Chapter 4
1008 Words
The lock gave a soft click.
I didn't sleep that night. Jude never opened the door. His footsteps stopped outside and stayed there until morning. I lay awake, every sense alert, listening for movement and wondering what he wanted. That kind of hesitation was completely unlike him.
At dawn, hurried footsteps sounded downstairs. The house steward came up to report that the former Luna, Jude's mother Lenora Caldwell, had arrived and demanded to see me.
I knew exactly what had happened. Jude must have told her about my decision to work, our public arguments, and my suggestion that we separate. Lenora still carried enormous influence in the pack, and she had clearly come to pressure me into backing down.
In Black Pine Pack, a former Luna retained authority over family discipline even after stepping down. It was an old rule passed down by previous generations. Officially, she was there to advise. In practice, it was simply another chain.
In my previous life, I had always lowered my head and apologized whenever I faced her.
This time, I wouldn't.
I dressed and went downstairs calmly.
Lenora sat in the main seat in the living room, stern-faced and perfectly composed, with the effortless authority of someone who had spent decades at the center of an old family. The moment I appeared, she began without waiting for me to speak.
"You're the current Luna. Before leaving the Pack House, you should have confirmed Elowen's care arrangements and properly handed off your responsibilities. You've been going out constantly, and household matters have become disorganized. A Luna may have her own career, but you must first make sure the responsibilities that belong to you are handled properly."
Years as Luna had given her a kind of authority that had nothing to do with Alpha power. It came from age, rank, and decades of being obeyed. In my previous life, I had feared it for 26 years.
This time, because her criticism was specific, I answered it just as specifically.
"I have never neglected my duties," I said. "For years, I managed family affairs, Elowen's upbringing, and relationships both inside and outside the pack. I haven't abandoned any of that. I'm now taking over a failing business to generate income for the family. Elowen's schoolwork, physical training, and behavior are all still being supervised. I'm simply no longer indulging her without limits. A Luna's duty is to help the pack prosper, not stay trapped in the Pack House handling chores."
The longtime steward beside Lenora kept his gaze lowered and wisely stayed out of the confrontation.
Color rose and fell in Lenora's face. She had no real answer to what I had said and could only glare at me, plainly unused to seeing me this calm and firm. In the end, she let the matter drop and didn't interfere further.
Only after she left did the tightness across my shoulders ease. I hadn't won because I'd said anything extraordinary. I'd won because, in this life, I had finally been willing to say it aloud.
Later, I went to the equestrian center to pick up Elowen. Several women from the pack who were known for gossiping stood outside. The moment they saw me alone, they drifted over with pointed smiles.
"We hardly ever see you with Elowen anymore. Poor thing. She's so young, and no one seems to be looking after her properly."
Another woman pulled out her phone and waved the photo of Jude, Clarice, and Elowen baking together. "Beta Mercer is so thoughtful. She pays more attention to Elowen than her own mother does."
I almost laughed.
"I teach my daughter manners instead of indulging every tantrum. I manage pack businesses because that is part of my duty as Luna. None of that is your concern." I looked from one woman to the next. "You might want to worry less about gossip and rumors and remember the limits set by the Pack Code."
An instructor's voice drifted from the stables, broken by the occasional snort of a horse. Against those ordinary sounds, the women's gossip seemed even more childish.
The women went stiff, put their phones away, and scattered.
A quiet rush of satisfaction came over me. For the first time in years, I had confronted people directly instead of shrinking away.
Jude arrived just in time to witness the exchange. Frowning, he seized my wrist with more force than necessary.
"You're drawing too much attention today," he said in a low voice, making no effort to hide his possessiveness. "I don't like the way people are looking at you."
I had no interest in arguing. I turned away from his stare.
Over the following days, I threw myself into my new life. I expanded my network, attended gatherings with other musicians, met former classmates for meals, and went to industry events. Little by little, I stepped outside the small circle that had once revolved entirely around Jude.
His need for control only intensified. He mind-linked me every day, demanding to know where I was and who was with me. The questions became more like interrogations by the day, as if even the faintest trace of another person's scent on me required an explanation.
At night, I often dreamed of the despair from my previous life. I would wake drenched in cold sweat, my heart hammering for a long time before I could calm down.
One morning, I received a call from an unfamiliar number. The man on the other end said I had helped him 5 years earlier and that he wanted to thank me over a meal.
I politely declined. I was about to end the call when a sudden wave of unease hit me. My limbs tingled, and my entire body went taut.
Every instinct I had screamed danger, sharper than anything I had felt before.
An unfamiliar Alpha was closing fast on the edge of Black Pine Territory. Even from a distance, I could feel how powerful and openly hostile he was.
And he was coming straight toward me.
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