“Excuse me, Alpha,” I said, hoping to the goddess that he freely moves and doesn’t make this scene worse than it is. Elelira is clinging to my shirt, her eyes closed tightly, and her small body is shaking like a leaf in my arms. Lachlan’s eyes focused on my hands gripping her, and I could see the conflict of wanting to tell me to get my hands off his wife again on his face, but to my relief, he stepped to the side, giving me room to pass without saying a word. Elelira’s hold on me remained tight as I walked with her out of the hall. My men followed me out, sensing as much as me that their Luna needed them. Once outside the large, heavy wooden doors, as we began to go back to her room, I heard a fierce growl I am all too familiar with echo out behind us, and the crashing of what I assume was a table he just flipped. “EVERYBODY OUT!” he roars, and I’m sure Killian is pushing his way out. Elelira startles and jerks, whimpering softly as she clings to me more.

Cherum and Percy accompanied us outside, but after a little pleading, I got them to agree to watch us from the stone walkway as Yasmin and I strolled down to the water’s edge by ourselves. We rid ourselves of our shoes, walking barefoot in the sand. The grainy particles between my toes felt comforting. The waves were crashing on the shore, the water soaking the bottoms of our skirts made us giggle as it tickled our feet. The fragrant ocean air soothed me and helped to keep me calm as I began to tell her my story. As we walked along the beach, I told Yasmin about my mother, and the suffering she went through because of my uncle and his men. There are so many rumors of my mother being a whore and a loose woman, but she was forced into doing those things by my uncle, until the day of her death. I even brushed over some of the abuse I endured, leaving out the more gruesome details that had yet to happen. I did tell her that I knew her pain. I had been in similar situations where I was

It took hours to get my mess cleaned up, and after apologizing to the kitchen staff, I ordered them to use the great hall for meal times until the new furnishings could be built for the dining hall again.Cherum kept me updated on everything Lira was doing. She was finishing having tea and lunch with Yasmin, the last he told me, and getting ready to pay the orphanage a visit; the one she was supposed to go to today with me. If I could go back and redo this morning, I would, but I’ve already been granted one redo. I need to make this right on my own.I hurried back to my room, deciding to create a chance encounter with her at the orphanage, or at the very least, watching her from afar just to see that she was really okay. Killian has been anxious about her because of the last image we have of her on repeat in our mind. I just need to see her to put him and myself at ease. Walking into my bedroom, I stop when I realize that it’s no longer mine. With all the chaos from today, I had fo

Waiting outside, I continued to watch the people in the town going about their daily lives. Everything seems so mundane and I find it lovely. As insufferable as I find Lachlan, I can’t help but to be impressed by the prosperity and happiness of his town and its inhabitants. This is the kind of normal I have always craved.He may be intolerable to deal with personally, but it’s nice to see he effectively runs his pack well. The people all looked happy. There may be small issues, such as I have always heard about the pack’s race discrimination because of the wars, but I think any place or territory will have its issues. This place is thriving, so unlike my uncle’s pack.Maurice makes a face after a few minutes, then whispers something to Cherum before slipping inside the building. “Everything okay?” I asked. “Oh, it’s fine, Luna. The madam just asked for a favor and Percy was busy helping Yasmin, so Maurice went to help.”“Oh,” I said, thinking of what favor Lady Vera would need a war

The orphanage was a long walk from the part of town we were in, and Cherum tried to get me to wait for warriors to bring us horses to ride, but I was fine with the walk. I used to walk a tortuous hike up jagged rocks to do my laundry up the stream from the castle, in terrible shoes. My new shoes are quite comfortable, and I’m enjoying stretching my limbs and the conversation with Yasmin. I’m also uncomfortable riding a horse, and do not wish to embarrass myself further today. I don’t want to admit that, though. A lycan scared of being close to a horse is not something common among our kind. When we finally get to the orphanage, I stare at it in wonder. It’s a beautiful building right by the sea, with an intricate iron fence circling it, and children running around gleefully in the yard. It's made of white stones that shine in the sunlight and look majestic against the sea view. The roof is clay tiles and there are stained glass windows decorating the entire front of the building, dep