Chapter 17
O n the second day of the Alpha Summit, we gather outside, the sun whited out by smatterings of overcast clouds. Everyone else must be already acclimated to mountain temperatures or something. I’m plastered between Waimārie and Annika at the lakeside, shivering if they separate from me even a centimeter, but other wolves jump in and out of the water, some shifting to play and relax on the shore in their wolf forms.
Most of the other Lunas are inside, enjoying the sauna, but I can’t join them since I’m pregnant. Waimārie and Annika were sweet; they decided to stay with the Alphas and me outside so I wouldn’t be alone.
When Annika bends away from me to fetch another slice of pumpkin bread from our picnic basket, I tighten my jaw, attempting to keep my teeth from chattering. She does a double-take at me over her shoulder before erupting into laughter. “Oh, Goddess, Waimārie, snuggle her closer!”
Waimārie laughs, rubbing my arms. “I am! I think we’ll have to resort to desperate measures.”
I smile, unable to keep my voice steady. “I-it’s o-okay. I’m wa-arming up.”
“Oh, shush.” Waimārie chuckles, turning to the shores and waving her arm over her head. “Alpha Noah, your mate is a shivering little bunny over here!”
In unison, Noah, Tāne, and Viktor freeze in their wolven romp. I almost can’t tell them apart, each of their black wolves towering over the other Alphas playing further down the lake and in the forest. But as my eye catches on a particularly fluffy Alpha on the left, I’m right about who it is; Noah shifts back into his human form in a blink, hopping on one foot along the shore as he slips into his pants. Viktor’s wolf shakes out his luscious black coat, nipping at Tāne’s equally dark fur to instigate another chase. They dart down the shore, shrinking into black specks in mere seconds.
But as Noah jogs over, Waimārie sputters out a laugh. “Steamy Alpha!”
Noah quite literally steams before our eyes, his overheated chest smoking against the frigid air with wisps of evaporating water. As he tugs on his jacket, I laugh with our ally Lunas, reaching for him. Dropping his stare with a smile, Noah joins us on the blanket, helping me climb into his lap.
“Goddess, thank you—” I hum, loving his delicious warmth.
Noah bundles me inside his jacket with him, soaking me in his body heat. Slinking his arms around my belly, Noah chuckles beneath his breath as I break into satiated purrs. “My poor girl. You really are a shivering little bunny.”
“Aww, look at you both! I want in.” Annika nuzzles up to my side.
Within seconds, we’ve created a new wolf pile, Annika and Waimārie curling against us as Noah kisses the top of my head.
But as I lean back, I gasp, gazing up at the tall trees stretching into the sky and framing my mate’s face. “Oh, wow. It’s absolutely beautiful out here... But maybe we should go inside before your fingers freeze off, Noah.”
He laughs, kissing my forehead. “I just sprinted four miles and back, so I’m fine. I think we should actually go inside for you .”
Waimārie laughs. “Aliya, aren’t you used to the cold in Oregon?”
“It’s only just starting to cool off at home for autumn, so I’m not used to it yet after a ridiculously hot summer. Otherwise, I’m just pregnant and anemic.” I sigh. “Hey, wait—how are you not freezing? Isn’t it even hotter where you are?”
Waimārie rubs her cheek against my arm, grinning. “Oh, I’m used to being a little cold. Tāne and I may or may not have regular outdoor excursions at night, out in the wop wops.”
Annika and I exchange a puzzled glance, breaking into giggles.
“The what? ” Annika asks.
Waimārie bursts into laughter with us. “The wop wops! You know, somewhere out in the forest or mountains? Where no one lives—as in, no one’s going to interrupt us.”
“Like ass-crack nowhere,” Noah mutters.
“ Excuse me?” Waimārie laughs so hard she snorts, spurring us all into laughter. “There sure are ass cracks involved, but I don’t think that’s a requirement for the wop wops.”
Tears form in my eyes as the four of us melt into silent laughter, Noah’s belly shaking my whole body in his lap.
Annika hugs both Noah’s arm and mine before releasing us with a sigh. “Speaking of which—Waimārie, do you and Tāne want to join us for a couple’s massage tonight? And then head upstairs for some other fun?”
My jaw drops. That was perhaps the wildest conversational transition I’ve ever heard, but I can’t fully laugh along with everyone else; Viktor and Annika really do invite everyone to join orgies.
