Chapter 69

The movement outside grew louder in the background, and eventually my skin tightened with anticipation and unease. It seemed like everybody was waking up, and I desperately wanted to check on everyone but I didn’t dare.

"We can't just walk out there," I worried, biting my lip. "We’d scare the shit out of people.”

Elroy cringed but nodded, meeting my eyes. “You’re right,” he said. “And it’s not our place to wander around here.”

“We’ll have to wait for Fay,” I said, tapping my fingers on my knees worriedly. Elroy covered my hand with his own to stop the movement. “…I scented her.”

“I could tell,” Elroy said softly. “She didn’t seem too happy.”

I winced, wishing the earth would open up and swallow me. “She was unconscious,” I admitted, feeling Elroy stiffen slightly. “You were going to maul her if I didn’t, so…”

Elroy sighed heavily, clearly angry at himself. “Fuck. I don’t remember that at all.”

“I’m not surprised,” I said, “you were in there pretty deep.”

My mind raced, swiftly trying to weigh our options. Fay no longer had any bond with the White Paw members, which meant there was no way she’d stay sane enough to lead them through the entire journey to Darkmoon. I was fully prepared to take responsibility for her, but that was probably a frail comfort for her.

“We need to give her the option to leave,” I said, hating the words as they came out of my mouth. “It’s a horrible choice to make, but she deserves to choose.” Elroy nodded, solemn.

“If she wants to stay, we’ll take care of her,” he promised. “I have to wonder, though; what was White Paw’s plan? They have to know their pseudo-bond won’t hold forever.”

I pinched my lips. “They were looking for another Alpha in Lunaris, but couldn’t find one. They’ve decided to migrate to Darkmoon in hopes someone there will take them.”

Elroy’s eyebrows flew up to his hairline and he looked at me, startled. I knew what he was thinking, and I just nodded.

“They know it’s a gamble,” I told him. “But the only packs in Lunaris that offered to take them in were the ones who killed their Alpha in the first place. They don’t feel like they have any other options.”

Elroy pursed his lips. I knew we were thinking the same thing—we couldn’t punish them for surviving, and we couldn’t leave them out here, but their actions had threatened the delicate balance of Lunaris’s society.

I bit her lip, considering our limited choices. "We could give them provisions to get them to Darkmoon," I suggested. “That’s what they were going to ransom me for anyway.”

Elroy shook his head, his expression grim. "Most of them wouldn’t survive the journey anyway, and even if they do there’s no guarantee of acceptance. I can’t spend pack food and water on something so uncertain.”

My heart sank, but I wasn’t surprised. I would have made the same decision; our first priority had to be Eclipse, and the amount of provisions the pack would lose to this was too large to justify when we weren’t even sure it would save them.

Still, I pictured White Paw struggling through treacherous wilderness and fighting off savage Rogues only to be turned away at Darkmoon's gates. The image made my chest ache.

"Fay said they’d stay if someone opened their borders to them,” I mentioned, hoping to nudge Elroy just a little. It might have been a little manipulative of me, but I wanted to help these people, and he’d be more likely to agree if he thought it was his idea.

To my surprise, Elroy instantly flashed me a bright grin.

“I was just about to ask,” he said. My pulse quickened.

“You mean—”

“I want to offer them a place in Eclipse.”

“I agree!” I said quickly, almost afraid he’d take it back. “It’s the only good answer, but there are still problems. I mean, some of them are here specifically because they were running away from Eclipse.”

Elroy frowned at the sore reminder. “Then they’ll be under our protection. Not the pack’s, not the council’s, ours.”

"They've attacked our walls," I reminded hesitantly. "Stolen from us. Even found a way in without permission."

Elroy's eyes darkened. "True. They're criminals by our laws.

“Eclipse has more than enough money to pay reparations for anything they’ve stolen, but the problem is going to be the fact that they’re officially Rogues. I mean, they live outside the city walls, they’re technically no longer citizens.”

“And the passageway is a death sentence for them,” I added, my mind whirling as compassion and practicality warred with each other. It was true, too; there was no greater crime than breaching the walls, because it risked every soul in Lunaris if the wrong person came through. They would be sentenced to death, without question.

Suddenly, a thought struck me like lightning. “Wait, Elroy,” I inhaled sharply, my heart racing in dangerous hope. “Did anyone in Eclipse know you were going to the casino last night?”

Elroy’s eyebrows furrowed, then understanding started to creep into his eyes. “No,” he said, “I didn’t even tell Sam.”

“Then the only people who know about the tunnel—”

“Are us,” Elroy finished, an excited smile growing.

“Exactly!” I said, practically vibrating. “All we have to do is go back through the passageway into the casino, and say we found them all there. No one ever has to know they left city gates.”

"Brilliant!" Elroy crowed, pulling me close. "But the council—no, wait, you scented Fay personally. There’s no breaking the connection now, no matter how much they try.”

Excitement sparked inside of me. That’s right, not even the high council could get in the way when an Alpha or Luna personally welcomed a member to the pack. They would throw a fit about it, but there was nothing actionable that they could do.

“Plus we have the testimony of the missing Omegas,” I said, the realization exciting me even further. “We can open investigations into the crimes against them and put their abusers behind bars. It’ll start the justice process for all Omegas!”

Elroy's eyes widened, a mix of surprise and admiration flashing across his face. “I hadn’t even thought that far! This is why you're such an incredible Luna.”

His praise sent a warm flush through my body, and I didn’t bother fighting it. "They deserve a chance," I insisted. "We should talk to Fay as soon as she comes back.”

The only question was whether she’d listen.