Chapter 26: The Luna Nobody Expected

The first thing I did after Fenrir disappeared behind the council chamber doors was check whether the guard was still outside my room as I searched my belongings for the silver ring my mother had left me.

It was gone. I checked beneath the mattress, inside my drawers, and even between the pages of the book I'd been reading before Fenrir came to my room the previous night.

Someone had left the ring at the eastern gate. Someone had known enough about my mother to send a warning to the Alpha. And Fenrir had recognized the symbol engraved inside it.

What frightened me most wasn't that a stranger knew about my past.

It was that Fenrir knew something I didn't.

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the pendant resting against my palm. The crescent moon and four tiny stars glimmered in the morning light.

“Who were you, Mama?” I whispered. She had died when I was young, leaving me with more questions than memories. I'd spent years suffering under my step mother.

Instead, here I was living in a lycan king's estate, being pressured into a ritual I hadn't agreed to, while mysterious messages about my family appeared at the gates.

I pressed the pendant into my palm. Whatever my mother had hidden, I would find out eventually but first, I needed breakfast because apparently, even a potential supernatural conspiracy couldn't stop my stomach from growling.

~~~~

A knock sounded at the door.

“Come in.” A young woman entered carrying a tray. Her dark curls were gathered into a messy bun, and she wore the same grey uniform I'd seen on several members of the household staff.

“Good morning, Luna. I'm Mira.”

“Winora is fine.” She set the tray down.

“Breakfast. The kitchen sent extra fruit because the cook heard you liked it.”

I smiled. “Tell the cook thank you. And please tell her I don't need special treatment.”mMira raised an eyebrow.

“You're the Alpha's surrogate….. oh I’m sorry the alpha’s Luna. I'm afraid special treatment comes with the position.”

“Does that mean I can order everyone to bring me pancakes?”

“Absolutely not.”mI gasped.

“Then what is the point of being important?” Mira stared at me for a second before bursting into laughter.

I laughed too. It felt strange but wonderful, actually, to laugh about something so ordinary when everything around me had become complicated.

After she recovered, Mira pulled out a chair.

“You're different from what I expected.”

“What did you expect?”

“Someone who would demand a bigger room, more servants, and expensive clothes.”mI looked around my bedroom.

“Why would I need a bigger room? I can barely find my hairbrush in this one.”mMira laughed again as I pointed toward the window.

“And I want a garden.”

“A garden?”

“A small one. Vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Nothing extravagant.” She studied me.

“You know the elders won't like that.”

“Why?”

“Because you're supposed to focus on your role as the surrogate.” I put down my spoon.

“Can I ask you something, Mira?”

“Of course.”

“Does anyone in this pack ever think about anything besides tradition?” She considered the question.

“Not enough.”

“Then perhaps someone should.”mI glanced outside as a several servants were carrying supplies across the courtyard, while a group of young warriors returned from training.

“I don't know how to be a Luna,” I admitted. “I've never wanted a throne or a title but I know what it's like to work until you're exhausted and to feel as though nobody notices when you're struggling.

Mira listened quietly.

“If I'm going to live here, I want to do something useful. I want the servants to have a voice. I want the children to have somewhere safe to play. I want the older members of the pack to get medical attention without feeling like they're asking for a favor.”

“You'd do all that without being Luna?”

“Why should a title determine whether I can care about people?”mMira's expression softened. Then she stood.

“Finish your breakfast. I'll help you find a place for your garden.”mFor the first time since arriving at the estate, I felt that perhaps I could build something here that belonged to me.

~~~~

By midmorning, I was standing in the southern courtyard with a basket of seeds. The groundskeeper, an elderly man named Thomas, examined my supplies with deep suspicion.

“Vegetables?”

“Yes.” He looked at the basket again.

“And you intend to plant all this yourself?”

“Unless the seeds have learned to dig.” A laugh escaped him.

“I see you've got a sharp tongue.”

“Only when people ask unnecessary questions.”

“Then you'll fit in here perfectly.”

We found a patch of neglected ground near the southern wall. The soil needed work, but Thomas assured me it could support vegetables if we prepared it properly.

I rolled up my sleeves For the next hour, I helped clear weeds, arrange the seed packets, and mark out the rows. Mira joined us, followed by two kitchen assistants who argued passionately over whether we should grow tomatoes or peppers first.

It was the most normal morning I'd had in weeks.

I was kneeling beside a row of seedlings when a familiar voice interrupted us.

“What exactly are you doing?” I looked up.

Fenrir stood at the courtyard entrance, dressed in black trousers and a dark shirt. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, revealing the dark markings that ran along his forearms. He looked from the basket to the disturbed soil.

“Planting seeds,” I replied.

“I can see that.”

“Then why ask?” Thomas suddenly became fascinated by a nearby tree as Mira covered her mouth.

“Do you always answer questions with questions?” Fenrir's eyes narrowed.

“Only when the original question is obvious.” His jaw tightened. I lowered my head, pretending to examine a seed packet.

I was not going to laugh especially not at the Alpha. when he could probably have me thrown out of the courtyard with a single command but the silence stretched, and when I looked up, I caught something unexpected.

The corner of his mouth had twitched.

“Oh, this is wonderful. The terrifying Alpha can smile. Someone should record the occasion.” Mira made a strangled noise behind me as Fenrir looked at her. She immediately became very interested in the gardening tools. I bit my lip trying to contain my laughter as Fenrir exhaled.

“Take the southern garden. You can plant whatever you want here, provided you don't interfere with the security patrols.” I blinked.

“Really?”

“Do you want me to change my mind?”

“No!” The word came out so quickly that even Thomas laughed.

“You're impossible.” Fenrir shook his head.

“And you're very generous with your gardening permissions, Your Majesty.”

“I'm not your king.”

“Then stop acting like you need a military briefing before approving a flower bed.” For one brief moment, his eyes softened.

“Try not to destroy the place.” Then he turned away.

“No promises!” He walked off without replying.

I watched him disappear around the corner, a ridiculous smile spreading across my face.

Perhaps Fenrir wasn't entirely incapable of being human. My smile vanished as the faint sting began beneath my left ear.

The mate mark!! I quickly pulled my hair forward, covering the crescent shaped mark hidden beneath it. Fenrir hadn't noticed and I had to make sure he never did.