Chapter 45

Many of the people around us broke out in supportive applause while I let out an inaudible noise of startled excitement.

“Oh my God.” I trembled and shook, my body swayed and I was certain I was going to topple over. Had it not been for the sturdy support of Lorenzo’s arm wrapped around my waist, I would have.

The alpha held me close and leaned in to press his head against my own. “You did it,” he hummed in delight. Yes.

I felt like I’d been waiting forever to get this moment to ask the Lycan Luna about my father's case. And never did I actually believe that she’d flat-out agree to it.

The whole moment felt so surreal that I hardly recalled how Lorenzo and I ended up back inside the main tent. But I wasn’t complaining. I was overjoyed and deeply content as the two of us remained close by each other's side.

Many of the other guests were still wanting to get a chance to congratulate Lorenzo on his newly appointed position, but he refused to allow anyone else to enter the tent.

Lorenzo POV

Right when Eleanor had first made the request to have her father’s case reopened, Lorenzo’s eyes had immediately landed on Cruz Sterling. The other alpha looked disgruntledly pissed off. It took everything in Lorenzo not to let out an indignant snort at the bastard’s dubious expression.

He leaned down to lightly nuzzle into Eleanor’s hair and spoke softly. “Did you happen to see the look on Sterling’s face?” he chuckled with amusement. “We’ve successfully set the bait for the Blue Moon pack. Now it’s their turn to make the next move,” he told her.

His Luna nodded her head and allowed herself to melt further into his warmth. Lorenzo, although still in the midst of recovering, felt blessed to have her close like this to him.

‘All I want to do is spend time with my mate,’ he thought tiredly to himself. His wolf was finally able to settle down and was happily content where he was.

That was, of course, until the couple was joined by an expected third party...

“My, my, that was quite the announcement out there,” a low voice spoke out. Cruz.

He sauntered his way over to them and took a seat at one of the nearby chairs.

Lorenzo felt Eleanor stiffen in his arms, which put his once-calmed wolf on high alert. He had to stifle the growl that threatened to tear from his throat. For whatever reason the opposing alpha needed to speak with them so urgently, it wasn’t enough to make Lorenzo pull away from his Luna.

“What is it, Cruz?” he asked gruffly.

With years of animosity sizzling between them, it was almost impossible not to let his wolf take over for a second time that night and go right for Sterling’s neck. But this sudden need for an audience was exactly what he’d been anticipating.

A daring smile curved the alpha’s lips. “I just thought the two of you would be interested in gaining some entail regarding your case. It’s no news to anyone here that Blue Moon has, shall we say, ‘hidden’ business trades...I’d be more than happy to hand it over, that is...If you’re willing to work with me.”

Both Lorenzo and Eleanor shared a look. His mate drew her brows together in question before turning to glare back at Cruz.

“And, why exactly would you be so willing to speak out against your own pack?” she asked skeptically. “Unless there’s something you’re looking to gain in return?”

Lorenzo did not favor the way Sterling’s eyes languidly dragged over Eleanor’s body. It was like the guy was mentally undressing her with his eyes.

“Smart girl,” he purred. His smile deepened.

Lorenzo let a minor snarl slip past his lips. Who the fuck did this guy think he was?!

Cruz paid no mind to the ticked-off alpha that was staring daggers into him. Instead, he went on to speak.

“There are many, many things that I want. The truth is that I have my own agenda I wish to accomplish. All of which will come about in due time. So, do we have a deal?”

Lorenzo wished he could have thrown Cruz out of the tent by the very collar of his shirt. In the back of his mind, a part of him knew that the rogue attack on Eleanor was not completely random. It had to have been orchestrated.

‘How else could they have known that our mate was located in that section of the forest, much less that she was at the Luna Festival,’ his wolf growled in fury.

Now, granted there was no guarantee that those that attacked them before came from the same pack that had singled him out a few weeks back. The Blue Moon pack possessed some of the nastiest, poor-behaved wolves Lorenzo had ever dealt with.

A long moment of silence passed between the three of them.

“Could we, perhaps, give the idea some thought before agreeing to anything?” Eleanor asked softly.

Cruz turned to flash her devilish grin and lowered his eyelids, giving her a sultry expression of unbridled want. The man was not subtle in his interests regarding Eleanor. Not by any means.

“Of course,” he said. “Lorenzo has my number. Should the two of you want to discuss any possible arrangements, he’s more than welcome to give me a call.”

Cruz got up from his seat and made his way back to the entryway of the tent. He briefly stopped and turned back to glance at the couple. His dark-colored eyes loomed on Eleanor.

“I meant to tell you earlier, your performance was absolutely stunning,” he said tenderly.

Lorenzo felt Eleanor’s breathing slightly falter in her chest. Even though she managed to keep her expression resolute and unbothered, he could tell that her anxiousness was rising.

“Thank you,” she responded cordially.

“Your portrayal of the Dark Luna makes me wonder just how similar the two of you could potentially be.”