Chapter 122

Claudia POV

With Iris’s help, I was regaining my strength fast, but it wasn’t fast enough to suit me. In fact, nothing about the current situation suited me.

For eight years I had been half-alive, vaguely aware of the world around me but trapped in a silent darkness that barely left me aware I was still breathing, still holding on.

And recently, things had gotten worse. I’d felt my strength slipping down even further, and a coldness had seeped into my bones and soul in equal measure. I knew I was approaching my end.

And now, here I was, awake and aware and absolutely furious. I knew I would be hunting Greg down and snapping his neck with my teeth, but for now I had to concentrate on taking my position back as Alpha of Moonshadow.

I listened carefully as Olivia explained the state of things, including her near-marriage to Damian (jackal), her dealings with Greg (fucking jackal), and the odd situation with her stepsister, Louisa (who evidently wasn’t the jackal Olivia has thought she was). I enjoyed my daughter’s obviously edited version of her encounter with Elroy that had led to her current pregnancy, but as I thought of what had almost happened to her, my fury threatened to overwhelm me.

I listened to her explain about the White Paw Initiative, the Battle of the Rogues, and Denis’s death. I wished I could have been there to help kill him. How long had he kept that antidote to himself before giving it to Olivia? How much sooner could I have been awake?

Through it all, I found myself coming to admire my daughter’s mother-in-law. Iris was a solid, capable wolf who had been most helpful to Olivia, and I let her know I was grateful.

“She’s an exceptional Luna,” Iris responded. “It’s an honor to serve her.”

And there was something else I needed to get used to. As the first female Alpha of Moonshadow, I had known my daughter would be taking a special place in the world. Luna of Moonshadow had been my private ambition for her.

But Luna of Lunaris? I didn’t see that coming.

The third day after my revival, I was able to walk outside for the first time. Olivia and Iris walked at my sides, and with a joyous stretch, I transformed. Soon, three she-wolves were walking the gardens, and my legs felt strong and steady beneath me.

Olivia’s pregnancy was even more apparent when she was wearing her fur, and later, over coffee (decaf for my daughter), I asked her whether she were finding it difficult to keep up her physical exertions.

“A bit,” she admitted with a sigh, her hand on her quite swollen belly. She looked at me then with a reluctant question in her eyes.

“Yes?” I asked as Iris handed me a beef sandwich to eat. She’d been feeding me practically non-stop since I awoke, but I couldn’t fault her methods considering how much better I was feeling.

Before she could answer, a knock on the door to the sitting room heralded the entrance of Beta Orlando, the son of an old friend who had died while I slept. He looked just like his father with black hair full of cowlicks, blue eyes, and a tall, lean frame. He even had his father’s slightly bowed legs.

“If I may?” he asked, only halfway into the room.

“Enter,” Olivia said, reminding me yet again that she outranked me now.

“You asked about the carriage, Luna,” he said to her. “It’s been fully repaired and can take you back whenever you like.”

Olivia laughed. “You’ve stolen my howl, Orlando.”

He looked puzzled, but she just waved him toward us and poured him a cup of coffee before she turned to me with a rueful look.

“I was just about to tell you, I really want to go back to the Palace and stay there until my pup makes their appearance,” she explained.

“So, the keep no longer feels like home?” I asked before I nodded to myself. “That’s a good thing. You and Eloy have made a home together at the Palace.”

She nodded, though I saw a little sadness in her eyes. I had seen it before when we talked about Elroy, but I knew it would be pointless to ask her about it. She would share whatever was on her mind when she was ready.

“‘Their’ appearance?” Orlando asked. He looked at Iris. “Don’t you know what you’re having?”

“Tactful as always,” Iris noted drily.

Orlando blushed.

“No offense, Luna,” he murmured.

Olivia laughed again. “It’s quite all right. No, I asked Iris and the Goddess not to tell me my baby’s genders. I have enough on my mind already.”

I met Iris’s eyes, which I saw looked wry. I didn’t know if my grandpup would be an alpha or omega, but clearly she wasn’t having a safe little beta.

“I meant to stay until you were strong enough and travel with you,” Olivia said, her one one of apology.

“But your first duty is to your child,” I said firmly. “If the pup wants to go home, you need to listen to them.”

“I imagine Elroy is happy you’re coming back,” Iris said.

Olivia smiled and told Orlando, “Stop looking at the sandwiches like you’re starving and just help yourself to some.”

“Thank you, Luna,” the beta said with a blush.

“I’ll use the goal of reuniting with you at the Palace as a motivation to get better all that much faster,” I told my daughter.

She smiled at me. “I can’t wait to show you the Lily Room and the gardens. I had them plant red and yellow canna lilies as an offering for you to recover. They’re doing well.”

I was touched she had thought of me and said so.

“I’m eager to see what you make of Elroy,” Iris said as her gaze flicked over my half-eaten sandwich. I dutifully lifted it up for another bite. “I’ve been impressed by how many different opinions of my son I’ve been offered.”

Olivia chuckled and watched in approval as Orlando took a sandwich and a cookie from the table. I recognized that maternal look from the mirror.

“I heard he was a despot, a tyrant, a usurper, a savior, and a political mastermind,” she said, and I was surprised by the fondness of her tone. “And that was well before I ever met him.”

“And once you met him?” I asked.

She grinned. “I had no idea who he was. I thought perhaps he was a model or a porn star.”

Iris choked lightly on her coffee. Orlando blushed again.

“Hush now, Olivia!” I scolded before I started laughing.

“Luna Olivia has been an outstanding Luna,” Orlando protested. “She hasn’t been in her position for more than a few months, and she’s brokered new alliances, revealed scandals, and helped Alpha Elroy defeat a usurper. Lunaris is blessed to have her.”

“She’s allowed to shush me, Orlando,” she said. “She’s my mother, after all.” She smiled.

“Looks like you have a champion in our Orlando whether you want one or not,” I said, covering up my slight concern at the look of adoration I could see on his face. But seriously, my daughter was worth a little hero worship.

“So, yes, I’ll be returning to the Palace once I’ve visited the forest,” Olivia said next, and the use of the euphemism made me nostalgic.

“Ah, pregnancy and visiting the forest twenty times a day,” I said.

“You miss it?” Iris asked.

I recalled what it had felt like to have another person parked on my bladder, looked at my daughter, and thought about lying, but she was old enough now to hear the truth.

“Not for a second.”