"Why the fuck didn't you run away with Axel and Damon?" I shout at Caroline. Or, at least, I try to shout in her direction as the dungeon is so dark I can't see where she is."You didn't order me to run." Her voice is so calm that it just pisses me off. It's like it's another Thursday afternoon for her."Oh, my bad then. I guess I didn't expect that I need to. Even more I thought that an order for me to go would have made you want to stay. Just because!""You are a member of my pack that was about to be taken away by the enemy. I know you don't like me, Rose, but not even you would be stupid enough to think I'd just run away and leave you behind."I am so damn close to tell her that she killed me before, not just abandoned me. She also led her pack to certain destruction to protect the enemy. But I have to remind myself that that Caroline is dead and the one sitting next to me in a dungeon knows nothing about our past life."If I wouldn't have gotten Nala, would you stand by me?" I as
"The Moon Priestess. A pleasure to meet you. Let me introduce myself, as I am the one who brought you here. I am Leon BlackBlood." The king has a pleasant smile and is dressed impeccably in a very expensive-looking suit. His office is enormous, with leather couches surrounding a long coffee table in the middle and a massive dark wood desk by the window. The walls are full of shelves holding all sorts of books and antiques."You didn't bring me here, I came on my own, as I could have ordered your people to go with far less effort than I needed to order two Alphas.""Well, neither of them is really an Alpha, right?""Axel will be Alpha in a month and Damon already is, right?"He leans back on his chair and looks me up and down, that pleasant smile still lingering on his lips."You are so familiar with my son. I suppose it's normal since the Moon Goddess blessed both of you. What does your mate think about your close friendship?" He asks, as he signs me to take a seat and pushes a cup of
Breathe in and breathe out. Mind the pace of the heartbeats. Mind all the little muscles in your face. Your breathing. Your position on the chair.I wonder if he took any precautions before inviting me in his office without chains? I wonder if I could gather enough strength to give him an order or what did he instruct the people that are probably watching this meeting through hidden cameras to do in case he gets compromised.The Moon Goddess warned me not to try the order on him before. That he lost the connection with her entirely and there's no telling how he would react. But if I have no other choice?"What gave you the impression I consider you a fool?""The fact that you really thought you can tell me whatever you want and I will jump to believe you without checking it, Miss Rose." He accentuates my name like it's a threat, but despite the lump that formed in my throat I try to play along."I don't consider you a fool. But you should extend the same courtesy. I wanted to check if
"It's been three weeks and every time I see you here, you have the same expression on your face. I wonder if you can get wrinkles from frowning in a dream." I say as the familiar world resided by the Moon Goddess takes shape around me."I don't know about wrinkles, but you'll certainly give me heart problems." Damon offers me a cheeky smile, but even so, I can see the deep circles around his eyes. On his otherwise perfect appearance, they seem so out of place."I won't get caught... He can't possibly know I can commune while in wolf shape. And Caroline even started training with Nala so they seem like they communicate through the pack link. I am being as careful as I can be." I try to erasure him as well as I can, while brushing my hand against where his arm should be. Instead, only warm air greets my touch."It's not you I worry about... But I can't forget who Caroline was and from what Axel has been telling me about your Beta's reaction, that man is up to no good.""I'm still surpri
"If you expect me to drink this like I did last time, you are wrong. That was a show of my good will, breaking the ice for our cooperation. Now, it's plain insulting." Also back then you knew nothing and my lies and half-thruths landed on a blank page. Now I don't know how I'll be able to go around the truth if he ties it to the lies I've been telling him."Yes, indeed. But you forget that you are the one than needs this cooperation more than I do so you despite the terrible insult, I think our friendship will survive, Miss Rose.""Or I could order you to drink it, order the people that would burst into the room to drop dead and then find all your secrets. One moment of communion later and you lose everything you worked to build. And all I lose is my life." I smile as I get in his face. "Death hurts, but it's not that bad when you know you'll just start over a second later.""Then why didn't you order me? Now and in the past?""Now, because I doubt you'd take the insult as well as I d
"That is problematic..." Is all Damon has to say after I tell him everything."How is the Alpha ceremony coming along? Are you still best friends with Axel?" I try to defuse the tension, but Damon throws me a murderous look."He is making things harder than he should. Mostly because he doesn't want to have the ceremony without you by his side as he wants his first order to be the one that names you Luna. His father’s last act will probably be beating his ass if things continue this way. But if we don't hit any other problems, it should be next week and the celebration will be held in the MoonWalk's territory. Alpha Carson was open to the idea as long as we evacuated all the omegas beforehand."I can't help but chuckle at the idea of Axel insisting his first order be naming me Luna. I wonder what would he do if the memories of his past life would return to him. I guess he wouldn't lose much sleep over it. Just like Caroline wouldn't despite our friendship. For them all my worth is in m
"You will pay for this!" Like thunder, his voice breaks in my mind, echoing in vain as no answer comes from me. I pray he continues to be too consumed with his fury to remember Caroline. I hope the shock keeps her silent. And I wish I wouldn't have told her anything. Maybe I clinged to a friendship that I never had and it was too easy to forget who I was dealing with. Maybe I felt sorry of how alike we needed up being. But by the look on her face, I know she will protect her father, just as she was trained to."You should answer, Beta. I am curios about it..." The rogue king smiles like a snake looking at its prey. He didn't need the Beta, he just wanted to test me and maybe have some entertainment in between. Just like Damon said... he is as arrogant as he is powerful."How could I know what I would do in another life?" He growls, not from anger, but from the effort he has to put in avoiding the order even for just a moment.I almost jump out of my shoes when the king starts laughing
After that conversation with Caroline, she simply blocked the pack link between us and ignored me for the rest of the time. Not one word, regardless of what I tried to ask. And what disturbed me more than the silence itself was the fact that I could see on her face it wasn't rage or betrayal or anything of sorts. It was just pain. Pure, unfiltered pain."Want to go for a run?" I ask increasingly more desperate as the Alpha's meeting is in two days and I didn't have the chance to talk to Damon about all of this. I feel him pulling the strings of our connection, but there was nothing I could do."Sure." is the first word she says in days and I sigh in releief."If she tells the guard that you are communing, I won't be able to pull you back in time, girl." Nala intervenes to warn me as we walk outside."I have no choice. I have to speak with Damon.""Then if you feel me dragging you back, try to hurry." She says before the world goes dark around me. Nala takes control over my body and I