THREE

“Come onnnn. Indulge me.”

“No!”

“Please Aunty pleaasseeeee. Just hypothetically… what would happen if I did do it? I’d get Father to acknowledge more my skills and I’m 60% more into my successor seat. He already thinks I’m a capable Luna. What else would make me a more capable Alpha?” I see the gears in her head spinning but she’s still hesitant.

“It’s risky. You’re you. Feminine, small and well, considerably weaker.”

“Enchantments can make me Manly, and taller. I’ll train my muscles like my life depends on it… because it literally does.”

“There’s the problem of your shifting.”

“I’ll go for a course that doesn’t involve it. I’m sure the school is not so crude as to make us shift everyday, we’re mostly there to train our political skills, right?”

“You smell like a girl and you have periods. Wolves can smell that.”

“I can mask my scent. With technology advancing as far as it has, I’m sure there is something on that. As for my periods… I can’t be sure but I’ll be damned if I let some blood stop me, I’ll lie that I got hurt doing something and I still have blood on me or I’ll tell them I heal slowly. Anything to divert attention.” I fumble over my answers.

“What if you go into heat?”

“On the unfortunately bright side, only people who are in touch with their wolves can go into heat.” I know from experience.

My aunt pauses, I can tell I’m answering her questions too quickly for her to come up with new ones. “What if…”

“What if?”

“What if you meet your mate there?”

I snort out a laugh. “Come one, I’ve travelled all over Theria as I was building businesses for our pack. I think I’d have met him by now.”

“Theria is just one country, the academy admits people from all over the world, Eldora. Parallax is way bigger than what you’ve seen.” A frown creases her brows which lets me know that she’s being serious. If she thinks there’s a risk of me getting my cover blown, she won’t let me do this.

“I know.” I take her hands. “ I am not in touch with my wolf. That part of me is the one in charge of sensing the mate bond. I am sure I won’t be able to sense him and the other way around too.” My shoulders slump a little but I regain my composure and stare right at her. I’m not backing down now. Not when I’ve seen a thread of hope I can grab on to. Granted, the thread is made out of spider webs and it could cut at any moment and plunge me to my death… I’m still not giving up.

Aunty sighs again. I’m getting past her defenses. “What about your Father?”

“I’ll let you handle that one. My plate is as full as it can be.” I laugh and she does too. The night bleeds into the morning as we spend time working out the finer details of my horrible plan.

-

Three days later.

“Eiran…” Aunty begins. She has on dark round sunglasses and a tank top showing off her glistening toned arms. I’m envious of them. She’d look gorgeous in anything.

“Call Me Alpha.” Father replies, his plate is stacked with red meat again, well cooked and juicy. The sight of my plate is also inviting but I know what is about to unfold so I eat in little chunks, unable to stomach anything for now.

“Eiran Maine.” Aunty pushes.

“…What is it you want, Irene?” He gave up easily. If he wasn’t so stoic, I think he’d have rolled his eyes.

“It has been brought to my attention that you wish to give my niece’s hand out in marriage.” Here we go.

“Nothing is set in stone yet but yes. That is the intention.” He pauses. “Why? Did she tell you to talk me out of it because that will never happen. I’m doing this for her own good and the good of the future of the New Moon Pack!”

“I’m right here, you guys.” I sigh, pushing my food around.

“The adults are speaking Eldora.” Aunty cautions before returning to her conversation with Father. “Nothing of the sort, I’m in agreement actually.” She chews on a potato.

My Father pauses again, raising his eyes to look at her. He wasn’t expecting that. “You are?”

“Yes. She has no other redeeming qualities that could guarantee her a better life if she doesn’t become Luna.” She repeats what she told me yesterday in her room.

“Well said. I’m glad you’re in agreement, you can help me look through possible candidates for her.” Father accepts what she has to say and moves on to his second steak.

“Sure.”

“Good.”

The sound of cutlery against plates goes on for another minute before Aunty speaks up again. “Surely, you didn’t think I’d be content with just that, did you?”

“You always want something. What is it this time around?”

“Don’t insult me, I’m richer than the entirety of your little pack and sponsors put together.”

At that, I swallow the piece of meat I’d been chewing and become heavily invested in my food. My Aunty was richer than all of us combined even with our elevated status. She is known as the Golden Wolf by everyone because of her accurate insight into what could give profit and her ability to nurture things until it did. She has impeccable skills as a business woman and could buy out a small country if she wished and still have money left over to run it for at least 10 years. By that time, she would have made her money back.

“I apologize. Now tell me your angle.”

“I will only let my niece get married if I can have her to myself for two years prior.”

“What?!” The pressure rolling off of Father thickened the air in the room. I break into a cold sweat as Aunty just continues with her lunch.

“You heard me.” She met his gaze through the top of her glasses.

“Why?”

“Why not?! You’ve kept her locked here for all her life and now you want to marry the poor girl out to some stranger that could possibly not be her mate.” She huffed. “After having the kind of hard life she has and doing the great work that she has done these past months for the so-called good of the pack, you wouldn’t let her have time to herself?!”

Father growled “Irene, this is none of your-” The pressure radiating off them now is so thick, I’m unable to move. My hands are pinned at either side of my plate with my cutlery as I wait for them to battle it out.

“Let me shut you up there Eiran!” Aunty explodes, light green eyes in slits as she speaks. “My sister gave me her share of the custody to Eldora, whether she is an adult or not. I am also her guardian and I can make it so that you never see her again if you piss me off… but she wouldn’t want that because she cares for this pack which is why I’m here asking nicely and being civil.” She retracted some of her pressure when she noticed my hands shaking. I could barely breathe properly. Our eyes meet and I mouth a Thank you as my Father calms down too. He’s mulling it over.

“Two years is too long, you have a year.”

“Three years.”

“One year and six months. I won’t do more than that.”

“I’ll take it.”

My Father gets up from his seat at the dining table. “Irene, don’t ever threaten me again.”

“Don’t make me.” With that, my Father leaves the room. I have my freedom for a year and my Aunty’s backing. This blew out of proportion for a while but we got back on track.

Now it’s time to prepare for the Alpha Academy. We’ve had six months shaved off the calendar we made but this is better than nothing.

I’ll be done preparing in six months and at the end of the full year, I’ll return here with that certificate in my hand and enough credibility to my name.

I will become your successor no matter what!

Just wait and see Father, I’m one step closer to achieving my goal.