Chapter 6 : A No-Good Luna

*Estelle*

Gabe left me waiting around his house all day. I guess Val was serious when he said that the Alpha was busy.

Eventually, Val had found me flipping through books in the library and offered to take me back to the inn for the night.

"Tell me about the role of the Luna," I said as we walked along. I wanted to understand why Isolde was convinced that I was trying to steal that position from her.

"It's quite important," he said. "She doesn't lead the way the Alpha does, but there are many decisions that are entirely her domain."

"That does sound important," I said quietly.

He nodded and continued, "part of the Luna's job is to help care for the pack's children. This means that if the worst happened and a child is orphaned, it falls to the Luna to find that child a stable home. Now, this is a rare occurrence, but it has become an issue. After we were attacked nearly twenty years ago, many families were fractured."

I looked over at him and saw the sadness in his eyes. "What happened?" I asked.

He took a deep breath and paused. Clearly, the topic made Val uncomfortable.

"Maybe another time," he said finally. "I think it's best that you get some rest tonight."

I took the hint. The topic was off limits.

Mama Iida had a hot meal waiting for me at the inn and I'd eaten and gone to sleep. I wasn't able to rest, though.

I wanted to leave, just to prove to myself that I could. The lack of control over my situation was maddening. I tossed and turned for hours until I finally gave up. I looked out the window to see that the sky was just starting to lighten. It was nearly morning.

It was a stupid decision, but I had to try.

I hopped out the window of my room and quickly made my way down the street. I found Gabe's truck, but the key wasn't in the ignition and I didn't know the first thing about trying to hotwire it. I had to make my attempt on foot.

The sky was lightening rapidly, and I didn't want to risk being discovered right away. I quickly moved down the path the truck had driven in on. As I made my way through the forest, my heart was beating thunderously.

I tried to calm myself and focus on following the barely visible tire tracks on the overgrown path. I didn't know how deep in the forest I was, but I hoped that if I stayed on the trail, I would be able to backtrack to a main road and hopefully get some help from there.

It wasn't long before I started to panic. My wolf was on high alert, and I found myself moving faster than I should in the poor light. The problem wasn't that I'd gotten lost, but that I wasn't alone in the forest.

Someone had started following me shortly after I'd left the village.

At first, I thought it was Gabe or Val, but I didn't smell a familiar scent, and no one responded when I called out to them.

I felt my wolf's hackles rise as I got deeper into the forest. Still, I pushed forward. The further I went, the more convinced I became that I was being followed and the harder it was to focus on where I was going.

I was quickly becoming frantic. I was sure that the snapping of twigs nearby couldn't have come from anything smaller than a man. It was truly morning now, and the sunlight streaking through the trees was casting strange shadows along the ground, which did nothing to quell my anxiety.

Images of the attack in the restaurant were flashing through my mind. I was sure that the shaggy haired man had found me and intended to finish the job. Just when I was preparing myself to fight for my life, the presence vanished.

Moments later, I heard Gabe's voice calling to me and I picked up his scent on the breeze. Whoever had been hunting me, they were at least smart enough to be afraid of Gabe. I was so relieved that I ran toward his voice. All thoughts of getting away from him were momentarily forgotten.

"What are you doing out here?" he demanded. I thought that he was going to say more, but he looked at me and recognized the panic in my face. "What happened?"

"I think that someone was following me," I said breathlessly.

I wanted to throw myself into his arms, but I didn't dare. I looked around us at the towering trees, but there was no sign of anything. Gabe frowned and lifted his head, sniffing at the air. He looked perplexed, but he didn't give any indication that he didn't believe me.

"It's not safe for you to wander off alone," he said. "I told you that."

"I know."

I wouldn't apologize. This was his fault for trying to keep me locked up. But I wouldn't be trying anything like that again. I wanted to go home, but it was clear that there was still danger lurking out there, waiting to catch me alone and vulnerable. Whoever was after me knew where I was.

I couldn't leave.

Gabe sighed in irritation and reached for my arm. I let him grip my elbow and lead me back toward the village.

"I don't have time to waste chasing after you," he said sternly. "I have an important meeting. Since I can't trust you not to run off, you'll have to come with me."

"I won't try to run off again," I said quietly.

He glanced at me but didn't say more. We walked in silence through the village and back to his house. I was too focused on trying to quell my anxiously thundering heart to pay much attention to Gabe. My wolf was soothed by his scent and proximity, and I was soon calmed and content.

