The Luna's last heat

Julie's POVI barely slept.The healer’s wing bed was comfortable enough, but my mind refused to be quiet.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the ballroom lights spinning, felt the humiliating collapse, and heard Raynard’s irritated mutter: What the hell is wrong with her?By the time dawn came, I was already wide awake. Dr. Mara Voss returned with fresh coffee and a stack of blank medical forms. She looked as exhausted as I felt, her silver-streaked hair pulled into a tight bun and dark circles shadowing her sharp eyes.“Julie,” she said softly, closing the door behind her. “We need to talk before the alpha returns.”I pushed myself up against the pillows, my body still weak but my wolf stirring with faint, desperate hope. “You said weeks. How many, exactly?”Mara sat on the edge of the bed, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “If we do nothing… three, maybe four weeks before your wolf slips into full dormancy. After that, shifting becomes impossible and healing slows. Eventually,

Julie's POV The Luna’s quarters felt heavier that evening, the air thick with anticipation and dread. After a tense dinner where Raynard had barely spoken two words to me, I retreated to the shower, hoping the hot water would soothe my frayed nerves and wash away the sting of his earlier dismissal.Steam billowed around me, fogging the marble walls and the large glass enclosure. I stood under the spray, letting it cascade over my bare skin, my hands moving mechanically with the soap.My mind, however, refused to be quiet. The forged diagnosis echoed in my thoughts—two months to live unless I mated with him repeatedly. My wolf was so weak, yet the mere idea of Raynard’s touch made her stir with desperate longing. I lathered soap over my arms, my breasts, my stomach, trying not to imagine his hands doing the same. But the images came anyway, unbidden and vivid.Then the bathroom door clicked open.I gasped, the soap slipping from my fingers as Raynard stepped inside without a single wo