Her Own Luna

Chapter 14

Anna chose a pant suit set over a dress for the meeting. She needed to show strength and resilience, not just femininity and beauty. She normally would wear a dress, look submissive, but strong. She would show she is her Alpha's mate, his backup, not try to look like she could overpower him. But today? Today she would dress like a fierce, independent power to be reckoned with. She was a Luna by her own right, not simply because she was mated to an Alpha. If it were part of their tradition she would be an Alpha and her husband would be the "Luna". It was time Christian as well as her pack remembered that.

She went downstairs alone. She would not be walking in on Christian's arm as usual. That was his choice. He hadn't so much as looked her way all day.

She entered the room, her head held high. Christian was already seated behind a podium at one end of the room. Vera was seated next to him. She wore a low cut red dress. Her hair was curled with pearl drops clipped throughout. Her dress had a slit in it, so she sat in a way that showed off her leg straight up to her upper thigh. She looked beautiful, but not at all like the royalty she was seeking to emulate. No Luna dressed like that for a meeting. A dance or party, yes, but not this. Anna smiled. She hoped Vera kept showing she wasn't worthy of the rank she was fighting for.

Trent materialized beside her. "You look great. Came to play ball?"

"I am here to observe for now. We'll see if I play ball now or later."

Instead of taking a seat near Christian, as was tradition, he stayed beside Anna in the crowd. Anna should've been in the seat Vera was in, but she wasn't going to go demand it and make a spectacle. Let the people see what their Alpha was doing. From the hum of low whispers in the room, it was clear it was a topic of discussion.

Christian stood and cleared his throat. "I called you all here today to announce something very important." He scanned the crowd. His eyes fell on Anna. A smirk crossed his face. She simply raised her chin and looked at him coldly. He faltered for just a moment before recovering himself. "As you know, the foxes and bears have been a very real threat to us and our neighboring packs." He gestured for Vera to stand. She slowly stood and walked to his side. She hung on his arm like a love sick teenager. "Vera here has volunteered to aid me in our fight against the foxes. She knows them inside and out. She can share secrets and how they work." He looked down at her. "She is risking so much for us, so lets be grateful."

A strong, male voice from somewhere in the room spook loudly. "And how do you know she won't be sharing your secrets with anyone else? We don't trust foxes."

More than half the room spoke their agreement.

"Enough!" Christian snapped. "I am your Alpha and this is my decision! You can agree or leave!"

Vera looked out at the crowd with a smile. Her eyes glinted.

"There is due process to removing pack members," Trent spoke up. "Due process that involves our judges and justice system. You are the Alpha, but you are not unchecked."

Rage crossed Christian's face and he opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it. "This meeting is over," he said simply. He took Vera's hand and pushed through the crowd with her. He walked passed Anna without a glance her way.

"Luna, what is happening?" a woman asked her. "This is not right."

"I fear it's a lapse in judgement. Trust me, I will do everything in my power to keep everyone safe."

"You're just the Luna," another voice spoke up. "What can you do?"

"I am more than a Luna," she said. "I am an Alpha born Luna."

A murmur ran through the crowd.

"Keep your heads up and your eyes vigilant," she said loudly. "I will do whatever I can, even laying my life down, to keep this pack safe."

Slowly, the people dispersed and Anna was left sitting at a table alone. Trent sat across from her. "I covered for him," he said. "For too long. I'm sorry. I never should've given him my loyalty after... after seeing them together."

Anna's eyes flashed. "They slept together?"

Trent shook his head. "That I don't know. He did entertain her, flirted with her and kissed her. I covered for him. I thought he'd have a very short fling and go back to normal. I knew it would hurt you... but he's the Alpha and my closest friend since we were born."

"You wouldn't be loyal to me, that I get. But a fox? Trent, she's a fox."

" I know... but I knew her in school. They dated. I just thought she was some dumb ex trying to relive their past. It would be over almost before it started."

"Well, what's done is done. Now we need to focus on saving our pack. We both know she's not manipulating her way into Christian's arms because she likes this pack."

"Definitely not. She hates wolves. It's just a matter of uncovering her plans before it's too late."

"Exactly."

Anna rose from her seat. That was just what she'd do.

She went upstairs to their rooms. She stopped short when she saw that all of Christian's drawers were open and emptied. She went to the bathroom. His things were gone. Next, she went to the guest rooms upstairs. The rooms for special guests of the Alpha. Sure enough, his things were there. As was Vera's red dress.