We walked into a large room that I could only describe as a parlor. There was a large table and several chairs in the center of the room. Gabe sat at the head of the table and motioned for me to be seated at his right side. I gladly did so. I just wanted to take a moment to gather my wits.

Almost as soon as we were seated, the door opened and a man walked in. He was an older man with salt and pepper hair and bright, brown eyes. He looked to be the same height as Gabe, but it was hard to tell at the moment.

"Let's not waste time, Charles. What is it you needed to speak to me about?" Gabe said, foregoing a greeting.

Val had told me about Charles. He was a pack elder and someone Gabe relied on to make difficult decisions. I knew from Val that Charles had helped raise Gabe after his father's death. Gabe took his words very seriously, which is probably why he was frowning so deeply as the older man approached him now. The look on Charles's face said that the topic of his visit was anything but pleasant.

"I'll be blunt then," he said. "Word of Estelle's presence in the village has gotten around already. It goes without saying that the lack of transparency on your part has allowed rumors to spread."

I stared at the man as he spoke to Gabe. Something about him seemed off, but I couldn't say what.

"Rumors are circulating like wildfire about who she is and why she's here. The two of you have been seen arguing on the streets, so it's obvious there's a close connection between you. It's generally accepted that she is likely your mate. The pack would celebrate heartily if it were that simple. You know that we wish for your happiness and that finding a Luna would bring peace of mind to many."

"So what is the problem?" Gabe asked. He was leaning forward in his chair with his chin propped up on his closed fist. His jaw was tense and it seemed to me that he was doing his best to hold back his irritation.

I sat beside him with my hands folded awkwardly in my lap. I felt like a fool, just sitting there while they talked about me.

Gabe looked at me, but his expression was hard to read. I just looked back, trying to convey my unease without vocalizing it. I hoped that he would let me leave and spare me the rest of this awkward exchange, but I had no such luck.

"I'm afraid a more insidious rumor has circulated as well," Charles explained. He was being careful to keep his tone measured. "Is it true that Estelle was raised by humans?"

"What of it?" Gabe demanded instantly. He straightened up in his chair and stared steadily at Charles.

"That's unfortunate," Charles shook his head. "We need a Luna that can bring stability and peace to the pack. How can we expect that peace to come from a human-raised—"

"Watch yourself," Gabe growled. "You will speak of my mate with the respect she is due."

I was taken aback by Gabe's tone. Considering the way he'd shouted at me when he was even slightly annoyed, it was funny to see him suddenly concerned about showing me respect. I frowned at him.

Charles let out a low, exasperated sigh and looked at Gabe with disappointment clear on his face. "I'm not insulting your mate. I only want to be certain you understand the gravity of the situation."

"She is my mate, and I will be the one to decide if she joins the pack, regardless of your contrary opinion on the matter." Gabe stood. The two were face to face, staring steadily at one another.

The tension in Gabe's broad shoulders was obvious, as was the anger burning in his blue eyes. I couldn't tell if it was because his decisions were being questioned or because he thought I had been insulted.

Charles glanced at me for the first time and I froze in place. Something about his eyes made my blood run cold. My wolf, who had been dozing happily, jumped to attention. He looked back at Gabe and smiled apologetically.

"Of course, the decision is yours, Alpha. I'm only trying to apprise you of the situation. You've worked so hard to restore our pack, I would hate for something like this to cause a rift."

That statement seemed to hit home for Gabe. He sighed and brought his hand to his face, rubbing at his eyes as if he were trying to force away a headache. "Stability is our top concern," he said softly. "I am painfully aware of that."

"The people have a right to be concerned. How can an outsider, especially one unfamiliar with pack life, be trusted at our Alpha's side?"

I could see Gabe's doubt in the barely perceptible sagging of his shoulders. I was startled to see the fight leave him so quickly. I knew that Charles was someone that Gabe trusted, but I had no idea his influence was so strong. All I could do was watch and wait to see how Gabe would react.

"The women are especially worried. They're afraid that a Luna like that wouldn't make the best decisions for the pups."

That comment was like a dagger to my heart. I swore that Charles smirked as he said it.

I stood suddenly and walked quickly toward the door. I was either going to cry or scream; I wasn't sure which. I just wanted to get out of that room before I made a spectacle of myself.

Gabe made no movement to stop me. He wasn't interested in trying to comfort me. I reached the door but paused when I heard the next words that Charles spoke.

"For the good of the pack, you must reject her."