Chapter 226

Ava

The morning came far too quickly, the sun barely peeking over the horizon as I stood on the helipad with Chris and Ophelia. The wind from the helicopter’s blades whipped around us, tousling my hair and making my eyes water.

Or maybe that was just the tears I was trying to hold back.

“It’s only for a couple of days, my love,” Chris shouted over the noise, his hands on either side of my face. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

I nodded, forcing a smile even though his form was nearly lost amongst my tears. “I know. It’s just... with everything going on…”

Before I could finish, Chris pulled me close and pressed his lips to mine in a fierce kiss. When we parted, he rested his forehead against mine. “You’ve got this, my Luna. I trust you to keep things running smoothly here.”

I swallowed hard. He was right; I was Moonstone’s Luna now. Not Acting Luna. Luna. And it was my duty to take care of our pack during a time of crisis when the Alpha needed to leave on business.

“I promise I’ll keep a good eye on Moonstone,” I said, my voice cracking slightly. “Just... come back safe, okay?”

He kissed me again, softer this time. “Always.”

Ophelia approached, her designer luggage at her feet—two full suitcases, even though they were only leaving for a couple of days. Although, to my surprise, Princess was to remain in Moonstone with Leonard; I think that Leonard secretly wanted the little dog with him, not only to not feel alone, but to also have a part of Ophelia with him.

“Don’t worry, darling,” she said, patting my arm. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble in the human world.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s what I’m afraid of. You two together? It’s a recipe for mischief.”

Chris grinned, picking up his and Ophelia’s bags. “That’s the plan. Ready?”

Ophelia nodded, and they both turned toward the helicopter. I returned to Leonard’s side—who, coincidentally, had his neck covered in Ophelia’s red lipstick, although he didn’t seem to care to hide it anymore—and we watched as they climbed in, Chris helping Ophelia with her step up.

As the door closed, Chris turned back to me one last time, mouthing ‘I love you’ through the window.

We waved as the helicopter lifted off, the wind nearly knocking us over. I stood there, arm raised, until the helicopter was just a speck in the sky. Only then did I let out the shuddering breath I had been holding.

“Hey,” Leonard said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder. “It’ll be alright.”

I nodded, flashing Leonard a soft smile. But as I walked back to the cottage, I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. With Chris gone, I felt... exposed. Vulnerable.

It was silly, I knew. I was perfectly capable of handling things on my own. And yet…

I shook my head, trying to dispel the gloomy thoughts. There was work to be done, and the pack couldn’t afford to have its Luna wallowing in self-pity.

Thankfully, there was a long list of tasks waiting to be tackled. With the fungi catalysts around the Packhouse finally destroyed thanks to the GMO, it was time to start the arduous process of cleaning and restoration.

I suited up in a hazmat suit, tugging the rubber gloves up to my elbows. The suit was stifling, but necessary. Even with the catalysts gone, we couldn’t risk exposure to any lingering spores.

“You’re sure you want to do this?” Leonard asked as we opened the front door to the Packhouse. He was similarly suited up, although I could see the strain on his face even through the protective visor.

I nodded, although I shot him a worried look. “You know you don’t have to—”

“I want to.” He cleared his froggy throat and quickly looked away, and I knew he was biting back a cough. I had tried to talk him out of coming, telling him that he should just stay home and rest, but he had insisted.

And, well… I couldn’t bring myself to force him to wallow.

We entered the Packhouse, and I had to suppress a gasp. Even though I had seen the damage before, it was still shocking. The once-beautiful wooden walls were now marred by patches of inky black fungus. In some places, the wood had crumbled entirely, leaving gaping holes.

“Where do we even start?” I asked, feeling overwhelmed.

Leonard handed me a scraper. “One patch at a time. That’s all we can do.”

And so we began. For hours, we scraped and scrubbed, carefully removing the fungus and placing it in sealed containers for disposal. It was backbreaking work, made more difficult by the cumbersome hazmat suits.

As we worked, I tried to keep my mind off Chris and the press conference. But every so often, my thoughts would drift. Was he nervous? How would the human press react? Would this help us get the medical assistance we needed, before it was too late?

“Ava?” Leonard’s voice snapped me out of my reverie. “You’ve been scraping the same spot for five minutes.”

I blinked, realizing he was right. “Sorry. I guess I got lost in thought.”

Leonard’s expression softened behind his visor. “He’ll be fine, you know. Chris can handle himself.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I just... I’m not used to him being gone. Especially not now, with everything that’s happening.”

“It’s okay to miss him,” Leonard said gently. “But don’t let it distract you from what needs to be done here.”

I nodded, grateful for his understanding. “You’re right. Let’s get back to work.”

We continued our efforts, slowly but surely making progress. By the time the sun began to set, we had managed to clear a significant portion of one room. It wasn’t much, considering the size of the Packhouse, but it was a start.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Leonard said, his breathing labored. “We don’t want to overdo it.”

I agreed, although I could have kept going. But I knew that Leonard, despite trying not to make it too obvious, couldn’t. Heading outside, we carefully removed our hazmat suits and went through the decontamination process before heading home.

“Same time tomorrow?” I asked at the end of the path leading up to my cottage.

Leonard nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it. Oh, and Ava? Try to relax tonight. The press conference will be fine.”

I gave him a small smile. “I’ll try. Thanks, Leonard.”

As I walked up my path, I stifled a yawn. The physical labor had been a good distraction, and I was so tired that I wondered if I might knock out during the press conference.

But as I approached my front door, something felt... off. I couldn’t put my finger on it at first, but then I saw it: the door was slightly ajar.

My heart rate instantly spiked, adrenaline flooding my system. I extended my claws, every sense on high alert. Silently, I crept toward the door, straining my ears for any sound from inside.

Nothing.

Slowly, I pushed the door open wider, wincing at the slight creak. The house was dark, the only light coming from the setting sun through the windows.

I moved into the living room, my eyes adjusting to the dim light. Everything seemed to be in place, but the hairs on the back of my neck were still standing up.

Something wasn’t right.

My hand found the light switch, and I flipped it on, bracing myself for whatever I might see. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw a figure sitting calmly in my armchair. My claws were fully extended now, a growl building in my throat, when I recognized who it was.

“Patrick?”

He looked up at me, a small smile on his face. “Hello, Ava.”