Chapter 95

Olivia POV

With Elroy gone, I needed to concentrate on my duties as Luna, which meant I had to deal ASAP with the fallout from my pretty much disastrous banquet. I mean, Denis might be trying to stage some sort of revolution and destroy my reputation, but did he have to crash my party so fatally?

I mentally rolled my eyes at myself. How did I get to a place where I was more upset about a ruined party than a revolution?

Because a ruined party can lead to a revolution, a voice in my head said.

Sipping at a cup of (decaf) coffee in the Lily Room, I thought back to the basics. While the days of wolves’ looking down on humans had pretty much gone, humans and wolves didn’t mingle much. Our social systems were just too distant.

While human were social animals, they often put other things first. The concept of “pack” just didn’t hold the same weight with them, and in my limited dealings with them, I found they often put their immediate family’s needs before everything else.

More than once I had seen a human betray their community for the “greater good,” which simply didn’t make sense to a wolf. I gave up trying to understand it.

Lunaris was in trouble; I knew that. And not just from Denis and whoever had attacked my mother and former Moonshadow Alpha. For the city to survive, let alone thrive, the three major packs had to keep their peace.

I had thrown an state banquet that almost turned into a fucking bloodbath. I needed to do damage control. I knew Elroy wanted me to confine myself to the castle, but as long as I took a proper entourage, I decided he wouldn’t mind a simple visit to some prominent members of the various packs who were probably feeling alarmed, and possibly even offended, by what happened.

I made things as opened as possible with the house staff, getting a car and two house guards, both strong betas, and Jordan to go with me. I thought about Iris or Ines, but this visit would be politically fraught enough with just me.

I dressed in a conservative red suit, and Jordan opted for a neutral black to signal that she was with me only as a companion. In the car, we didn’t speak much. I was mostly rehearsing what I wanted to say.

For my first stop, I had chosen Adele, a niece of current Ravencrest Alpha Simon. I knew her only politically, so visiting her was a good way to signal my intentions to others.

I found myself watching the neighborhoods of Lunaris go by the car window. While there were official territories for the three major packs and smaller burrows for some of the minor one, the districts did bleed together, especially in the city’s power centers such as around the castle.

Looking out now, I saw a lovely and sunny day shining over a prosperous area, one of those little patches of places where an intermarried couple or a family of a smaller pack could set up a shop or other business and make a nice life for themselves.

Adele and her wife lived in one of those sections with coffee and flower shops that spilled out onto the street, private schools with brightly colored playgrounds, and skate parks with state-funded recreation centers. Her townhouse was gray with pink trim that somehow managed to look chic and fresh.

Jordan, the two guards, and I left the car for the little gate where we were met by a beta assistant who asked the guards to wait outside.

Adele met us in the front parlor with coffee (decaf for me, I saw) and little cakes. We sat for a minute and made meaningless chat while things were set out and poured. As she was the host, it would be up to her to change the tone of the conversation, so I waited until she sat back in her chair with her coffee and smiled very politely.

“Now, what is it I can do for you, Luna?” she asked.

“Actually, you can accept my sincere apologies.”

She frowned just slightly. “Luna?”

“You were made to witness a most distressing scene in my household. Obviously, I had no idea the so-called Rogue King would crash my banquet, but that’s no excuse for the disrespect you were shown, and I deeply regret it.”

She took a slow sip of her coffee. “I was told you weren’t all that political, but that was perhaps the most political apology I have ever heard.”

I shrugged. “I’m the Luna, and I’m on a steep learning curve. Political or not, I assure you my apology is genuine.”

She set down her cup. “Then may I give you some insight into your position? As you know, my step-mother was Luna of Ravencrest.”

“Of course, please.”

“Being Alpha is about control. Being Luna is about cooperation.” She looked at me narrowly. “Do you know what your greatest challenge is as a Luna?”

“I have some ideas, but I would like your opinion.”

“Your mother.”

I blinked at her. “My mother?”

“Claudia was—I’m sorry, is—the first female Alpha in the history of Moonshadow, but Ravencrest has had several, and some of them were, well, demanding. That the daughter of such an Alpha mother is now serving as the Luna of Lunaris leaves many of us concerned.”

I tried to reign in my shock. This was absolutely the last thing I had expected to hear.

“My mother was a benevolent and caring Alpha, and I hope one day she will be again.”

“Yes, I have been told about her.” Adele looked thoughtful. “I accept your apology and find you gracious in offering it. I speak of this concern over your mother only to warn you. Lunaris is a city that is beginning to fracture. Surely you have seen this.”

“It has its conflicts,” I said carefully.

She nodded. “Tactfully put. Tell me, please, are you going to visit the other packs with this apology?”

“Of course.”

“All the other ones, or just Moonshadow and Eclipse?”

I saw where she was going. “I intend to visit representatives of all the pack in attendance.”

She poured us both another cup of coffee and smiled. “I think that would be a good idea.”

The rest of the day went much the same, to the point that I thought I might never be able to drink coffee again. While everyone said they accepted my apology, I felt their reserve and suspicions. Adele’s warning served me well.

What I most got out of the experience was that everyone seemed to be waiting. What sort of Alpha would Elroy become? What sort of Luna would I? Would Denis actually succeed in his campaign? Who were the major players waiting in the wings?

I admit to being exhausted when we got home. There was no word from Elroy, and I had a light meal (nothing to drink) and a bath before I took myself to bed.

I missed the feel of my husband next to me. I wanted to talk to him about the overwhelming information I had gathered from the day. I wanted a source of peace and support in my life.

Instead, Elroy was out hunting his half-brother, the council was angry at the corruption and cruelty I had exposed, and I felt completely out of my depth.

There were so many factors at stake. I allowed myself to long for a life where I was just taking care of the new life inside me, where my pregnancy, not what felt like the state of the whole world, was my responsibility.

Summoning resolution, however, I rolled onto my side and propped up my leg with a pillow. I had chosen this life, and tomorrow would be a new day.