Wonderful Luna

9

Elise’s POV

Lena arrived very early in the morning—far earlier than what I would consider “early.”

I heard Connor greet her while I was finishing getting dressed, and before I could even approach the door to ask my brother to help me downstairs, Lena came straight up to my room.

“Do you think you still have access to the pack house?” she asked without even greeting me, and I could tell from the anguish on her face that something serious was happening.

“I think so. Why? What’s happened?”

I saw Connor appear behind Lena, and I knew he was aware of what had her so distressed.

My look was enough to make him speak.

“May I, Lena?”

My friend was surprised by Connor’s request, but I wasn’t. He knew something he hadn’t told me and was now trying to fix it by telling me himself before Lena did.

“It happened last night, early in the morning, while you were already asleep,” my brother began, apologizing with his tone for the silent accusation in my eyes. “I was going to tell you before…” Connor glanced at Lena and then back at me. “The thing is, Lucian has ordered Riley to be transferred to the Eastern border.”

“What?” I exclaimed, so surprised that, for a second, I forgot I couldn’t walk and almost tried to stand from my wheelchair. “What did you say?”

Connor repeated his words as Lena nodded in agreement.

“Riley messaged me less than fifteen minutes ago,” my friend said, showing me her phone. “He apologizes for not being able to spend the day with us or even say goodbye.”

“Is his departure that sudden?” I asked, furious, demanding any explanations Connor could provide. Poor him—he had turned pale and seemed to feel guilty about the situation, but I already knew who was behind this order.

“It was a direct order from the Alpha,” my brother said, as if that excused him from responsibility. It was true to some extent, except for the part where he hadn’t told me anything. “I had to relay it to Riley’s superiors immediately. He must already be leaving for his new assignment.”

“We’re going to the pack house right now,” I said, staring daggers at Connor.

“I don’t think there’s much point in what you’re trying to do, Eli,” Connor said as my wheelchair almost ran over his feet. “Lucian isn’t going to change his mind about this.”

“And why wouldn’t he?” I asked, defiant. “Now get your butt moving and put mine in the car. Lena, you drive.”

I saw the conflict, the enormous internal debate Connor was going through, struggling to decide whether to lift me from the chair and carry me to the car.

“It’s too late, Eli. By now, your friend is probably already on the transport heading to the Eastern border base.”

“Do you think even an Alpha’s order wouldn’t stop that transport?” I asked while strapping the seatbelt across my chest. “Lucian is going to listen to me like he never has before.”

I shut the car door, determined to confront Lucian—not only to make myself heard but to be obeyed and to save my friend.

Lena hurriedly packed the wheelchair into the trunk and took the driver’s seat. She, too, was driven by the same urgency that spurred me.

“Let’s go. We can’t waste more time,” I said.

I felt Freidis stir awake.

“Are we going to confront our mate?” she asked.

The pain in her was still there but somewhat subdued.

“Yes, we are,” I replied.

I explained to her what had happened.

“This visit may be far more important than you think, Eli,” Freidis said when I finished explaining.

“What do you mean, Frey? Of course, no one wants to be assigned to the Eastern border—it’s a dangerous place…”

“No, I don’t mean for your friend, though that’s important too. I mean, this could mean much more for us.”

“For us?”

“Yes. If our mate sees the strength we possess, that despite this terrible injury we’re still worthy of his respect, perhaps he’ll accept us again and lift the rejection.”

I didn’t know how to respond to Freidis at that moment.

On one hand, I understood what she longed for. As far as I knew, Fenrir, Lucian’s wolf, had been against his human’s desires and truly yearned for my wolf—for his mate. So, it was understandable that Freidis wanted me to “fix things” with Lucian. However, from my perspective, I wasn’t going to confront Lucian to convince him to accept me or prove that I was a worthy Luna for our pack despite my current situation.

No.

Lucian was my mate, and regardless of my condition, he had a duty to be with me and accept me as his partner.

I wasn’t going to convince him of anything.

Although…

Perhaps my wolf wasn’t entirely wrong.

“I understand what you’re saying, Freidis, and don’t worry—the injury I suffered was only physical. My spirit remains intact.”

My words reassured Freidis, who became much more animated, even hopeful about reuniting with her mate.

“We’ve arrived,” Lena said nervously.

We stopped at the entrance, and the guard approached the driver’s window.

“Good morning. Where are you heading?” the guard asked, eyeing us over.

I recognized him.

“Hello, Julian. It’s me, Elise. I’m here to see him.”

It was clear that I’d just put Julian in a very uncomfortable position.

“Miss Elise, good morning. Do you have an appointment?”

“An appointment? Of course not, Julian. Are you going to tell me I can’t come in?”

“Well, it’s just… Let me check.”

Lena and I shared an uneasy glance.

It was the first time I had to wait for authorization to enter the pack house, at least since it became public that I was Lucian’s mate. Now that the rejection was also public, things were changing quickly.

Julian returned after a few minutes.

“Miss Elise, I’m afraid access has been denied. You need to schedule an appointment to see him.”

I understood it wasn’t Julian’s fault, but I had to convince him to let me in. I wasn’t turning back over something so trivial.

“Do you want me to call my brother so he can order you to let me in?”

Julian’s face shifted to something resembling fear.

“Oh no, of course not, Miss. I’m just following the orders I was given…”

“And what do you think my brother’s orders would be, given he’s the one who gave them to you?”

Julian said no more and signaled to his fellow guard to open the gate.

We parked as close as possible to the main house. Lena unloaded the wheelchair, and under the not-so-discreet stares of the house guards, I got into my new means of transportation.

Fortunately, the house entrances had ramps, and we were able to enter through the front door. However, it didn’t take two minutes for me to realize why Lucian hadn’t authorized our entry.

From the hallway leading to the private rooms, I saw a grinning and shameless Morgana walk out, dressed in a babydoll.

The confidence that had accompanied me up to that moment drained from my stomach, ran down my legs, and fled in panic as I understood that he had slept with her.

“Hello. What brings you here so early to the pack house, ladies?”