Kyra’s POV

This birthday celebration was truly special. Surrounded by the people I love - new friends, reunited family, and rekindled love. After years of prioritizing the pack and business responsibilities as Nathan’s Luna, I finally understood what truly mattered. The strength of our bond, the stability of our pack, and the legacy we would build together. As Alpha pair, we had everything we needed to create a powerful future for our family and pack members. Nathan had given me both love and purpose.

"It’s a tiger!" Snow squealed happily before pouting when none of us guessed correctly. We’d been playing charades since finishing dinner.

"That’s not how a tiger moves!" Phoebe laughed.

Snow shook her head stubbornly. "No! I saw a tiger on TV that moved just like this!"

I felt Nathan’s fingers intertwining with mine. When I glanced at him, his eyes were fixed on my ring finger, tracing it gently. I knew exactly what he was thinking about. I bit my lip, enjoying his attention.

"Daddy, you’re next!" Snow grabbed Nathan’s hand, interrupting our moment.

Nathan smiled and kissed Snow’s cheek before setting her beside me. She immediately wrapped her arms around my waist while Nathan took position in front of us.

He formed a heart shape with his hands and looked directly at me.

"Love?" I guessed.

He shook his head, still smiling.

"Heart?" Snow asked innocently.

"Not quite, princess," Nathan answered, his gaze returning to me. It was clear he wanted me to figure it out.

He pointed to himself, made a heart with his fingers, then pointed at me.

I laughed. "I love you?"

Nathan snapped his fingers and winked. "I love you too."

My bottom lip found its way between my teeth as something stirred inside me. Sylvia purred contentedly in my mind. "He’s finally showing everyone you’re his," she whispered.

"Ugh! What am I witnessing right now?" Phoebe grimaced. Nathan returned to sit beside me, placing Snow on his lap. They exchanged a high-five that made me shake my head. The father-daughter bond between them was undeniable.

"So gross!" Emily commented while Yara, Ana, and Mary giggled nearby.

"My turn again!" Snow announced, jumping off Nathan’s lap.

After watching for a few moments, I felt Nathan’s hand take mine, pulling me closer.

I turned to him with a smile. "Hmm?"

He leaned in, resting his head on my shoulder and brushing his lips against my neck.

"I’m sleepy," he whispered softly.

I glanced around the room. Emily caught my eye and smirked knowingly.

"Let’s go," I whispered after confirming everyone was occupied with the game. I knew they’d look after Snow. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Inside Nathan’s bedroom, he immediately stretched out on the bed, pulling me down beside him. His arm became my pillow while his other hand rested protectively over my stomach. I turned to face him, smiling at his intense gaze. Though his eyes were heavy with exhaustion, he kept them open, drinking in every detail of my face.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

He shook his head slightly. "I love you..."

I caressed his cheek, noticing something wasn’t right. "Is something wrong? Tell me."

He pulled me closer against his chest. "My head hurts."

Alarm shot through me. "You need your medicine before sleeping."

"Already took it. Just stay with me until I fall asleep."

I held him close, gently tapping his shoulder in a soothing rhythm. He always got clingy when his headaches flared up, hiding his face against my neck or chest to avoid light that would worsen his pain.

"Kyra..." he murmured.

"Hmm? Sleep now so you’ll feel better."

I felt his sigh against my skin. "I’m worried about you and our children."

"Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to us."

"If anyone tried to take any of you from me, I’d tear them apart. I couldn’t bear losing any of you."

I shook my head. "Nathan, don’t think like that."

"The pack, the business, none of it matters if I don’t have you and our children safe by my side," he said, his voice low and fierce.

"We won’t lose each other. We won’t lose our babies."

His arms tightened around me. "I’m just... scared. Luke’s death was so senseless, Kyra. You can’t blame me for thinking this way, and you can’t stop me from worrying like this."

"How long have you been thinking about this?" I asked, running my fingers through his hair.

"Since Luke was killed."

I exhaled slowly, closing my eyes. "Nathan..."

"It got worse when your cousin disappeared. If Connor Foster could do that to his own son, what might he do to you? I won’t risk it, Kyra. Any threat to you or our family, I’ll eliminate without mercy. The thought of losing you..." His voice hardened. "I’d burn everything to the ground."

"You won’t lose me," I assured him firmly.

He shook his head. "We should consider relocating the pack temporarily. Somewhere secure, just our core family until this threat passes."

"What about the company? The pack’s stability?"

"The pack follows its Alpha pair wherever we go. And I don’t give a damn about the company if your life’s in danger. Nothing matters but keeping you safe."

My heart ached at his words. How could I ease his fears? How could I promise him that neither fate nor death would separate us again? The bond between mates was sacred, but even that couldn’t guarantee safety in a world filled with enemies.

"An Alpha protects what’s his," Sylvia reminded me. "And you’re the most precious thing he has."

I squeezed my eyes shut, and everything around us fell silent. I didn’t know what to say, so I stayed quiet. Even I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring. The future was uncertain, but I wanted to be sure of one thing. We would be safe together until the end. That’s all I needed. That’s all I wanted.