THE LUNA THEY NEVER WANTED
Xander found my hand, lacing his fingers through mine, and together we stepped into the warm, golden light of a home we'd built out of everything that once tried to break us.
The coronation came a month later, under a clear sky, the whole pack gathered to witness Xander formally named Alpha, and me, standing beside him, Luna of Gerafil, not anyone's replacement, not anyone's second choice, exactly and only myself.
When they finally gave birth to their daughter the following spring, Xander held her first, tears streaming freely down his face, and looked up at me with a certainty I'd come to know as completely, unshakably his.