Luna’s Deceptive Bond

Chapter 4

When I entered the courtroom, I turned to Adonis with a shake of my head, and he responded by raising both shoulders. We both knew what we were in for: elders and members of the high court, and while I had enjoyed most of my interactions with the high court members, I wasn't in the mood to amuse them.I strolled inside the room, taking a deep breath in.

"Long live the king!" they all exclaimed, feet and seats dragging on the floor." they sang in unison, and I hummed in answer. I was persuaded that their greeting was only a chant, not a nice wish. None of them cared about me; in fact, they wanted their inept ruler deposed.

"Please take your seats," I said with a modest smile as I ascended to the throne. "I was told that this meeting was urgent, yeah?"" They whispered in answer, "Okay, so what issue are we dealing with?""

"What issue are we dealing with, you say?""People are dying, women and children are dying, your men are dying, and you ask what issue we are dealing with as if you are unaware of the issue we have been dealing with for almost a month now," one of the elders said, and we all looked to him.

"Who else wants to give it a shot?"" My smile remained as I diverted my gaze away from the loudmouthed man and back to the rest of the individuals in the room.

"My king," one of the high court members called as she stood, "we are here to discuss nothing but the epidemic that has befallen us; we have been trying to contain this issue and wait as you told us, but with the tragedy that befell us yesterday, we are not sure if we can keep waiting."

My brows wrinkled and my smile faded; "what tragedy?""

"As you may have known, Vera's daughter, Emaline, was supposed to be married yesterday, but the marriage didn't go through because she contracted the plague," she moaned, glancing briefly to the rest of the room's occupants before returning to me. She and her younger brother are also in the pack's clinic right now, and three other males and Silas' grandmother were hospitalised yesterday."

I looked over the crowd and noticed Silas alone, looking back at me, "Where is Vera?""She was a member of the Supreme Court and was always present at all meetings."

"I'm still in mourning." Because of the illness, our guests did not stay long, my king, and we believe this slickness will minimise our interactions with others.

"I am doing everything I can to contain this situation and bring a solution," I knew better than to let her finish that statement since another issue was bound to develop, and I had already had my fair fill of plague discussion. Ruby groaned and took her seat.

"That's all you've been saying; when are you going to provide us with a standard solution?"" one of the elders stated, and they all agreed with a murmur.

"The expert doctor is on her way to us; I have asked and begged you all to be patient." I swear she'll come to us shortly."

"We can no longer trust you, Alpha Oscar; you promised us this doctor long before the epidemic became so widespread." If you couldn't keep it together, how can you expect us to believe you when you say you can find us a solution?Rowan mentioned another member of the Supreme Court.

I tightened my teeth to keep my wrath in check; it was one thing to know that some of my subjects thought I was unable, but it was quite another to hear them say it to my face, and that other thing was rage. Pain. Betrayal.

"The doctor will come to us, soonest, I wasn't going to say it until

"But my king-" I interrupted the woman who tried to speak by raising my index finger.

"The doctor will be here in a few days, and that's it," murmured the group.

"How can we believe him?"

"Who is this doctor he's talking about?""

"I'll be leaving this pack at dawn to find a doctor for my son; I can't keep waiting for him."

I chuckled in astonishment at their statements; it was upsetting to know that everyone believed I was incapable, starting with Nadia, who nearly abandoned me for my best friend, then my beta, who also stands by my best friend, and now my subjects.

"There is no need for anyone to be concerned; the doctor will arrive in a few days, and that is all I can say to you for the time being." And this meeting has come to an end."

They grunted as they rose to bow in greeting before departing the room, and some even cursed under their breath, but I ignored their misbehaviour. Everyone has been terrified and stressed by the plague, especially me, who has sent a thousand letters to the doctor with no response.

Once they were gone, I slumped into my seat with a groan. When I realised I hadn't heard Adonis's voice during the discussion, I searched around for him, only to find him gone, and just as I was about to question where he was, he raced into the room beaming.

"She responded, Alpha!" She has replied!" I sat up and groped for the envelope in his grasp. We had been waiting for her reaction to only one person, I knew. I ripped open the package and took out the letter, only to be met with three simple yet frustrating words.

'I humbly decline.' That was the end of it, no explanations, no courtesy."

"You do know where this doctor stays," I remarked, my rage and aggravation apparent in my voice and expression.

"I know where she lives and works," Adonis said, nodding.

"Good," I pushed the letter against his chest, and he grabbed it before it kissed the ground, "then go get her and bring her to me at any cost." Bring her to life for me."

Liliana’s pov

More letters from the Sturgeon Moon set arrived in the following weeks, and when I grew weary of shredding them like the first one, I started keeping them in my drawer to collect dust.

Their call for me to return to the pack was ridiculous. I couldn't help but wonder if Oscar realised it was me, the Adonise Liliana he had expelled from his pack, or if my new identity as 'Ana' had kept him in the dark. I knew the name 'Ana' was an excellent disguise, but not good enough to conceal the similarities of my real name. Was Oscar truly unaware, or was he playing dumb?

