The rest of the day was a whirl. The King seemed impressed by how I handled things when I came back, and listened intently to everything I said. It made me feel good to know that he took me seriously, despite my heart still hammering in my chest from the conversation with my mother. My throat felt tight as I kept forcing smiles, participating in small talk, and just trying to do everything else that was required of me. No one besides Claire and the King seemed to notice that there was anything off with me. Before we headed for the biggest banquet that had ever happened in the New Moon Pack, the King requested seeing Crista.
"Sire, are you sure?" a man who had been following us all day, I assumed his Beta, asked, speaking for the first time.
"Of course, Derek. You trust me, don't you?" th
