Moon God Mates 2

Chapter 12

Ellie's POV:

“I told you he was shady from the start! We should’ve never trusted him!” Cole yells as we all make our way into the pack house and gather around the living room.

I sit down beside Gloria while Ravi heads off to the kitchen. Mila settles on Gloria’s other side, trying to comfort her.

“There’s just no way,” Iris says, dropping into the side chair. Mason sits on the arm of it next to her.

“Then what was that, huh? He’s a traitor, Iris. Why can’t you see that now!” Cole shouts, standing opposite her, fists clenched.

They go back and forth, and I don’t know what to think or say. It makes me mad, the way Cole talks about Luke, but everything he’s saying seems true. Luke is their alpha. He stood beside them. He could have chosen us. He could have stayed with me. But he walked away.

When I glance at Mason, I notice something off. He doesn’t look surprised to see Luke today. It’s like he expected it.

Ravi comes back from the kitchen, hands Gloria a mug of tea, then sits on the floor at her feet. Watching them twists something in my chest. Is finding your mate always going to come with this kind of heartache?

“His mom was a traitor, and so is he!” Cole yells to no one in particular, his voice cracking. Mila stands up, and Cole watches her as she walks away and disappears upstairs.

“I say we kill him, like we should’ve done in the first place,” Ravi says.

“No!” Iris and I shout at the same time. But no one even looks at Iris. All eyes land on me. Iris’s reasons for caring are obvious—but what are mine? Do I tell the pack I think Luke is my mate? That I might be mated to the enemy?

“His mother was not a traitor.” Gloria finally speaks up. Her voice is soft but firm. “I’m sorry, Beta Cole, but Nancy was no traitor.”

Everyone turns to her.

“Nancy… Luke’s mother was Madoc’s sister. He was the worst man you could possibly imagine.”

“We know. We defeated him when they attacked just last month,” Iris says, giving Gloria a gentle smile, encouraging her to go on.

“But Nancy… she was like a light in that pack. Her and Lilah. They were the light we all needed. Madoc loved her—until the day she found her mate, Leon. He became jealous of her, crueler than ever. Nancy never agreed with how the pack was run. So when she became pregnant with a boy, she tried to challenge Madoc for the pack.”

A tear slides down Gloria’s face. Ravi reaches up to wipe it away.

“But the elders didn’t allow the challenge, and she was executed, deemed a traitor a few years after her twins were born. Leon ran away with their son, knowing he was the only threat to Madoc’s reign. But he was never able to get Lilah out.”

“Gloria, who is Lilah?” I ask.

“Lilah is Luke’s twin sister… or was.” Gloria’s eyes glisten. “No one’s seen Lilah for years. Madoc tried to force her to mate with him to keep the alpha line strong, but she made herself barren. Luke is the only one left who can carry on the alpha line.”

I gasp. What a strong woman Lilah must be.

“Good for her,” Iris mutters.

“I’m sure he killed her too,” Mason says, rubbing Iris’s head. “Lilah broke her ability to give him an heir. She’d be useless to him after that.”

“You’ll have a bigger problem…” Iris whispers, almost to herself, then looks up. “When Madoc died, he said we’d have a bigger problem on our hands. He must have meant Luke.”

“Probably. There’s a curse binding them to that pack. The blood that runs through it can’t be freed unless the alpha line is broken. When Madoc died, it fell automatically to Luke,” Gloria says.

The room goes silent as we all take that in. I’ve never heard of a curse that powerful—and never come across one I couldn’t break. Unless… black magic. I don’t touch black magic. It taints the soul.

“My sister and I ran, hoping to find a way out. We met witches all over the world, tried spell after spell to break this curse. We almost severed it once, but… I lost my sister in the process.”

Gloria’s tears flow freely now. Ravi moves to her other side and pulls her into his chest.

“I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused. I just can’t go back there,” she sobs. “They let rogues run rampant, and Declan would never let me live this down. He’d keep me in the dungeons forever, like the others. Please.”

“Gloria, we’re not letting him take you. You have my word,” Mason says.

