12: Miss Opal

Several men were waiting at the entrance to the Sharptooth Pack Mansion, and one of them stepped forward before we could enter.

"The child can't go with you to see our Alpha."

Alastor stopped, and although he hadn't said a word yet, I immediately noticed the change in his posture.

"Why not?" I asked.

The man lowered his head, but instead of answering me, he looked directly at Alastor.

"We have a private playroom prepared for her, Alpha."

I stared at him.

Apparently, being a Luna wasn't enough to qualify me for an answer to my own question.

"My daughter is not leaving my sight," I said.

Before anyone could respond, the enormous doors behind the men opened, and a woman stepped outside.

She had dark hair and a surprisingly kind face, considering she lived in a place that looked as though screaming should be coming from the basement.

"I'm Opal. Don't worry, Luna." She bowed respectfully. "I will guard your daughter with my life."

I stared at her.

The woman was looking at me like she'd just witnessed the resurrection of Jesus Christ himself.

Her eyes travelled over my face before briefly dropping towards Rachel in Alastor's arms, and when they returned to me, there was something in them I couldn't quite place.

"Have we met?" I asked.

"No."

The answer came a little too quickly.

Interesting.

My wolf stirred.

'Witch.'

I smelled it too.

The magic wasn't powerful. In fact, it was barely strong enough for my wolf-senses to detect, but it was definitely there.

A low-level White Witch.

That eased some of my concern because White Witches took their oath never to intentionally use their magic to harm an innocent seriously. My parents had taught me enough about witches growing up to know that their word meant something, especially when they gave it under their sacred laws.

Still, Rachel was my daughter, and I wasn't in the habit of handing her over to strangers simply because they smelled trustworthy.

"I don't know you."

"I understand," Opal said softly.

Alastor handed Rachel to me. "Leave her and come."

I glared at him while wrapping my arms around my daughter. "I'm not leaving my child with a stranger."

"We didn't bring her here to sit through an adults' dinner."

"I don't care why we brought her. She stays with me."

"Ava."

There was something in his voice that made me look at him.

He wasn't shouting, and he didn't need to. The warning was there, hidden beneath that unsettling calmness he'd been carrying around all evening.

I glanced towards Trenton and immediately knew he wasn't comfortable with the arrangement either. His jaw had tightened, and he hadn't taken his eyes off Rachel since the guard announced she couldn't accompany us.

For once, I wished he'd open his mouth and say something.

He didn't.

Of course he didn't.

Rachel, however, seemed to have considerably fewer trust issues than the three adults standing around worrying about her.

She leaned against me while studying Opal curiously.

"Are you a witch?"

Opal smiled. "Maybe."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Can you turn people into frogs?"

"Only annoying people."

Rachel giggled, and despite myself, some of the tension left my shoulders.

"Have you turned anyone into a frog before?"

Opal pretended to think about it. "I don't discuss my victims."

That earned another giggle.

I looked at the woman again.

Something about her still bothered me, but it wasn't the kind of feeling I usually got when someone posed a threat. If anything, Opal seemed more nervous around me than I was around her.

That made absolutely no sense.

I kissed Rachel's forehead before hugging her tightly.

"If you need me, you scream as loudly as you can. Understand?"

"Yes, Mama."

"And don't eat anything unless Miss Opal gives it to you."

"OK."

"And don't go anywhere else."

"Ava," Alastor growled behind me.

I ignored him.

"And if anything feels strange, you call for me."

"Mama."

"What?"

"I'm going to play."

I stared at her.

Apparently, Rachel was having considerably less difficulty with this separation than Trenton and I were.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Mama."

I kissed her one last time before reluctantly setting her down.

Opal held out her hand, and Rachel accepted it without hesitation.

"Is this a vampire castle?" Rachel asked as they started walking away.

Opal laughed. "No."

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure."

"Because it looks like one."

"I'll tell Alpha Roland you said that."

"Is he a vampire?"

"No."

"Does he turn into a bat?"

I heard Opal laugh again as they disappeared around the corner.

I remained where I was until Rachel was completely out of sight.

My wolf was still restless, but she wasn't warning me about Opal.

That counted for something.

At least, I hoped it did.

"Come," Alastor ordered.

I reluctantly followed.

We were led through a long, dark passageway illuminated by small lamps along the stone walls. The farther we walked, the louder the sounds ahead became until I could hear music, laughter and enough voices to tell me Alpha Roland's definition of a small gathering was apparently as questionable as everything else I'd heard about him.

Two enormous wooden doors stood at the end of the passage.

The guards opened them.

I took three steps inside and stopped.

Well.

Now I understood why Rachel wasn't allowed in here.

The banquet hall itself was enormous, with long tables stretching across the room and enough food to feed a small army. Roasted pigs, ribs, vegetables, freshly baked bread and fruits covered nearly every available surface, while bottles of wine seemed to outnumber the people.

Strangely, hardly anyone appeared interested in the food.

There were naked wolves everywhere.

Some were drinking. Others were laughing, kissing or openly entertaining themselves without the slightest concern for who might be watching.

Good Goddess.

Sharptooth Pack apparently didn't believe in bedrooms.

I glanced sideways at Alastor and immediately regretted it.

Of course he looked amused.

This was probably his version of church.

I wasn't sure whether Trenton was equally entertained because I refused to look at him. Dwight, on the other hand, appeared perfectly comfortable watching these strangers fucking, which told me more about that man than I'd ever wanted to know.