Page 48 of My Shy Alpha

Amy smiles, tucking stray hairs behind my ear. “I told you how if there was ever a job to give a whole city pure mom-love, you’d be the best at it in the world.”

I bite my lips, trying not to cry.

She laces her soft fingers with mine. “Oh, babe. I said that because that’s exactly what being a Luna is. From the day we met, you reminded me of a little Luna.”

I let out a soft sob, but I’m smiling. “That could be my job? Just loving the pack?”

“Yeah, A.” Amy sighs, beaming with absolute adoration. “Only if you want it. Noah won’t pressure you, but I know he thinks the same as me. He didn’t even have to know you your whole life to figure it out.”

I hug Amy as hard as I can, blinking the tears from my eyes. “Amy, I need to know everything there is about becoming the next Luna. Can you teach me what you know?”

She laughs. “Of course I can!”

“You really think I could do it? This isn’t just getting my hopes up and getting myself into another mess?”

Amy pulls back to look me in the eyes. Her smile widens. “Look at you. Most people would run away screaming at this idea, but you’re glowing. This means the world to you, doesn’t it? That says ‘Luna,’ right there.”

I chuckle through tears, dropping my flushed stare. “I literally work at a preschool because of how much I loved that idea you planted in my head.”

“Oh, girl. Now I’m crying too.”

I laugh, diving back in to hold her. “If that’s all true, being Luna is my dream job. And I want to do it right.”

“I know you can. You just dove into a hole after a stranger’s kid - in a skirt! You’ve got the stuff, girl.” She laughs, squeezing me hard before pulling back to face me. “But you won’t do it alone. We’ll all help you.”

Hope fills my heart for the future. Between meeting Noah and his pack, I’m growing into hope’s warm, curious sensation, allowing it to exist without fear it’ll be stripped from me.

But Amy’s smile wavers. “The only problem is...”

My heart deflates.

Amy grabs me by the shoulders. “This is going to be difficult to hear, okay? But don’t let go of this dream! It’ll happen, I know it.”

“Just tell me, Amy. What’s the catch?”

“We also have to teach you how to be a wolf first, before anyone finds out you’ve never shifted before.”

“I’ve never shifted... You mean into a wolf?”

Amy nods, her frazzled stare at my reaction only bolstering my anxiety.

I’ve felt my wolf all this time, but shifting - my body jerking, growing hair, and spawning a massive wolf ten times my size - hadn’t crossed my mind as a possibility for me. Or anyone, for that matter, until I met Noah.

But I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable with shifting. It’s perfect intrusive thought fodder.

My stomach sinks. “Is it really that bad that I haven’t shifted before?”

“Not exactly, it’s just...” Amy looks around, stepping closer to whisper. “Remember how I said they don’t take kindly to humans here? Someone shot your father, the top Beta, and Ritchie, their last Alpha. Wolves don’t need guns to kill. As far as Greenfield Pack is concerned, humans are responsible for killing their beloved pack leaders five years ago.”

My stomach rolls, making me hunch over. I can hardly even whisper my words. “Oh, God, Amy... Wouldn’t that make Noah hate humans?”

“He told the pack he only hates recreational hunters, and he doesn’t believe in hating an entire species for the actions of a few. But you have to wonder...”

I grip her arm. “But he still accepted me, without a second thought? Mated with me, then showed off my mark?”

Amy wipes my tears. “He did, babe. I think he’s serious about you, to say the least.”

No wonder Noah has kept me close ever since we got here. Our relationship sounds like a way bigger taboo than my mark.

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