Page 27
Story: King Luna (My Shy Alpha #3)
O ne second, Noah has Matthew pinned to the ground. The next, Noah flies across the grass, launched by all four of Matthew’s paws.
I scream without meaning to, waking up Markus. His plushy cheeks warp before my eyes—until Markus bursts into full-blown tears.
I cup his quivering head, my heart shredding. “S-sorry, sweet boy! Oh— Oh, no, sweetheart—”
“?h, stackars liten...” Annika scoops up Markus, nuzzling into him with soft-spoken Swedish.
Letting out a sad whimper with Markus, I rub Annika’s shoulder. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Anni, it just came out.”
“I understand, mama. I feel like screaming too.” Annika’s somber, pale expression guts me.
“Poor Luna,” Waimārie whispers, holding me close.
I can’t bear to be distracted a second longer, my focus flipping back to Noah. I’ve never seen him get tossed like that in my life. No one usually matches up to Noah’s strength.
But Noah has already popped right back up, shaking his fur off.
Matthew stalks closer, ready to strike, and Noah’s tail stands on end in excitement.
I’m almost annoyed he seems so thrilled to kick Matthew’s ass. This competition is fucking ridiculous.
Like the wolves they are, they pace for a while—before lunging back in with wicked, rapid snaps of their jaws, snarling and vicious barks echoing across the field.
My breath catches, each bite shaking my entire body. When they move this quickly, it’s increasingly difficult for me to process what’s happening at all, spiking acidic fear into my throat.
When the wolves break apart, Noah’s fur is too dark to tell if he sustained any wounds.
But their bloody fangs sink my stomach down to my feet.
“I can’t tell who’s bleeding. My wolf is losing her shit,” I whisper.
Annika simply squeezes my hand.
Judging by Noah’s little sneeze, I can only guess he got one or two knicks on his snout. They restart their prowling circle, estimating how to strike next.
That’s when I spot a subtle limp; Matthew is carrying himself differently after their last bite clash.
I almost forgot I have an advantage: I can figure out what’s wrong from a distance, mindlinking Noah with a hint.
Focusing on Matthew’s massive paws, I find each step perfectly calculated. The back paws take the place of the front, the brooding Alpha sneaking through his own footprints. When he leaps for Noah, his movements are sharp and fleeting, snapping back just as quickly. He’s agile, and he’s deceptive about it.
He’s clever.
Putting myself into Matthew’s shoes, I scope out his fighting tactics. It’s clear he only wants to allow quick, passing bursts of aggression between him and Noah, likely betting he has a better chance to wear Noah down without overexerting himself all at once.
But I’m certain there’s a reason for Matthew’s subtle shift in behavior. That something has altered his strategy, even if I don’t know what yet.
Racking my brain for answers, I think about what Yasmine taught me: never show them your back. Always stay on your feet, if you can. Evade, evade, evade.
Each of these tactics put me more on the defensive—a far more common strategy for surviving wolves, rather than the attacking beasts they’re painted as in folklore. If we really went around killing one another, we’d never have enough energy to protect ourselves. By instinct, we’re too good at defending one another’s lives, hunting only what we need for food.
But here at the Summit, Alphas are forced to exert their wolf bodies to the max if they want to win against the best of the best. Which means they have to act on the offensive, draining their wolves faster than they would during the average territorial fight.
So I analyze Matthew’s angles of defense and offense—looking for patterns in how he approaches Noah.
Almost immediately, I notice it: he only shows Noah one side.
I perk up, my heart lurching. He’s protecting his left flank!
Noah hops in a zig-zag around Matthew, and sure enough, the brown wolf won’t let Noah see his left side.
Genius, Luna! We’re unstoppable together with your observant mind.
Even though my teeth are chattering, I laugh at Noah’s goofy tail wag, his supercharged ears pointing to the sky.
When Noah’s jaws snap at Matthew’s left side, it forces the Alpha into full defense mode. Each bite seems to shrink Matthew further into the ground, only making Noah bristle larger.
Good job, Noah! Keep overwhelming him!
Matthew can hardly keep up with Noah’s relentless lunges to fight back.
His tail droops.
Matthew tucks his tail tight between his legs...
And rolls over in submission.
Towering over the cultist, Noah’s bragging, puffed-up wolf gives one last irritated sneeze, and I burst into laughter.
His alert ears rotate to me before his head, and I laugh even harder. “You adorable, powerful goofball! Come here!”
The Lunas flinch beside me as Noah’s enormous wolf scampers over. He flattens one ear in apology—before shifting back to be stark naked in front of all of us.
But my only concern is Noah's wounds. My skin washes in an icy chill, my eyes skating down his clawed-up chest, blood mixing with sweat everywhere I look.
I grip my heart. “ Goddess , Noah—”
The second we meet eyes, Noah tightens his jaw, barely restraining his rising desperation in our bond. We dart forward at the same time, crashing into each other’s arms. As my wolf whimpers through me, forcing me to lick her mate’s face clean, Noah whisks me away from the crowd, tucking me behind the garden entrance to the field.
