The Luna He Begged To Reclaim

Miranda stayed silently beside her mate, Alpha Richard Boston, as the ceremony wore on, careful not to irritate him as he always said she did. Six years of marriage, and she had still not been able to learn what didn't piss him off during occasions like this. While guests admired the seemingly happy couple from afar, Richard didn't seem to be in the mood for any frivolities tonight. He kept his eyes coldly on the crowd, answering greetings with grunts while Miranda smiled gracefully and did the work of two people. "Luna, the harvest tribute from the eastern packs arrived early this year," said an elder, bowing his head toward her. "I heard it was your doing, my lady." "I only asked nicely," Miranda said, and the elder laughed again as he hurried away to avoid Richard's sudden glare. Miranda on the other hand allowed herself to enjoy the small moment, because it was proof that she still mattered even if not to her husband. When the elder was out of earshot, Richard snarled without looking at her. "See to it that the tribute is logged properly before the night ends." "I already have Luca working on it," Miranda replied quietly. He nodded arrogantly, then turned his attention to another guest who had come to pay homage. Miranda swallowed the sting of his words the way she had learned to swallow everything else over years. She had stopped expecting warmth from her husband years ago, but what she still foolishly hadn't stopped expecting was courtesy on formal occasions like this. Away from the Alpha family on the other side of the hall, Vivian Halloway seemed to be having a lovely evening. She had the attention of the high-ranking wolves in the building, and she was giggling and tossing her hair way too much than was necessary as she paraded herself like some prized jewel. Just when Miranda thought her shenanigans couldn't get worse, Vivian drifted towards them and touched Richard tenderly on the arm like a casual acquaintance, pulling him a little farther away from his mate. “Your speech was wonderful yet again, Alpha,” Vivian cooed in a sultry voice, tilting her head up at him. "You always know exactly what the pack needs to hear." "I only say what's true," Richard said with a chuckle, then relaxed his posture slightly, something he'd never do around Miranda. Miranda watched the exchange over the rim of her cup in silence, telling herself that she was probably over reacting in her mind. Vivian was known to be warm with everyone, even if a little too much most times. She was popular amongst the servants, the guards, and even the pack pups running between tables. It didn't mean anything that her warmth toward Richard lingered a little too long, or that her hand found his sleeve more often than was necessary. It didn't mean anything, and yet Miranda couldn't get over the fact that Vivian had conveniently ignored her existence. Her face couldn't hide her disgust anymore. "You're quiet tonight," Healer Nina said, appearing at her side with two fresh cups of wine and pressed one into Miranda's hand. "Is everything alright?" "Everything's fine," Miranda said quickly, faking a smile to avoid explaining anything. Nina, Miranda’s friend and confidant, glanced toward Richard and Vivian, then back to Miranda, and said nothing else. She didn't need to, especially when she had watched this marriage unfold for six years and had bandaged Miranda's silence more times than her wounds. Some things just didn't need words between them anymore. As the event went on, toasts were made to the pack's prosperity, to the alliance with the northern territories, and to the health of the Alpha and his heir. Miranda smiled silently through all of it, raising her glass when required, while avoiding eye contact so no one could tell what she was thinking. She was reaching for a fresh glass of wine from a passing tray when Vivian suddenly appeared beside her, way too fast for it to be a coincidence. "Oh, Luna, I'm so sorry…" The collision happened so fast that Miranda had little time to react. Vivian's shoulder caught her arm, tipping the glass and sending dark wine splashing across the front of Miranda's gown. A few nearby guests turned at the sound and began to murmur amongst themselves. "I didn't see you there," Vivian said hurriedly, but her voice was clearly rising for everyone to hear, as if she was trying to draw attention rather than avoiding it. "Oh no. Was that cup meant for the Alpha?" Miranda stared at her in confusion. "What?" "Now that it's spilled,” Vivian continued, “you shouldn't give that to the Alpha.” There was something about the whole thing that didn't quite sit right with Miranda, but everything was happening too fast for her to think clearly. Before she could even respond, a servant appeared out of nowhere and placed another cup in her hands before she could even refuse it. Around her, conversations had quieted, and eyes had drifted toward the small commotion near the pack’s Luna. “What's going on here?” Richard asked in an irritated state as he appeared beside her. As expected, there was no atom of concern for his wife. "Nothing," Miranda said quickly, with embarrassment flooding her face at all the attention. "I spilled a cup, that's all." She wished everyone would just go back to their businesses and let her be, and without thinking, she lifted the new cup to her mouth and took a generous gulp to calm her nerves. The wine tasted surprisingly strange on the way down, carrying a hint of bitterness beneath the sweetness. But she barely paid attention to it…until the pain started. It began in her throat, a burning sensation that spread unnaturally quickly. Miranda's hand flew to her chest as the cup slipped from her fingers and fell against the floor, while her vision gradually blurred until faces around her slowly twisted into shapes she couldn't focus on. "Miranda?" Richard's voice called out, closer and sharper now even if he didn't touch her. She tried to answer him and choked instead, followed by a violent cough that tore up from her chest. When she pulled her hand away from her mouth, her fingers came back red. Chaos erupted in the hall at the sight of the blood. Someone screamed in horror, while others surged back to their seats. Miranda's knees buckled underneath her, and she suddenly found herself falling. She caught Richard's face on the way down, looking at her with alarm instead of the usual indifference as he made an effort to catch her. "Someone, get Nina," he roared, and his arms closed around her as she sank, with blood sliding down her chin, while the room spun into a blur of light and noise and panic. Nina rushed in and was surprised to see the Luna on the floor, minutes after she left. She drew closer to examine Miranda, who was now holding her tummy. Nina’s eyes flew to the cup on the floor. She smelled the dregs and confirmed her suspicion. “The Luna has been poisoned!” “What?” Richard snarled, his eyes red. “Who dares poison the pack’s Luna?” "Alpha!" A guard's voice suddenly cut through the chaos, breathless and urgent. "Alpha, the cleaning omega found something in the Luna's bedroom. A vial of poison, my lord." The words reached Miranda from somewhere far away, distorted as if it was spoken underwater. She wanted to shake her head and tell them that it wasn't true, to tell Richard that she would never, but her tongue had gone heavy and useless in her mouth. Richard's arms slowly went rigid around her. She felt it happen, felt the exact moment his grip changed from a husband catching his falling wife to something colder and suspicious even as he held her. "Miranda," he said again, and his voice had changed too. "What did you do?" She tried to answer, to tell him there was a mistake somewhere, that someone else had done this, and that she was innocent. But the darkness closing in around her vision swallowed the words before they even reached her lips. The last thing she heard, before the world went completely black, was the sound of her own name spoken like an accusation, and the rising murmur of a hundred voices deciding that their pack’s Luna was a murderer…