Chapter 6

Raven's POV

“I… I…” I stammered, drifting backwards.

“My son is lucky to have you, Raven. Are you a healer?” she asked.

I nodded.

“I can see why your energy is stronger. You reacted to my touch because you came in contact with a former healer.

“Although I'm no longer one, I still have remnants of my powers locked within me, which easily react to smaller amounts of healing energy.

“I was once a healer like you, and I thank the Moon Goddess for replacing what we have lost.

“I apologize if I made you uncomfortable in any way. Please accept my apologies, our dear healer and Luna.”

She noticed how uncomfortable I was. She could tell from my expression that I wasn't comfortable with her hands on my cheeks.

I exhaled sharply.

She didn't know about the pup.

She had discovered the opposite of what I expected, and that was enough for the day.

“Thank you, my Queen,” I replied in one breath, avoiding her gaze.

Her eyes were burning into my soul, searching for something I had no idea about.

I hadn't met hundreds of queens, but she was the most powerful one I had encountered so far.

“May I ask your name?” I finally asked the question I had spent minutes processing in my head.

I had been holding it in because I thought it might sound disrespectful. She was a queen, after all. What did I need her name for?

Maybe for some research later.

Who knows?

“I'm Queen Celine, the Alpha's mother.” Her introduction was delivered in a plain, calm tone.

I didn't expect her to answer so casually.

“I think I'd prefer to call you Queen Cel. What do you think?”

“I would say it's a genuine name, chosen by you!” she blurted out excitedly.

“Thank you for the privilege, Queen Cel.”

“It's my pleasure. In due time, you will feel at home in the pack.”

She held my hands in hers, a smile tugging at her lips.

“I have you not only as a Luna but also as my child. Feel free to walk through these gates and open up to me whenever you can. You're one of us now.”

She squeezed my hands gently.

“I will do that if the need arises. I will always count on you for being yourself,” I replied.

If I could disappear, I would have done that a long time ago.

I wasn't comfortable being around her because of the dark energy she possessed, which was causing me great turmoil from within.

Lily wasn't bothered. She only stared at us with her mouth wide open. She was used to her. After all, that was her mother.

“I will take my leave, as I have important things to attend to,” I finally announced when she let go of my hands.

“Sure, you can. Lily!” she called, and her daughter immediately stepped forward.

“This is the sister you never had. I know you're already proud of her. Love her the same way you love me. She won't disappoint us,” she instructed her daughter, who replied with a curt nod before leading the way.

“Consider it done, Mom. I forgot to tell you that I saw that monster in the Alpha's chambers. I mean, what exactly is she looking for?” Lily complained in a disturbed voice.

“That would be a topic for another day, Lily,” the Queen replied in a voice laced with unmasked resentment.

What did the so-called monster do to make them hate her so much?

She looked evil, though.

“Tell the Alpha to tighten the security around Luna Raven's suite. Or he can take her in if he wants. Raven's life could be in danger because this is the wrong time for her to show up.”

The Queen's words instilled fear in me. I found myself trembling from head to toe.

I didn't care about myself. I cared about my pup.

The life of my unborn child mattered a whole lot more to me than my own.

I would do anything to protect her. I didn't care who I had to fight to make sure my child was brought into this world.

“Thank you,” I said as I trailed behind Lily when she stepped out of the chambers.

“Your mom is so kind,” I told her.

“She really is, despite not being my biological mother. She treats us better than her own child.”

Lily's response made my chest tighten.

Queen Celine was her stepmother?

Oh my! She was too good to be that.

“I never expected her to be one. She's more like a mother to everyone. She welcomed me with open arms and has already taken me in as her own.

“Though I've been sensing the Queen's odd and dark energy, I wouldn't deny the fact that she's considerate and kind too. Until my instincts prove otherwise, she's a really good queen.”

“The Alpha and I had a childhood that wasn't something to write home about. Our mother left when we were two and five. Queen Celine took us in, treated us like her own children and never told us she wasn't our biological mother until two years ago, when she decided to open up.

“I love her too. I miss my mother so much.”

Her eyes became teary as she struggled to get the words out.

