Deidre“What exactly happened to make me this way?”It’s a careful question. One so carefully considered that there’s no option to deny it simply and move on. His eyes don’t leave me as he waits. But I stare back at him, compelled to tell the truth this time, despite the tears and mournful Luna cover I gave him before.No, the truth is all I have right now.And he’s going to hear it.**Years beforeA knock sounded at the door. “May I come in?” Said a soft, melodic voice.“Luna?” I rose reflexively. “You shouldn’t be out of bed–”She waved a dismissive, gentle hand at me, making her way slowly into the room, one hand clutched to the mobile IV drip machine behind her; its wheels squeaking slightly as it rolled. Her hospital gown was clean and oversized, tied in the pack with dignity, its long string trailing behind her on the floor. Her hair was tied back and out of her face, a rare sight for the Luna who left her hair long and flowing and untamed as the morning wind, yet somehow alw
DeidreAn eerie silence filled the large apartment after I finished.Sirius had sat still the entire time, transfixed; face unchanged. The only sign he had heard me was that the steady rhythm of the monitor hiccuped, indicating the erratic climb of his heartbeat. “Sirius?” I said after several long moments.His head merely twitched, cocking to the side, studying me.“Is all of this true?” His voice was an echo of its normal low tones, hollow in apparent disbelief.My beeps were normal. Predictable. Steady. “Yes.”“Does my father know?”“No.”“Who else?”“No one. Just your mother and you.”His eyes closed, the gold intensity disappearing as he channeled the building emotion within. “Why?”“That’s a rather vague question.”His hands grab his knees, white knuckles gripping his pants. “Why haven’t you told anyone?”“I was sworn to secrecy.”“How do you explain telling me?”I cross my arms. “Your mother made an exception in case you asked one day.”“She thought I would meet you?” I shrug
KiraI’ve never had a hangover like this. My head feels like it’s going to explode, and my body feels sluggish, even more so than usual.The lights in my room are bright. Obnoxiously bright. I can see the streaming light bulbs through the seams of my eyelids. An audible groan escapes and I try to roll over and shove my head under the pillow, but my arms gets tugged back as I try to move. What the–A blanket is pulled over me by a warm hand, blocking out the sun. “Hey there.”Grateful for the sudden darkness of my new cocoon, I stay beneath. “Perrin?” My voice is strangely hoarse.“The one and only.” I can hear the smile in his voice. No, not a smile. Relief. I open my eyes, confused and blinking in the glowing gray ambience of my makeshift blanket fort. The sheets below me are white, linen, and ironed to perfection. This isn’t my bed.“Where am I?”“Don’t remember much, do you?”Thinking makes my head hurt and my mouth feels full of cotton. “Can I have some water?” A moment later, a
Kira“I’m going to stay awhile,” Perrin says, as Mark and the Alpha begin to leave. Deidre gives him a pained expression, then, as if understanding something I don’t, nods curtly and leaves. When they’re gone, Perrin sits back down and eyes me from across the bed. “You seriously don’t remember saving yourself?”I hold up a hand. “Before we do that, I want to make myself perfectly clear.”“About what?”“Don’t you dare drag Ben here. I’m not interested in some type of pity visit–”But the moron only smiles at me. “I doubt it would be a ‘pity visit,’ Kira. He’s genuinely worried about you.”“You heard what I said,” I snap. “I don’t want him here.”“You honestly wouldn’t see him if he comes?”“I’m not interested in anyone forced to check in on me,” I snarl. “Where is that food, anyway?”Perrin laughs and sits back in his chair. “Ok, fine. I’ll merely suggest it to him–don’t look at me like that, I’m not disobeying a direct order from the Alpha–that he come, but I won’t demand it, ok?”“F
BenIt takes Lo and I several hours to get through the volume of books she’s donating. It’s ridiculous, but I enjoy her company. And the ability to stave off the writer’s block I can’t get over.At least it’s putting me in a better mood.I’ve tried the past few days to throw myself into my work, knowing Dean Aref is scheduled to be here in less than two weeks. I’ve exhausted the material that I copied and was wasting precious time. And with the Luna gone for the last few weeks, I had been hard-pressed to scour every inch of the library looking for the third book that I hadn’t had a chance to copy. No luck.For the last several weeks, I’d been cursing myself for not just taking pictures of the third book while I had the chance. I was so distracting trying to hunt it down that I hadn’t even figured out how I would explain to Dean Aref that I had found them in the first place. He had nearly mocked my chances when I told him I was trying to find the primary sources; to find books that had
Lo“You’re going to do great!” Perrin gives my hand a squeeze, then brings it to his mouth and kisses the back of my palm.“I wish I didn’t have to do this,” I say, trying not to hop from foot to foot with nerves.Cynthia and Deidre picked out a lavender, form-fitting dress that emphasizes the bump that’s been forming steadily for the past few weeks. I try not to rest my hand on my stomach, as I’ve been taken to doing lately. Not that the press hasn’t already guessed why we’re here.Alpha Jason rounds the corner with Deidre on his arm. She’s dressed in a beige business suit, not a hair out of place on her head. But despite her pristine makeup, she looks like she hasn’t slept in weeks. Alpha Jason stands strong in an immaculate suit, his tie a tan brown to match his wife.I look at Perrin, noting that we don’t match or have any visual link between us. Perrin doesn’t miss a beat. “We have years to figure that out,” he murmurs against my ear, before stepping forward and shaking his fathe
LoI’m amazed at how well Perrin handles the crowd of reporters, his manner congenial and natural, as if he’s done this for years. I suppose he has. And get it from Deidre, apparently.He tosses questions between us, not making it obvious that I’m still gun-shy from my last interview with Lester to really take the reigns. But he holds my hand as we sit, answering questions as if he’s talking just to me. Eventually I felt comfortable bending the microphones towards me and answering questions on my own.I told the press how I’d be spending peaceful afternoons volunteering at the Archives and shadowing the Luna at various tasks of her professional role. I shared that I was excited for motherhood but not naive enough to believe it wouldn’t be challenging. I acknowledged that it would take a village–and the pack–to help me raise this child. That answer was met with a fervor of happy sighs and approval from the crowd.Perrin doted on me the whole time, talking about our newly furnished nurs
Deidre“You’re quiet.”“Was the press conference not enough for you?” I can feel the words land with unnecessary force, but I’m preoccupied right now. “I thought it went well,” he said neutrally.“I agree,” chimes in Mark. He’s up front with Charlie, watching the roads. “By the way, when we get there I’m going to stop and speak with our pilot. Make sure everything is set for our departure next week.”I turn to Mark, momentarily forgetting about our trip to Texas. “Are we flying together?”“Perrin will fly separately. You know we never put two Alphas in the air at the same time.” He speaks as if this is something I should know. I do, but counter.“I think we need to arrive at the Welcome Ceremony as a united front, though.”“We can do that. I’ll ensure our car services pick us both up upon arrival.”“Good.”We pull up to a private hangar. Mistra is waiting for us, her luggage to the side. “I thought she was flying first-class?” I asked, recalling our agreement that night in my office.