“Thank you, Alpha!” Ravi stands to bow before Mason, then helps Gloria to her feet. “Let’s get some rest,” he tells her, guiding her upstairs.

Gloria stops halfway up the staircase and turns back to us. “The only way to break the Blue Blood curse is to end the alpha line. We’d have to get rid of Luke before he has a chance to produce an heir. It’s easier said than done. The Blue Bloods still have original elders and a witch who practices dark arts. But if we could find a way to separate him…”

I feel my blood boil. Why is everyone’s first instinct to kill Luke? I’m not going to let anyone hurt him. Even if I have to guard him with my own body.

“Get some sleep, Gloria,” Iris says with a soft smile. Ravi leads her upstairs, and we all look around at each other, silently processing everything.

“Mama! Macey! You’re home!” James barrels down the stairs and into Mason’s arms.

And there’s the other reason we can’t let Luke die. He already produced an heir. If Luke’s gone, would James be cursed next as the future alpha of the Blue Bloods? And how powerful would they become, knowing he’s half hunter?

☾☾☾

I rub the last of my makeup off and crawl into bed. This time, all I want to do is sleep.

Will I see him again? Is he really meant to be mine? Is he my mate?

A knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts. Mason pokes his head in.

“Are you still awake?”

“I’m awake. Come in,” I say.

Mason steps inside, glancing around like he hasn’t been in here a dozen times before. Cole follows, shutting the door behind him. I swing my legs over the bed so I can look at them properly.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

Cole looks tense, like he always does when Luke comes up. Mason, though—he’s calm. Almost too calm, considering we just found out his mate’s ex, his stepson’s father, isn’t dead but the alpha of the most notorious pack known to wolf.

“I hate to ask another thing of you, sister, when you’ve already done so much…” Mason says, sitting on my desk chair across from me.

“We need you to help us find a way to break the alpha link,” he says, locking eyes with me.

“That way, when the time is right, we can get rid of Luke without it affecting James,” Cole cuts in.

“What? No! There has to be another way!” I jump to my feet, looking at Mason for backup.

He watches me closely before speaking. “Ellie, it’s the only way.”

“I’m not doing that! I’m not helping you kill Luke! He saved you. He saved the pack. Why would we ever betray him? Aren’t we supposed to be a pack of honor? How could—”

“Ellie, it was Luke’s idea!” Mason stands up too.

“Wh-what?” I stammer.

“He called me, Ellie. He was told the only way out of the curse is if a witch does the spell at the same time as his sacrifice. A witch he shares a bond with.” The way they’re looking at me puts me on edge. Do they know?

“Who told him that? How can we trust anything those people say?” I demand.

“His sister, Lilah. Somehow, she’s alive. She’s been trying to end the Blue Bloods for years. They’ve killed, taken, raped—done whatever they wanted. We can’t let that pack go on, Ellie. And we definitely can’t let them find out their next heir is a royal hunter. You saw what they did to get Iris. What do you think they’d do for James?”

“I know that!” I yell, frustration tearing through me. “I know what they did. But Luke—he never… Can’t we just wipe out the whole pack?”

The second the words leave my mouth, I flinch. What the hell am I saying? We don’t know who’s guilty and who’s innocent. How many lives would we take before fixing the problem? I’m sickened at myself for even suggesting it. I’m not violent. I’ve never intentionally hurt anyone.

“They’ve been trying to break this curse for years. This is the only way. It was Luke’s plan. He knows what he’s doing. He’s willing to sacrifice himself for his son.”

“The only way…” I repeat, sinking to the floor in front of my bed.

They linger for a moment. Mason goes first, pausing to give me a sympathetic look before slipping out. Cole ruffles the top of my head. “It’ll be okay, El,” he says softly before leaving too.

But will it really be okay?

Will I be okay?

Do they even realize what they’re asking of me? That they’re asking me to kill my own mate?

It isn’t fair. I’ve spent my whole life watching everyone around me find their mates, dreaming of the day I’d finally find mine—only to have this. To belong to someone who’s already doomed. To give him up before we’ve even had a chance.

All I’ve ever wanted was a happily ever after.

What the hell is this?