Page 29

LUNA

“My friend Jessica wants to come see me,” I announced, testing the waters.

Ash looked up at me from his reclined sprawl on the couch. “That's awesome. How long will she be here?”

I leaned into him, and he wrapped his arm around me. It felt safe, but my insides were buzzing.

“She won’t stay here, here,” I said, threading my fingers through his hair. “But she'll be in town for a few days. She's on leave between assignments. She arrives tomorrow.”

“What is it?” Connor asked, already picking up on the shift in my energy.

I hesitated. “What do I tell her about us?”

Ash pulled me down into his lap, as if that were the complete answer. “What would you like to say?”

“I don't know,” I admitted, letting my head rest against his chest. “But definitely not: ‘I'm a wolf shifter now with a mate I haven’t bonded to yet, and another hot guy lives with us.’”

A surprised laugh burst out of Ash. “Yeah, I can see how that wouldn’t go down well.”

“Just tell her you fell for Ash and I’m his flatmate,” Connor offered, voice steady but eyes unreadable.

I mulled it over. “That feels like a lie.” But it was the version most people would expect.

I sighed.

I left the guys at a table near the back of the bar and jogged forward to meet Jessica.

She spotted me and threw her arms around me like no time had passed.

We squealed, drawing some amused glances.

She was tall, at least eight inches taller than I, in jeans and a soft sweater.

Same perfume. Same confident presence. For a beat, I felt like I’d stepped back into a version of myself I wasn’t sure I remembered anymore.

“You look so good.”

“You look amazing,” we said at the same time.

We slid into a booth close enough that I could still see the guys.

“So,” she said, “what’s made you settle down in the butt crack of nowhere?”

“Jessica—volume,” I hissed, glancing around.

“What? All these years of wandering, and suddenly you’re staying put? Here?” She wrinkled her nose.

“Judgey much?” I said, sipping my drink.

“I fell in love.”

Because how else do you explain pledging yourself to a found family after a handful of weeks?

She leaned in, brows raised. “Finally. I thought that ass ruined men for you.”

“I’ve moved in with Ash and his friend Connor.” The words tasted weird. Half-true. Half-lie. Whole mess.

“Wow, when you move, you move.”

“Jeez, Jessica. What is wrong with you?”

“You suddenly settle in some tiny town. Do I need to take you home? Are you safe?” She grabbed my arm and dropped her voice to a whisper. She wasn’t joking. If I even flinched, she’d throw me in her car and drive me away without asking more questions.

I laughed without humour. “I’m safe. I’m cared for. I’m happy.”

She blinked, surprised. “Really, truly?”

“Yeah.”

We switched to talking about her family and work—easier ground. But the truth settled heavy in my chest. She couldn’t ever really know what I’d walked into. And if she couldn’t, she couldn’t come back. This would be the last time she visited.

I knocked back a shot before taking her to meet the guys. No idea why. It should make things easier. Or perhaps I just wanted the familiar sting to brace me.

“Luna,” Ash said as we reached the booth, his voice sending a hum across my skin. I slid in beside him like gravity wanted me there.

“This is Jessica. Jessica, Ash, and Connor.” I gestured to each.

“Nice to meet you,” she said, sliding in beside Connor. She and Connor looked almost related—they had the same blond hair and blue eyes. Her hair was long now; I remembered when she kept it cropped short. This new version suited her.

I felt off. Slightly buzzed, mostly raw. Ash’s hand settled on my thigh beneath the table. Steady. Grounding. Still, I couldn’t shake the sensation that I didn’t belong in either world tonight.

Jessica was flirting. That was how she spoke to men. But it still made my back tense. I hated how much I noticed her laughing at Connor’s jokes and how casual she was around them.

Then she went for it. “So you’re both living with my girl?”

“We are,” Connor answered, voice tight.

“After a few weeks?” She looked Ash dead in the eye, tone sharp.

I felt like a goldfish, my mouth opening and closing.

“Because she’s a hopeless romantic,” Jessica continued. “All she’s ever wanted is a home and a family. So I hope you’re not just playing around.” Her voice slurred slightly, but the fire was there. She thought she was protecting me.

“We haven’t really discussed that. The future,” I said at the same time as Ash spoke.

“I’m not playing around,” he said, firm.

But I heard the pause before he said it. A hesitation, maybe imagined—but it hit me square in the chest.

And suddenly I didn’t know where I stood. Connor wasn’t just Ash’s friend. Ash wasn’t just my boyfriend. I wasn’t just visiting anymore. I wasn’t sure what I was.

Panic rose fast, scraping the back of my throat. I stood abruptly and beelined for the bathroom.

I braced my hands on the sink, focusing on the cool porcelain and the sound of my breathing.

The door creaked open behind me.

“You’re not going to puke, are you?” Jessica asked, stepping in.

“No.”

She joined me at the mirror. Her reflection was steady. Mine wasn’t.

She raised an eyebrow. “You okay?”

“I don’t know.” I didn’t mean to say it aloud.

She didn’t push. Just waited. That’s how she’d always been—blunt, but patient.

“You could come back with me, you know,” she said. “Just for a while. Figure it out.”

I stared at the sink. At the cracks in the basin. The idea didn’t feel crazy. That scared me most of all.

“I think it’s time to go home,” I said.

“You’re a lightweight, my friend.”

I agreed.

Ash and Connor looked miserable when I came out. Like they'd been holding their breath. Neither of them said anything. I didn’t either.

“I’d like to go home,” I said softly.

We saw Jessica enter her hotel next door and then walked to the car. I slid into the back seat even though no one was in the front. Neither of them argued.

Ash looked at me in the rearview mirror. I didn’t meet his eyes.

My chest felt tight like something precious might break.