79. First Mistake

“That was hella stressful,” Ostana blew out a deep breath, wiping the dry sweat from her forehead, and adjusting her blush pink wrap around her noodle strapped shoulders; her matching blush pink dress was long enough to kiss her white sandal covered feet, complimenting her silver pearl earrings and light make up. 

“Agreed,” I sighed, pulling the pin that held my curled blond hair up and as the strands fell, I let the stress escape myself. “Those women sure are fancy,”

“Oi! I would like a crispy tea cake please,” Ostana joked in a high pitched, awful, fake British accent, and carelessly gesturing her hands for emphasis while I began to laugh; my hands sitting atop my small baby bump as we continued to walk. “One lump or two, but no- not three! I can’t gain a pound or so help me-”

“Knight Luna!” A voice rang out from behind us and cut through our laughter, making Ostana frown deeply; turning around, I saw one of our grunts race towards us though he tried not to run.

“Now what?” My best friend grumbled, ready to get out of her dress and into her pajamas just to watch a movie and to be honest, that sounds better than anything in the entire world right now.

Even though I’m not too far along, my breasts have already started to become sore as have my feet but at least my nausea has lessened… A bit. 

Holding back my chuckle at her attitude, I smiled towards the grunt. “Yes?”

Breathless and wide eyed, the boy cleared his throat and straightened his posture before speaking. “There’s someone here to see you,”

*

I couldn’t believe my eyes… 

There was no way in hell or high water that this was real; after all the lies I had already been through, now this? 

“Hello Celeste,”

Distrust rolled into my body, a familiar coldness sweeping over my body, and I could hear Cassandra growl loudly from inside of me; although she was not with me at the time of the ‘accident’, she knew damn well what happened and what could’ve happened. 

“What do you want?” I spat back, feeling my anger start to boil and I held my chin high, hoping the trembling in my hands could lessen themselves as I joined my fingers together; my engagement ring sparkly and beautiful in the sun rays which filtered through the palaces front entrance room. 

Thomas stood behind me, his eyes locked on the stranger, and I could see that Arrow was now on duty as he started walking our way; both of these men dressed in their fighting leathers had become my friends throughout these past months, so when they sensed their Luna in danger, they didn’t waste any time coming to help me, just as I would them.

Letting out a faux gasp, he spoke. “I thought you would be more than happy to see an old friend, Luna,”

Cassandra released a deep growl from our lips and I smirked lightly seeing his dark eyes flash with an authoritative fear. “We are not friends, Jackson.”

 Jackson rolled his eyes, letting those dark orbs of coffee follow down the outline of my body, and landing harshly on my baby bump which my hands sat atop of; underneath his piercing gaze, I tried not to let that cold phantom fear of our last encounter start to haunt me.

I hated the way I could still feel how he had pushed me up against the icy shed at that park, forcing his lips onto my skin, and-

“What do you need?” I let the words free themselves from my constricting throat.

“Knocked up?” Jackson mocked, ignoring my question entirely, and met my eyes as he spoke the next line. “You really have been a whore,” 

Before I could growl or even prove him wrong, somehow justify myself, Arrow interrupted us. 

“Knight Luna has business elsewhere,” Arrow lied through his teeth so easily that even I double questioned myself and the ‘task’ that I was supposed to have… Where did he learn to lie so easily? 

Thomas then stepped closer to me, laying a comforting but respectable hand atop my shoulder. “I suggest you request a meeting next time,” Thomas, who was usually so shy and a storm of anxiety, spoke with strength and his head high. 

Arrow slightly raised his brow and concealed his own surprise as he nodded at Jackson while I turned with Thomas at my side and began walking, our footsteps echoing past the whispers of the surprisingly empty afternoon room, and right as I was about to exit the room, Jackson spoke once more.

“It’s your mother, Linda. She’s back at our pack,”

Halting my feet, I took a deep breath.

The anger that was already inside me started to gnaw on my bones at the mention of Linda, my sister actually, and how she had lied to me for my whole life; if Emrys wasn’t here, I would still be that blind, little girl who thought she had all her ducks in order when in cold reality, everything was a transparent lie. 

During the past few months, I had done some digging on my family history but always came up short in everything, like my own family had never existed at all. Emrys, Ostana, Laker, Arrow, and even Anton had all helped me as we kept this under the radar, not that I was ashamed of being ‘parentless’ but more so to keep any questioning at bay… Emrys and Laker had informed me that the people of court could be quiet the rumor boats. 

Chelsa and Ruby, who have spent the last few months in France thanks to Anton paying for the whole trip as an apology gift for both his own father and Emrys’ father’s actions, have heard the news of course, and told us that the moment they get back -whenever that will be- they’ll help. And I’m still not sure how they got out of the prison cells all those months ago either, but I was so glad they did. 

“Just thought you would want to know, Luna,”