After Noah brought it up, we didn’t get to talk about this possibility, at all, and I’d never consent to something like this without him. I don’t even know if I’d want to join. What in the world am I going to say if we’re invited next? What if I offend her, no matter what I say?
“Don’t laugh, Waimārie, I’m serious!” Annika reaches over me, shaking Waimārie’s arm.
She takes Annika’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze. “We’ll ask Tāne in a minute, eh?”
I’m flustered to my core, unable to keep myself from stiffening in Noah’s arms. He chuckles, and as I lift my eyes to check his expression, I find him shaking his head over me, his smile growing at my wide-eyed stare.
“Stop laughing at me!” Annika chuckles. “Luna, your mate makes fun of Vik and my sexual hobbies, every Summit. But you’re going to turn down my offer too, aren’t you?”
“O-oh, um—” I erupt into heavier giggles, my face flooded with heat.
“Don’t torture her, Anni,” Noah says. “And I don’t make fun of your sex life. I make fun of your not-so-well-disguised code words. You and Vik have sex in front of everyone at least once every Summit, so at this point, you might as well straight-up ask to have sex with people.” Noah’s sudden sass, spoken with such a flustered shyness, spurs us back into laughter.
But Annika straightens. “Wait, are you jealous? Does this mean you’re finally interested, now that you’ve found your Luna?”
My eyes widen, heat crowding my face. But as Noah’s frown deepens, his arms curl tighter around me, jealousy creeping into our bond.
Annika was on the right track, but I’m almost certain she misplaced his upset; he wasn’t jealous when he wasn’t invited, his heart is protesting now that he’s picturing the possibility.
I’m smiling again, gazing up at him from his lap; I know exactly what he’s about to say.
“Not interested,” Noah grumbles.
I chuckle. “Thought so.”
Annika groans, dropping her head against my arm. “Boring.”
Waimārie sputters out a laugh. “Nah, he’s simply consistent. Care to share why, though, Noah? I always look forward to your creative rejections.”
Noah’s glare deepens. “Hmm...”
Waimārie rubs his arm. “Ah! If you’re not open to sharing, no worries, eh? But you do smell even more jealous now, so... Did Anni hit the mark?”
“No. I—” Noah huffs, turning to scowl at the rocks beside our picnic blanket. “I’m not usually l-like this, but yeah, I’m jealous. But not because we’d be left o-out if we don’t join. I don’t know what Aliya thinks about group sex, so I’m not speaking for her, and, to be clear, I’m fine with us watching others or being watched during mating rituals. But with this, for me— It’s different when other people get directly involved because I—”
Noah clears his throat, shuffling beneath me. When he speaks, his deep voice is soft enough that if we weren’t all bundled up together, I might not hear him.
“I want her to myself.”
Butterflies fill my chest. I gaze up at him, his burning jealousy in our bond mixing with a burst of passion.
As emotions flicker between our connection, I realize he’s not telling the full story. He doesn’t simply want me to himself, and it’s not as if he claims ownership over me. Just like he said, I’ve never felt a spark of jealousy during our public mating rituals.
On one hand, it could be due to trauma; we’ve both had to trust each other to our cores in order to fully let go during sex.
But I know my mate. Judging by everything he’s shown me thus far, Noah craves the emotional intimacy of our privacy. Our physical union is sacred to a vulnerable piece of him, and he must want to keep that between us. To resolidify our bond each time our bodies connect, in a way only we know.
Heat races down my core. The second my pheromones gush from me in response, Noah’s body reacts, mirroring me with an equally eager scent.
And Annika breaks into a sly grin. “Oh? What’s going on here? Do I spy a jealous, possessive Alpha, Mr. I-hate-Alpha-domination?”
Burying his face from our view, Noah grumbles into my shoulder, hugging me closer as his ears burn against my cheek. As I pat his head with my puffy gloves, I can’t help but giggle.
“At least I’m all warmed up inside now,” I whisper.
Waimārie lets out a sharp laugh. I chuckle with her, covering my icy cheeks beneath my fuzzy gloves. Soon, all three of us Lunas are laughing, and Noah joins in, shaking his head.
“Well, Anni, I know Tāne will be happy for another massage, at least—and a bit of group fun tonight won’t hurt,” Waimārie says. “Let’s see what happens if I ask.”
