The Flight of the Coveted Luna : The Scion Book 2

Chapter 2

Aoife

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“Aoife, come here,” my mother’s shrill voice carried across the house, and I tensed.

Niamh bristled; she paced in my mind. We were both already unsettled by Brin.

“Yes, Mother. I’m coming,” I called out, taking a few deep breaths, knowing what was coming. I was out of time.

I walked toward the sitting room slowly, each foot placed carefully, making almost no sound. My heart raced as I reached out and pushed the door open, panic close by. My breath hitched when I saw who was with her. Niamh growled in my mind.

“Do not bend, Aoife. I am with you,” she said.

“Good evening, Luna Shannon,” I greeted, inclining my head in deference. “Yes, Mother?” I asked politely, my expression a mask of calm.

The grey skies cast a gloom in the formal room. I’d never liked it; the elaborate furniture in dark tones accentuated by gold trim always felt overbearing, stifling. Painted family portraits hung on the walls as if our family were royalty. Maybe that was it, maybe because it inferred a sense of importance that wasn’t authentic. We were just regular wolves, not even ranked.

The Luna and my mother sat demurely on the couch, with a cup of tea each. The Luna was dressed in her signature style of calf-length dress that came straight from the fifties, a pair of stiletto heels and her hair curled to suit the look. She was polished and perfect, and I idly wondered how long it took her to get dressed in the morning. My mother wore a skirt and cardigan set, an attempt to look as elegant and poised I was sure.

“Sit, child,” the Luna said, her back ramrod straight.

My palms tingled and started to get clammy. Though it wasn’t my worst nightmare, that would be the Oilliphéist; it came a close second. My mother gave me her signature look, arrogant, dominating with a massive dollop of judgment. I shrank into myself involuntarily.

I had spent the last ten years of my life clutching desperately to my individuality when my mother’s mission in life was to turn me into the perfect mate. A Stepford wife.

I discovered a passion for the stars at age twelve, but they wouldn’t get me a telescope no matter how much I begged. I would have given anything for one, traded all my dolls and toys, but no; telescopes were for boys, nerdy boys at that. I couldn’t openly defy them, but secretly I studied them anyway. My interest in the stars eventually expanded to oceans, geology, and then archaeology.

I was fascinated by how we could answer the past's questions through the relics and remains of lost civilizations. With the Oilliphéist haunting my dreams, the science intrigued me. Maybe it was just my futile attempt at controlling a hopeless situation, but I wondered if I could somehow free myself from it.

I imagined that a life without the nightly horrors would be heavenly. I’d wake refreshed instead of feeling raw and jumpy. I’d have the energy to stand up to my parents; I’d be able to fight for the life I wanted. Niamh growled in agreement, frustrated that she couldn’t help.

“Aoife,” my mother said, her tone derisive.

I snapped back from my thoughts and quickly took a seat, clearing my throat. I tried to breathe slowly, my fists curling into balls, my fingernails digging into my skin.

I looked up with a pasted smile, one I had perfected over the years. They either didn’t know the difference, or they didn’t care. It didn’t matter, as long as they accepted it at face value.

“Now, Aoife, I’ve always liked you,” the Luna began, lying outright.

She had never liked me. She never hated me either; she never even noticed me. I was persona non grata, invisible, except to a select few.

“I feel that you would be a good match for Brin,” she announced, staring down her nose at me. “You and he will get together and end this nonsense of waiting for your mates. You are both far too old to wait much longer.”

Goosebumps erupted on my skin, and I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to shudder. Dam.n, the dreaded day had arrived. I had run through the scenario countless times and fantasized about telling my mother off in a variety of ways, except none of the scenarios involved the Luna.

It wasn’t even as if she was happy to have me as Luna. It was obvious that she felt like they were settling for me since I was the only other unmated wolf of age. While Brin had taken on the role of Alpha, Luna Shannon had kept her role until Brin found his mate and a new Luna would be appointed.

I cleared my throat again. This was it; I needed to at least try to speak up for myself. My skin itched, turning blotchy; I hated confrontation.

