Chapter 51

Mira

I was restless after Dominic left.

The adrenaline that had been sustaining me was reaching its peak, and the other side would be exhaustion.

I drew a hot bath, adding lavender and eucalyptus oils for relaxation. I gave myself permission to turn off my brain for fifteen minutes— I even set a timer— and wouldn’t let myself feel bad about taking care of myself.

That is how a Luna would act.

The thought swirled in my head as scented steam danced off the surface of the water: would I become Luna, now?

I shivered in spite of the heat of the bath, and pushed the thought from my mind.

Fighting the urge to wait up for Dominic, I compromised by sitting up in bed and reading a book. That might at least keep me somewhat alert while being more comfortable than the chair.

I can’t say I got very far in whatever pages I held before my head was sagging towards my chest. Gravity eventually took over and I slumped down in slumber.

I am a wolf again.

And I am climbing.

The ground falls away behind me as I power my legs to continue up the incline. I have stayed aware of the underbrush, but mostly the trees melt away to either side of me, as if they have been waiting for me.

I can’t see what is at the top of whatever hill or mountain or volcano, but it seems my soul's purpose is to reach it.

The effort burns in my muscles but I keep going, feeling the wind swirl in my favor and boosting me upwards to my goal.

The light changes, the trees disappear, and I can feel in my bones that I have reached the summit. A new surge of power courses through me, as if I have grown godlike upon arrival.

At the top, with a bright and blazing sun behind, sits Dominic.

A squeeze of my hand woke me, and Dominic was sitting on the edge of the bed. His right hand held his phone in his lap, his left hand held mine.

He had a peculiar look on his face, with that same tilt of his head that I was coming to like so much.

“What is it?” I asked him, returning the squeeze of his hand. “Are you okay?”

He nodded, a crooked smile appearing. He let go of my hand and held up his phone.

“I just got off the phone with my father,” he said slowly. “I had left him some time ago, needed some air and took a long walk home.”

“I see,” I said.

“My father, the Alpha, wanted to interrogate the suspect on his own,” Dominic said, averting his gaze as if imagining what that would look like.

“That must be hard,” I added. I was sitting up at this point, my back against the pillows.

He shook his head slightly, then looked directly at me.

“But now, it is done. She has confessed.”

My mouth fell open without my knowing it, and I felt myself moving closer to him.

“My father now knows that she has been plotting against me, using anyone she can find to help,” he went on. “She will be stripped of her titles, and excommunicated from the Pack. It’s over.”

I made some noise of excitement, then laughed at myself for it. He smiled and chuckled at my absurdity. He looked calmer and more relieved than I’d seen him in a long time, maybe ever.

In the moment I couldn’t help myself, and I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him deeply. I was so happy for him to be rid of this drama and danger from his step-mother.

He seemed surprised but welcomed my embrace. I felt his hands trace my back ribs as his arms wrapped around me, holding me upright.

I pulled my face up from his shoulder and brought it close to his. The last kick of adrenaline hit me and I acted on an animal impulse.

I kissed him.

It didn’t last long, and was more of a congratulatory peck on the lips than anything. But even so, as our eyes met afterwards there was no regret or shame.

It was just a natural thing that couples do.

“Congratulations doesn’t feel like the right thing to say,” I said, trying to lighten the moment.

“Not quite,” he said, easing the grip he had on my waist, “though it does feel like we made it through a trial of some sort.”

As we separated I shifted to sit next to him, my knee still touching his. It was like our bodies wanted to keep a point of contact between us.

“I suppose I should be congratulating you,” he said looking up with an apprehensive smile.

“For what? I didn’t have much to do with catching Irene.”

“No, not that,” he said, waving a hand like he was erasing her from his mind. “With Irene gone, there is an immediate opening in the Pack hierarchy.”

I made a face, scrunching my eyebrows at him.

“Mira,” he said, taking my hand, “you are the new Luna.”

The Pack

“What am I supposed to do?!”

Tessa’s attempt at a whisper was not successful. She held the phone closer to her mouth as she admonished the listener.

“Do you really think the Alpha will take pity on me?” She continued. “It’s only a matter of time before I am blamed for something that she did.”

Tessa was in her room, packing. Her mind was not clear enough to do this in an orderly fashion. She chose chaos, emptying closets and drawers and making piles of things as if they would magically organize themselves into the few bags she knew she could carry on her own.

“Ward, you’re not listening to me!” She paused in her movements to drive the point home. “I have to leave tonight.”

She was in the back of her closet now, moving a small shoe shelf to the side. Her fingers searched along the wall, and closing her eyes, she felt a latch that opened a false door in the wall.

Inside was a small safe, and she emptied it.

Her mother had all the best jewelry, but there was enough cash there to last her a while until she could move everything to a new bank account.

“I have to go,” she told Ward, “I’ll call you later.”

She didn’t listen for a response before putting down the phone. Another idea struck her, and she checked the account balance on her phone.

Thinking back in the recesses of her mind, Tessa opened her mother’s bank account. It wasn’t hard to guess the password, since Irene had rotated between three options and they all included the word “Luna.”

Without thinking too hard about the consequences, Tessa entered the information she needed.

With the click of a button, all funds were transferred to her own account.