“I’m lost,” Alpha Due muttered dryly.
“Honestly, we’re still a little lost too, I think,” Chann admitted, his voice softer and echoing slightly. “And we actually saw it happen.”
“It may be a good thing that Alpha Eirian is vetting this part,” Alarick stated with a sigh. “I’m not sure anyone would believe it otherwise.”
“I could do it again,” Luna began, before all of us vehemently cut her off.
“No, Luna,” I told her softly. “Not unless you have to. It was an emergency this time, but you’re still a pup. I know you have your powers for a reason, but you need time to grow into them too.”
“Luna made the binding oath?” Alpha Due surmised, slowly piecing things together.
“Yes and no,” Alarick answered, as I fought to stay awake. “Raff still performed the oath. Luna somehow reached across the distance and bound us together. I could feel my father holding my hand, could feel the magic pulse between us the way a regular binding is performed. But we were on the highway, miles from the hotel, when it happened.”
“I’ve never heard of any power like that before,” Alpha Due murmured, so low I would have missed it without my werewolf hearing. “I know there are all kinds of mutations, but that?”
“Selene told me I could,” Luna informed him with a yawn. “She says I’ll learn how to do lots of things.”
I winced. “Yeah, about that…” I looked around the car. “Some of this is going to be coming out in a little bit here, but how much exactly? I mean, Selene’s already… I don’t know if possessed is the right word, but she’s done that to Luna a few times in front of people now.”
“Goddess,” Alpha Due swore.
“’Bout sums it up,” Zev quipped.
“Gwyar knows some of it already, I think, since he was close to Ashley,” I reminded my pack. “But I’m not sure how much he’s made public, or how much we want to make public.”
“Don’t announce it,” Alpha Due told us, his voice shaking. “Not yet at least. Eirian is verifying the truth of your statuses, you do not need to verify how you obtained said status. There is nothing in the law stating that as a requirement, he would have to call a conclave for that.”
“Luna.” I shifted, turning to face her. “I’m very proud of what you did. Your power is very strong. But I need you to do something else for me now, okay?” I asked her, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “You’ll need to stick close to us here, but you cannot tell anyone how you helped the alphas, okay? You cannot tell anyone about your powers or about Selene. Not a single word of it unless Alpha Alarick tells you to. Do you understand me?”
Her golden eyes were wide as she nodded.
“I’m not sure if Alpha Alarick will get a chance to give you a command, sweetheart. You’re going to have to be a very strong pup and keep very quiet, okay? They may yell or growl or say bad words, but I won’t let them hurt you, do you understand me? They would have to get through all of us, and that’s not happening.” I didn’t look away, didn’t flinch, as her eyes searched mine.
“Yes, Beta,” she promised. “I won’t tell.” She tucked her arms around my neck for a quick hug, and I squeezed her tightly while Shannon balanced her.
“Good.” I looked to Shannon who gave me a small nod. She’d look out for her, and no one would see her power coming.
“Alarick, you know that as soon as she declares that you really are alpha, he will challenge you instead, right?” Ian asked, his voice shaking slightly.
“Ian, take a break,” I ordered. “I’ve got him.” Ian hesitated, looking between me and Raff before he sighed. The bronze of his eyes dimmed, and I knew he was nearly running on empty.
“Both of you stop for a bit,” Raff grumbled weakly, “and focus on the bastard who did this. I’m not dying yet.”
“I know he will,” Alarick replied coldly.
“He’s bad,” Luna murmured, tapping my shoulder. I turned to face her again.
“What, sweetheart?”
She chewed on her lip. “His pack is scared. He hurts them like Mama hurt me.” Snarls filled the car and filtered in from the phone. I held up a hand, my entire focus on the pup.
“What do you mean? Did you see him hurt them?”
She tugged on her hair as she shrugged. “He’d hurt Mama sometimes.”
“Just her? How do you know they’re scared? Did you visit them?” Shannon inquired softly.
“I see them,” Luna told me, lifting her face to mine. Her eyes glowed silver, and I swallowed hard.
“You see them how?” I pressed, pulling her hair from her fingers and braiding it like I had before.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I can see all the wolves. I watched them when I couldn’t sleep.”
“So you see them at night?” I prompted, keeping my voice light. I knew Zev had slowed the car down, giving us more time.
“Uh-huh. Sometimes Selene would talk to me about them. It made her sad when she couldn’t visit them or when they forgot her. She said I had to make them happy again.”
“Oh, goddess,” Shannon whispered, looking at the glowing girl in her arms who was smiling at the braids I made.
“I’m thinking that may just be literal,” I murmured, shock nearly freezing me in place before I convinced my fingers to keep braiding.
“I knew we said she was moon blessed,” Zev croaked, “but did anyone think this was what the stories meant? You guys can’t see the way she’s glowing here either,” he told Alarick, Chann, and Alpha Due.
“So his wolves are scared of him?” I ignored Zev for now, focusing on Luna. I knew we couldn’t have much more time before we reached the Ocean Mist packhouse, even with Zev’s dawdling pace.
“Lots. Some are mean.” Her lower lip trembled as tears filled her eyes. “Why are some so mean?”
“Pup, that’s a question we all ask,” Ian said gently. “Sadly, none of us have an answer for that yet.” He’d shifted in his seat, adjusting Raff more comfortably across the large bench seat of the SUV. “You’re not mean though, and that’s what matters.”
She considered that as she played with the braids I made before she nodded. “I don’t want to be mean. He doesn’t like girls much,” she commented, toying with the ends of her hair. “Or low pack members.” That didn’t surprise me, the bastard had power hungry misogynist written all over him since the first time we’d met. The only females I’d seen the man interact with were his sister and the beta female I’d taken down the first time I’d met them.
“Luna, do you see all the packs?” Alpha Due asked carefully, and I stopped a growl working its way up my throat as I realized Alarick could be in danger depending on Luna’s answer.
“Uh-huh,” she replied, kicking her legs. From the way Ian stiffened, I knew he’d realized the significance of that question as well.
“Can you tell them about my pack?” he requested casually, and I clenched my hands into fists, hoping that if she said the wrong things Alarick and Chann were paying enough attention to act quickly.