Chapter 72

Fay returned much faster than I’d anticipated. I gulped, my heart pounding; we were teetering on the edge of a new future, one I wanted to help them reach so bad, but whether or not it happened was up to them.

I was so scared they were going to say no.

“They want to hear from you before they make a decision,” Fay said, carefully hiding the caution she was feeling. I couldn’t imagine the sort of unease she must be grappling with.

“Of course,” Elroy said quickly, squeezing my hand in his. Even in this serious situation, the action gave me butterflies. “Whatever they need to feel confident in their choice.”

“Absolutely,” I agreed. “How would you like us to do this?”

Fay took a shuddering breath—the pack’s decision meant even more to her than it did to us—and gestured for us to follow her. “We held an emergency meeting,” she said, “everyone is still gathered.”

Oh shit. Okay. We were doing this right now.

I patted the dirt off my jeans, instantly aware of how un-regal I looked after a night in the woods, in the clothes I wore to go undercover. I was hardly going to be making the greatest impression, and here I was trying to convince them to trust me to take care of them.

I glanced over at Elroy, who had his eyes set ahead. He had to be much more worried than me about gaining trust, after he’d blitzed through here half-feral and knocked the whole pack unconscious without lifting a finger.

I took a deep breath and stepped up to the bonfire pit. We were just going to have to work with what we had.

Tension crackled in the air as I gazed out at the sea of wary faces before me. They all shifted nervously, their eyes darting between Elroy and me like they were sizing us up. I could feel them asking, ‘Are these people worthy of leading us?’.

Fay announced us, and I stepped forward ready to do the best I could. I was surprised when Elroy gripped my elbow and stepped up instead.

“Hello, I am Alpha Elroy Allegheny, as your Beta has said,” he said, voice ringing out clear and strong. “And I must start with an apology.”

There were murmurs in the crowd, and my breath caught. Apologizing to the leader of a pack was seen as apologizing to the whole pack, and here Elroy was determined to apologize to each member personally. For an elite Alpha like Elroy, who barely even had to respect the Alphas of other high packs, this was a massive gesture.

“I apologize for unleashing my aura on you,” he continued, “when you are just trying to survive. I regressed into a primal state over my fear for my wife and child, and I won’t make excuses for my actions during that haze. I attacked you all before even knowing who was involved in the situation, and I am truly sorry.

“I also,” he swallowed thickly, “apologize to the Omegas who defected from Eclipse. As your Alpha, it was my duty to protect you from all threats, and I failed to do that. My ignorance put you in danger, and I—” his voice cracked a little, breaking my heart— “I will never be able to properly make that up to you.

“But I want to try, if you’ll let me. I want to bring you justice, and peace. I fully understand if you feel too unsafe to return to Eclipse, but please know that no matter what your choice is from here, you’ve opened my eyes.”

He turned to me. “I’m not the most eloquent man, so I’ll let my Luna take over from here. Thank you for giving me the chance to apologize in person.”

I blinked at him, my eyes a little watery, but I didn’t have the time to embrace him and tell him how deeply touching his words were. Instead, I cleared my throat and stepped forward.

“Citizens of White Paw,” I said, projecting power into my voice, “as you’ve heard from Beta Fay, we want to welcome you into Eclipse pack. We’ve already discussed how we can make this happen, and we believe we’ve found the answer.”

As I explained our plan, gaining confidence as I went, murmurs of relief and gratitude filled the air. A few people had questions, which Elroy and I answered, and we told them realistically that change wouldn’t happen overnight but that we were dedicated to making Eclipse the home they deserved.

“My assistants will raise the alarm if we’re not back by sunset,” I said. “We understand that doesn’t leave you much time to decide, but—”

“I’m in,” someone said, and my breath caught as Ines stood. My eyes stung. After everything she had been through, for her of all people to show faith in us was…

I didn’t have the words for it, but it was something that felt deeply profound. Almost holy, really—a sign from the Goddess that we were doing what was right. Honor fluttered in my chest.

"My son deserves justice,” Ines said. “It wasn’t possible when I left, but if there’s any chance that the monster who killed my baby will face true punishment, then I need to be there to see it happen.”

My lip wobbled. A few people cheered.

Ines’ support set off a cascade of others deciding to join us, until the entire clearing was full of people standing, celebrating their new beginning. Tears of pride and relief trickled down my cheeks.

We did it, my wolf whispered. You’re finally celebrating a victory after everything you’ve endured.

We aren’t to the finish line yet, I responded, clearing my throat to speak. Elroy’s hand squeezed my shoulder, making sure I knew I had him there beside me.

“Then as Luna of Eclipse,” I choked out, “I am honored to declare you members of our pack!”

As the former Rogues broke into cheers and embraces, I turned to Elroy with a smile. I didn’t have the words for my emotions at that time, but as I met his eyes I realized I didn’t feel the need to explain. I could see he felt this joy too.

He felt something else as well, his eyes shining with more than just approval and pride. There was something else there, something deeper that I couldn’t name, and my heart skipped dangerously.

I couldn’t focus on it though, not when we still had work to do. The warm feeling in my chest did bolster me as we moved among our new pack members though, scenting each one in turn. With each pseudo-bond formed, I could feel our pack growing stronger.

My gaze kept drifting to Elroy as he warmly welcomed each person, personally scenting as many people as he could. He looked so much lighter, so genuinely happy to be forming something real, and I felt a heady rush of emotion. I could imagine him looking at our child like that.

I knew then that even though our meeting was coincidence, this man was meant to be the father of my child.

Elroy must have felt me looking, because he looked up to meet my eyes. The tender look he gave me said he was thinking the same thing. In that moment, surrounded by our growing pack, I felt truly complete.

News of our return reached the manor before we did, though in all fairness I was sure we stood out from the sparkling city like sore thumbs so I couldn’t say I was surprised. People rushed out to meet us, and I smiled at them.

“We’re sorry for the disruption,” Elroy announced, “but finding our new pack members was a little more complex than we’d anticipated. Where is the council?”

There were gasps as people took in the presence of the people behind us, wide eyes and dropped jaws making the crowd seem almost comical. I was tired enough I actually giggled.

An Alpha man, dressed in the uniform of the administrative wing, stepped forward. “The council has been in an emergency meeting since you were discovered missing this morning, Alpha” he reported. “I don’t think they’re aware yet of your return—”

“LUNA!”

Jordan burst through the crowd, launching herself at me, and I returned her embrace with feeling. It was so good to have her back again.

“Oh, Jordan,” I laughed wetly, “have I got a story for you.” Elroy put his hand on my shoulder gently.

“It has to wait a little longer,” he said. “We have to address the council.” Jordan sniffled into my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything later,” I promised, low enough for only us to hear. Then, louder, I said, “Jordan, inform the head housemaid to air out the guest rooms. Our new pack members will be staying in the manor as they acclimate.

“Also, show them to the baths and have the kitchen prepare some light food. They haven’t been eating well, and we must rectify that.”

“Absolutely, Luna!” Jordan said, jumping into work mode with a determined look on her teary face. She was so, so dependable—I don’t know how I would have made it this far without her. “Leave the preparations to me.”

“Very well. Now, Alpha Elroy,” I said, turning to him with a smirk, “shall we inform the council of our arrival?”