The Alpha's Contract Luna

Chapter 8

Roman read his father's letter three times.

The words remained the same.

The child is not theirs to command.

He stood alone in the old records room, holding the yellowed paper between his fingers. Outside, wind moved through the trees surrounding Blackthorn Estate. Somewhere down the hall, a door slammed, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

Normally, Roman would have ignored it.

Tonight, he could barely hear anything beyond the warning in his father's handwriting.

His father had known Nadia existed. He had known the council would come looking for her. And he had died without telling Roman a word.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Roman muttered.

A low growl stirred inside him.

They will take her.

Ares had been restless since the file was discovered. Roman could feel the wolf pacing beneath his skin, irritated by the scent of the estate, the council's presence, and the fact that Nadia was somewhere in the building without him.

"They won't."

You don't know that.

Roman folded the letter carefully and slipped it into his jacket.

For once, Ares was right.

Roman didn't know what the council intended to do. He only knew they had spent years hiding the truth about the Mooncrest bloodline, and now they had discovered that its heir was alive.

He needed answers before they made their next move.

His phone vibrated.

Darius.

Roman answered. "Tell me you have something useful."

"I have something unpleasant."

"That usually means the council."

"It does."

Roman closed his eyes briefly. "Go on."

"Alistair has called an emergency council meeting for tomorrow morning. He's invoking the old agreement."

Roman went still.

"Which part?"

"The part nobody has mentioned in decades."

Ares stopped pacing.

No.

Roman's voice dropped. "What does the agreement say?"

"I don't have the complete document. But from what I could find, it gives the council authority to summon a surviving Mooncrest heir and determine how her abilities will be handled."

"Handled?"

"That's the word in the records."

Roman looked at the empty shelves around him.

Handled. As if Nadia were a problem with a solution, rather than a woman who had spent the last several days trying to understand why her life had fallen apart.

"Find the original agreement," he ordered. "And don't let anyone know you are looking."

"Roman, if the council has already invoked it—"

"Then we need to know exactly what they're claiming before I decide how to break it."

He ended the call.

For a few seconds, he considered keeping the letter to himself. Nadia had already learned too much in too little time. Another secret might give her one less thing to worry about.

Then he remembered the look on her face when she found her mother's name in the file.

She had asked him for the truth.

He had promised to give it to her.

Roman headed upstairs.

Nadia was sitting on the edge of her bed when he knocked.

She had changed into a loose T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants she had found in her suitcase. Her hair was tied back, and her laptop rested open beside her.

She looked up.

"If you're here to tell me the council has discovered another mysterious document about my family, I need at least ten minutes to prepare myself."

Roman almost smiled.

Almost.

"We need to talk."

"That sentence has never improved anybody's evening."

He entered only after she moved aside to let him in. He noticed the way her eyes followed his hands, as though she expected him to produce another file.

He deserved that suspicion.

Roman took the letter from his jacket and handed it to her.

"What's this?"

"A letter from my father. It was hidden in your mother's file."

Nadia unfolded it.

She read slowly, her expression changing with every line. By the time she reached the end, the humour had left her face.

"Your father knew about me."

"Yes."

"He knew my mother had a child."

"Yes."

"And he never told you?"

"Apparently not."

Nadia looked at the letter again.

"Why would he care whether the council found me?"

"I don't know."

"Roman."

"I said I don't know."

His answer came out sharper than he intended.

Nadia lowered the paper.

"Don't take your frustration out on me. I'm not the one who left a cryptic letter in a wall."

He exhaled and rubbed a hand over his face.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

She studied him for a moment before returning to the letter.

"The child is not theirs to command," she read aloud. "What exactly does that mean?"

"The council believes an old agreement gives them authority over the Mooncrest heir."

"Authority over me?"

"That's what they're claiming."

Nadia stared at him.

Then she laughed once, without humour.

"Of course they are."

"They've called an emergency meeting for tomorrow."

"And what happens if I refuse to attend?"

"They may attempt to enforce the agreement."

"How?"

"I don't know yet."

She stood and began pacing.

"Let me get this straight. I agreed to marry you because I needed money. Then I discovered you were a werewolf. Then I discovered my mother might have belonged to some ancient bloodline. Now a group of strangers thinks a document gives them authority over my life."

"When you put it that way—"

"How else would you put it?"

Roman had no answer.

Nadia stopped in front of him.

"Are you going to let them take me?"

"No."

The answer came too quickly to be anything but honest.

She searched his face.

"Even if it costs you your position as Alpha?"

Roman hesitated.

It lasted barely a second, but she saw it.

Her expression hardened.

"Right."

"Nadia—"

"No, don't. I asked you a question, and you had to think about it."

"Because the consequences matter. If I lose the pack's support, I lose the ability to protect thousands of people who depend on me."

"And if you agree with them, I lose my freedom."

"I know."

"Do you?" Her voice cracked slightly, and she looked away before he could react. "Everyone keeps talking about what my blood means, what my mother did, what some agreement says. Nobody seems interested in asking what I want."

Roman stepped closer, then stopped when she moved back.

The distance between them was less than a few feet.

It felt much larger.

