LOGINAngela’s POVThe silence that followed was thoughtful, not tense.Finally, Martha gave a slow, deliberate nod. “Well said.” It sounded like the highest praise I would ever get from her.Sarah’s lips quirked. “I’ll make sure my patrols are visible during the feast. A show of that strength.”The moment passed. The conversation shifted back to logistics, but the atmosphere had changed. A subtle shift in their postures, a new warmth in their glances. I had not just answered a question. I had lied.When the meeting ended an hour later, they left with purposeful steps, tasks in hand. Elara paused at the door and turned back. “Luna? The children would be honored if you’d help them plant the moonflowers.”The request, so simple and sincere, hit me harder than any formal bow. “I would be honored,” I managed to say.Alone in the sunroom, the weight of the silver torque felt light. I looked out the window at the territory, the trees swaying in the spring breeze. My territory. My people.The bond
ANGELA’S POVJames came in with a tablet and a steaming mug. The coffee smelled rich and dark, exactly how I liked it. His eyes, usually so sharp and full of jokes, were careful as they looked at me. They moved to the torque around my throat, and I saw a faint, approving smile touch his lips.“Morning, Luna. You look… prepared.” He set the mug down on the dresser and handed me the tablet. “Top file is the patrol summary. All quiet, but they caught a strange scent near the old mill. It was faded, probably just a passing loner. The Beta’s crew noted it for extra sweeps. Second file is the agenda for your meeting with the she-wolves. Martha added some notes about the budget for the spring feast. She can be particular about the meat supplier, just so you know.”I took the tablet. The warmth from the mug seeped into my other hand. “Thank you, James. Is there anything else?”He hesitated. I could see him weighing the situation, the Beta in him deciding what to share. “A few of the elders’ m
ANGELA’S POVAaron was quiet for a long moment. His hand just kept tracing those slow circles on my arm. “Today will be busy,” he finally said. He didn’t move to get up, though. “James has the patrol reports. The council expects a debrief about the ceremony’s, well, atmospheric impact.” I heard the dryness in his words. “And you have your first official Luna’s meeting at noon. The head she-wolves. They’ll want to discuss the spring festivals.”The weight of it all settled over me. It was a familiar weight now, something I was learning how to hold. It didn’t erase the warmth of the bed, or the soft, constant hum of the bond between us. It just sat there beside it.“I know,” I sighed. I wasn’t ready. “I still need to review Martha’s notes.”“Later.” His voice was soft, but it was a command. He rolled over, hovering above me, his arms caging me in. The morning light caught the edges of him, turning him gold. He wasn’t sleepy anymore. His eyes were focused, tender in a way that made my br
AARON’S POVThe taillights of her parents’ car disappeared down the gravel road, swallowed by pines, and something inside my chest finally unclenched. Not triumph, not exactly. Something quieter. Deeper. Like a stone settling into the bed of a river after years of being carried downstream.Angela’s weight leaned heavier against my side, her head tucked under my chin. She smelled like pine smoke from the longhouse fires, like the vanilla lotion her mother always brought her, like mate. “Thank you,” she breathed, the words brushing my throat.I couldn’t answer with anything but my arms tightening around her. The bond carried everything else: the fierce pride, the relief that tasted almost like pain, the knowledge that her two worlds had touched and neither had shattered.People were drifting away from the clearing, footsteps crunching softly on frost-stiff grass. Someone laughed in the distance. The fires had burned down to dull red eyes. Everything felt finished. And beginning.James s
Angela’s POVA respectful space had been left between the shadow moon wolves and my family. Aaron, still in his majestic black wolf form, nudged me gently toward them. Then he shifted in a smooth, powerful motion, grabbed a pair of trousers someone had ready, and took my hand.“Mom. Dad,” I said, my voice choked. I was suddenly aware of my bare feet in the snow, the cloak smelling of forest and wolf.My mother didn’t hesitate. She broke forward and pulled me into a fierce hug that smelled of her familiar perfume. “Oh, my baby,” she whispered, crying openly. “You look… you look like a goddess of the moon.” She pulled back, cupping my face, her eyes darting to the mark on my shoulder, then to Aaron. No fear. Just a mother’s deep, wondering acceptance.My father stepped up. He didn’t hug me. He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, his grip firm. He looked at Aaron, and then he did something that made the surrounding wolves go still. He bowed his head. Not a full bow, but a deep, respe
ANGELA’S POVThe run was pure magic. It felt like being swept up in a current, all fur and muscle and heartbeats pounding in time. I wasn’t separate anymore. I wasn’t being watched. I was part of the river.We wove through the moonlit forest, one living thing made of many. The sound wrapped around me: the steady rhythm of paws on frozen earth, the panting breaths, a joyful yip now and then.A young, tawny wolf ran shoulder-to-shoulder with me, glancing over with bright eyes before darting ahead playfully. Later, an older she-wolf with a silvery coat fell in beside me. Her pace was steady, sure, a silent presence that somehow grounded the whole night.And there was Aaron. A dark shadow on my left, my constant anchor. He didn’t lead from the front. He ran with us, the quiet center everything else moved around. Every so often, his shoulder would bump mine, or his flank would brush me. Just a touch. You good? I’d nudge him back. Never better. Really, never better.The frenzy slowly gentle







