Loving Luna - a reverse harem story

19.

CHAPTER 19

RAFE POV

It killed me to leave Rini behind and not be there while she was poked and prodded by Doc, but Lyall was right, I needed to cool down a bit. Going all alpha male in front of Rini when she didn’t trust me wasn’t going to win me any favours.

I made it pretty swiftly up the stairs and met Ralph in the kitchen, a huge spread laid out on the table. I loved my brother, I knew him better than I even knew myself, but I had never, not once in our 18 years of life, seen him willing cook for someone other than Lyall and me.

“You did all this?” I asked mildly.

“No the food fairies came in and did it,” he retorted, slamming a bottle of maple syrup onto the table.

“Good morning, my handsome boys!” Mom chirped, sweeping into the room with Dad on her heels. “Smells good in here, nice to see that girl isn’t using tripping over as an excuse to skirt her duties.”

“She didn’t trip,” Ralph said coldly.

Mom ignored him, moving to kiss him on the cheek before kissing mine. “I hope the eggs aren’t too cold though, I usually like them to be made fresh.”

“Bacon is a little undercooked,” Dad murmured through a mouthful.

“Useless,” Mom agreed, and I had had enough.

“Why do you hate her so much?” I asked.

“Who now?” Mom asked, barely paying me any attention.

“Rini,” I said through clenched teeth. “You have never been nice to her, you treat her like s**t and you made us treat her like s**t. I think we’re all old enough now to know what crime a 5 year old committed to have you neglect her basically her whole life.”

Dad snorted. “No one makes you boys do anything.”

Ralph’s eyes flashed and I could feel how close to the edge he was.

“I’m serious,” I said evenly. “What is her actual crime here? Do you even know? Do you even know her?”

“It’s too early for this,” Mom murmured, rubbing her forehead like I was giving her a headache.

“When is her birthday?” Ralph asked suddenly.

Mom threw her arms up in exasperation. “How am I meant to know that?”

“She’s going to leave as soon as she turns 18,” he snapped. “If she’s such a f*****g burden I would think you would make it your business so you could count down the days.”

“She wants to leave?” Dad asked sharply.

“No,” Ralph replied. “She is going to leave as soon as she can get the f**k out.”

Mom laughed without humour. “Well, good riddance.”

“What the f**k is wrong with you?” I whisper, looking at my parents like I don’t even know them, and maybe I don’t. “She’s got nothing and no one, if she leaves she could die. Are you that f*****g heartless?”

“Language Ralph!” she snapped, and I felt like she had slapped me. She had birthed us, raised us and watched us grow for 18 goddamn years and still couldn’t tell us apart. No one saw us an individuals, except Lyall and… Rini.

“I don’t give that first f**k about my language,” I barked. “I want to know why she’s been essentially our slave for over a decade!”

Alpha energy filled the room and I felt like choking on it, I looked over to see Dad’s eyes flashing orange with fury.

“You will respect your mother and your Luna,” he commanded, voice rough with power. “It is not for you to question any of our decisions, it is for you to obey.”

A weaker shifter would have fallen to their knees under his power and the sheer force of his command, but Ralph and I were the strongest Beta’s of any generation, strong enough that if we really wanted to, with our combined strength we could lead our own pack.

I couldn’t move but I also didn’t fall down in submission. I could also sense that I had lost complete control over this situation and I needed to retreat and regroup. It wasn’t over, it would never be over until everyone accepted Rini and began to treat her like she deserved.

“May we be excused?” Ralph bit out, fists clenched into fists.

Mom waved away his statement like our own father hadn’t tried to take our free will to force submission a moment ago.

“Honey no, let’s have a nice breakfast together and we can talk about the ball coming up.”

“I’m not going,” Ralph replied.

This time Dad didn’t say anything, he just moved over to Ralph and forcibly shoved him into a chair, raising an eyebrow at me to ask if I wanted the same treatment. I stiffly sat down and glared at him.

“Of course you’re going,” Mom trilled, ignoring the tension. “It’s in your honour, after all!”

Goddamn it, I had forgotten all about the ball, what a joke this whole thing was. Every shifter pack from all over the closest territories were coming here to participate in the blue moon taking place next month, under the guise that we were celebrating the additional magic in the air that the Blue Moon created and a way to reconnect with all the packs. In reality? The additional magic in the air was prime opportunity for mating bonds and every eligible female was hoping to meet us and have the mating bond snap into place.

We would be forced to be passed around the room like pieces of meat, charming the young females, scouting strong males to join our pack and paying respects to the Elders.

I had zero interest in any of that bullshit, but I would attend for The Unravelling. Mom and the pack females might care about the power and mating of the Blue Moon, but I carded about the power. The Blue moon only happened once every 3 years and was the only night that the veil of magic dropped completely and those chosen were gifted with magical gifts.

You had to be over 18 for the magic to find you suitable and most of the time no one received any gifts, but we were not no one; we were the next generation of pack and power, and I was confident at least one of us would be powering up.

Doc has cleared Rabbit for school provided she uses crutches and isn’t on her feet too much. The little firecracker is refusing further treatment but Doc is pretty concerned about everything going on and the complete lack of medical records.

I nodded once to Mom so she thought I was listening and focused back to Lyall.

She’s getting the tests. Ralph and I growled as one.

Lyall’s amusement filtered down the bond. She’s the only one that doesn’t seem to realise that.

Make sure she brings her phone today, Ralph says firmly. And set find my iPhone up, I want to be able to track her if she tries to be an i***t again.

Already on it brother. I’m taking her to shower now and then we can all take off.

She will be showering alone. I don’t recognise the snarl I send down the bond to Lyall, I have never felt the need to push back on him like this, but thoughts of Rini’s slick, naked body being touched without me make me crazy.