The Shadow Luna - Book 2 of the Shadow Saga

Prologue

River

I thought I knew pain.

Years ago, as a young Alpha, I was the epitome of arrogance. I had seen battle so many times over it seemed to me that I had seen all there was when it came to loss, and victory, and pain. But I can now say without an ounce of doubt that I was wrong.

I never knew pain until now.

My wolf hangs his head low, eyes cast downward as he too understands just how wrong we both were.

He misses her so much...A world without his mate is not a world he wants to exist within. We've known this from the moment we found her.

I take a shuddering breath, trying not to worsen the damage my ribs have endured over the last several weeks. I've not been healing as I usually would, and I need to buy myself time to stay alive long enough to get myself out of here. To get myself back home, to the Shadow Pack, and to Holly.

It's hard to know just how long I've been gone. I know it's been longer than a month because I could smell the first of the daffodils and tulips of the season the last time he came to see me. There was still snow on the ground when they took me, so I know that by now, Holly's belly will have properly started showing.

I quickly do the math in my head and guesstimate that she's got to be somewhere between 26 -28 weeks along, if it really is early March right now, as I am assuming.

The baby should be about the size of a zucchini, I think?

I try to recall correctly from pregnancy app that I'd downloaded weeks ago. I began delving into the library of pregnancy resources within days of finding out, as to prepare myself properly. Holly thought it was sweet how seriously I was taking the whole thing.

I can still remember her little smile she wore on her face as she crawled into bed with me, her slightly swollen belly exposed to me, given all she was wearing was a pair of underwear for bed.

"Isn't that, like, the third or fourth app you've downloaded this week?" she giggled as I turned to look over my shoulder, my voice coming out far more defensive sounding than I meant for it to.

"I'm just trying to compile multiple sources! It's what any half decent researcher does." I grumble near the end of my sentence, and I instinctively relaxed as Holly's hand came up to rest on my shoulder. She tugged me toward her, prompting me to roll over from my side onto my back.

Propped up on her elbow, she leaned down to capture my mouth in a sweet kiss that sent a bloom of intense warmth rippling through me.

When she pulled away, her blue eyes gazed down into mine with such affection; it still caught me by surprise to see it.

"I love that you care so much about this." she admitted with a smile, brushing her nose up against mine.

I released the grip on my phone and brought my hand up to cradle the one side of her face, pulling her back in to me.

I kissed her with as much emotion as she had done, pulling her body against my own as I quietly revelled in the way her soft skin felt on mine. I pulled my mouth from hers gradually, neither one of us really wanting to end the kiss, and the feeling of being so aligned with each other.

"Of course I care this much." I reply to her with near amusement. "You and the baby are the only things that matter now..." My hand drifts from her waist down to the little bump of her belly. "You're everything, both of you."

Holly smiled broadly before kissing me abruptly, startling me a little, but I smiled against her mouth as she eagerly pushed me back into the mattress, climbing on top of me.