Waylen raced into my room and threw himself on the bed as I reached into my drawer for the most recent letter.

"Mommy's bed is not a playground, Waylen," I admonished as I resisted opening the drawer and turning to face him.

"Don't blame me, your bed is as bouncy as a bouncing bed," he chuckled. "Here," I replied as my face sunk at the sight of the familiar seal, "Danica said I should give it to you."

"Thank you," I sighed, before reaching for the letter and placing it among the previous collections.

"Is that from your father?" Are the letters you've been receiving lately from him?"Waylen was a bright youngster, and I'm not surprised he discovered I was getting those letters, but his inquiry caught me off guard.

"Of course not, Waylen; you know Daddy doesn't send us letters in these kinds of envelopes, right?""A stinging hurt shot through my chest in protest of how easy the lie slipped off my mouth. I didn't want to lie to him, but I also couldn't tell him the truth with a death threat hovering over his head. A threat from his father.

"I don't want letters from Dad anymore; I want him here." "With us," his frail voice broke down.

"And you will have him soon, he will be here with you and me soon, I promise."

"When?"

"Soon, baby."

"When will it be?" I turned to face him and drew him to my breast, brushing his hair away from his face.

"Daddy is a brave soldier on the front lines, saving people's lives, but he will be back even sooner than you can imagine." I swear."

"Would they injure him?"

"No, they wouldn't. Daddy is brave, powerful, and smart; he will be fine, and he will be with us soon, okay?" I forced a spit down my throat.

He nodded, his visage devoid of consolation.

"Waylen, dear, don't be sad." I wasn't sure who I was talking to since I was upset, too, and I needed confirmation that everything was fine, that Oscar hadn't found out about Waylen, and that nobody was chasing my son.

"Can we go to the park?" His customary glee had been replaced with a note of anguish in his voice.

"It's almost dinnertime, my love."

"All right, can we go for a short walk? It'll make me happy," he continued after noticing my unsure expression.

"If that's what's going to make you happy." My face lit up as a small smile crept into his face. "Now go put on your boots, the last to get ready is a stinking banana!" I gripped him loosely and tackled him as he tried to wiggle out of my grip.

With a sigh, I rose from the bed and pulled my hair into a loose bun; I, too, needed the walk; after being cooped up in the room all day, my body yearned for some exercise. As I reached for the nightstand to get my phone, my eyes were drawn to the letters in the drawer - I hadn't completely closed the drawer - I pulled up the drawer and picked up the newest member of the collection.

Would there be anything unusual in this? I wondered as I checked the envelope front and back; it was the same Adonise as the ones I'd been receiving, Adonise brown envelope and Adonise seal, implying that the letter's content would be the same, right?

"Right?" I said as I threw the letter back into the drawer, this time snapping it shut, straightening my shirt, picking up my phone, tucking it into the back pocket of my trousers, and closing the door behind me.

"Ha-ha! Mummy is the stinking banana!" Waylen mocked as I entered the living room. I stuck out my tongue and made a grimace, and he copied my look before sprinting into Danica's arms. Danica, who should have stayed at home.

"You know you don't always have to wait until Waylen goes to bed before leaving, right? I can tuck him in, I've been doing it for years."

"I'm aware of that, Dr. Ana; I just enjoy spending time with him."

"And he's getting too attached to you," I said as I bit into an apple from the kitchen counter. "But, as your employer, I'm telling you to leave early today. Waylen and I are going for a walk; don't wait for us; we'll fix ourselves dinner when we get back, and I'll tuck him in."

"Are you sure?" Danica asked, biting her lower lip, "I could fix you guys something, I don't have to leave early, it's not like I have anything to do at home."

If I hadn't known Danica and her family personally, I would have suspected she was running from something, but Danica was the type to put other people's needs ahead of her own, "Lies, you have your homework to do and staying here will do you no good, go out there and enjoy your adolescence."

"OK," she answered after a moment's thought, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"On Monday. I'll take the weekend off."

"Thanks ma'am. Bye Waylen. I will miss you, be a good boy, okay?" she giggled.

"All right," he said, waving as Danica hopped on her bike and rode away.

"Now, what business do I have with you, young man?"

"We're going for a walk, mum," Waylen exclaimed as he drew me to the door, and I eagerly followed, handing him his jacket before closing the door behind us.

After only five steps out from the house, two guys approached us, and I grabbed Waylen closely as I attempted to figure out who they were; I knew I didn't know them, and the lengthy strides they took towards us indicated they hadn't come for small talk.

"I'm really sorry, ma'am," one of the men said.

While I was still trying to make sense of what he said, a hard object struck the back of my head, causing me to tumble to the ground, but not before I noticed a set of dark green eyes peering down at me.

I tried to push off the ground to reach for Waylen, but my action only caused me to smack my head against the ground and blackness to engulf me.