“You can do it, Aoife. We need to fight this; we need our fated mate,” Niamh snarled, clearly as desperate as I was.

“Are you sure that’s the best course of action, Luna? We are not fated; I am sure that Brin would prefer a pure fated bond,” I managed to squeak. And what about my fated mate. What about what I wanted. I couldn’t say that, though because what I wanted didn’t matter; it never had.

The Luna laughed sarcastically.

“Who do you think sent me here?” she asked, her tone snide and a little menacing.

The air left my lungs; Brin was behind this? I thought it was the other way around, that his parents were pressuring him too. What the hell was he doing? Why did he want me all of a sudden.

“I… I want to wait for my mate,” I blurted before I could overthink it, Niamh spurring me on.

My cheeks heated as the expressions on their faces turned hard. I took a deep breath and waited for the eruption. My mother and the Luna exchanged looks.

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” the Luna said to my mother with finality and walked herself out, displeasure radiating from her.

Oh, Gods, that didn’t bode well. Good manners dictated that my mother walk the Luna out and greet her outside as she left. The fact that she was still in the room with me was ominous.

“Aoife,” she began, and the walls felt like they were closing in slowly. “Stop acting like a baby. You are way past that; it’s time to grow up.” Her eyes narrowed, and her voice dropped. “Just how long do you think you have to find a mate? Brin is the best you will ever do. At least you will be doing the family a service by becoming Luna.”

And there it was. My parents were always pedantic about keeping up appearances, so much so that I was sure they had forgotten what it was like to be happy and content. Everything they did was to secure a better position within the pack, which didn’t leave much time to be themselves. I didn’t even know who they were beyond the consuming need for power; I doubted even they did.

“Mother, please. I don’t want him.” I cursed mentally as my voice quivered. I squeezed my fists, hoping she wouldn’t see me tremble as I tried to speak my mind for the first time in years.

“Nobody asked your opinion,” she spat in a deadly tone. She stalked over to me and leaned over, her face right up in mine. “You think the world out there is so great? Well, I’ve got news for you. Out there, it’s much worse than this. You may have little influence over anything here, but out there, people will take everything you have on a whim. They will break things you can never repair, things that cannot heal; that is, if you even survive.”

I took a step back. I had never seen this side of my mother, never seen her quite so hard and angry. For a brief moment I wondered what had happened in her past for her to have such an outlook, but the need to get out of a mating I didn’t want outweighed my curiosity.

“Please, Mother,” I begged.

I just couldn’t; facing the reality of it, I knew it would break me. What was the point of life if, to remain safe, I had to give up my very will, my thoughts, my hopes, and my dreams?

“No. That’s enough. The Luna will return with Brin tomorrow, and you will accept him.” Her jaw clenched, and I knew it was a losing battle. Nothing I said would sway her.

A numbness overtook me, and all sense of joy and excitement left me. I had started dying inside; slowly but surely the light inside me dimmed. I turned and made my way to my room, all thoughts of dinner gone. Sinking onto my bed, I just sat there, staring at the garish, ornate wallpaper that I hadn’t chosen, that I hadn’t even liked.

It was my room, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t my taste; it wasn’t a reflection of my personality. It didn’t comfort me; it wasn’t the sanctuary I often needed. It was the style of the most over-the-top interior decorator that happened to be all the rage. It was yellow, my least favorite color. I couldn’t even escape my insignificance in my own room. Who was I to argue? My heart felt a little number. Maybe if I stopped feeling altogether, I would also lose the dread and impending doom that weighed me down.

Why would the Moon Goddess torture me that way? What had I done to deserve it? I never dated, preferring to wait for my mate, and watched as, one by one, everyone I knew found theirs and happily started their lives together. By now, most of them even had pups. I was happy for them, for Ciara especially, but I couldn’t deny the pang of jealousy I felt when I saw them together. When Ciara had announced her pregnancy recently, my heart overflowed with both joy and sadness.

And after all those years of waiting, of patience and faith, of frustration and loneliness, I would be forced to take a chosen mate, one who wouldn’t care about me at all. That life wasn’t worth living.