All Chapters of The Alpha Quintuplets' Guardian Luna: Chapter 41 - Chapter 43

I ran my finger over the tiny charms: a flame, a leaf, a feather, a droplet, and a small crystal. Fire, earth, air, water, and spirit. The five elements I'd assigned to the quintuplets just hours ago. "It's beautiful," I whispered, surprised by how much I meant it. "You don't have to wear it," Nelson said quickly. "I just wanted you to have something that was yours. Something no one could take away." I slipped the bracelet onto my wrist, the silver cool against my skin. It felt strange to accept a gift from someone who had hurt me so deeply, but something about the gesture, its timing, its thoughtfulness, touched a part of me I'd thought long dead. "Thank you," I said, meeting his eyes. "For remembering

"Not as awful as what you went through," he countered, meeting my eyes directly. "I don't want your pity, Ruby. I just want you to understand that I'm trying. That I want to try." The sincerity in his voice made something in my chest loosen slightly. Of all the quintuplets, Peter had been the most resistant, the most openly hostile to the idea of our mate bond. Hearing him admit he wanted to try felt like a significant step. "I hear you," I said carefully, testing the words. "But understanding and trusting are two different things." Peter nodded, his expression grave. "I know. And I know one dream doesn't undo eleven years of conditioning." He paused, staring at his hands. "But it gave me hope that maybe I can overcome this. That maybe Steel is right about what I really feel underneath all