Kas’s POV There’s a tiny knock on the door, then the nurse peeks her head in. “Luna, you’re awake.” I shake my head at the thought of being able to sleep, knowing Bronx is downstairs trying to heal Andreas. “Yes, please come in.” I try to sound pleasant. Inside my stomach is full of angry butterflies. I adjust Maya in my arm to make sure she’s getting milk from the bottle. “H-how did it go?” The nurse approaches with the Andreas blanket and sits on the edge of the bed. “See for yourself, Luna.” She sits closer and pulls the blanket away from Andreas’s face. My sweet boy squints at the light and fusses about having to be removed from his warm cocoon. The first thing I notice is that his hair has a tint of color to it. It isn’t the stark white it was when the nurse took him away. “Oh, my sweet boy.” I brush my hand over his head and coo at him. “Look what your daddy did for you.” At my touch, Andreas opens his eyes wide and looks at me, cooing with a grumpy face in response. When

My jaw drops in awe at the request. They either haven’t through this through or they are messing with me. I look around at the women, seeing if I can tell if this is some sort of prank. “I- Are… are you sure? You all voted? You want me to be your Luna?” Leticia wraps her arms around me from behind and gives me a strangling hug. Ayrelles looks concerned, but I hold my hand up to let her know it’s fine. “Kas, you’re the best choice for it. You’re already basically the best Luna we’ve ever had, and it’s not even your official title.” “Yeah, Kas. You created this beautiful place for us. We all agree. We can’t think of anything more kind and selfless than using practically every drop of your essence to make sure you family has been taken care of. They are the most important qualities for a Luna. It’s been millennia since we’ve had that. Katherine only wanted control. She didn’t give a shit if we were doing well.” Sunny, one of the Maven, approaches me and regards me with bright, golden e

Aphrodite stands up with a satisfied look and snaps her fingers. When I blink, there is a rush of warm air that smells a little like roses. We transport to a room filled with deep red and green velvet furniture accented with exotic animal furs and a giant fireplace. It isn’t like the light, airy room we were just in. This room reminds me of a play Bronx took me to see called Moulin Rouge. The Goddess is now wearing a burgundy colored robe with feather trim. She stands next to the wall beside the fireplace and waves her hand, making a mirror the size of a barn door appear. I watch the reflection of the mirror morph and swirl as if it isn’t satisfied with just showing the contents of the room it’s in. “Come here, Iokaste.” She pouts her lip, unfurls her fingers, and holds her hand out to me. “Gaze in the mirror if you’d like to see another future for yourself.” “I’m not able to walk, your Highness.” I lower my head and look at my toothpick thin legs. “My human spirit was imprisoned f

The door bursts open and Arnie rushes in into the room with his gun drawn. His eyes are black with his wolf on the surface. “Luna? What happened?” His body tension lessens when he sees’s Milo holding me by the arm. The nurses scurry in behind him and run over to look me over, taking off sensors taped to my chest so she can put a stethoscope to my heart. “Luna, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? What happened?” The other nurse shines a light into my eyes and feels my forehead. “Luna, do you know where you are, ma’am?” “I… I…” I’m not sure what happened. Milo was in my bed and I want to know why. I gently push their hands away. “I feel fine. I know where I am. Milo, please explain yourself.” “Kas, you were having a nightmare, and your heart was going crazy. They were worried you were going to have a heart attack or something. The nurse said you said my name in your sleep. So the doctor called me. He didn’t want to take you down to the hospital wing and separate you from the twins.” Milo l

“Luna, Musu is here to see you.” Tyree peeks into the suite. I look at the clock and realized I lost track of time reading books with Greek mythology stories to the twins. “Oh, please, send her in!” I put a bookmark in the story about one of the Fates, Clotho, helping Hermes create the alphabet and smooth out the bedsheets so there is room for her to sit and meet the twins. “Bonjour, Luna!” Tyree holds the door for Musu while she pushes a double stroller into the room. Oh… I’m going to need one of those. I have to remember to add it to my growing wishlist. “I know you asked for me to visit, but I thought maybe I could bring a plus two.” “You brought the babies!” I squeal with my hands over my mouth. I haven’t even seen them yet, but their combined scent of blackberry and sage compliments each other perfectly. Musu gives me a beautiful, genuine smile, and pulls her pups out one at a time, setting them on the bed, so I can get a good look at them. Unlike my babies, who are small and