Chapter 31

“Me?! The Lycan Luna wants me to perform the Luna Dance? That’s notoriously the hardest ballet ever to perform, it’s every dancer’s dream to even learn the Luna Dance let alone perform it! And now I’m being asked to perform it in front of the royal family?” I paced back and forth in Lorenzo’s office, waving my hands dramatically as I freaked out.

“Eleanor-” Lorenzo tried to interrupt me but I bulldozed his words like he hadn’t said anything.

“And not only that, but I have to perform it opposite Cate of all people? That bitch will surely do everything she can to get in my way, there’s no way I’m dancing with her ever again.”

“Eleanor.”

“This is too much, tell them I refuse I couldn’t possibly do this-”

“Eleanor!” Lorenzo’s shout finally got my attention and I snapped my mouth shut. I turned to look at him sheepishly to find him giving me an amused look, mixed with something else I couldn’t quite read. Could it be affection?

“Eleanor, listen to me, this is an incredible honor that the Lycan Luna never takes lightly. Her choosing you wasn’t random,” Lorenzo said in a calm tone, stepping towards me and putting his hands on my shoulders.

“After your performance at her banquet, and as my new luna, you are the natural choice. If there’s one thing about the Lycan Luna that I’ve learned, it’s that she never makes the wrong choices.” There it was again, that

fierceness in his eyes. It was almost enough to make me calm down, but my nerves got the better of me.

“Do you even know what is required of a Luna Dancer Lorenzo? It’s grueling hours of rehearsal for a dance entirely on pointe that is supposed to show the struggle between the new moon and the full moon. That’s why there’s two dancers involved. I’m not dancing with Cate, I’m competing against her,” I explained with a rush of panic that caused me to begin pacing again.

The thought of competing directly on stage with Cate against totally terrified me. Performing separately was one thing, but this brought back too many painful memories from our younger years. Not only did Cate take my chosen mate, but she took my place at the ballet company. Even though the birthday banquet performance had boosted my confidence, there was no way I could best her at this.

“No Lorenzo you don’t understand, I can’t do it. What if I mess it up?” My voice cracked and I knew I had let something slip. There was more to this anxiety than I cared to admit, but Lorenzo could see right through me.

“What do you mean Eleanor? How could you mess it up?” He questioned in a calming tone. I took a breath, trying to relax. I needed to face my fears sooner or later.

“My mother was a Luna Dancer,” I revealed, my voice just above a whisper. “It was the last dance she ever performed before she retired due to her illness. Everyone regarded her as the best to ever dance the piece, if I failed her… If I failed her I would never forgive myself.”

Lorenzo enveloped me in a quiet yet comforting embrace, and I let myself weep silently in his arms. It was hard to talk about my mother, especially since watching her perform the Luna Dance was one of the last positive memories I had of her.

“You could never fail her, besides, being chosen in the first place is an honor few have claimed,” Lorenzo pulled back slightly to look at me. “Your mother would be proud already.”

He was right of course. I needed to see this for the honor and opportunity that it really was; and at that moment, an idea occurred to me.

“Lorenzo… what if-” I stopped myself, remembering the elder beta standing in the doorway. My eyes widened and he immediately got the message, turning with a cough to face the beta. Apparently she spoke fluent eye contact.

“Say no more, I’m gone. Let me know if you need anything else sir,” she said with a kind smile and a wink at me before disappearing into the hallway. Lorenzo turned back to me but I was already dislodging myself from his arms and hurrying back to his private office.

“Eleanor? What are you thinking?” Lorenzo called as he sped to catch up with me. I rushed to grab the laptop out of the drawer, pulling up my father’s blog and scrolling to the most recent entry. I highlighted the words and copied them to a blank document, sending it to myself before verifying it appeared on my phone.

Meanwhile Lorenzo stood in the doorway, confusion painted on his face. I hadn’t meant to leave him in the dark but I was so focused that I knew I would need to explain when I was done. I closed the laptop in a hurry before taking a breath and finally looking up at the alpha.

“When we attend the Luna Festival, is there any chance I can get an audience with the queen?” I asked, gears turning in my head. I was going out on a limb here and I had no idea if it would even work, let alone if it would be allowed.

“Well she’ll be at the festivities of course-”

“No, no, I mean a private audience. Maybe even just one or two minutes.”

“It’s certainly unheard of, but not impossible,” Lorenzo said carefully. “What are you playing at here?”

“You just made that deal with the lycan luna, so you’re in her good graces. Not to mention she just chose your luna as one of her luna dancers. Don’t you think there’s the potential she could grant me a few minutes of her time?” I asked, trying to see if Lorenzo would follow my lead.

“I’m sure we could make something work, what do you intend to ask her about?” Oh Lorenzo, for a powerful alpha he wasn’t always the quickest at putting pieces together. It would seem I needed to bring him up to speed.

“Lorenzo, we need to accept that invitation right away,” I said with a smile. “Why?”

“Because I’m going to get my father’s case reopened and figure out what happened to our parents, and the Lycan Luna is going to help me.”