The four of us return our gaze to the shore. In the distance, Viktor and Tāne scamper in circles, their massive wolves taking occasional dives at each other to rile themselves up again.
But as Waimārie breaks into a grin, one wolf halts. Tāne remains frozen—even as Viktor nips at him all over, dancing around his chest.
Then Tāne bolts.
Waimārie erupts into heavy belly laughter, collapsing into my lap. I can’t help but cackle with her, loving Tāne’s speedy run as he races toward us; his tongue flops out the side of his mouth as he bounds down the bank, black fur slicking back in the wind until his alert eyes look absolutely unhinged.
Annika and Noah laugh just as hard, our amusement only rising as Tāne can’t stop, accidentally flinging himself through the forest brush behind us. A moment later, he bursts out in his human form, butt-naked and grinning.
“I’m ready!”
Waimārie hops to her feet, glomping onto her mate with a beaming grin. “I guess you really are, e te tau. You don’t even have to get undressed for the massage.”
Once Viktor catches up, laughing along with us, we head into the lodge’s main lobby. More wolves linger inside than I expected, a few Alphas pulling Noah and Viktor into a conversation just beyond the lobby in the nearest event hall.
“The massage?” Annika calls after them.
“I have one question for our Alphas first,” Viktor says.
Annika sighs, but Waimārie simply smiles. “More time for us to chat!”
I smile with her, but my gut wavers; the distance between Noah and me increases, filling with unfamiliar wolves.
Keeping his eyes on me, Noah nods. I’m right here, if you need me.
Thank you, my shy Alpha. Actually, I’m a little worried, going into an enclosed space with so many wolves. Hasn’t it been a while since I applied the scent blocker?
Noah’s eyes widen. He smiles politely at the Alphas around him before slipping from their conversation, ignoring everyone else as he weaves back to my side.
Placing his hand in mine, Noah passes off the vial discreetly, leaning over me to kiss my cheek. Would you like help putting it on?
I kiss his cheek too. “I’m okay, thank you. Go have fun, if you’d like to stick with the Alphas a bit longer.”
“Yes, he’d like to!” Grabbing Noah’s arm, Viktor tugs Noah back down the hall, prompting an unhappy grumble from my mate.
I smile, shaking my head as I buddy up to Annika and Waimārie. “Before you go to your massage, can you hide me for a moment? I need to reapply this.”
“We’ve got you,” Waimārie whispers before raising her volume. “Luna, can I help you fix your hair? It got all windblown.”
Annika giggles, joining Waimārie in smoothing a stray hair behind my ear. “Can I just say I adore how sweet Noah has been around you? He’s so excited for your pup. I told him I'd answer pregnancy questions, so he asked me a million while you were asleep.”
My heart twirls. “He told me, and that was so sweet of you too, Anni.”
“Oh, I loved seeing him so invested. He even took notes! I had so much fun, but Viktor was sick of him talking to me by the end.”
I laugh, imagining Noah's serious-yet-excited focusing face. “I can't wait to see him with our pup.”
Annika beams, and that’s when I notice something missing: the conspiratorial glaze to her eyes has finally softened. This is an honest Annika, staring right back.
“I’m so glad you have him.” She hugs me close, rubbing my back.
I release a burst of grateful scent, Annika’s warmth easing my worries. “Thank you. I desperately needed a mom hug.”
Annika juts back from our hug to look me in the eyes, her forehead warping. “Oh, Luna... You don't have your mom?”
I can't bear to respond, my mouth gaping as it struggles to form words.
I can't believe I just told her that. I don't usually tell new friends these things, and I wasn't planning to.
But she is the Queen Luna, and she certainly feels like it. The second her maternal, reassuring emotions hit my nose, I swipe at my gushing eyes, the pang in my heart only deepening.
“Oh, sweetheart .” Waimārie strokes my arm, her sugary, comforting scent pushing more tears from me.
“Sorry—” I mutter.
“Don’t be, please. Oh, I can’t imagine going through this without my mom.” Annika digs out a fresh tissue from her bag for my tears. “Hey, you can ask me pregnancy questions too, you know? Let's stay in touch after you go home, mama.”
Waimārie grins. “Oh, me too! Please, let’s chat!”
I sigh, turning my back to the open door in response to Noah’s obvious fretting in our bond. “God, you have no idea how much I'd love that. You really are the sweetest Lunas we could have.”
