My Twin Sister Became His Second Luna Chapter 09

My Twin Sister Became His Second Luna Chapter 09

Three years later, Frosthaven.

The annual Defense Technology Awards ceremony was held at the Alliance Center along the Larkspur River.

I stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the lights of boats drift along the river. I’d been holding the rim of my glass against my lips for a long time.

“Nervous?”

Eamon’s voice came from behind me.

“Not really.”

He raised a brow but didn’t call me out.

Eamon Calder had known me for three years. He knew that when I was nervous, I unconsciously tapped the rim of my glass against my lower lip. His deep-gold hair glowed beneath the banquet lights, and there was always a steady calm in his gray-green eyes that put me at ease.

Our meeting wasn’t exactly romantic.

When I first joined Northstar Tactical Forge, I was only a junior structural engineer. He was the head of field testing and a tactical consultant for Frosthollow Pack.

In my first month on the job, I spent two straight nights revising the shock-absorption system on a folding crossbow. On the third day, I passed out beside the testing range. Eamon caught me in time, took my toolbox away, and canceled the test right in front of me.

“Weapons can be rebuilt. If the designer goes down, who’s going to fix the next version?”

His tone wasn’t exactly gentle, but he handed me a cup of hot milk with honey.

Later, we went from designer and tester to regular partners. After every field test, he organized the crossbow’s vibration data for me. When old nightmares woke me, he’d sit quietly on the other side of the living room, never asking questions or touching me, just waiting for my wolf to settle.

He never made decisions for me.

When Northstar invited me to become chief designer, he didn’t tell me to accept. He only said, “Whichever position you choose, your work won’t become better or worse because of your title.”

When Frosthollow wanted me to join the Pack, he personally added an exit clause to the contract so I could take my patents and my identity with me whenever I wanted.

That was the first time I understood that love and belonging didn’t have to come with a price.

The host called my name.

Eamon lightly touched my elbow.

“Time to go get what’s yours.”

I walked onto the stage and accepted the medal from the Alliance chair.

“The winner is Nerissa Ravenn. Her Freewolf system allows even lower-ranked wolves to hold their borders and has redefined modern Pack defense.”

As the applause rose, the golden wolf inside me, silent for years, slowly lifted its head.

It didn’t howl. It simply settled peacefully into the deepest part of my soul.

After the reception, Eamon and I walked home along the Larkspur River.

At the middle of the bridge, he suddenly stopped.

“Nerissa, there’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.”

He took a deep-blue velvet box from inside his coat. There was no extravagant diamond inside, only a ring made of moon-silver and black titanium, with a running wolf engraved on the inner band.

“Three years ago, I told myself you didn’t need another person pushing you to make decisions.”

“Two years ago, I wanted to ask, but I was afraid you’d say yes because you depended on this place.”

“Now you have your own career, your patents, and the freedom to choose whether you stay or leave. I finally know that whatever your answer is, you won’t lose anything.”

His throat bobbed, but his gray-green eyes never left mine.

“Will you choose me and become my partner?”

My wolf leaned toward his familiar scent of cedar and metal, letting out a satisfied rumble for the first time on its own.

“Yes,” I said.

Eamon blinked.

“That’s it? One word?”

“What else?” I couldn’t help laughing. “Were you hoping I’d write you a voluntary declaration first?”

He laughed, too, but he didn’t put the ring on my finger right away.

“One more confirmation. You can change your mind at any time.”

I held out my left hand.

“This time, I’m sure.”

The ring slid onto my ring finger. It fit perfectly.

Eamon took my hand.

“Come on. Let’s go home.”