is where you need to be. You have a life waiting here for you, Dennis. A job you’re good at. Friends. Family.” I huffed out a breath. “Don’t let that day define you. Move past it.”“The guilt,” he said quietly. “It holds me hostage. That I’m walking arou

I grabbed her hips, guiding her. Pushing her up and pulling her back down. She sobbed my name, her back arching as her release washed through her. I watched as she lost herself in the moment. I had forgotten how beautiful she was in her release. The way her entire frame shuddered. How she bit her lip and lowered her chin as if sinking into the feeling. The breathiness of my name falling from her lips. And how it felt when her muscles fluttered, tightened around me, taking all I had—giving me so much more.My body strained, the urge to thrust and grind against her eclipsing everything else. An orgasm hit me, obliterating everything in its path. I saw stars, the ecstasy was so great. I opened my mouth in a soundless scream, and somewhere, deep inside, I felt a flex, the pinching of muscles not used for so long now gripping, then vanishing as fast as they had engaged. A long, agonized sound escaped as my entire being surrendered. The pain, the pleasure, the sweet torture of it all.Hazel

CHRISTIANThe taste and feel of my wife chased away the last lingering remnants of my dream. Hazel wasn’t walking away. She was right here, with me, in my arms.Right where she should be.I kissed her deeply, seeking out her tongue with mine, stroking hard and deep. Reclaiming her mouth. Reclaiming her. I yanked her tight to my chest, pulling off the towel she had draped around her body. I pushed down the blanket that covered me, needing to feel her. I dragged her over my lap, groaning at the feel of her weight pressing down on me. Still kissing her, I slid my hands over her silken thighs, parting them and settling her so she straddled me.She pulled back, gasping. “Is this okay?”“Fucking yes, it’s okay.” I pressed my mouth to her neck, licking up the damp, elegant column of her throat. “It’s fucking perfect.” I murmured. “You’re so perfect for me, Haze. And I’m such an idiot. Everything that has happened, it only made you stronger, but not me… I got weak.”She grabbed my face, holdi