“Shh, Luna. It’s all okay, gorgeous.” He nuzzles over my whimpering lips, stroking my hair back with soft, shaky sweeps.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” My eyes water even worse from his sharp Alpha musk, his scent potent enough to force any Omegas at the edge of the field to cover their noses.
“I’ll be fine, but... I heard you scream earlier. I felt so bad.” Noah’s voice breaks as he kisses me all over. “Please, tell me the truth. Is this too much for you? Say the word, and we’ll leave.”
I swallow hard, rubbing my belly in an attempt to stifle my rolling emotions.
But the tears come anyway. “I want our pup to have their dad.”
“Oh, my sweet—” Noah curls me in his embrace until I’m marinating in his scent. This time his musk is even stronger, but it’s laced with such a heavy sweetness that goosebumps cascade down my limbs, drawing a sigh from my lips.
“That feels good,” I whisper.
“There you go.” Noah tilts my jaw until I reveal my mark.
With slow, tender licks on my scent gland, Noah replaces every discomfort with delight, his scent seeping down to my bones.
Noah purrs. “Good girl. I’m right here.”
I smush my forehead into his chest, drenching myself in his adoring scent. But no matter what, my heart aches.
“Listen closely, okay? If I come anywhere close to being hurt badly, I’ll submit,” Noah says.
I freeze, gripping him tighter. “But you said you’d only submit to—”
“I don’t care what I said. As far as I’m concerned, it still would only be submitting to you. Because you’re right: you and our pup are my priority.”
My eyes water as Noah's fingertips skate over my stomach.
“I want to come home to watch you be the mom you've always dreamed of. I want to live to hold our pup with you. And I want to protect our pack by your side for years to come. I’d do anything to witness you in action.” He softens his shaking voice, pulling me closer as if he's telling me a deep secret. “Every time I look at you, I see the only wolf here who should be King.”
My heart soars higher than I expect with those words, unlocking a beautiful vision within me—as much as it terrifies me.
I grip Noah’s arms, my eyes tracing his. “If you win this competition and become my King, then I’ll be—”
I swallow hard, terrified to say something so extreme out loud.
But the look in my mate's eyes dares me to—begs me to—his claws extending in anticipation of my next words.
“If you'll be my King Alpha, then I'll be yours,” I whisper.
My heart hammers into my throat as I watch my words erupt behind my mate’s eyes, brightening them into sunshine.
Noah grows more alert by the second, his wolf’s chest puffing as high as his human form.
Cupping my cheeks in his palms, Noah gazes at me in pure awe. He eases his lips against mine, dragging a wave of pleasure down my spine. Then his voice rumbles deep.
“Feisty Luna.”
He's dead-serious. I freeze, unsure what he'll say next.
“One day, you’re going to change the entire world with nothing but your own paws, I know it. You will be King.”
Noah pulls back. Determination radiates from him as he steps away—the ability to achieve anything set into his tight core.
But I grasp his hand, bringing him to a halt. “Wait, Noah, I need to tell you something else before you dive back into Summit chaos.”
Vigilant eyes flit all over me—as sharp and wolflike as they can be outside of his wolf form.
I grit my teeth. “I'm afraid if you don’t win tomorrow, the whole world won't be safe. Look how strong these Alpha-domination wolves have become. How frequent they are. Entire packs follow all of them. It makes me so sick to think how many there must be.”
He growls, his half-shifted eyes roaming the field with detest.
Then I see it—the same wolf in him that I needed in my worst moments. The leader the world needs.
It ignites a fire in my core. I grip his biceps harder.
“There he is. I felt him out in the field, just now, too. The one who I needed to defend me.”
Noah sucks in a harsh breath, holding it. He meets my eyes, agony creasing his forehead.
But I hold my grip strong, even as my voice quivers. “Remember this feeling. Chase it, Noah.”
He blows out a slow, fiery breath. “I will. I’ll show them all it’s time to protect Omegas and Betas too, and that doing so protects all wolves.”
“Good. Go out there, and express yourself. Including your Omega side that needs protection too. He deserves it.”
Noah’s growl comes to a halt, but his piercing stare shifts into something so strong that I have to look away.
Holy shit, he’s catching my insides on fire. I’d never want to have to take him down. Not in a million years.
But that fact doesn’t terrify me.
He gives me hope again.
I struggle to catch my breath as Noah stalks away from me, ready for his next assignment with fury in every step.
Viktor’s latest opponent—already humiliated from submitting—dives away from Noah’s mere stare. As Noah strides to Viktor’s side for Johannes’s official congratulations of this year’s two top Alphas—and tomorrow’s competitors for the King title—wolves howl across the entire field in celebration.
But Viktor’s eyes are glued to Noah. Locking onto my mate, Viktor stiffens, jealousy overpowering his clenched jaw.
My stomach rolls, weakening my knees.
I don't know how I'm going to get through this.
But I have to. For Noah, and for the safety of all wolves.
Table of Contents
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- Page 26
- Page 27 (Reading here)
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