ALPHA'S REGRET: LUNA'S RISE

he edge of the packhouse courtyard, that comfort felt distant, slipping through her fingers like sand. Laughter echoed from w

sure whic

les

Her Alpha. His dark eyes met hers, but there was some

lone," he said, but his voice l

t getting

with a nod, he turned back toward the

behind him, se

first crack in an ice-covered lake. Barely there,

no idea ho

t pressed against her skin. She wasn't fragile. She wasn't weak. But t

it whispered, but she ignored it. Running wouldn't change anything. Runnin

in, spilling golden light onto the court

rong enough t

e stif

, responded, "Kieran will see it soon

and the door shut befo

t first, she had told herself it was nothing. That the pack would warm to her, that they would se

pect, more lingering glances of skepticism. Then, Kieran had begun pulling away, missing their

she was an outsid

ade her snap her head u

iding ou

few wolves who hadn't treated her differently. His dark br

he murmured, but th

fence beside her. "You

owed. "It doe

e testing him, Celeste. They know he

th of it. "He's my mate. He

pha is only as strong as his pack, and Kiera

t settled in

turn him against

rm it, but he didn

ad never fe

ieran would never turn against her. That the mate bond, the connection they had shared for year

her, arms crossed. "Y

oed, her voice bar

se weakness, they'll push harder. And Kiera

r a while that something was wrong, but hearing it sp

ng the trees. Somewhere in the distance, an owl ho

ly against the darkness. Inside, Kieran was surrounded by his pack, by

he l

e alr

he spread thr

pack. She had trained beside the warriors, studied the hist

t still wa

ed. "You don't have

his eyes. But what could he do? He was Kieran's B

he said, forcing str

oment before sighing. "Just...do

ed hard. "T

light of the packhouse flicker against t

told her the wor