169
Tony
As we rode in the sprinter van on our way to pick up the members of White Moon, a mix of emotions swirled inside me. I couldn't help but feel a glimmer of happiness at the thought of having Lucy back with us. I could almost hear the way she’d sound in my arms again. I could see her swelling with our child, falling into her proper place as our mate and luna.
The pack would be better off knowing that their alphas were settled and I would feel better having her. Our father’s words may have been true, but if I could force her to accept the bond, then all of this struggle could be forgotten.
After all, we had been mated in a formal ceremony. I had signed her part of the certificate for her after Matt and I had signed it because it was faster, and it was just a piece of paper for the council.
I was happy. At the same time, I could sense Matt's anger and unease. I still couldn’t speak to him through our link, and it irritated me. He might be upset about the grey morality of the situation, but it wasn’t that big of a deal.
She was just one human woman. Even if she died, Quillan would grow up among his own kind. Our nanny was right. He wouldn’t always be remembered as just a hybrid. Maybe it was better for her to die.
I winced as I remember Matt mentioning what our life was like without our mother. She had died so long ago, I barely remembered what it was like, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t like our father, and unlike with us, our father seemed to adore Quillan.
I couldn’t stop thinking, couldn’t stop trying to get through the wall Matt had put between us.
Our father, on the other hand, seemed to be in his element, eagerly sharing his grand plans for the future.
"Imagine, in ten years, the Blue Moon pack could be twice its size," he said with enthusiasm. "And in twenty years, we'll have recovered our former strength in its entirety. Maybe even more!"
He laughed. “I can’t wait to see the look on the Council’s face!”
I nodded, trying to share in Oren's excitement, but my mind was still preoccupied with doubts and worries. Matt hadn’t said anything for or against it. Not knowing what he was thinking, knowing that he was so against turning Ginevra was making me nervous.
After all this fighting for Lucy, would it really be that easy? Did our father know that she was the Moon Goddess?
Matt?
Still nothing. I clenched my hands as Matt continued to text on his phone. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something even larger than I had ever imagined going on.
The car started to slow down. Oren frowned and turned his head as Cline rolled down the window and leaned out. I could see the enforcers stationed there and the barricade that had been erected on the road. My heart was pounding with anticipation. Matt was unnervingly silent, just watching though he looked like he was still fiddling around on his phone.
“What’s going on?” Cline asked.
“We’ve checked your license plates, you don’t have a legitimate reason to be here,” one of the enforcers said. She had a short hair cut that reminded me of Lucy and a stern gaze. “Turn back.”
"We're here on official business! We have the right to be here!" Oren barked, his temper flaring.
The enforcer remained unfazed. “Turn back.”
Her eyes flashed with a warning. “Or you’ll be held in contempt of the Coven.”
I could feel the tension rising in the air, and I glanced at Matt, who seemed unbothered, almost relieved.
Matt!
He didn’t look like he’d heard me. Instead, he shifted and tucked his phone in his pocket.
Oren growled and rolled up his window. “Keep going. Run them over if you have to.”
Matt’s eyes widened. Before either of us could say anything, the car lurched forward.
But just as we were about to cross, the van sputtered and died. Panic washed over us as we realized we were stuck at the barrier. The woman, who had been standing back, now watched us with a smug look on her face. I shot Matt a worried look, unsure of what to do next. Matt looked like he was seconds away from laughing. The enforcers behind the woman looked a little relaxed.
Oren, however, was furious. He growled. His eyes started to glow, and he ripped the door open before getting out.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He growled. One of his hands turned into fearsome claws. “Move, you weaklings!”
The woman didn’t even flinch.
“This is your last warning,” she said and walked toward the car. She put her foot on the front of the car and kicked. The car lurched backward and slowed to a stop. Cline tried to start the car again.
“Turn back, or you’ll be held in contempt of the coven.”
“You think I’m going to listen to some witch?” Oren roared. “Do you know who I am?”
“An ex-convict,” she said plainly. “Barely worth being called anything more than a rabid dog.”
My eyes widened. Our father looked like he was frothing at the mouth. The tension in the air grew palpable, and I could feel Matt's gaze on me. I got out of the car.
“We have Council clearance,” I said, pulling out the page. “We’re here to pick up our new pack members.”
She scoffed. “One of which has repeatedly told you that she wants nothing to do with you? Legally? Verbally? How far the Blue Moon wolves have fallen that they have to force a woman to be with them.”
She smirked and looked at our father. “Though I suppose that’s par for the course, considering who your father is.”
My eyes widened. What did that mean? Our father rushed forward, slamming his hand against the barrier. He let out a sharp cry of pain as his claws snapped and went flying off his hand. Blood dripped from his hand as he seethed. Cline got out, growling.
“Witch,” he growled. “How dare you—“
“Oh, and you brought your henchman?” She asked. “I’m not surprised. It’s been a long time since I last saw you.”
She glared at him. “A shame I didn’t take your head off the last time.”
His eyes widened, and I looked over at Cline. He didn’t look like he recognized this woman, but she had to be talking about his scar. Was she the one who gave it to him?
“Go running home with your tail between your legs like beaten dogs,” she said. “Or, I’ll be finishing what I started all those years ago.”
Her eyes started to glow, and a long blade appeared in her hand hat glowed with moonlight. Cline went pale.
“This is your last warning.”
Oren roared. “Kill her!”
He rushed forward as I heard other people from Blue Moon get out of the car and rush forward.
Oren's rage erupted, and he lunged at the barrier again, trying to get through. The woman didn’t even flinch as Oren snarled in her face and tried to rip his way through.
Then, other cars came up behind us.
“Back down!”
He roared and turned, rushing toward the voice. The fight broke out before I could blink. I could see the new enforcers using their magic to defend themselves. It was chaos, and I knew that this would only escalate the situation further.
As the fight with the enforcers continued, I tried to stay back when I noticed that Matt hadn’t moved much at all. He got out of the car and retreated off the side of the road, watching the fight. An enforcer lunged at him through the barrier with a dagger. Matt danced around him. Then, I saw Matt lean into where the barrier was before he went back the other way and away from the barrier violently. He landed a few feet away, but there was no mistaking it.
My eyes widened.
I hadn’t imagined it. I know I hadn’t.
Matt could cross through the barrier, and while Matt was lifting his hands in clear surrender, I couldn’t help but think that Matt knew he could. Which meant he’d faked being repelled on purpose? But why? And what else has he been hiding from me?
I set my jaw. Interesting that he had all that to say about not trusting me with our father when he was clearly hiding something that could be beneficial for the whole pack. I hesitated, wondering if maybe he would tell us the truth.
I would just have to see where Matt’s loyalties lay. Our father might have issues, but I never had to wonder if he didn’t have what as best for the pack in mind.
Gunshots rang through the air, and I turned around as my heart lurched with fear.
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