LOGINAngela’s POVAaron lingered beside me a moment longer, his thumb tracing a small circle against my spine. Through the bond, I felt his quiet contentment. His pack fed and strong, his mate at his side, the day stretching ahead full of promise.I leaned into him just slightly. This was the heartbeat of our life now.Breakfast lingered longer than usual, the easy chatter gradually shifting as wolves finished and drifted toward their duties. Aaron squeezed my hand once before heading out to oversee the warriors, leaving a brush of warmth through the bond that felt like a promise.Martha wiped her hands on a towel and turned to me. “Luna, if you’ve a moment, the festival committee is gathering in the great hall. We’re finalizing placements for the banners and the seating circles.”The Shadow Moon Spring Festival. Three days away, but the entire pack thrummed with anticipation. The longest night, the turning point. This year would be my first as Luna. I felt the weight of it, not heavy, but
ANGELA’S POVThe water finally began to cool, and we stepped out, wrapped in thick towels and each other’s arms. Aaron’s hands lingered as he dried me, tracing lazy patterns across my skin like he was memorizing me all over again. The bond was quiet now, a steady, sated warmth that made the whole world feel softer around the edges.He pressed one last kiss to my forehead. “I have an early training session with the warriors,” he said, and I could hear the reluctance threading through his voice. “But I’ll find you after.”I smiled, touching his jaw. “Go lead, Alpha. I’ll be waiting.”He left with a look that promised we weren’t nearly finished, and I dressed slowly. Soft leggings, an oversized sweater that still carried his scent from the day before. Pulling my hair up in a messy bun, I made my way downstairs.The pack house was already alive in that particular early morning way. Purposeful, layered, every wolf moving with a quiet efficiency. The heart of it was the kitchen. Martha stoo
ANGELA’S POVI woke slowly, the kind of waking where everything comes back in pieces. First the warmth, thick and heavy around me, then the quiet of the room, still dark with the curtains pulled shut. Aaron's scent hit next, that sharp sweetness mixed with something deeper, warmer, the way it always got when his body was already thinking about mine.His chest was against my back, skin almost too hot, and his arm lay across my waist, heavy, fingers spread wide just under my ribs like he needed to feel me breathing.I shifted a little, barely moving, and it was enough. He tightened his hold right away, pulling me back until my ass pressed against him, against the hard length of him that had not softened at all in the night. A low sound came from his throat, and then his mouth was on my neck, open and slow, lips dragging over the spot where neck curves into shoulder."Good morning, my Luna," he said, voice rough from sleep, thick with want. I started to answer, but he kissed me before an
ANGELA’S POVI was back in my own small study. Aaron had insisted I take this room, with its books and its surprisingly comfortable old armchair. Sunlight poured in. I opened the file on the spring dances, and Martha’s notes were, as predicted, exhaustive.It wasn’t just the steps. It was the meaning behind them. The Hunter’s Circle mimicked a wolf pack corralling prey, a dance of unity and strategy. The Moon-Greeting was slower, more reverent, performed under the first evening star.I tried to visualize the steps, but my mind kept drifting. Back to the sunroom. To Gwen’s question, and the way the whole table had held its breath. I hadn’t just given a good answer.I had felt the rightness of it, deep down in my marrow. It was a new kind of strength. It didn’t come from baring teeth or pushing back. It came from standing firm in the center of a storm and simply naming it calm.A soft knock interrupted me. It was Elara, shifting from foot to foot in the doorway with a basket over her ar
Angela’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