"I won't let them force you into anything," he said.

"That's a promise you can actually keep?"

"It's one I'm prepared to fight for."

She searched his face again, looking for the confident billionaire who always seemed to have an answer.

This time, she found a man who was frightened of what might happen if he failed.

It didn't make her trust him completely.

But it made her listen.

"I want to attend the meeting," she said.

Roman frowned. "No."

Nadia folded her arms. "That wasn't a request."

"They could use the agreement to put you in danger."

"And keeping me in this room will somehow make me safer?"

"I can arrange protection."

"Roman, I am not another asset for you to secure."

"I never said you were."

"You didn't have to."

He looked away.

Ares stirred uneasily, reacting to the tension between them.

She is afraid.

I know.

Then stop making her feel trapped.

Roman hated how easily his wolf found the truth.

He looked back at Nadia.

"You can attend the meeting," he said at last. "But Darius will be nearby, and if things become dangerous, we leave."

"Together?"

"If that's what you want."

She seemed surprised by the answer.

"All right," she said. "And one more thing."

"Of course."

"If you discover anything else about my mother, you tell me. Immediately. I don't care if it's bad news, and I don't care if you think you're protecting me."

Roman nodded.

"Agreed."

Nadia held out her hand.

He looked at it.

"Are we shaking on it?" he asked.

"We are. Unless your hand has another supernatural surprise waiting for me."

He took it carefully.

The silver crescent appeared at the base of her thumb.

Both of them froze.

This time, the mark did not fade.

Silver light spread beneath Nadia's skin, forming a delicate crescent surrounded by tiny lines that looked almost like letters. The air in the room grew heavy. Somewhere outside, a wolf began to howl.

Roman felt Ares rise inside him.

Moonborn.

Nadia pulled her hand away.

"What is happening to me?"

Roman stared at the glowing mark.

For the first time in years, he had no idea what to say.

The following morning, Nadia entered the council chamber with Roman at her side.

The room was colder than she expected. Dark wood covered the walls, and tall windows looked out over the estate grounds. Seven people sat around a long table.

Alistair Thorne occupied the seat at its head.

His silver hair was neatly combed, his expression unreadable.

"Nadia Cole," he said. "Thank you for attending."

"I haven't thanked you for inviting me."

One of the council members shifted in his chair.

Roman pulled out the seat beside his own. Nadia sat, placing her hands on the table.

Alistair opened a thick folder.

"The council has reviewed the evidence concerning your mother's lineage. We have reason to believe you are the surviving heir of Mooncrest."

"Congratulations on discovering something my mother's own family records could have told you, if anyone had bothered to share them."

Alistair ignored the remark.

"Under the old agreement, your lineage carries certain obligations."

"Obligations I never agreed to."

"The agreement predates your birth."

"Then I suppose I missed the meeting."

Darius, standing near the wall, lowered his head to hide a smile.

Alistair's expression tightened.

"This is not a matter for jokes."

"Good. Because I'm not laughing."

Roman remained silent, but Nadia could feel his attention on her. He had warned her the council would try to provoke her. She had promised herself she wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

Alistair placed a document on the table.

"The agreement requires the Mooncrest heir to submit to the council's authority until the nature of her abilities has been established."

Nadia read the first paragraph.

Then she pushed the document back.

"No."

The word landed quietly, but it carried across the room.

An older council member leaned forward.

"You do not understand what you are refusing."

"Then explain it to me without pretending you own me."

"We are responsible for protecting the packs."

"And I'm responsible for protecting myself. We can start there."

Alistair folded his hands.

"Your mother's disappearance caused considerable instability. We cannot allow history to repeat itself."

Nadia went still.

"What happened to my mother?"

Nobody answered.

She looked from one face to another.

"You summoned me here because of my mother. You have documents about her. You know why she disappeared. So tell me what happened."

Alistair's silence lasted a moment too long.

Roman noticed it.

So did Nadia.

"She left to protect you," Alistair finally said.

"From whom?"

His gaze shifted to Roman.

That was all Nadia needed to see.

"From the council?" she asked.

"From what the Mooncrest bloodline could become," Alistair replied.

Roman stood.

"That's enough."

Alistair looked up at him. "You are not in a position to end this discussion."

"As Alpha, I am."

"Not when an old agreement is at stake."

Roman placed both hands on the table.

"Then perhaps it's time someone questioned the agreement."

The room erupted in angry voices.

Alistair struck the table once, demanding silence.

"You would risk the stability of the Blackthorn Pack for a woman you have known for days?"

Roman's jaw tightened.

Nadia turned toward him.

She wanted to hear his answer, even though she wasn't sure she was ready for it.

Roman looked at the council.

"I will not surrender Nadia Cole to anyone. If you want to challenge that decision, you can challenge me."

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Alistair closed the folder.

"Very well, Alpha. But you should understand something."

His eyes settled on Nadia.

"The old agreement was not created to protect the council from the Mooncrest heir."

He paused.

"It was created to protect the world from what happens when the Mooncrest heir awakens."

The silver mark on Nadia's hand began to burn.

And from somewhere deep inside her, a voice she had never heard before whispered a single word.

Remember.