The Discarded Luna Is The True Heiress

Episode1

Sloane’s POV

“This is embarrassing, Sloane,” my husband, Alpha Sterling, hissed through the mindlink. “Pick that kid up!”

“That kid?” my wolf, Scarlett scoffed in disbelief, and I couldn't blame her.

Who on earth refers to their child as ‘that kid’. Sure, Toby wasn't our flesh and blood, but that doesn't make him any less ours.

It's been five whole years since we adopted him, but still, Sterling feels like his duty as a father to Toby was based on his mood.

I exhaled slowly trying to reel in my anger as now wasn't the time, nor place to school Sterling for the millionth time that using force, or being harsh to a kid, especially one that has severe ADHD and sensory processing disorder, only made things worse.

But as always, whatever I said was treated as background noise even by my own husband, and mate.

I turned my attention back to Toby who was crouched down with both fists against his ears so hard his arms shook.

He was trying to shut out the several overlapping voices of the over fifty persons present at the registration checkpoint at Blood Hound Pack.

Today was Sterling's cousin, Alpha Jeffery, wedding ceremony. A private ceremony with just a few dignitaries was being held. But despite having an invitation card, there was still a registration checkpoint where the invited guests are being searched with a scanner, then given an identification tag, and before entering their fingerprints are also being scanned.

Standard protocols of late. Since the last incident at a private event of one of the Alpha's in the east region where some rogues infiltrated the event with fake Id's, and caused loads of havoc.

“Baby, mama's here,” I said softly, not touching him, as touching him the wrong way when he's like this made it worse. “Nothing is going to touch you. I'm right here,” I reassured him.

"What's wrong with that kid?" I heard someone say, but I did my best to tune the whispering voices around me.

Sterling crouched down and faced Toby, and just when I thought he was finally coming to his senses and understanding that this was a situation neither of us could control, he did the unthinkable.

“Enough. Stand up. Now,” he ordered Toby, causing my poor baby to scream.

“Sterling-!” a growl escaped my lips, as Scarlett's fury mirrored mine.

“Alpha Sterling, Luna Sloane,” a sickly sweet voice cut through the tension.

A voice that belonged to someone Sterling couldn't stop talking about since we graduated high-school.

Miss Robinson Penelope.

She just walked into the registration checkpoint with the unhurried grace of someone that didn't have a care in the world.

She wore a navy blue dinner gown that accentuated her curves in all the right places. Age has absolutely nothing on her, as she looks as stunning as I remembered high back in high-school-loads of guys had a huge crush on her, Sterling included. He was so serious that he beat a classmate to a pulp for making a joke about how she'll sound in bed.

“It's so good to see you guys” Penelope's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Good to see you, Penelope” Sterling responded tersely, not bothering to address her by her surname-he was an Alpha now, and no longer her student back in high-school, and besides, she's just six years older than us.

Penelope smiled in response, and looked down at Toby and I. She made to ruffle his hair, but I stopped her right on time.

“He doesn't like strangers touching him,” I said as a matter of fact.

Something flashed across Penelope's face, but it was gone as quickly as it came

“I don't like her,” Scarlett said, and I couldn't agree more.

Even though today was the first time Scarlett was actually seeing Penelope.

Penelope glanced briefly at Toby, a ghost of a smile spreading across her lips, before she made her way towards a guard at the registration checkpoint.

"They are old acquaintances of mine," she said with an effortless charm. "Let them in, please."

Without a second thought, the guards waved us over to the front of the queue.

Unlike the previous guest who went in with full registration, we were allowed in by just scanning our fingerprint.

Sterling smiled warmly at Penelope as he thanked her, and one would think she just found the cure for cancer.

Less than five minutes later, Penelope showed up again, after passing through several other tables, and saying a hello or two to the people seated, before walking over to our table, and crouched down gracefully beside Toby.

“Hey buddy,” she said in a tone that sounded too fake. “Would you like some sweets?” She continued, as I was asking a server for a glass of water.

“He can't have–” I started to say, but Penelope already unwrapped the sweet, and Toby's hands were even faster in collecting it, and throwing it into his mouth.

I'm f****d.

“Goodness me, I had no idea,” Penlope explained. “I’m so sorry,” Penlope said as she feigned remorse, but I didn't spare her a single glance.

My attention was focused on Toby, as I dreadfully waited for what came next whenever he took sweets.

“It's not your fault, you couldn't have known,” Sterling came to her defence.

Penelope gave a sorry ass smile, before walking away.

Fifteen minutes. That's all it took, for the stillness I fought so hard to achieve after the checkpoint episode flew out the window.

Toby got off his chair, hands twisting the fabric of my dress, all my effort to get him to sit and be calm FAILED, and some of the guests already formed an opinion about my parenting.

“You're genuinely careless, you know that?” Sterling hissed beside me, not bothering if others could hear. “I'm starting to think Toby's problems have less to do with his condition and more to do with you. You're really not cut out for this.”

I felt a warm hand on my cheeks, wiping out a tear I didn't know I was shedding, and I looked down to see Toby. He still had his hands on my dress, and was humming a little too loudly, but amidst everything he saw me. He always saw me. When no one else does, Toby did-like a light amidst the darkness.

I smiled down at him, and lifted him onto my lap. He squirmed to be set free, but I held on to him, and pressed my lips against his temple gently, and repeated the breathing exercise.

The wedding went by in a blur, and just as we were about leaving, Penelope showed up.

“What does this b***h want now?” Scarllet growled within me.

Beats me.

I pushed Scarlett to the back of my mind, as I needed my full attention for whatever ploy Penlope had up her sleeves.

“Luna Sloane, I'm truly sorry about earlier,” she said in that cheesy ass way of hers. “I don't mean to intrude, but seeing your kids behavior earlier I could tell he has a…” she paused, as if looking for the right words.

But I glared at her, daring her to say one wrong word to objectify my child. But she was smart enough, and just chuckled.

“You know, I quit being a teacher all those years so I could follow my passion,” she said, like anyone actually asked her.

But Sterling gave her his attention, so she went on. “I spent years researching special kids like yours. I even wrote a book about it, and there's been a lot of positive feedback from several parents who read my book. I'll be doing a book tour for the next few months, I'm sure there are lots of parents who'll need my guidance.”

“That's great, Penelope,” Sterling said, glancing at me briefly with a look that says; you should learn a thing or two from her. “You can start your tour at RiverDale's Pack. Lord knows we could use the expertise.”