My shoulders loosen beneath Annika’s and Waimārie’s gentle touches, allowing me to shut my eyes and relax my aching stomach.
“Let’s get that applied, eh?” Waimārie whispers, tapping my fingers clasped over the vial.
“Ah, right—thank you.” Turning to the room’s corner, I swing my long hair over one shoulder, pretending I’m finishing combing out my hair. As I rub the blocker into my scent glands, my torso slackens in relief. But the second I turn around, an unfamiliar Luna locks eyes with me.
When this Luna strides straight for us, Waimārie’s torso tenses. She steps in front of me, blocking me from the stranger Luna’s view. “Hey, Luna, how are—”
“Hello! Sorry, I have a question for Luna Aliya.” She nuzzles into Waimārie in greeting, and my wolf’s defensive walls go up. The unfamiliar Luna is all smiles as she leans over Waimārie’s shoulder, locking eyes with me to whisper-shout. “You’re pregnant too, aren’t you?”
Oh God. Without Noah’s musk masking my scent, and with how stressed I am, did my pregnancy scent leak through the blockers again? Did I reapply it too late? Or is my bump just that obvious now, even beneath my thick jacket?
I’d be fine with everyone knowing I'm pregnant—if I didn’t remember what Noah said about Mason’s Alpha pack possibly wanting to kill us before we produce an heir. Some of his top allies are present. How do I know this Luna isn’t fishing for details too?
I shrink, crossing my arms over my belly. “Why are you asking me this?”
The Luna waves her hands, her eyebrows arching. “No, no, wait, I’m sorry! I wanted to relate with you, if so—see?” Smoothing her high-waisted skirt down to show me her barely-there bump, the Luna beams. “I’ve got a little one on the way too!”
The fear in my chest evaporates, replaced by relief; this Luna is the embodiment of an excited puppy, not the conspiratorial enemy I feared. Waimārie and Annika relax alongside me, sighing in unison.
I take the stranger Luna’s hand, drawing her closer in the hopes she’ll mimic my hushed tone. “Oh, my goodness, sweet Luna, how exciting! How far along—”
Another Luna whispers from about ten feet away. “Did Talia just confirm the Greenfield Luna is pregnant?”
My blood runs cold. It wasn’t just her; everyone heard this unfamiliar Luna, Talia, declare our pregnancies.
Waimārie’s voice remains gentle but serious as it lowers. “Dear Luna, you don’t just ask people sensitive questions like these.”
Talia gasps, following my glare over her shoulder. “S-sorry! I wasn’t thinking, I’m so sorry—”
Far more wolves have turned their focus our way. No, they’re coming straight for us, racing faster the second they see others attempting to beat them to it.
Annika grips my arm hard, her voice wavering as she lets out an uneasy cry. “Wait, wait, wait—”
Before Noah, Tāne, or Viktor can even turn around, wolves swarm the event hall’s doorway to view my pregnant body up close. They cram against one another, pushing back in irritation until not a single wolf can fit through the hall’s mouth. The Lunas and I scramble backward, terrified by the sight of flailing limbs ready to pounce.
“Oi, get a hold of yourselves!” Waimārie’s voice quivers as she grips Annika and me tight, pulling us back until our backs hit the furthest wall.
Talia scurries behind us, her shoulders raised to her ears as her scent omits a sour, stinging fear. “Sorry! I’m so sorry!”
“You okay, Anni?” Viktor shouts from deep inside the event hall.
“Stay back!” Annika’s voice quivers. “Don’t be tempted to shift!”
Annika’s right: if anyone shifts into their wolf while the collective energy is already this aggressive, all hell will break loose. I pull Annika and Waimārie closer, my eyes darting to the porch doors for an escape route. The porch is wide, but not wide enough for shifted wolves. There’s always a staircase we could run down to the porch’s right, but wolves love to chase.
We’re stuck here. Forced to see what happens when they all come barreling for us.
“Settle down. Hold still,” I shout, knowing from my preschoolers that I can’t say “stop shoving.” All their instinctual brains will hear is the word “shove.”
And their primal side has truly unlocked; everyone squirms against one another, desperate to both be freed and to beat everyone else to us.
“Back up,” Noah shouts.
A few wolves peel off the doorway pile-up, likely due to Noah, Tāne, and Viktor yanking them away, only for them to scramble right back; our Alphas’ desperation to reach us is riling up every other Alpha with their agitated pheromones. As Alphas break into fights, growling and snarls echo through the lobby loudly enough to force us to yell just to hear one another.
