The Nine Tailed Luna

Dug up.

Luna's POV

The following morning , old folks, counselors, and some of the soldiers standing erectly behind them—all crowded round Marcus’s grave. All here for one thing.

When Ronan touched my hand, he was a kind of anchor in the storm that had made my life. I got hold of it without a thought.

He had not been out of my sight since I had come into the courtyard, and his presence alone was the reason my mind did not run away.

We could hear murmurs as we came closer. Not whispers, but stinging, sharp-edged remarks. I attempted to pay attention to Ronan, although my ears overheard enough to make my stomach knot.

“Of course it was her,” someone said to himself. “She was never present enough, never good enough. It is all so clear now… How can a king have a wolfless omega as his son?”

I froze. The words were even sharper than I anticipated. Wolfless. My son. Eli. How would they even dare say that, as though it were a sort of evidence? My fists were clenched, and my nails bit into my palms.

Ronan spoke in a low voice. “ ignore them,” he said, his eyes scanning the multitude forcing the whisperers to shut up. “Order of the day.”

The older man who oversaw the ceremony cleared his throat, trying to take charge again. “We meet here today to find out the facts of the untimely death of the deceased Beta Marcus. The grave will be dug up, again, so his body can be tested… to determine the cause of his death. We have medical experts here who would carry out the procedure.”

The doctors came soon, two professional forensic healers with analysis tools. Soon, two male wolves began digging. When the body was picked up and was ready to be transported to the lab, my stomach turned. The scent of earth and decay, mixed with the slight metallic scent of old blood, gave me an upset stomach. I fell a little, and the hand of Ronan was instantly against my elbow.

The body was taken away, the elders and advisors, in their turn, insisting on supervising each step. I remained near, my stomach betraying me as nausea came up. I swung around and just managed to get to the verge of the courtyard when I threw up in the grass. The smell of bile was acrid, and my head swam with disgust.

Ronan looked like he could not take it anymore. “Come with me,” he said.

“I can’t leave… the council demand my presence.” I tried to argue.

“You need rest. Now. Anyone who has a problem with that can face me.” But no one said a word, though many frowned.

I allowed him to hold me up without saying anything as we passed the halls. The ache in my body made me a bit wobbly , but his hand on my back gave me a sense of stability. As soon as we were in our rooms, he bade me have a good night. “I'll handle the rest.”

But sleep did not come. I was sitting in the bed with my eyes open, staring at the ceiling with thoughts running around in my head. How many years had these rumors been floating about? Who are the people who will want to attack me so strategically, and why?

I recalled all the communications, all the glances, all the murmurs that I had overlooked, and I asked myself whether there had been any indications that I had not noticed.

I could not think of any other person than Eli. My son. I was unable to get his name out of my mind, how the gossip would be communicated to him, how the court would treat him due to his being an omega, and even worse, a wolfless omega. I felt my chest tightening at the thought. Not only that, but I needed to see him.

I stood up and walked into his room. I almost fell afted taking a wrong step cause I overheard people talking—Ava, one of the breeders of the palace, and a guard.

"…do you think about how she fooled the palace and the Alpha too?” Her voice was dripping with contempt. “She had a baby with his beta!”

“Always acting like the moon goddess herself, so good, so sweet. Meanwhile, she is a disguised Bitch.” The other person replied. I stood paralyzed, and my heart was aching at the words. The guard laughed in response. “She really fooled everyone. Including him.”

I said nothing. I couldn't. I wanted to scream, hit them , and punish , but it was no use.

I waited till they were gone and continued my walk to my son’s room. As I peeped in, he was lying wrapped up in his blankie, deep in sleep, with his little chest heaving to and fro. I felt relief, but in its place a new pain—the dread of what was being said of him, the danger of the whispers.

“Sleep well, my little wolf,” I mumbled. I gave him a kiss and locked the door behind me as I left the room , returning to the only refuge I had found comfortable this week, the private garden.

I attempted to attend to my plants, but my hands were too heavy and clumsy, and I could not concentrate. The dirt, the leaves, even the flowers—all this appeared useless. My mind was elsewhere.

Hours had gone in a fog of anxiety and fear. I could feel Ronan coming towards me. His presence was silent, as ever, but as soon as he stepped in to the garden, I knew.

“Luna,” he said softly.

I looked up, my face a mix of emotions. “Ronan…” I did not know what the first question to ask was how to express in words the mess in my head. At last I said, “What… what did the doctors find? What happened? Tell me."

He shook his head at a slow rate, yet there was a restrained composure in his eyes. “The doctor informs us that the results will be available in a week.”