Alpha's Lost Luna Returns With His Twins

Walkin:

Right before my eyes, she started to transition into a lycan, a form that was forbidden and dangerous in our territory.

I made sure the door was locked, then pulled out an injection filled with melted iron. I knew what I was doing. Kash had told me about her condition before he left.

It took me a few minutes to accept the truth about her. It was not easy at first. For the first few minutes, I felt as if something was watching me.

Then I wondered what would happen if she transformed while Kash was gone. That was why he had given me the injection of melted iron.

I had given her wolfsbane and silver in front of the others to make it seem like those were what had stopped her first painful transition.

Now I held the needle and tried to decide when to move closer. Her limbs were extending, and her skin looked burned as it changed in front of my eyes into something horrifying.

Then I lunged at her. I knew it was the moment, because if she fully transformed, it would not be easy for me to control her. It would also be extremely hard to hide her true nature from the others sitting outside, wondering what was going on inside.

As I rushed forward, she extended her arm, already fully transformed, and threw me across the room. I hit the wall and fell to the floor as the needle rolled away.

I grabbed the needle and rushed toward her arm again. She slammed into me with enough force to knock the air from my lungs, but this time I stayed on my feet, forcing my body to hold steady.

She was still mid-transition, and it was her first shift. I could see how hard it was for her lycan side to take control, and that struggle was the only reason I was still standing.

I caught her wrist with both hands while she snarled, her jaw half formed and her eyes wild, not focused on me. Her claws scraped across my shoulder as she fought, her body jerking between human and beast. Heat rolled off her skin.

"Iris, it’s me. Walkin," I muttered, even though I knew she could no longer understand me.

As I tried to steady the syringe with shaking fingers, she thrashed again and almost knocked it from my grip.

I locked my arm around her and drove the needle into her side. She let out a broken cry that shifted into a growl.

With one last burst of strength, she swung her arm and her claws tore across my stomach.

Pain ripped through me, and I felt blood start to soak my shirt. It was fine. I would heal. Then I remembered it was a lycan’s claw. A simple transition would not be enough. It would take hours.

I pressed a hand to my stomach and watched her drop to her knees. Her claws began to retreat, and her skin slowly returned to normal. It was strange to watch it mend and smooth out again.

She lowered herself onto the floor and closed her eyes, like a child who had worn herself out crying.

I moved to her side and stood over her. She was fully human again, breathing slowly and evenly, as if nothing had happened.

Once she fell asleep, I walked over, lifted her carefully, and laid her on the bed. After she settled, I pulled the blanket over her.

I could barely walk because the blood from my stomach would not stop. Once I was sure she was fine, I headed to the door and opened it. I had to check on her children.

Kash had told me not to leave the children alone with anyone, not even with his own family. Maybe it was because Iris did not want that. After everything she had told me, I was worried too.

When I stepped outside, I locked the door behind her. As I turned around, I nearly flinched. I was not usually jumpy, but now I carried a secret. It was the secret of a Luna Queen, one I had kept for the sake of my best friend and for Iris.

I would do anything for Kash, but there was one line I would never cross. I would never hurt Iris. She was a good woman who deserved a good life and a happy ending.

"What is going on?" Zoe asked. She stood right in front of me with wide eyes and a look that said she wanted answers.

"You saw what was happening. Your sister-in-law got her wolf. She just transitioned," I whispered, trying to walk past her, but she stepped in front of me.

Her hands went to her waist, and she tapped her foot on the floor, making it clear I was not leaving.

"Are you going to tell me, or do you want me to pry the information out of you in ways that involve my mother?" she demanded, staring at me.

"I told you. She was transitioning," I replied, trying to move around her.

I was not going to be pressured into giving her information. For fuck’s sake, I was the royal beta.

"Walkin, I saw you give her wolfsbane and silver, and she was fine. But now you are bleeding. There is no way a werewolf in their first transition could fight off silver and wolfsbane, half shift, and scratch you like that. So tell me, what is going on? What is wrong with her?" she pressed. This time, her tone made it clear she would not accept a lie.

I studied her face for a moment, then remembered Iris’s words.

"Do you care about your brother and his children?" I asked. She nodded at immediately.

"You know how much I love those children," she answered, offended that I even had to ask.

"Then for their sake, stay quiet. Let her rest," I said.

She narrowed her eyes at me, trying to figure out what I was not saying. After a few seconds, she gave a small nod. I was not sure if I could trust that. For all I knew, she could turn around and tell her mother everything.

"What?" I asked when she stayed quiet.

"You need to clean that wound. Are you going to shift?" she asked more softly.

It still felt like she was trying to pull more information from me.

"I’ll be fine," I replied. "I’ll wait for Kash to arrive."

She looked hurt at that.

"You don’t trust me?" she asked quietly as she stepped closer and pushed my coat aside to see my white shirt soaked in blood.

"It’s not like that. It was Kash’s orders to take care of Iris and the children," I whispered as I slowly pulled the coat back over the wound.

"Walkin, that’s a big scratch. I can go get the aid box. At least clean it up if you’re not going to transition to heal," she complained.

It seemed like she was upset that I was not taking her seriously, or that I was watching her with suspicion.

"Zoe, please," I lowered my tone when I noticed her eyes fixed on the wound.

The expression on her face surprised me. Either she was very good at acting, or she was truly concerned. Her face showed that she was hurting at the sight of the blood on my shirt.

I forced myself to pull away from my thoughts. She was forbidden to me. Not just now, but forever. She was my best friend’s sister, and then she married her mate. I had no reason to look at her and let old feelings return.

"Let me just see," she insisted, opening the coat again and pulling at my shirt as she gently touched the wounds through the fabric.

I quickly grabbed her hand to stop her and shook my head. Her closeness was only making things harder for me. She needed to understand that.

"We used to be friends too, Walkin. You don’t have to treat me like this," she whispered, keeping her eyes down as she stood close and pinched my shirt between her fingers.

"Like what?" I asked.

"Like a stranger," she replied softly.

My heartbeat started to rise with her closeness. All the feelings I used to have for her, the ones I had forced myself to ignore, started to return.

I knew that the moment I caught her scent on me again, I would feel like I was losing my mind. This was what used to happen when we were friends.

I refused to believe she did not know my feelings for her were real. I refused to believe she did not know how I felt about her in the first place.

"Your Highness, I think you should..." I paused when she closed her eyes and shook her head.

I did not understand why Markus did not see what a wonderful woman she was. It hurt me to see her go through so many emotions and be so bitter about life.

I began to wonder if it was because of Markus. He played games with her. I knew that. I just did not understand why she could not see it.

"What the fuck is going on here? Step back from my wife."

Markus’s voice cut through the hall as he appeared out of nowhere, shouting at us.