ログインTalia’s POVThe competition was wild. People were shouting from the sidelines, and the energy in the air was electric.Odin charged at Lissa right away and knocked her down in less than a minute. The guy behind us said, "That's it, she's done." But Lissa popped right back up. After that, she refused to stand still, making Odin look slow. He kept swinging and missing, getting more frustrated every second.Halfway through, even the people who doubted her started cheering. By the end, everyone at the fence was rooting for Lissa.Nolan took my hand.Earlier, Nolan had quietly asked me to let him hold my hand in public, so the pack would see. I kept my hand in his and tried to act normal.Then, the bond flared. I could feel Nolan’s emotions and could almost hear his thoughts.For two days, the bond had felt like a faint connection, barely there. Now it was so strong I could feel it in my chest. Every minute Nolan’s hand stayed on mine, I couldn't think about anything else.‘Let him hold us
Talia’s POVThe training ground sat behind the packhouse, down a hill and through some trees. Somehow, I knew the way before we even arrived.My body just turned at the hill like it had done it a hundred times, and I knew where the fence would be before I saw it. I felt like I belonged here, even if I couldn’t remember ever seeing it."What’s wrong?” Nolan asked."I know this place.""You should. You were down here most mornings." He held out his open hand and waited for me to decide to take it. I took his hand, and we continued. I wasn’t sure I was ready, but it was now or never. The pack needed to see me up and well. I needed to prove to them I was still their Luna.Everyone was already there when we walked out of the trees, lined up along the fence and packed in tight. When they saw us, the crowd exploded. This wasn’t polite clapping for someone who’d been sick; they were really cheering. I spotted a guy near the front with a kid on his shoulders. Both of them were waving at me.
Talia’s POVI woke up on the kids’ bedroom floor, a stuffed rabbit pillow under my head.One bedtime story turned into three. After the last one, Nyla wanted the rabbit voice again. I don’t even remember falling asleep. When I woke up, it was morning, and someone had put a blanket over me.I propped myself up and watched them sleep. They looked so peaceful. I realized I’d never really looked at them this closely before.Nyla slept with her mouth open, her arm hanging off the bed. She looked just like me, with the same chin, eyebrows, and mouth. But I noticed she had Nolan’s eyes. Elian was lying on his back with his blanket on the floor. He looked just like Nolan, except he had my eyes, I thought.'Those two are going to be trouble,' my wolf said. 'She looks like you, he looks like him, and they’re both going to break hearts.'"They’re five," I said.'So? Didn’t you have a little boyfriend at that age?' my wolf asked.'No, because Solon wouldn’t let me. And it was just child’s play, a
Nolan’s POVTalia waited until we were past the school gate."What does ‘Sleeping Beauty Queen’ mean?""A name people made up," I said."Who made it up?"I didn’t have a good answer for her. The twins walked ahead, and Nyla’s shoulders slumped. She obviously knew the name and didn’t want to talk about it.So I put on a face."Nyla." I crossed my arms and tried to sound serious. "Come back here and tell me what’s going on."She came back at half speed, and Elian stepped in front of his sister, as he always had."Am I in trouble?" Nyla asked."That depends on what you say. Where did that name come from?" It’s not hard to keep a straight face with a five-year-old, but it only works half the time.She looked at her shoes, then at her mother, and it came out in pieces."Some kids said we didn’t have a mom." Her voice got quiet. "One boy said the Queen died when we were born, and the adults just say she’s asleep so we don’t get upset."Talia made no sound at all beside me."And what did you
Nolan’s POVI waited until Talia was out of earshot before laughing, and even then I tried to keep it quiet."She’s different," Marco said."No," I said, sitting down at my desk. "She always used to leave the room like that whenever I brought up something she didn’t want to talk about. She’d just walk out mid-sentence and pretend she had something to do.”"Where did she sleep last night?" Marco asked."Our room,” I replied. "I’m staying in the guest room down the hall.”Marco frowned and said, “I’m sorry. I know that was difficult to accept.”"That was my decision, not hers. I want her to be comfortable and not feel pressured,” I explained.Marco considered that for a moment, his gaze softening. "I get it. It’s just… I saw what it did to you, all those years waiting. And now she’s here, you’re still holding back. Aren’t you scared she’ll never remember if you don’t push at all?"The question hit a sore spot because, of course, I was scared. I was terrified that Talia wouldn’t ever tru
Talia’s POVNolan let go of my face, and I jumped back so quickly I bumped into the desk.The guy standing in the doorway was already trying to leave."Marco," Nolan said. "Stay where you are."He stepped back in, staring at the floor. "Sorry. I should've knocked.""Nothing was happening," I said too fast and too loud, instantly embarrassed.They both looked at me. Nolan was two feet in front of me, his hands still half up, and I held onto my desk like it was going somewhere, and I heard how that sounded about a second too late.He was Nolan's second-in-command and Della's mate. Someone told me that yesterday. I couldn't remember anything else about him, which frustrated me."What did you come up for?" Nolan asked him."This." Marco reached into his jacket and took out an envelope. "It came up from the gate an hour ago. I nearly left it on your desk, and then I thought better of it."Nolan looked at the front of the envelope. His whole expression changed. Nolan looked suddenly hopeful







