Luna Revealed

Epilogue

Two Months Later

"Lia, are you sure you'll be fine on your own?"

I wave Mikhail's question away, pulling him into a tight hug. "I'll be fine. Phoenix will be back in two days and Julian is only a phone call and an hour drive away." I release Mikhail to hug Ilya, who gives me a dramatic kiss on the cheek.

"Solnyshko, it has been a pleasure," Ilya says, placing his hands on my shoulders, his endearment for me – "sunshine" – having stuck since he arrived in Artem. "I will keep Misha on his toes, don't worry." He winks at Mikhail, who flushes and picks up their bags.

Mikhail is flying back to Russia with Ilya and staying there for a few weeks to visit his mother's family. Ilya delayed his return as long as he could to help with the end of the council paperwork – and with the hope he would see Emir again – but has to return now that a conflict has started in Dziewanna. He convinced Mikhail to come with him since he hasn't seen his family in more than a year.

"Be safe, please," I say as they walk out of the front door towards the car waiting for them. "And don't forget to call!" Ilya blows me a kiss and climbs into the car. Mikhail just smiles and follows behind him, shutting the car door. I watch them disappear down the gravel drive, the bright moon illuminating their path. Once I can no longer see them, I shut and lock the door behind me.

The search for Magnus started this week and it has kept most of the guards I know out of the house. Caine took Nico with him to the rogue territories bordering Artem. Phoenix left as well, taking Andel and Cass's mate – unironically named Adonis – along to the pack north of Aurora, in the mountains. Cass, Fiona, and Evan have returned to work and their pack duties.

I make my way into Phoenix's office, which has been rearranged to fit a desk for me as well, where the small, round table used to be. I sit at the desk now, opening my email that is already filled with responses from Julian and Ikemi – who, since turning 18 a few weeks ago, is acting Beta for the less action-heavy parts of the diplomatic acquisition and search. We've actively avoided calling it a "takeover" to keep the peace between the packs. I answer a few emails before the cell phone that I frequently forget I have starts to ring on the desk.

I pick it up and answer, "Hello?"

"Hello, my love," Phoenix says from the other side, his voice a purr.

I can't help but smile. "Hi, handsome. Good timing, I was just about to call you to tell you that Mikhail and Ilya are headed to the airport."

Phoenix scoffs. "Yeah, sure, you were about to pick up your phone and call me. Likely story."

"Okay, okay, I wasn't going to do that," I laugh. "But they did just leave fifteen minutes ago. They should be getting there soon. Dziewanna ended up sending a private jet for them." I scoff. "I would love to know what Russian diplomat Ilya slept with to get that to happen."

My mate's dark chuckle filters in through the phone. "Wouldn't we all." His voice begins to break up due to the poor signal in the mountains and he says, "I'll call you tomorrow when we head back down the mountain. If you need anything-"

"Call Julian, I know," I say sarcastically. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

We hang up and I lean back in my chair, letting out a sigh. I look around the room and ponder the changes in my life in just one short year. It shocks me that I am sitting in this room right now, in my office, in my pack house, in a pack that I am the Luna of. I shake my head in disbelief until I feel a sharp pain in my stomach.

I groan and reach down to cradle the spot just above my pelvis. I've been feeling this since yesterday, but I've avoided telling Phoenix or anyone else. Everyone is so busy, I would hate to have anyone wasting time worrying about me. I make my way out of the office and upstairs to our bedroom to find some pain medicine.

When I reach the bedroom, the pain suddenly spikes and I fall to the floor, taken off guard. A wave of nausea rolls through me and I groan, crawling on my hands and knees to the bathroom. I reach into the drawer next to the sink and pull out a bottle of pain meds, opening the top to take one out. I struggle to swallow the pill, the nausea hitting me like a brick. I decide that a hot shower might do me some good, so I pull myself to my feet to begin undressing.

When I get to my underwear, I stop when they are halfway down my legs. The sight makes me freeze in place, the air whooshing out of my lungs. There, in the center of my underwear, is a patch of bright red blood. I reach between my legs, feeling moisture there, and pull my hand away to see more blood. My heart begins to pound in my chest as I run back out into the bedroom to the window.

I pull the curtains open and crane my neck to look at the sky. When I don't see it, I open the window and stick my head out, looking directly above the house. There, bright in the night sky, is the full moon. It glimmers in its full glory, as though smiling at me. I let out a rush of air from my lungs and pull myself back inside, shutting the window. I collapse to the floor and look back at the blood still on my fingers.

I'm bleeding. I'm bleeding on the full moon. Tears spring to my eyes as I realize what's happening. I'm bleeding! This isn't an illness; it's menstruation. For the last few years, I've thought that I was infertile because I didn't bleed every full moon. But there it is, clear as day. The tears spill over and I begin to cry from a mixture of happiness and relief. I'm bleeding! I'm fertile. My breath catches in my throat.

I can get pregnant.