The Alpha's Luna Is Mine

Everything Went Dark

Kiera’s POV

It’s been over four days of working hand in hand with Alpha Aethelwulf, and it has been unbearably awkward for me. For reasons I can’t even fully explain to myself, I find it impossible to look him in the face. To be completely honest, I go out of my way to maintain a certain distance between us, both physically and emotionally. Every single morning I wake up, the mere thought of having to share the same space with him settles heavily in my chest, instantly ruining my mood before the day even begins. It’s exhausting, this constant tension I carry around him, like I’m walking on fragile glass that could shatter at any moment.

“Hey.” Martha called out as she walked into my room without even knocking.

“I didn’t know the door wasn’t locked. Please lock it. I don’t want anyone walking into my room like they own it,” I said, my voice carrying a faint edge. She only grinned, unfazed, before turning back to lock the door properly. The soft click echoed faintly in the room before she walked over to where I sat on the floor. Without hesitation, she lowered herself beside me, her presence familiar and grounding.

“Have you gotten the leaves I asked you to?” I asked, my hands still moving steadily as I filled the empty bottles with the prepared mixture. The faint herbal scent lingered in the air, calming yet sharp enough to keep me focused.

“Yes, I did. I made fifty bottles of the mixture last night,” she replied, her tone light but proud.

I nodded, allowing a small smile to form. “Good. Everyone in the team should prepare more bottles starting tomorrow,” I instructed. She nodded in agreement, and for a while, the only sound in the room was the soft clinking of glass and the gentle rustle of leaves.

“I heard the soldiers are training for a war,” she said suddenly.

My hands paused mid-motion, and I looked up at her immediately, my chest tightening. “How is that possible? And where did you hear that?” I asked, my voice sharper than intended. The word war alone was enough to stir something uneasy deep inside me. War had never brought anything good—only loss, pain, and scars that never truly healed.

“Well, my boyfriend is a soldier, so I got the information from him,” she replied casually.

I raised an eyebrow in realization, a small wave of understanding washing over me. I had completely forgotten about that.

“What are the details? Which pack? And for what reason?” I pressed, my curiosity laced with concern.

She shook her head slightly. “I didn’t ask for that. But you could easily get that information from your husband.”

I rolled my eyes, already knowing where she was trying to steer the conversation. “I see what you did—”

A knock on the door cut me off abruptly. Martha turned to me instantly.

“If it’s Preston, don’t open the door,” I instructed quickly. She nodded and stood up, walking toward the door. But almost immediately, she opened it.I lifted my head—and froze.

Aethelwulf walked in.Holy crap.

“Greetings, Luna of the Moonlight Pack,” he said, his voice calm and composed as he took slow, graceful steps toward me.

I sat up immediately, my body going stiff. My words failed me completely. I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry, my heart racing in a way I couldn’t control.

“I will take my leave,” Martha said quickly, sensing the shift in the room, and disappeared without another word.

“How was your night?” he asked.

I nodded, forcing a smile that felt unnatural, stretched too tight across my face, like it could crack if I held it any longer.

“You should have told me you were preparing the herbs—”

“So you’ll take your leave?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.

He blinked, his brows narrowing slightly in confusion. “No,” he replied slowly.

“We’re partners right now, and we should be doing this together,” he added.

An awkward “Oh…” escaped me as I slowly sat back down on the floor, my movements stiff, my mind racing for reasons I couldn’t quite grasp.

“You don’t have to bother. You don’t need to help me with this,” I muttered, keeping my focus on the bottles, avoiding his gaze.

“I insist,” he said firmly before sitting down beside me.

The closeness was immediate, noticeable. I could feel the intensity in the air, the subtle warmth of his presence, and it made it harder to breathe normally.

“So, what ingredients did you add to this?” he asked.

I cleared my throat, trying to steady myself. “Three leaves,” I began, explaining each component carefully. My voice gradually settled into a rhythm, though I remained aware of him beside me,his attention, his quiet focus. We talked about the herbs as we worked, the conversation simple but stretched with an underlying tension I couldn’t shake.

After we finished, we each picked up fifty bottles, placing them carefully into baskets before leaving the room.

When we reached the hospital, the air felt heavier, filled with faint antiseptic scents and the low hum of activity. I spotted Preston speaking with the doctors, dressed in his protective clothing. I took a deep breath, steadying myself, and walked toward another ward. Aethelwulf went to meet his brother, but after a few minutes, he joined me again.

“You seem to be avoiding your husband,” he said as we moved toward the last patient.

“I am not. And by the way, that’s none of your business,” I replied, keeping my tone controlled as I helped the patient drink the liquid.

“Yeah… you’re right,” he said quietly.

The rest of the time passed in silence. And strangely, I found comfort in it. The quiet wrapped around me like a shield, giving me space to breathe, to think, to exist without pressure.

“Let’s have lunch,” he suggested.

I nodded, removing my protective clothing and placing it into the laundry basket.

As we walked toward the car, I noticed a nurse approaching us. At first, everything seemed normal. But then her image flickered,duplicating in my vision. I blinked, trying to clear it, but when I looked again, everything around her began to split, distort, blur into overlapping shapes.

A strange heaviness settled over me, my head spinning slightly.

“I think I…” I started, my voice faint, distant even to my own ears.

And then everything went dark and silent.