Chapter 221

Ava

The market was bustling with activity as I made my way through the stalls, holding a wicker basket in my arms. It felt so different from last night; lively, cheerful, full of noise.

Such a stark contrast from that eerie feeling that had settled over Chris and me as we had hurried home.

“What should we do?” I had whispered, hardly daring to let go of Chris’s hand as we raced back through the pack’s narrow streets. “What if Elise…”

“Patrick said that there was a mole in Moonstone,” Chris had mused. “I’d hate to believe that it could be her, but…”

The implication had hit both of us like a ton of bricks. Elise’s figure last night had been all too similar, even sporting the same cloak, as the mysterious moonbite peddler. Neither of us wanted to believe that it was anything but mere coincidence, but the similarities were too uncanny to ignore.

Chris and I had fallen into a fitful sleep last night, our minds buzzing with thoughts of plans and next moves. This morning, we had decided to wait patiently, bide our time, keep our eyes and ears open.

Anything too hasty could spell disaster, after all. So we had parted ways, vowing to go about our normal days as though we hadn’t seen anything suspicious.

As I was examining a particularly ripe tomato, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“Good morning, Ava.”

I turned, and my blood ran cold. There she was: Elder Elise, just standing there, her basket already full of produce. Another typical Saturday morning at the market for her.

“Good morning, Elder Elise,” I replied, bowing my head politely. “How are you today?” I made sure to carefully watch her expression for any hint of something… off.

“Oh, you know, same as always,” she said with a wave of her hand. “These old bones don’t change much from day to day.”

Dammit. Not a shred of guilt in those weathered eyes. Nothing but her usual rotten glare that only seemed to worsen whenever she looked at me.

“Did you see the meteor shower last night?” I blurted out.

“Meteor shower?”

I nodded. “There were quite a few shooting stars. I visited the temple last night, and saw them on my walk. Were you not out walking, too?”

Elise’s brow furrowed, a look of annoyance passing her features. “A walk? At night? Certainly not.”

“Not even for the meteor shower?”

“No. I don’t care for those sorts of things.”

I swallowed, saying, “Oh. I just... I thought I saw you out last night during my walk. Must have been mistaken.”

“Must have been,” Elise said sharply. “I was sound asleep all night, as any sensible person would be. And as Luna of our pack, you shouldn’t be out wandering, either. It’s unbecoming of a woman of your status.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” I replied, trying not to bristle at her rude tone. “It wasn’t that late.”

Elise huffed, clearly not pleased with my explanation, and turned on her heel. “Don’t forget about the council meeting later. I’d hate for you to nod off at the table, since you were seemingly up all night stargazing like a lovesick schoolgirl.”

As she walked away, I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at her. But the concern over her reaction to my question outweighed that feeling; she had been out last night.

Why lie about it, unless she was guilty?

I finished my shopping quickly, my mind preoccupied with questions I couldn’t answer. By the time I got home, it was nearly time for the council meeting. I put away the groceries and prepared the tea just in time for the Elders to come knocking at the door.

The Elders were already seated when I made my way out to the living room where they were seated today, with Chris standing by the wood stove. Leonard was there, and to my surprise, so was Ophelia.

“Ophelia,” I said, blinking as I set down the tray of tea and cookies. “What are you doing here?”

“We have an important announcement to make,” Bradley said, already reading for his tea. “One that Miss Ophelia should be present for.”

The room fell silent, all eyes on the Elders. Elder Claire cleared her throat and continued, “As you all know, we have been conducting a trial with Ophelia as the first human resident in Moonstone. And after careful consideration…”

“We have decided that the trial has gone well enough for us to agree to Alpha Chris’s proposition,” Fatima finished.

My heart leapt. Could they mean...?

“From this day forward,” Paul said, “humans who marry a Moonstone resident may live in Moonstone themselves.”

I felt as if all the air had just been sucked out of the room. I looked over at Ophelia, who seemed to be in shock.

“Ophelia,” Elder Elise said somewhat begrudgingly, “since you were our test subject, we will not hold you to a marriage just yet. If you wish, you may be officially inducted into Moonstone as things stand. Do you accept?”

For a moment, Ophelia just sat there, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Then, suddenly, she burst into tears—tears of happiness.

“Yes!” she cried, jumping to her feet. “Yes, yes! I accept! I accept!”

The room broke into applause and cheers, Princess’s shrill barks adding to the mix. I felt my own eyes welling up with happy tears as I watched Ophelia throw her arms around Leonard, who was beaming despite his pale complexion.

“Oh, thank you!” Ophelia exclaimed, her face streaked with joyful tears. In her excitement, she grabbed Elder Bradley’s red head and planted a kiss right on his forehead, causing the room to erupt in laughter.

Only Elise remained stoic, her face twisting into a scowl as Ophelia made that little transgression.

“Well then,” Elder Bradley said, chuckling as he adjusted his glasses, “I suppose that seals the deal.”

Ophelia, returning her attention to Leonard, began kissing him all over his face. “Oh, my dear Leonard!” she cooed, hugging him so tightly it seemed she might stop him from breathing altogether. “We’ve done it… We’ve done it…”

Leonard hugged Ophelia back, although I could see the strain in his eyes. He was trying to hide it, but I could see it. That paleness in his gaunt cheeks. Those dark circles rimming his gray gaze.

Feeling overwhelmed, I quietly excused myself and slipped out of the room.

I made my way back to the kitchen, gripping the edge of the sink as I tried to blink back the tears that threatened to fall.

Don’t cry… Don’t cry…

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear Chris enter the room. I didn’t even notice his presence until his warm arms wrapped around me from behind, and he pressed a gentle kiss to my neck.

“Are you alright?” he murmured, his breath tickling my ear.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak for fear of bursting out into a sob. After a moment, I managed to whisper, “I just needed to breathe.”

Chris tightened his arms around me, understanding in his silence. I turned in his embrace, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest. The steady beat of his heart was comforting, pulling me back to reality.

“We have to find a way to heal Leonard,” I murmured into his shirt. “We have to.”

Chris kissed the top of my head, his lips lingering there as we both listened to the sounds of Ophelia’s joyful shouts from the other room; so blissfully, painfully unaware.

“I know,” Chris whispered. “I know.”