บททั้งหมดของ Mated to the stubborn luna: บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 46

The ridge trembled beneath Aria’s boots as the wave of shadow creatures surged forward. Their growls echoed through the trees, each one vibrating with an unnatural hum that made the air feel thick and distorted.Varek stepped slightly in front of her, shoulders tense, power burning like a second heartbeat in the space between them.“Stay close,” he said.“I’m not leaving your side,” Aria replied.He glanced back at her, just long enough for their eyes to meet. Something warm flickered there—fear for her, yes, but also something deeper, something that steadied her more than any battle plan could.Then the shadows descended.The first wave struck fast. Aria bent low, sliding beneath the swipe of a shadow wolf, her blade slicing upward in a graceful arc. Moonlight erupted from the steel, cutting the creature cleanly in half. Its form dissolved into ash before hitting the ground.Varek didn’t hesitate. He raised both hands, and a wall of fire roared outward, scorching the front line of in

Morning arrived softly over the fortress, its golden light filtering through the tall windows of the Luna’s chamber. Aria stretched slowly, her body relaxing into the warmth of the blankets. For a moment, she lay still, letting the quiet peace settle around her—the rare kind of silence she barely experienced since becoming Varek’s Luna.She reached across the bed instinctively.Empty.Aria blinked, sitting up slightly. Varek hadn’t left a note, but she could still feel him faintly through the bond—focused, tense, but steady. Not distressed. Not in danger.Just… busy.She sighed, brushing her fingers through her hair as she stood. The air was cool against her skin, but it felt refreshing. She pulled on her robe and stepped toward the balcony just as a gentle knock sounded at her door.“Come in,” she said.The door opened, and Mira, her attendant and one of the few wolves she fully trusted, stepped inside carrying a tray of morning tea.“Good morning, Luna,” Mira said with a warm smile.

The return to Shadowridge was anything but peaceful.Wolves rushed through the gates in full alert, guards sprinting across the battlements, the warning horns echoing through the fortress like thunder. Word of the Crimson Howl ambush had traveled faster than Varek expected.As soon as Varek, Aria, and Caelan crossed the border, warriors closed ranks around them, forming a protective escort. Aria could feel the tension—sharp, vibrating, heavy—as if the air itself sensed the war approaching.Varek never loosened his grip on her hand.Not once.Even with blood on his arm, even with his jaw tight and eyes burning with fury, he kept her close, guiding her through the chaos with a protectiveness that pulsed through the bond like a heartbeat.Inside the main hall, the high council was already waiting.Elder Korran jumped to his feet. “What is he doing here?” he snapped, pointing at Caelan as if the Moonbreaker Alpha carried a plague.Caelan’s lip curled. “Nice to see you too, Korran.”“We we