12 Alpha Nicholas stood in the middle of the kitchen, the cool gleam of the granite countertop reflecting his grim expression. Marcus hovered nearby, hands clasped, barely daring to breathe. "So... for six whole years, she did all this without ever complaining?" he asked, his voice rough and hoarse. Marcus nodded carefully. "The Luna never let us help. She said your system couldn't handle store-bought stuff, that the regular herbal blends were too harsh, and she had to watch the brewing process herself." Nicholas's fingers drummed against the counter. For six years straight, every time he came home from pack meetings or territorial runs, no matter how late, a warm mug of that special tea had always been waiting. He'd never once realized it meant Luna June staying up half the night to make it. "Alpha, should I try to make some...?" Marcus asked hesitantly. "No," Nicholas said, turning toward the stairs. "Everyone get some rest." As he passed the master bedroom, he heard Megan's steady breathing from inside. She shifted in her sleep, the silk sheets rustling softly. Nicholas paused in the doorway, and for no clear reason, his thoughts suddenly went to June. When she first became his Luna, he couldn't stand the sight of her-this political arrangement he'd been forced into-so he'd made up endless excuses to stay away, often not coming home for days. But no matter when he returned, there she was in the living room, quietly waiting for him. June was a light sleeper, waking up at the slightest sound. Some nights when he stumbled in late, he'd find her curled up on the couch, asleep with some book in her lap Back then, he hadn't liked her at all. Even seeing her like that, he wouldn't give her a second glance before heading to his own room. Still, she'd kept doing it for years. Eventually though, he'd started to pause, even going so far as to throw a blanket over her. When had that started? It seemed to be around the time Megan came back. Because he was constantly running around doing things for Megan, his trips home got fewer and farther between. One time, when Megan suggested meeting the pups, he'd brought them along. From that point on, they started spending more and more time with Megan. June hadn't stayed quiet about it. She'd confronted him angrily: "You're my mate, and Kai and Cora are my oups-so why are you always fussing over someone else?" She hesitated, like the words were hard to get out, her eyes filling with tears. 'With things like this, I can't even tell who you really see as your Luna, or as their mother." But at the time, his head was full of Megan, who'd just come back into his life, and he found June's complaints totally unreasonable. He'd responded coldly: "Have you forgotten... if you hadn't gotten in the way..." 'Megan was supposed to be Luna of this pack." June had gone completely still, staring at him with this look of total disappointment. n that moment, seeing her pain and shock, he'd felt a flicker of guilt in his chest. But Megan was the one he really loved, so he ignored June standing there and walked away without another thought. After that, June never brought it up again, like the conversation had never happened. He'd felt relieved, thinking she finally understood her place. Lost in those memories, he found himself pushing open the door to the pups' room. Kai and Cora were sound asleep, their little heads close together. On the nightstand was a bright, happy photo of them with Megan. June's picture had been taken down at some point. Looking at the empty spot where her photo used to be, he felt this weird hollowness inside. He didn't go back to the master bedroom. Instead, he went to the guest room by himself. Cold moonlight streamed in through the window. Nicholas grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet and took a long drink straight from the bottle. The sharp burn scorched his throat, but it didn't do anything to calm the restless feeling churning in his chest.