Chapter 95

Selene

As the night winds down, I say goodbye to Mom and Philip before stepping outside to find Phoenix waiting for me on his motorcycle. He already has his helmet on, and without a word, he hands me mine.

I'm still slightly irritated with him for arranging a meet-up with Luke without even thinking about including me, his Luna. I want to be part of everything, not pushed aside because he thinks something might be too dangerous for me. Whatever does down at that bar, we will face it together as mates and equal partners of the pack.

If we have to argue about it, so be it, but I'm not changing my mind on this.

And he knows that all too well.

"See you at home!" Makayla exclaims from across the parking lot, heading to Loki's car, her hand firmly in his. They look so cute together, I can hardly stand it.

"Have fun!" I shout back, giggling despite the lingering irritation from my mate's actions.

I am so fucking grateful that the rooms are soundproof at the packhouse, unlike Luke's house,` and I won't have to hear ANY of what they plan on doing tonight. But like I told her yesterday, I do want to hear about the major details later. Tomorrow, my best friend will have a new scent, mixed with Loki's.

She's definitely going to be over the fucking moon.

I climb onto the bike, my arms instinctively wrapping around Phoenix's torso. His comforting scent wraps around me as he revs the engine.

"Ready?" he yells over the roar of the bike.

"Yeah!" I shout back, tightening my hold on him.

We shoot off into the night, but instead of heading straight to the packhouse, he takes a different route. While I enjoy the long, relaxing ride through the cool night air, I can't help but wonder where we're going so late.

After what feels like forever, the landscape changes, and I realize where we are. We pull into a graveyard, the wrought-iron gate looming above us. Phoenix cuts the engine, the sudden silence unsettling after hearing the rhythmic growl of the motorcycle for the past half-hour. He kicks the stand down and helps me off the bike, his expression tense and eyes guarded.

My heart hammers in my chest. "What are we doing here?" I ask, my voice trembling a little. I'm not really a fan of creepy shit, and graveyards definitely fall into that category.

"We're just stopping by," Phoenix murmurs, his hand finding mine as he leads me down the narrow path that cuts through the center of the cemetery.

"Phoenix, I don't know how comfortable I am about having sex in a graveyard," I whisper, trailing closely behind him, my heart instinctively racing.

He snorts, the sound low and amused despite the tension. "Good, because we're not doing that."

We stop in front of a large, pink headstone. I blink, staring at the inscription: Luna Penny: A great Luna, mother, and wife.

Oh. He...he brought me to his mother's grave?

Phoenix pulls a single rose from the inside of his suit jacket and kneels to place it at the base of the headstone. For a long moment, he says nothing, and neither do I. I stand beside him, squeezing his hand in silent support as he stares down at the grave, lost in thought.

I feel everything he's feeling—the grief that never really went away, the anger that washes over next, and then the confusion that's been gnawing at him since he was given that note. He doesn't block me from his emotions, and they flood me all at once. So intense, so raw, that it nearly brings me to my knees.

I whimper, wrapping my arms around his torso, and burying my face in his chest. I just want to ground him, to make sure he knows that he's not alone. I know he told me he didn't have a good relationship with his mother, but he said he knew that she loved him.

Well, I'll make sure that he always knows I do too.

Finally, Phoenix speaks. "I wish she could tell me who killed her," he murmurs thoughtfully, his voice thick with emotion. "This note's got me fucking confused. How could he be innocent? I can feel it in my gut that he killed her. She didn't just die in her sleep."

I rub my thumb back and forth across his hand. "Maybe this meeting tomorrow will finally get you some of the answers you need," I say softly. "Maybe not about your mom, but if your father is really as bad of a monster as we think he is."

He nods, though the motion is slow, weighted. "Yeah, maybe."

"Come on," I say, gently tugging his hand. "Let's go home. I want to take your mind off of everything."

Whether that be sexual or something else, I'll let him decide. I just want to make him feel better, and drive away this heavy cloud that has been hanging over him ever since he was given that note that might change everything he feels about his father.

I know his father has always been a cold, abusive asshole to him, but what if it's true that his father was somehow blackmailed? It sounds way too good to be true, but who knows. I feel like Alpha Nathan wouldn't have given him that note unless he knew something we didn't already know.

Phoenix stares at the headstone for a moment longer before turning to follow me back to the bike. His eyes are distant, but there's a flicker of something warmer when he looks at me. Something I can feel for sure.

Love.

I hop on the back of the bike, kissing him gently before putting my helmet back on. "I love you," i say through the mind-link, letting my voice fill his head and hopefully block out the heavy thoughts.

"I love you too, little wolf," he says back before starting to engine and finally zooming out of the creepy graveyard.