Chapter 155

Chris

As Ava and Lily wandered off into the gardens, I found myself alone with Alpha Edward in the sitting room. He moved over to the liquor cart, pouring two generous helpings of a clear liquid into two crystal glasses.

“Here,” he said gruffly, extending one of the glasses toward me. “This gin was distilled right here in Moonrise’s cellars.”

I accepted the drink with a nod of thanks, letting the pleasant burn of the homemade liquor wash over my tongue. For a few moments, we sat in companionable silence, sipping from our glasses and listening to the soft music drifting in from the radio.

Eventually, though, Edward let out a weary sigh and set his tumbler down on the side table with a dull thunk. “I have to admit, Chris, I was... surprised when I learned of your intentions with Ava.”

I tensed slightly at his words, but kept my expression neutral as I met his gaze. “I know our situation is unorthodox, to say the least,” I replied carefully. “But you have to know how I feel about her—”

Edward waved a dismissive hand. “No need to explain yourself to me, son. True love is true love, no matter how it blossoms.” His mouth curved up into a rueful smile. “That being said, I would be lying if I didn’t admit to being a little angry on my daughter’s behalf.”

He paused, shaking his head, and I remained silent for the time being. “She cried for days after your first rejection of her, you know,” he said, shooting me a withering glance. “Any father would be furious to see such a thing.”

A pang of guilt twisted in my gut at the reminder. “Alpha Edward, I never meant to hurt your daughter,” I said, leaning forward in my chair. “I understand that I did hurt her regardless, and I’m willing to take the full blame for that. But I didn’t know that her romantic feelings toward me were so intense, considering the fact that we had only just met.”

Edward’s shoulders lifted in a shrug as he reached for the gin decanter, topping off his glass. “Can you really blame the poor girl? You’re a handsome young Alpha, and more importantly, a good man. Any woman would be lucky to have you.”

I shook my head slowly. “Be that as it may, I still feel terrible about the situation with Lily. If there’s any way I can make amends—”

“You can stop fretting over it, for one,” Edward cut me off with a chuckle. “Lily has a good head on her shoulders, just like her mother. She understands your situation.”

As he spoke, his expression softened ever so slightly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “And for what it’s worth, I know our packs will have plenty of other opportunities to solidify our ties. Your family has long been an ally of mine, and I have no doubts that you’ll make a fine leader during your time.”

I felt some of the tension seep from my shoulders at his easy acceptance. Still, a niggling sense of apprehension remained, fueled by Elise’s warning before we left for Moonrise.

Bracing myself, I leaned forward again.

“If I may ask... have you heard anything from the other Alphas? About Ava and I, that is?” I kept my tone carefully neutral, not wanting to give away the actual weight of my concerns.

A muscle ticked in Edward’s jaw at that. “Truthfully? I have received some strongly worded letters from a few parties, yes.” He paused, seeming to consider his next words carefully. “Particularly from the Alpha of New Moon pack.”

I couldn’t quite hide my wince at that. New Moon was infamous for their steadfast adherence to tradition and the old ways—it was no surprise they would take issue with my unorthodox selection of a Luna.

“Alpha Winston is a proud man,” Edward continued, his eyes flicking over me briefly. “And a staunch traditionalist. I suspect the fact that his own daughter attended your bachelorette celebration only to be snubbed in favor of someone who would normally not even be in consideration likely struck a nerve.”

A heavy silence hung between us as I digested his words. Finally, I let out a low exhale. “I appreciate your candor, Alpha. But I have to believe even someone like Winston wouldn’t take any drastic actions over this, right? I mean, surely I can make it up to him in some other way.”

Edward’s brow furrowed as he nursed his drink, seeming to carefully consider his response. “These days?” he mused. “Likely not. But you would do well to remember that old dogs die hard, son. Tradition is taken very seriously in our world.”

Setting his glass aside once more, he rose to his feet and moved over to the window, gazing out over the gardens where Ava and Lily were strolling arm-in-arm. When he spoke again, his deep voice was a bit strained.

“Have you ever heard the story of Alpha Zerrick of Moonshine pack?” He didn’t wait for me to respond before continuing. “Over a hundred years ago now…”

I leaned forward, sipping my gin. “Go on,” I said. “I haven’t heard this one.”

Edward sighed. “Apha Zerrick fell in love with an Omega girl from a neighboring pack—completely swept off his feet, they say. But he was already betrothed to the daughter of the Alpha of New Moon at the time in an arrangement made years earlier.”

He shook his head slowly before continuing. “Zerrick refused to honor the contract. Married his Omega love instead, despite every protest from New Moon’s Alpha. And you know what that led to?”

My mouth had gone dry despite the gin—I could already guess what happened, deep down. “What happened?” I murmured.

“War,” Edward stated simply. “Nearly twenty years of bloodshed between the two packs, all because of a marriage. Moonshine was nearly wiped out entirely before Zerrick’s wife was killed. They had a child at the time, and he was forced to marry the New Moon daughter to protect their little one.”

A shiver ran through me at that. Swallowing hard, I couldn’t stop myself from shooting a glance toward the gardens where Ava’s slender form was just visible between the hedges.

“That was over a hundred years ago,” I found myself saying, more to reassure myself than anything. “Surely no one would go to such extremes these days.”

Edward’s expression was inscrutable as he turned from the window to face me directly. “I should certainly hope not. This is a different world we live in now, a different era.” His jaw tensed briefly. “And yet... considering the recent incidents with the moonbite powder in your pack, one has to wonder just how antiquated some of our kind are willing to be.”

My chest constricted painfully at the reminder of the moonbite powder; I didn’t want to believe that the two could be connected, but I would have been a fool to outright assume that they weren’t.

As Edward’s words hung heavy in the air, my gaze drifted back outside, searching until I found Ava again—her head thrown back in laughter, loose tendrils of chestnut hair dancing in the breeze as she giggled at something Lily had said.

She was so beautiful. So full of light and life—and she was finally mine after all these years.

I had to protect her.