The Alpha Kings And Their Stripper Mate

Chapter 379: Chapter 379: You’re definitely their favorite Luna

By the time the household was fully awake, the pack was already buzzing with news. ƒrēewebnovel.com

Eve learned this when she went down to breakfast to find Brynn practically vibrating with excitement.

"You absolutely destroyed them," Brynn said without preamble. "The Eastern faction is already filing compliance documentation. Word is spreading through all the packs, our Queen doesn’t negotiate with faction leaders who overstep."

"Is that good?" Eve asked, settling into a chair.

"It’s excellent. It means no one’s going to waste your time with frivolous complaints anymore. You’ve established that you have actual consequences." Brynn’s expression turned warm. "The pack is incredibly proud of you. Maya was telling everyone in the training yard this morning....’Our Luna just showed the entire Conclave what happens when you mess with her.’"

Eve smiled despite herself. "Maya did?"

"Maya definitely did. And the training yard erupted. You’ve got the pack’s absolute loyalty now." Brynn poured Eve coffee. "Though I will say Alpha Damian looked a little feral when she was telling the story. Possessive feral. I’m not sure he appreciated everyone hearing about how you dominated all three of your mates."

Heat crept up Eve’s neck. "That wasn’t exactly public...."

"Darling, you’re mated to three Alphas in a pack house. Nothing is that private. And honestly? Everyone needed to see that you have power in that dynamic too. Needed to understand that those three don’t just claim you....you claim them right back."

There was something deeply satisfying about that.

By midday, Eve had a full schedule of Luna duties....pack mediation, school visits (the children screamed when they saw her), territory assessments with Brynn.

Every person she encountered acknowledged her with a new kind of respect.

Not the fear-tinged respect from before, when she was still proving herself.

This was different. This was genuine acknowledgment of power. Of capability. Of someone who could hold her own at any table, political or supernatural.

The pack pups mobbed her in the school.

Little Emma....the one who’d declared wanting to be Queen when she grew up, threw her arms around Eve’s legs and didn’t let go.

"You’re so strong," Emma announced to the entire class. "My dad said you told the mean vampires to shut up and they had to listen. That’s so cool."

The other children gathered around, asking rapid-fire questions about the Conclave, about being Queen, about whether she actually had magic.

Eve found herself enjoying it. Found herself sitting with them, answering honestly, telling stories about Court politics in ways they could understand.

When she left, every child hugged her goodbye.

Brynn was grinning when they met up after. "You’re definitely their favorite Luna. Second only to you yourself as their favorite adult at the moment."

"They’re adorable."

"They’re in awe of you. There’s a difference." Brynn started walking toward the estate. "Come on...you have about two hours before dinner, and then the council meeting with your mates to discuss quarterly pack business."

Two hours. Eve could use that time to....

Actually, she found herself wanting to just be. Not process. Not plan. Just exist in the space she’d created.

***

Eve found herself in Damian’s private studio without consciously deciding to go there.

It was a large room on the estate’s south wing that he’d converted years ago. The walls were lined with paintings....some finished, some still in progress. The smell of paint and linseed oil filled the air.

The latest painting was of her.

It was from a memory....her in a simple dress, laughing at something Damon had said. Damian had captured something in her expression that made her breath catch. Not Queen. Not Luna. Just Eve. Happy. Loved.

She was studying it when Damian’s voice came from behind her. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

"That one’s my favorite."

Eve turned to find him in the doorway, watching her with an intensity that made her nervous.

"It’s beautiful," she said. "When did you paint this?"

"Last week. After the Conclave session where you stood up to Corvus." Damian moved deeper into the studio. "I couldn’t stop thinking about it. About how powerful you were. So I painted you instead of sleeping."

There was something in his tone that made Eve’s instincts prickle. Something beneath the surface.

"Are you okay?" she asked carefully.

Damian was quiet for a long moment. Then: "I don’t know. I haven’t been sleeping well. I keep thinking about...." He stopped. "Never mind. It’s not important."

"It’s important if it’s bothering you."

Damian’s jaw clenched. "Just... protective instincts. Nothing you need to worry about."

But Eve could feel Kane beneath the surface. Could feel the wolf that wanted more, that needed more, that wanted to keep her close in ways that probably weren’t entirely healthy.

She moved closer to him. "We can talk about it."

"Not now." His hand found her jaw, tilting her head up to meet his eyes. "Right now I just want to remind myself that you’re here. You’re safe. You’re mine."

There was something almost desperate in his kiss. Not rough or demanding, just... intense. Like he needed to feel her, reassure himself of her presence.

Eve kissed him back, letting him have what he needed, understanding without words that something was shifting inside him.

***

Dinner was tense in ways it hadn’t been in weeks.

Damian sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched. Too close. His possessiveness was obvious....in how he kept one hand on her thigh under the table, in how he tracked her attention when she spoke to his brothers, in how his eyes would go distant like he was fighting something.

Damon noticed. Eve caught him exchanging looks with Silas.

After dinner, when Damian disappeared toward his studio claiming he needed to work on something, Damon pulled Eve aside.

"He’s struggling," Damon said without preamble. "Kane is getting worse. The wolf’s been agitated for the past week, but yesterday’s dominance display....it triggered something."

"What kind of something?"

"The possessive kind. The protective kind that’s starting to look less healthy and more obsessive." Damon’s expression was concerned. "He doesn’t want to worry you, so he’s not saying anything. But Silas and I can feel it through the bonds. Kane wants to keep you contained. Wants to keep you safe in ways that aren’t... rational."

Eve’s heart clenched. "What should I do?"