Chapter 89

I rose with the sun, brushing aside the veil of last night's uncertainties. Elroy had left early, and even though he was usually gone by the time I woke up, his side of the bed felt colder than normal.

I moved through the morning with my thoughts in a tumult, incessantly repeating the same questions I’d asked myself since yesterday. Was I reading too much into Elroy’s gestures, his words? Did he feel the same fire between us, or were we just lukewarm companions in his eyes?

So I did what I always did when I needed a break from my brain, and I channeled my energy into a task—in this case, the establishment of the WPI. There was a lot to organize before the Initiative could even get off the ground, and I was determined to make the opening as successful as possible. As I sunk into the chaos, orchestrating strategies and smoothing out logistics, my anxiety had no choice but to take a back seat.

Lunaris was a buzz of activity, our informal interviews plastered all over the web before we were even finished with our burgers, so I had plenty of public interest to review. We were hailed as pioneers by many, especially those outside of our pack, but the whispers of dissent couldn't be ignored either.

Mostly it was murmurs from Alphas who saw our initiative as a threat, using the typical rhetoric that ‘this was a slippery slope’ and ‘next thing you know Omegas will take all our jobs!’ It was fearmongering, plain and simple, trying to convince people that Omegas gaining rights was the same thing as Alphas losing them. Nothing we hadn’t anticipated, but I had to make sure I scanned through all of it for any legitimate threat.

People always thought they could say whatever they wanted behind the safety of their screens, and if anyone felt compelled to violence over this, chances were they’d talk about it. At least I hoped they would—it would make it so much easier to avoid catastrophe. The WPI office would be in the administrative wing of Allegheny Manor, so it would be very difficult to attack directly, but people could be very creative.

I remembered my mother talking to me about security concerns once, during the planning of a protest march. I was maybe 14, she hadn’t married Greg yet, and she was already teaching me the ways of a pack leader. I’d long forgotten what the protest was about, but mom was very clear about the risks she had to mitigate.

I remember at one point that someone posted online about how awful it would be if the bridge collapsed just as everyone was walking over it, and that mom almost hadn’t worried about it. When she had the bridge inspected, though, several nuts were missing. If they’d actually walked over it

Still, the opposition only steeled my determination. Change was never without resistance, and I took their skepticism as a sign we were on the verge of something momentous.

Besides, most of what I was finding was incredibly positive—it seemed like we had the support of the majority of Lunaris, who had moved past this outdated thought process years ago and were excited to see us join them. There were a lot of people deeply shaken by Ines’ broadcast, questioning how we could fix such a long-standing problem, but even that felt like fuel to do better. It made me more determined to dig up the hatred from the root.

Making any political move in the public eye was a gamble, but it was one that had paid dividends before and I believed it would do so again. People moved from one story to the next surprisingly fast, though, so it was up to me to keep us at the forefront of peoples’ minds.

I called in Jordan, who was still acting as my personal secretary—poor thing—and started sketching out a rough calendar. We needed to have an expected timeline in terms of opening the WPI’s office, so that I could plan out strategic moments to draw media attention back to us. And the ultimate way to do that was--

“Jordan,” I said, “I think it’s time to hold a banquet.”

The low light of my bedside lamp lay across Elroy's face, casting a warm glow on his furrowed brow as we settled down to sleep. It was hard to believe that I’d once been so reluctant to lay near him, and now this protective little cocoon we formed was more habit than necessity. I still doubted we were on the same page, but at least I knew we’d managed to find our way into the same book.

"Olivia," Elroy murmured against my hair, “you’re really holding a banquet?” I nodded.

“The plan is to hold it right as WPI starts operations,” I said. “News of a party that size will keep media attention on us, so the council has no wiggle room to try to squirm out of this. Besides, Fay and the others deserve to be celebrated.”

Elroy nodded, but he clearly had reservations. “I agree, but you just…you can’t overwork yourself again, okay?”

I tilted my head up to meet his gaze, the cool hues of his eyes soft with worry. The familiar flutter of warmth that always accompanied his concern spread through my chest.

“I won’t,” I promised. “This isn’t like before, where I had no one to share the burden with. Besides, ever since the Omegas joined us my wolf has been much calmer. I haven’t gotten anywhere close to another panic attack.”

Elroy pursed his lips, but nodded. “I know,” he said, even though he didn’t sound very pacified. I sighed.

“Elroy, I understand your worry, I do,” I said honestly. It couldn’t have been easy for him to see me in those panic attacks, unable to protect me or his unborn child the way his instincts demanded, and it wasn’t impossible for it to happen again. “Believe me, I don’t want to end up like that again, either, and I’m doing everything Iris says.”

Elroy looked a little more reassured, nodding his head. I could tell he was watching me carefully, looking for any shadow of the strain I’d felt early in my pregnancy, but he relaxed minutely when he couldn’t find any.

"Promise me you'll use all the help you can get,” he said. “I might be caught up with other things a lot of the time, but Sam is just as eager to assist, and I know Jordan will help you too.”

His insistence coaxed a smile onto my lips. "I promise," I said, feeling the truth of it resonate within me. “I’ve already delegated most of the banquet planning to Jordan and Matt, so I’m really not going to be as involved as it sounds.”

"Good," he sighed, a reluctant smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. I poked Elroy playfully.

"It's cute that you're worried about me though," I teased, the corners of my mouth tugging upward as I watched him for his reaction.

He grunted in mock protest, even though his grin had widened into something boyish and bright, and retaliated to my attach by rolling me closer to his chest. His muscular arms clamped around me, trapping me against him and eliciting a delighted squeal. I liked it the most when he was like this, rakish and charming and a little impulsive—acting like someone his age, without all the weight of the crown hanging on him.

Like this, he reminded me of the silly, passionate man from our first and second meetings—before the pregnancy, the politics, and the pack’s attention. Looking up into his eyes, I was met with a grin so full of affection it sent my heart fluttering like a captive bird against my ribs.

"Anything for you, Luna.”