Page 1 of Luna's New Reign

1

NEPHELINE

I sink deeper into Mateo’s lap, the weight of the last twenty-four hours pressing on me like an iron cage. His arms tighten around my waist, grounding me, but even the strength of my Alpha doesn’t stop me from suffocating in my own thoughts. Even my nest in the living room which has become our unofficial meeting place feels like a prison. The familiar blankets and pillows meant to comfort me instead itch against my skin. It’s all too much.

Mateo murmurs something against my hair but I can’t focus on his words. My Beta brushes his hand against my knee, sitting cross-legged at my side, watching me like he’s waiting for me to shatter.

I hate that.

Across the room, Remi and River are sprawled on one end of the couch, legs tangled as they hold each other. Their usual playful banter is nowhere to be found, replaced by a shared intensity that makes my chest ache. Maverick is stuffed in the other corner, his quiet observance and calmness an anchorI can’t quite reach. And then there’s Asani, perched in the armchair across from me, his jaw tight and his dark eyes unreadable.

He’s the reason my chest feels like it’s caving in. The reason every breath feels like I’m dragging it through barbed wire.

Locke might still be alive.

My breath catches in my throat as I try to focus, try to gather my emotions before I act like the Omega I used to be. The Nepheline from a few months ago would have started shouting and demanding answers, demanding we find my brother and bring him back. But I’m more than just that girl—I’m mated, a Luna, and supposedly the woman who will bring back the magic to the packlands.

I’ve also had just over a day to sit with the news, but no amount of time could make this easier. Locke wasgone.I saw him die. Held him until his body turned cold, the arrow still stuck in his body. He was buried beside Mateo’s father, a tombstone I’ve only visited once because the memories are too hard to dwell on. I thought I’d made peace with it—or as much peace as one could make with that kind of horror.

But now? Now, I feel like I’m drowning all over again.

I drag my hand down my face, pushing back the tears that threaten to make an appearance. Not yet. Not here. Not until I get answers.

“Asani.” My voice cuts through the room, sharper than I intend. All eyes turn to me. Good. Maybe they’ll feel a fraction of what I’m carrying. Ever since the Sapphire’s Luna mentioned that the magic radiating through the packlands is more than just Mateo’s, I’ve started to feel it. Just small things… almost like my words have an Alpha’s edge to them. It’s unnerving. “Now that we’re all here, can you explain that report?” I try to weather the mixture of hope and pain in my voice, knowing that this isa sore subject for everyone in this room. That night of tragedy unconsciously started the path of bringing us back together.

Asani lets out a heavy sigh, his lids sliding shut as he leans back in the chair. He looks tired, a few more strands of silver in his hair than when I met him. He’s lost people too, even more so finding out that his counterpart is one of the reasons super wolves are running around. I can’t imagine the guilt that comes with that but I also need to know if my brother is truly alive.

And if he is, my first priority as Luna is going to be finding him.

I don’t care how selfish that sounds.

When Asani doesn’t say anything, I shift forward in Mateo’s lap, a dark chuckle coming from him as he keeps me anchored to that spot. “Princess, you know very well if you attack Asani right now, it’s not going to have the ending you want.” His words are low, almost a purr in my ear, my entire body stiffening at his words.

Suddenly all my mates are sitting forward, heat in their eyes, Remi licking his lips in anticipation. I have a love-hate relationship with these bonds. My anger is a turn-on for them, the desire to chase igniting the moment my emotions shift. It’s impractical at best. “Fuck. I wasn’t going to anyway. I just want to know what Asani found. He’s been out with you guys for the past day and I feel like I’m falling apart. I watched my brother die. I held him in my arms, Asani. He protected me with his last breath. Before you, he was myeverything.” Tears cascade down my cheeks, my emotions spilling out into the room.

“Precious, I don’t know. I told you what I could find from that report but Enzo’s head has always been a mess. It’s difficult to actually—”

“You said Locke was alive. Is he? Alpha, please don’t give me hope if there isn’t any. I just… I just need to know.”

He flinches and a small part of me—the part that isn’t furious—feels guilty. But the rest? The rest is ready to claw my way through him if it gets me answers.

“Nepheline—” Remi starts, his voice softer. He reaches for me but I just glare at his outstretched hand. I’m being ridiculous but I need answers. My heart needs answers.

“No. Don’t you dare try to calm me right now.”

The room goes silent, the only sound is the crackle of the fire and my uneven breathing. I close my eyes, trying to pull the pieces of myself back together. The memories are a storm in my head, crashing and colliding until I can’t tell one from the other. Locke’s blood staining my hands. The arrow piercing his side. The forest drenched in the coppery stench of death.

Flynn’s smirk as he held out a hand, promising safety and salvation while hiding the knife he’d bury in my back. The sound of his skull cracking under my claws when I finally saw through his lies.

I swallow hard, my throat raw. “I made peace with his death, Asani. I held him as he…” My voice wavers, Mateo’s purr starting up to calm me. It rumbles down my spine, my words losing their fighting edge. “Don’t you dare tell me you’re not sure.”

Asani leans forward, elbows on his knees, his face drawn with something I can’t place. Regret? Guilt? Fear? “I am sure,” he says finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

I blink, my heart hammering so hard it feels like it might break through my ribs. Tears blur my vision, but I can’t let them fall. Not yet. Not until I hear the words again. “Say it,” I whisper, my voice trembling.

Asani looks at me, and for the first time, I see the cracks in his composure. “He’s alive.”

My throat constricts as I lean back against Mateo’s chest, trying to deal with the chaos in my head.He’s alive. My brother is alive.Every bone in my body wants to shift and run throughthe forest to find him. My nose would take me to where he is. I’ve never forgotten his scent. And yet, I have no idea where to start and the threats against our pack aren’t yet gone.

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