The Alpha's Plump Luna의 모든 챕터: 챕터 41 - 챕터 50

[RHIANNON]The courtyard glowed like something out of a dream I didn't know I was allowed to have.Golden ribbons twisted through posts and railings, catching the late afternoon sun until everything shimmered copper and honey. Long tables stretched across the clearing, already heavy with platters of roasted venison, spice bread still steaming from the ovens, and autumn vegetables glazed in butter and herbs.Music drifted from somewhere near the training grounds—fiddle and drum, warm and inviting.Children darted between benches, shrieking with laughter, chasing each other with streamers that trailed behind them like colorful tails. One nearly collided with my hip before veering away, giggling. I caught myself smiling. Actually smiling without forcing it.'You're healing,' Nyx whispered from somewhere deep inside my chest. 'You feel it too.'I did. The ache in my ribs—the one that had lived there since Laziel's rejection—felt lighter today. Not gone. Never gone. Scars didn't vanish jus

[RHIANNON]Music resumed. Laughter returned. The feast officially began as pack members moved toward tables laden with food, as children resumed their chaotic games, and as the carefully maintained peace of Crescent Moon territory expanded to include celebration.Kael guided me toward the head table where Emrys, Isolde, and several elders waited. My legs felt unsteady. My heart still was racing from his speech—from the way he'd looked at me in front of everyone, like he was declaring something he'd been holding back too long."You okay?" he asked quietly as we walked."I don't know."Honest. Raw. Terrifying.He nodded like he understood. "Neither am I."That simple admission—that he felt this uncertainty too—somehow made everything easier.We reached the table. Isolde smiled warmly, gesturing to the seats saved beside her. Emrys raised his cup in silent salute, dark eyes knowing. The elders watched with expressions ranging from approval to curiosity.I sat carefully, hyperaware of eve

[KAEL]The war room was crowded when we finally made it back.Marcus had returned with his team—three injured, none dead. Emrys came in moments later with similar numbers.I lowered myself into a chair before my legs could give out. Someone pressed a cup of water into my hands. I drank without tasting it."Report." My voice sounded hollowed out.Marcus went first. "Six rogues on the northern border. Coordinated attack pattern. We drove them back, but they retreated in formation, not panic.""East was similar," Emrys added. "Eight total. They withdrew when we engaged, like they'd achieved their objective just by making us respond."I stared at the map. At the three marked positions that suddenly looked less like random attacks and more like calculated probes."They were testing us." The words came out flat. "Measuring response times. Assessing our strength.""To what end?" Marcus asked."I don't know yet." I leaned forward, pressing my elbows on my knees. "But someone sent them. Someon

[EMRYS]The bodies were already cooling when I knelt beside the first one.Dawn was still hours away. The clearing where we'd dragged the rogue corpses smelled like copper and pine resin—blood mixing with sap from broken branches. Most of the warriors had already returned to the packhouse to clean their wounds and check on their family.I'd volunteered to stay behind. Someone needed to catalog what we'd found, and I'd always been better with details than comfort.My gloves were stained dark as I turned the rogue's left arm, examining the crude tattoos and scars that marked most outcasts. Nothing unusual at first glance. Years of violence and survival etched into skin that would never heal properly without pack bonds.Then I saw it.Small. Deliberate. Hidden just beneath the shoulder blade where armor or clothing would normally cover it.A brand. Not a tattoo.The design was simple—three crossed lines—similar to the one we found a few months back.My breath caught.I'd seen this before

[RHIANNON]I moved toward the oven without thinking—habit and confidence carrying me forward.Arie had already grabbed the oven mitts, but I waved her off. "I've got it."The oven door swung open. Heat rushed out, wrapping around me like summer air. I reached inside for the first pan, movements automatic, mind still half-focused on conversation.Pain exploded across my forearm.White-hot. Searing.I jerked back with a sharp inhale, nearly dropping the pan. Managed to set it on the counter before my hands started shaking.The burn ran from wrist to elbow where my skin had brushed the oven's edge. Already turning angry red."Rhiannon!" Arie grabbed my shoulders. "Are you okay?""Fine. Just—" I breathed through the sting. "Wasn't paying attention."The kitchen door slammed open.Kael stood in the doorway, chest heaving like he'd run the entire length of the manor. His eyes locked on me immediately—storm-grey, sharp with something between panic and fury."Were you just standing outside?"