CHAPTER 3: MISSING LUNA

DANIEL

(You should go get her back before it's too late, Daniel.)

“I didn't make her leave, Kellion. She left on her own, and you could see it.”

(You should have gotten involved. Stopped her before she walked out because you're about to make everything worse)

I decided to ignore my wolf and his need to fight me, like I made her leave, when in reality, Cora had walked out on her own.

When I first got together with her, even my family didn't like her, but she was my destined match, so I stayed with her.

Everyone I knew mocked her for her weight, and I watched them all without correcting them.

At first, I tried to be nice, but after a few weeks I was over being nice to her, and everything about her repulsed my entire person.

It started with me avoiding her during pregnancy, making sure we were never alone together anywhere, and when she gave birth to our son Tobias, she was all alone.

Claire had been keeping her company and encouraging her, but even then I saw through the facade and knew her care was fake and that she was only there because she wanted me.

For five years I stayed away from her until I couldn't anymore, and the affair started hot. Her entire family knew, but not naive Cora. She always saw only the best in people, even though they never even tried too hard to hide their poisonous intentions.

She had gotten into trouble and was running when I met her the first time my wolf recognised her as his mate.

I helped her get away, and we had the mating ceremony not long afterwards.

Cora was an excellent Luna and mother, but her weight had always irritated me, which was why I couldn't make us work. She had been so heartbroken when she caught on to what had transpired between me and Claire but Tobias picking Claire over her probably shattered her heart.

It was exactly three hours after she left that I began feeling concerned. True, I had told her to leave and never come back, but I never thought she'd actually just walk away like that.

I sent warriors out to look for her and instructed my gamma, Derek, to check her parents' home and report back immediately.

Her father, Mason, was my beta, and his home wasn't so far from my place.

Derek returned an hour later. “We found no traces of the Luna Alpha. The Beta will be here soon.”

Mason was an enigma that I'd never even understand. You'd think that Claire was their real child, not the adopted one, unlike the way they treated their own daughter.

I observed quietly as Claire played with Tobias, who was absolutely not aware of the gravity of what had transpired between his parents.

“Hey Claire, do you have any idea where she must have gone besides your parents' place?” I cleared my throat and asked her.

She frowned, then moved away from Tobias as she walked towards me with a strut.

“How should I know where she went?” She asked carelessly.

“I don't know... maybe because you're her sister and her best friend?” I snapped in irritation.

“Best friend and sister? Snap out of it, Daniel. I just admitted to her that I was carrying your child and that we've been screwing each other for up to one year. Do you really think she'd go anywhere I'd know about?”

“Yes, Claire. I did think so because you were the one person she was closest to.”

“Do you not hear the irony of what you've just said? I was fucking you and got pregnant for you ou, why would she reach out to me after everything that went down? Besides, stop acting all sad. You've wanted her gone for a very long time.”

“I never wanted things to end up this way, Claire.”

“So what were you expecting? That you'd keep fucking two sisters under your roof? Come on. You knew as well as I did that she would leave after discovering everything, so don't make me seem so guilty for a decision we both made while being conscious and aware of what we were doing.”

Claire was a lot of things, but she could never make a good Luna because she was way too selfish to do anything for anyone besides herself, and I have no idea what I was doing when I decided to tumble in the sheets with her.

The only issue I'd always had with Cora was her damned insecurities and curves, but having her gone this way would definitely lead to trouble from the council.

I exhaled and watched Mason as he strolled into the room without a care in the world.

“Good evening, Alpha Daniel.”

“Mason, do you have any leads on Cora's whereabouts?”

“Why would I know where she went? She was busy whining like a baby before storming out of the house in anger. I don't know where she went.”

“Mason, this is your daughter that we're talking about. She just discovered that I had been having an affair with her sister Claire.”

“So what? Does that mean she should throw tantrums around? Is she a kid?”

“This would cause trouble with the council, Beta Mason.” Derek snapped at him in irritation.

“Daddy, I did absolutely nothing to provoke Cora, and she takes things way too personally.”

For the first time, I finally saw the type of family she had. They didn't care about her at all, but they definitely cared about the adopted daughter, which sent warning bells off in my head.

If I had simply paid more attention when Cora was still home, would I have noticed this? Was I so blinded by Claire that I never saw her family's indifference?

Her mother was a doormat and let her husband and Claire do whatever they wanted without interference.

Where was I supposed to start from? Where was Claire?