The Injured Luna

The Dreams start again

Later That Night

Moonlight dripped in through the open balcony like liquid silver, casting shifting shadows across the polished stone floor of Anna and Richard’s chamber. The air was quiet, save for the soft rustling of leaves outside and the subtle cadence of the bond between Alpha and Luna.

Anna sat by the window, one hand resting on her belly, the other gripping the armrest of her chair. Her mind buzzed with images—runes, blood, howls, and that cloaked figure’s haunting silence.

She didn’t flinch when Richard approached from behind, bare-chested, his presence grounding her even when the world tilted sideways.

“She kicked when you touched the tree,” he said softly, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

“She knew,” Anna murmured. “Even before I did.”

Richard lowered to his knees in front of her, hands pressed gently against her belly. “Then she’s ready. And so are we.”

Anna looked down at him—her fierce mate, her warrior king, the only one who could meet her in the fire and not burn. “Take me to bed.”

A flicker of surprise crossed his face, then softened into a smile filled with heat and reverence. “Yes, my Luna.”

—

Their lovemaking was different that night. Not the wild, tangled frenzy of pack celebration, but something ancient, almost sacred. Richard kissed a line down her belly as though praying to the life within. Anna moaned his name as he moved inside her, their bond flaring with each thrust, each breath.

“You’re my light,” he whispered against her mouth.

“And you’re my anchor,” she answered.

He brought her to the edge again and again, holding her there with trembling control, until she shattered around him, light blooming through her skin, her power crackling in the air like lightning behind glass.

Afterward, they lay entangled in sweat and whispers, their limbs braided, hearts syncing in the quiet dark.

But before sleep could claim her, Anna's eyes snapped open.

A voice—not Richard’s, not her own—echoed in her mind.

“They are coming.”

She gasped, sitting up. Richard bolted upright, every muscle tense.

“What is it?”

Anna’s voice trembled, her pupils wide and glowing. “The Dream started again."