Chapter 453


    Chapter 453


    Lanie


    I almost didn’t recognize the woman rushing across the room to hurtle herself against me. My


    scream rose, joining hers, turning to a squeal at thest second as my best friend Mindy hugged me


    so hard she squeezed the breath out of my lungs. Laughing, crying a little, I wrapped my arms


    around her and hugged her back as hard as I could.


    “Lanie! Goddess, you look so good! I mean, you always looked good, but you look…” Mindy held


    me at arms’ length, then hugged me again. “You look like a Luna.”


    Her words tickled my earlobes. “I am the Luna.”


    Mindy’sughter had an edge of tears as she pulled away again. “I was going to say you looked


    older, but I thought that mighte out wrong.”


    “I am also older,” I said. “You look good, too.”


    We both hugged each other again, dancing in ce. I’d put the thoughts of my bestie entirely out of


    my head for so long, incapable of giving myself permission to miss her. Now that came flooding


    back into me with the force of mming into a brick wall. I wanted to cry,ugh, scream, jump up


    and down, run around the room…I settled for hugging her hard one more time and then stepping


    back to take another good, long look at her.


    “I’m home,” I said.


    Mindy’s eyes welled with tears. “It’s been a long time, bestie. Don’t you dare ever go off like that


    again.”


    “I hope I never have to.” I knew better than to make a promise that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep.


    The High Council had been soundly and permanently defeated, but I’d seen way too much out there


    in the big world beyond Constantine to ever think there was no possibility that something else might


    happen. I pushed those thoughts away for now, though. Whatever might happen in the future, for


    right now, we were all safe and sound.


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    “I’m starving,” Mindy stated. “I’m going to get myself one of those buns and some coffee and


    probably a whole te of other goodies… The buffets here are amazing, please tell me you’re not


    making any changes to the way they do breakfast here!”


    “That’s the second time this morning already that someone’s asked me if I’m going to make any


    changes to the way things have been running.” I followed her to the buffet so we could both load up


    our tes. “Why is everyone assuming that?”


    Mindy looked over her shoulder at me as she piled her te with cheesy scrambled eggs. “Well,


    Gabri had her ways of managing the mansion, and when you all were gone, the mansion


    chatine took over. Now that you’re back, as Luna, you get to decide how things work. Oh,


    Goddess, they’ve got blueberry muffins today.”


    “I promise to keep the muffins,” I said with augh as I watched my friend add an enormous muffin


    to her te.


    Mindy gave me a serious look. “I’m so d you’re back, and not just because you said that.”


    We bothughed and carried our tes to the table and took our seats. She dove into her food at


    once. I’d never seen Mindy eat like that, but before I could ask if she might have a special reason


    for her hunger, I heard heavy footsteps thundering toward us.


    My three mates barreled into the room, Xander in the lead with Mason hot on his heels and Zane


    bringing up the rear. When they saw me and Mindy at the table, our forks paused halfway to our


    mouths in surprise, Xander let out a grunt.


    “Damn it, Lanie. You scared the shit out of us with that scream!”


    Mindy blinked, looking at the three men. They were all familiar to me, but I tried to see them through


    her eyes. They’d all aged, too, of course, but they’d also gotten—”


    “By the Moon,” Mindy breathed. “They’re huge!”


    Iughed, watching my mates rx when they saw I wasn’t in danger. They had all gotten bigger.


    Thicker in the arms and chests, legs like tree-trunks. My heart thudded with a sudden, fierce influx


    of love. It burned inside me hot enough to flood my entire body with heat.


    Mindy turned to me with wide eyes. “And they’re all three mated with you. How do you…I mean…”


    She coughed into her fist as her blush deepened. Mindy and I had shared most every detail of our


    lives when we were younger, so I could practically see the wheels spinning in her head now. I didn’t


    need her to finish her sentence, but she leaned closer to whisper to me anyway.


    “Fit,” she finished. “How in the world do you all fit!”


    “Very nicely,” I promised her in a low voiceced withughter.


    I watched her gaze go beyond the three giant men stalking into the dining room. She looked


    surprised then confused, then surprised again. She turned to me.


    “Who is that?”