Page 136 of Luna: Posy 2

"Thank you for caring about me, and I'm sorry for worrying you. Peri and I will be down in a few minutes. Please clean up the water on your way back outside."

They each had to kiss her before they left, and Posy giggled as she shut the door and turned around.

"You are amazing." I slowly shook my head. "How do you manage those boys so easily? What's the secret?"

"I don't know." She shrugged, still smiling. "I ask them nicely and they do it. When they are good, I praise them. When they mess up, I tell them what they did wrong and how to fix it, and theydo. Most important of all, I let them know that I appreciate how much they love me."

She has them so tightly wrapped around her fingers, it's amazing the circulation hasn't been cut off yet, Dove laughed.

Grinning, I agreed with her.

"I got you one more option." Reaching into the bag, I pulled out a floral-patterned robe with a tie in the front. "This is a cover up. In case you want the freedom of a suit, but don't want everyone seeing it. You can wear it right into the water if you want to."

She took the nearly sheer robe in her hands, testing out the smooth texture of the fabric between her thumb and forefinger.

"All right, luna. I'll leave you with the freedom of options. Stay dressed as you are, put on a suit, wear the cover up or don't. Whatever you choose, you won't hurt my feelings. Youwillcome back down to the pool, though, right?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I told my mates I would. I can't lie to them, and I won't ever break their trust, even if it is over something little like that."

I had liked this girl from the moment I met her, even if our first shopping trip ended in disaster. The more I got to know her, the more I liked her - and the more relieved I was.

Each of my brothers had his own issues, and their mate needed to be a very special girl. A girl who had an open mind, a kind heart, a forgiving nature, a sense of humor, and patience.

Loadsandloadsof patience.

Before they found Posy, I'd worried that no such girl existed, but she proved me wrong.

She'd gone through hell, and I hated that for her, but the crucible of her suffering shaped her into the amazing woman she was today. The Moon Goddess had kept her promise to provide the exact right mate for my brothers, and I couldn't be more thankful.

#

Nathan Barlow

I watched with a grin as my daughter-in-law chased my two babies around, all three of them giggling like mad. While the others swam and played in the pool, the little luna had taken it upon herself to entertain William and Winnie, who could be quite a handful.

"She's great with them, isn't she?" Julia said as she came over and plopped on a chair next to Evie. "I can't understand why they don't want pups."

"Theydowant pups," I corrected with an eye roll. "The boys told youtwicethat they just want to wait a few years. They want to live a little now that the pack is settling into place and before pups tie them down, and I can't blame them for that."

"I know, Nathan, and I understand it." She sighed. "I just want grandpups so much!"

"Why don't you have another pup of your own?" Evie suggested, not for the first time. "You're only thirty-nine. You still have several more heats before they stop."

"I know. I've thought about it, believe me. I just—" She sighed again.

We knew. Evie and I both knew. Julia felt like she'd be replacing Willow, Mase's twin who died in the sickness. Grief was rarely logical, and Evie worried that her bestie would regret it in the end.

Royal joined us then and set a tray of drinks on the table. As he passed them out, I heard my two youngest letting out war cries that meant only one thing.

Uh-oh.

Alarmed, I turned in time to see Winnie jump on Posy's back right as William dove into the back of her knees.

The poor girl went down hard on the stone floor.

Anyone else, even Peri, and I wouldn't have been so worried, but the luna's physical fragility was obvious to anyone with eyes.

After we met her the other day, Royal wouldn't shut up about how she was bad news and would take the boys for every penny they had. My own opinion was very different, although I had a ton of questions. I wanted to meet with the boys and hear more about Posy, as well as what had happened at Tall Pines and why its former alpha was now in our pack, but they'd been up to their necks in work since their return.

---