“The Alpha couldn't search for his mother? I mean, if you guys really loved her that much…”

“We've been searching for her for the past two years, but were later told she had passed away. Queen Celine was my father's fated mate. She couldn't give him a pup, so he had to go for a chosen mate. Five years later, my sweet stepmom conceived!” She smiled faintly.

“Wow… You have a stepsibling?”

“Yes, but he's not in town. He comes and goes. He's also very nice to us. Only a few pack members know that we aren't biological siblings,” she explained, blinking rapidly.

“I'm so sorry for what you and the Alpha have gone through. I couldn't imagine how disappointed you must have felt when you got the news that she had…”

“We felt devastated, but couldn't do anything because Queen Celine took us in as her own.”

“She's a good stepmother,” I concurred.

We talked about a few more things concerning the pack and its members. However, when we got close to my suite, Lily's countenance changed.

“I will feel bored. I wish we could stay together…”

“You can always visit me, Lily,” I said with a sad smile.

“Oh, yes… I'm scared,” she confessed with a frown.

“Of what, Lily?” I asked in concern.

“Of you leaving my brother. You don't seem comfortable around him, and it makes me wonder if you really love my brother the same way he loves you…”

“Lily…” I placed my hands on her shoulders, my eyes searching hers.

“ I love your brother. He's my type of man, so…”

“But…”

“No, Lily. Your brother is my fated mate, and I know thousands of girls who would like to be in the same position as I am. Who wouldn't love the Alpha?”

“I'm not talking about loving the Alpha, sister. I'm talking about loving Everest himself. If the Alpha title disappears, would you still stay by his side?”

Lily's question caused my stomach to twist into knots.

My hands shook slightly on her shoulders as I looked at her with a hardened expression.

I began to reflect on the few times I had spent with Everest. He was kind, loved me and always made sure I was comfortable. So, I would choose him even without his title, as long as he continued treating me better than I treated myself.

I squeezed her shoulders softly.

“Yes, I will choose Everest in every lifetime,” I divulged.

She didn't say a word. She stared into my soul as if she were trying to read my heart.

I saw tears roll down her cheeks.

“What happened? Why are you crying, Lily?” I swallowed hard.

She quickly brushed away her tears and averted her gaze.

“Lily… look at me.”

“I will see you later, my Luna.” She lowered her head and left without waiting for my response.

I watched her petite figure disappear among the pack's guards and members.

Lily's sudden change of behaviour became very unsettling to me because she had been so bubbly before our conversation.

“Welcome home, my Luna,” my servant greeted me the moment she sighted me from the veranda.

“Hi.”

“Someone paid a visit.”

I halted halfway to the doorstep.

“Who was that?” I asked because no one knew I was here, and I wasn't expecting any visitors or guests.

“She isn't an intruder. She was the Alpha's mistress. She inspected the rooms… You shouldn't be worried about her. I watched her keenly and made sure nothing went wrong,” she said in a lowered voice.

“What are you talking about? Someone inspected my rooms and my apartment in my absence?”

Her expression remained calm, but the tension in her shoulders gave her away.

“Yes. We couldn't stop her because the Alpha authorised her entrance. Moreover, this was her former room, so that was why…”

“Geraldine, that doesn't justify anything!” I tried to suppress my anger.

My apartment? Shit!

“I'm sorry… She visited the Alpha today.”

That was when it clicked. She was the girl who had been walking into the Alpha's chambers when we were leaving.

What could her reason possibly be for inspecting my suite when she no longer had any business here?

“What was her name?” I asked, holding my breath.

“I don't know… but from the whispers I heard, she was the Alpha's ex,” one of the servants replied, her voice trembling.

“What?”

I quickly dashed into my apartment, my chest hammering and my lungs constricting.

I had left one of the pregnancy test strips on my table before leaving.

What if she had seen it? What if she took it to the Alpha?

My mouth fell open in horror when my eyes scanned the table where I had left the strip, but it was nowhere to be found.

I balled my hands into fists in anger as beads of sweat began to form on my forehead.

“Geraldine!” I growled, my vision blurring.

That bitch couldn't have found that strip. No. Never.

I would rather elope from the pack this instant than watch her present the strip before everyone.

“Geraldine!” I growled again, my voice low and dangerous, devoid of a single emotion.

She stormed in, her hands trembling.

“She… did.”