Page 33 of Luna Rising

“Is there a reason you’re in such a shit mood?” I asked him once I realized his lapse in verbal communication wasn’t a one-off. “We had an enthusiastic start to the day, after all.”

Birch choked on the coffee he’d stop to buy, clearly not missing the innuendo in my comment. Ewan smacked him on the back.

“Don’t feed the peasants, Zara. They’ll never stop picturing you naked,” Ewan grumbled.

My face screwed up. “Seriously? Just because you’re cold, doesn’t mean you need to be cruel.”

“He means me.” Birch coughed to clear his throat. “I’m the peasant.”

“Oh.” I frowned. “Well, you’ve already seen me naked. I’m sure most of these people will too in time.”

Ewan’s head whipped around. “Why? Why would you think that?” He seemed genuinely curious.

“I mean, that’s just how life in a pack is. People wolf-out, and then they change back and don’t have clothes.” I glanced between the two men, who both wore identical perplexed expressions. “Oh, come on. Don’t look at me like I’m the weird one.” I focused on Ewan. “I saw you naked before our first time.”

“That’s different,” Ewan said, choosing his words carefully.

I shook my head. “No. No. It’s not.”

Ewan sighed, growing exasperated. “You’re my mate. When was the last time your mother ran around naked in front of the Geminis?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. She doesn’t really shift much anymore.”

His jaw worked back and forth. “You’re missing my point.”

No, but I was being intentionally obtuse.

“I totally get it.” My withering glare made alarm spike through the bond. “Now that I’m your mate, it’s not appropriate. You, of course, can run all over these mountains with your goodies hanging out and that would be okay.”

“Zara,” he warned, gaze cutting to Birch.

The other man shook his head. “Don’t worry about me. This is the best reality show I’ve seen in ages. Real Housewives of the Zodiac.”

“There are rules and protocols.” Ewan’s teeth ground together. “Established a very long time ago to maintain order and decorum in the packs.”

I stopped walking and spun to face him. “You don’t need to remind me. I was there when a fae king decided what was best for the shifters.” I lowered my voice, tone growing icier, and jabbed his flannel-covered chest. “Never again.”

He grabbed my finger. For a second, it looked like he wanted to break it. Then his shoulders relaxed, and he brought my knuckles to his mouth. “Did we just have our first marital fight?” he murmured.

A smile tugged at one side of my mouth. “I hope so, then we can have makeup sex.”

Birch snorted into his coffee cup.

Ewan laughed. “Definitely a fight, then.”

Birch cleared his throat. “First stop is on the next block.”

Ewan slid his fingers through mine as we resumed our stroll. Birch directed us toward a store called Moon Cycles, a cute, rustic boutique that sold everyday clothes like jeans and sweaters, as well as more formal attire.

The woman behind the counter was around my age, with strawberry blonde hair and light eyes. She greeted us with a pleasant, though obligatory smile. Then she realized we weren’t the average customers.

Her gaze went to the floor. “It’s an honor to have you in my store, Alpha.” She turned to me but didn’t look up. “You as well, Luna.”

The term sparked the glitches. Ewan’s hand moved to the small of my back, holding me as I fought the urge to close my eyes. I took several unnecessary breaths and contorted my face into what I hoped was an interested smile as the woman continued to talk.

Birch must’ve sensed something was off and drew the woman’s focus toward him. They started discussing the reason for our visit–filling my new closet. At some point the woman asked my size, but my mind was too fractured to respond. Birch scanned me with his eyes and rattled off my measurements.

The woman led Birch to a table of folded sweaters. Once she turned her back, I fell against Ewan. He wrapped me in his strong arms and kissed the top of my head.

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