MOON-BOUND HEARTS

ns like an unwanted visitor, and I woke to

he should have been. The fabric was untouched, the pillow still p

ing. Two months since the ceremony, and I

it doesn't tell you is that being Luna doesn't mean you belong. It doesn't mean you're loved. It only m

, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. Damon had stood in the center, tall and powerful, his dark hair falling over his forehead, his jaw set in that hard line

d softened, and I had seen something there-a flicker of warmth, of hope. He ha

rapped around me like I was something precious, something worth protecting. I had fallen asleep with my head on his

seen that

e sounds of the pack beginning their day-laughter, voices calling to one another, the distant t

k to do. There were supplies to organize, herbs to catalog, and a dozen other small tasks that ca

mending clothes and chatting. Children ran between the huts, their laughter bright and carefree. A few w

ut distant. I smiled and nodded back, but I felt the weight of their gazes. They were watching me, assessin

he storage hut when I

a! Wa

en, with bright eyes and a smile that could light up the darkest night. She was also one of the

uldn't help but smile back

ression shifting to something more serious. "I wanted t

turning to face her

n feeling like someone's watching me. Following me. At night, when I'm walking back to m

. "Have you told anyone e

ning. I didn't want to bother Alpha Damon-he's always so..." She

I offered with

ght maybe you could... I don't know, ta

aleb today, and we'll figure out what to do. In the meantime,

" She gave me a quick hug-something that still surprised me e

. A stalker in the pack? That was serious. If someone was targeting

un

like all werewolves, with sandy blond hair that fell in waves around his face and eyes the color of a

ce came out steady. "I was

slightly. "All goo

taken. "Mira just told me something concerning. S

the easy smile replaced by sharp atten

to myself, suddenly cold despite the morning sun. "I told her to walk with someone

ve a word with her, get more details." He paused, studying me with an expression I couldn't quite read. "

that had nothing to do with the sun

close he was, of the way the morning light caught the golden stubble on his jaw,

ade away, leaving just the two of us standing there, something unspok

ntil I met his eyes. "If you ever need anything-so

n walked away, leaving me standing there with my heart beating far

ta. Damon's best friend. You're the Luna.

t, trying to push Caleb from my mind. But his words echo

pcoming Moon Festival preparations. By evening, I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. The conversation with Caleb

m sunrise to well past sunset. But it still stung, still made me feel invisible,

milies, friends, couples laughing and talking together. I sat at the head table, as befit m

, his head thrown back, his whole face lit with amusement. As if sensing my gaze, he looked up. Our eyes met

y first, my

not ready to return to the empty cabin. The fire crackled in the central pit, sending s

un

n, and felt my heart lurch for

there were dark circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted, worn down in a way I hadn't seen before. For a moment, the m

ice careful. "I wasn't

a hand through his hair, a gest

her. I nodded and fell into step beside him as we left the

trees, their branches arching overhead to create a tunnel of shadow.

ne I hadn't seen before. A stream ran through it, catching

ot looking at me. "There are things happening,

ed closer, searching his face

ee times in the past week. They're preparing for something-an attack, maybe. I've been me

came out sharper than I intended. "I'm your

there was something vulnerable in them that made my breath catch. "I didn't want to

d. "That's not how this works. I'm not some fragile flower that needs shelte

fted in his expression. A flicker of respect, maybe even

expected him to say. "Yo

earing, the pack, the two of us standing there. "Being an Alpha is easy compared

s so close now, close enough that I could see the way

hat everything I do, I do to protect you. To protect the pack. If I seem c

ngers were rough, calloused from training, but his touch was gen

ough. I know I don't show it. But you are everything to me. This pack, thes

mething hot and intense that made my knees weak. He leaned down, s

ps met

esperate, hungry, as if he was trying to pour every unspoken word, every hidden feeling into t

h breathing hard. Damon rested his foreh

erything. For the distance. For the cold

gent, a warning. Damon's eyes snapped open, and in an in

ping back, already shifting into wa

am

howl, leaving me alone in the moonlit clearing with his kiss stil

slowly, I made my way back toward the pack territory. The sounds of ala

gathering, armed and ready. Caleb stood at their head, h

der," he said quickly. "Red Claw s

s

t I saw the worry in his eyes. "You should go to

help. But I knew he was right. I was Luna, not a warrio

I said instead

Always." Then he turned and ran after the others

hirlwind of emotions. Damon's kiss. His apolo

oed from the distance-howls, screams, the clash of bodies. I clasped my h

finally died down. I he

proached. My

alive. His eyes found mine across the room,

ff," he said qu

alone once more with the memory of his kiss and the cold realization tha

ept at arm's length. Stil

as gathering that would test all of

d I wrapped my arms around myself, wondering i

ssed me so desperately would ev