There’s crisp silence in the room and Roman sits on the side of my bed. There’s a heavy dip where he settles but it comforts me to feel that dip. I hear his breath go deeper, I hear Roman’s blood begin to rush heavier and there’s the need to have him lay on the bed with me in my blood. An image of that forms in my mind and I chuckle because it would be weird. Roman in the powerfully tailored suit and his leather shoes lying in the too-small hospital bed with me. I reach for his hand instead, and he takes mine in his immediately. I ask lowly, “Are you okay, Roman?” Roman huffs in an emotion that feels like bitter amusement and he turns to look at me, “How?” Explaining how means bringing up my conversation with Hunter and I'm not ready for that yet so I ask quizzically, “Do you know Elara has a master’s in genetic engineering?” I feel something hit me in the gut immediately because I was wrong. I thought bringing up my conversation with Hunter would be appalling yet even this manag
Maya is waiting in our room when I get home and she’s with Axios. They’re seated on the couch and surprisingly, they have a board game set out.Maya’s already looking at the door when I come in and she gets up immediately, running to embrace me. I pick her up in my arms and wrap her in a hug.Ugh, I wanted to do this when she came back from school, “I heard you hurt yourself, mummy.”I nod softly and chuckle, “I’m fine now, baby girl. Did you enjoy lunch? I made it myself.”Maya nods and shyly whispers something in my ear, “He… was here. Axios’s dad.”I do not let the frown that threatens to line my face manifest itself, I ask instead, “Did he say he wanted anything?”Maya shakes her head, “No. He only told us you had an accident while cooking and he made sure we ate.”Axios stands awkwardly by the table and he looks away when I turn my eyes to him. I see they’ve both changed from their uniforms and I nod internally because it means someone’s been taking care of them at least.I drop
“Roman would make such a great dad.”I keep the look on my face blank as Priam approaches me, a smile on his face. I nod when he gets to me because yeah, Roman will.“We’re not here to talk about my husband, are we?”Priam chuckles and leans on the hood of my car. He brings out a thin object from his pocket and places it between his lips. My suspicions are confirmed when the metallic ring of a lighter is heard and I cock an eyebrow up at him, asking, “You smoke now?”Priam shrugs and takes a deep puff of his cigarette stick, walking a few paces away before blowing out the smoke and walking back to me as he replies, “It’s… a special treatment kind of thing, plus it was either this or daily visits to the hospital for a dosage. I chose the option that’d make me look cool as a High Councilor.”I snort, “High Councilors don’t smoke. They act creepy and pass laws, things like that.”Priam pulls from his cigarette stick again, mouth brimming with white smoke as he replies, “ Well this one
She scoffs.“You can’t uninvite me.”Elara’s barely fazed. She closes her book, gets up, dusts her jeans, and flips her loose golden hair over her shoulder.She looks stunning today but her face is set in a sneer as she goes on, “I’m still a member of the Ironclaw pack, and with that comes the immediate invitation to attend the Jubilee. You’ve already done so many things to irk me, Scarlett, let’s not add this to the list.”If it’s possible for me to feel my blood boil, I do. It creates a sick image in my mind as I imagine the thick red liquid steaming and bubbling.“I’VE done things to irk you? You haven’t done anything to be a difficult person all this while?”Elara sets a tired gaze on me, “Bad person. Say what you mean directly.”“I did.”“You’re to be seen nowhere near the hall and nowhere near the Jubilee. I’ll ask the warriors to lock you up if I need to. I have the right to do that as the Luna. Are we clear?”I see Elara’s look turn progressively ugly and she scoffs, giving m
“What are we looking at here?” Roman gives me a look from where he’s seated but I plead with him silently. He had to come back from work because of this, and I had to call in someone I don't think he really likes. Priam crosses his legs and leans back on the couch, his gaze scrutinizing as he watches the video. I can tell that they’re all waiting for me to explain but I’ve already explained. “Someone, or something, deleted footage from the Ironclaw archives a few days ago. As you can see from the footage, there’s bascially no one there, but activity is going on in the room. It’s… a cause for concern at least, because what if this thing harms one of us? It could kill a pack member right here in the packhouse, or do worse, I don’t know. It’s spooky that there might be an invisible person in the packhouse.” Roman’s voice floats into my ears solidly, “It’s more than spooky. It’s a valid cause for concern, especially with the Moon Jubilee set to be held here in a day. This is a secu
Roman doesn’t tell me what he and his father talk about after I leave, and I stay silent on that because I don't want him to.It’s the next day and suddenly I'm feeling like…. this.I’m having mixed feelings about everything, and with the fact that Elara has been caught trying to sneak into the pack kitchens….It’s not even been a full day yet for fuck’s sake and she’s already going against the agreement i thought we’d come to.Mira sounds amused when I huff lightly after hearing her report and she continues, “It seems the former Luna wants to make a point, or she just intentionally wants to be thrown in the pack dungeons. Either way, she says she’s done nothing wrong. She raved about wanting to take her complaint to the Supreme Alpha council.She was crying and acting hysterical, probably to gain sympathy from the cooks and the maids. She said you were rubbing salt into her open wounds, sleeping with her former mate and now trying to keep her from even eating in the packhouse.A lot
The Night is warm with lights and the mansion is decorated to glimmering perfection.Roman stands like a beacon of light in my mind and he kisses the side of my neck, holding me around the waist and plastering his cheek against mine.“You look ravishing.”I can’t help the butterflies that flutter in my stomach when I look at the both of us in the mirror. Roman is fully focused on me, the sight of me, the feel of me. It’s astonishing when I realize the fact that he’s mine.His love. His heart. His sexy sexy body.“I almost don’t want you to go out in this suit.”Roman chuckles at my remark and picks something up from the table beside us, placing it on my head and looking at me with a smile when our eyes meet in the mirror again.His words bolster me, “The crown of the Luna, for the one and only Luna.”I nod and chuckle because he’s right. That’s what I am. I am his Luna, and we have a party to throw.The Moon Jubilee is in full swing by the time I and Roman come downstairs. The hall is
“Luna Scarlett?”…….“Luna Scarlett?”I jolt as someone touches my hand and the sounds of the party filter in again. It’s like I've been snapped out of a trance and I blink repeatedly, trying to gain some semblance of coordination but failing.The owner of the female voice taps me again and this time I finally look at her. Tria’s face is scrunched in slight confusion as she asks, “Is everything okay, Luna? You seem…. Dazed.”I jerk my head disorientedly. I AM dazed. But I put a smile on my face all the same and sigh good naturedly, “It’s just a bit of general fatigue, maybe it’s the baby.”Tria nods and moves to sit beside me on the free couch. I moved upstairs after speaking with Oxana. The lower floor seemed too crowded for me, and we already cordoned some rooms to be casual relaxation centers. This one is slightly occupied, but not too much. Not so much that anyone is paying any attention to me.“Are you feeling overwhelmed, Luna Scarlett?”I nod slowly because I am. There’s a cer