Waimārie clutches me tighter. “Oh, Lunas, I think it’s best we leave. Now .”
My breath catches: one wolf in the front is ready to wriggle their arm through, turning to their side. Following Waimārie’s advice, I grip as many petrified Lunas around me as I can, scurrying toward the porch doors with them as I watch it all happen in slow motion.
But it doesn’t happen how I expect. One wolf squeezes through, and the rest come scrambling over one another—until Noah barrels his way past them. I’m tempted to stay put and wait for Noah, but as irritation rises between the Alphas shoving one another, they grapple, crashing into other wolves. Those wolves grow frustrated, hitting back, and so on, until they form a writhing mass of angry bodies, brawling on the floor.
We’re forced to run from the incoming stampede, the Lunas obeying my ushering arms with unblinking, terrified eyes. Waimārie races ahead to the nearest glass door, fumbling with the doorknob until she frees us onto the porch. Noah, Viktor, and Tāne try to catch up to us with shouts over the brawling wolves, but releasing themselves from the doorway jam didn’t bring them close enough; wolves stream onto the porch from every door in the lobby, trapping not only Annika, Waimārie, Talia, and me, but multiple other Lunas who dashed to our side in fear—pressing us tight against the railing as Alphas scramble over each other.
“What do we do?” Annika’s rapid breath pants against my shoulder, her fear evident in her shrieking scent.
The Lunas cower behind me. Waimārie’s tangible fear tugs at my heartstrings; for the first time this Summit, her smile erases from her cheeks. “Tāne’s trapped behind everyone too.” She keeps her voice low beside my ear—and she needs to, with how desperately Talia and Annika shake behind us.
Eyeing the nearest empty space, I herd us to an even wider section of the porch, hugging the railing on our way over as I keep our group safe behind my outstretched arms. It buys us enough room to lessen the density of the crowd, but wolves trail after us, no matter how many times our mates and other ally Alphas yank them back.
Once I have them protected between myself and a column, Noah finally bursts through to the front of the crowd. He stations himself in front of us, allowing me to breathe.
“Thank the Goddess,” Waimārie hisses, gripping his shirt alongside me.
“S-sorry, Alpha and Luna Greenfield. I just got so excited—” Talia lets out a startled cry as Noah holds his palm out, fending off a few excited wolves like he’s guarding us on the outskirts of a mosh pit.
“It'd be fine if everyone wasn't so fucking aggressive about it,” Noah growls. “Have you all lost your minds? Back the fuck up.”
Alphas in the front push back against Noah, agitated by the Lunas’ fearful scents. It forces Noah to create a wall with his body, pinning us behind him.
As Noah's growls only agitate the angry Alphas, Annika huddles into me with a frantic grip. “Luna! I'm scared. What if they crush us?”
“Come here, mama. I've got you.” My voice softens, maternal instincts exploding from me. Annika’s shaking shoulders loosen beneath my palms.
“Luna!” Leaping over the porch railing in the distance, Tāne races over until he’s in the bushes behind us. Arms outstretched, Tāne hoists Waimārie over the railing, cradling her to his chest the second she lands in his embrace. She grips him back in desperation, letting out sharp, heaving exhales. Judging by the dazed shock on her face, I assume Waimārie won’t want to part from Tāne’s side for the rest of the Summit.
But Noah can’t help us escape, too busy fending Alphas off, and neither can Annika’s mate, no matter how heavily she dissolves into panic in my arms; Viktor’s head swivels toward us from the back of the stuffed porch, cussing out a few Alphas in Swedish. “Move, skitstovel. Listen to your King.”
Even Reid can't help us as wolves crowd all remaining standing room, shoving back against each other at random.
While Noah remains unmovable, I turn back to Waimārie and Tāne, relieved to see their arms outstretched to help us over the railing too. But when Waimārie meets my eyes, looking at Talia, then back to Annika and me, I nod.
“Take Talia first. I’ve got Anni covered,” I say.
Waimārie and Tāne waste no time in grasping Talia, convincing her to climb up the railing to leap for them below.
Blowing out a slow breath, I allow my back to remain turned from the chaos for a whole two seconds—which is why an Alpha twice my size takes his chance to grab Annika by the elbow, yanking her from my grasp.