The Luna They Underestimated

Chapter 02

Rowan’s POV

Atticus pokes a finger into my chest; I swat it away irritably as she leans in close enough that her mint gum breath hits my face directly.

“My father’s officially banished you. Figured I’d swing by and personally say goodbye to the unwanted little Beta reject,” she announces, giggling along with her equally clueless friends. Seriously, without the pretty faces, nobody would tolerate these three for five seconds.

Before I can demand clarification on her ridiculous claim, she steps backward just as something ice-cold splashes down my face, right as the office door swings open. Mary dumped her entire milkshake over my head, soaking straight through the crocheted sweater my mother handmade for me. Thick, sticky milk trickles between my cleavage, and my jaw clenches hard as I step forward, fist curling, desperate to finally break Atticus’s perfectly straight nose. Except I never get that chance, because my mother’s furious voice suddenly cuts through the courtyard like a blade. Atticus visibly flinches. I can’t help smirking. Oh, you’re done for now.

“Atticus Elizabeth Blackwell, care to explain why you’re tormenting my daughter?” my mother’s voice carries clear across the quad.

I spin around to find her marching toward us, dark hair pulled tight into a high ponytail, an expression suggesting someone’s about to lose a limb. She looks exactly like someone who just watched a burger get thrown at her kid’s head and is now hunting for the culprit’s arms to remove.

She’s formidable, stern, genuinely feared throughout the Pack including by Luna herself. My mother once publicly humiliated her during training after Luna suggested I should’ve been put down at birth for being so useless to the Pack. If she weren’t literally the only female warrior we’ve got, she’d have faced serious consequences for that stunt. Everyone still whispers about how Alpha Victor’s always secretly carried a torch for her, ever since childhood, disappointed fate never made them mates.

Atticus’s smug expression collapses instantly as she spins to face my approaching mother. Mary and Bianca bolt immediately, too terrified to stick around, but Atticus isn’t quite fast enough. My mother storms right past me, and her growl is so guttural, so genuinely threatening, that even I flinch involuntarily.

“It-it was an accident,” Atticus stammers, and honestly, watching a supposed future Alpha female tremble this hard is almost satisfying enough to make me smile. Her fear practically radiates off her skin.

What I definitely didn’t anticipate was my mother’s palm connecting sharply with Atticus’s cheek. Atticus shrieks, head snapping sideways, my mother’s handprint blooming red across her face instantly. I clap both hands over my mouth in shock. Atticus clutches her cheek, eyes welling up, gaze darting nervously around the courtyard before her whole face flushes to match the mark. Oh god, Alpha Victor is absolutely going to destroy my mother for this.

Gasps ripple through nearby students who witnessed the whole thing, though my mother couldn’t care less about an audience as she raises her hand again threateningly.

“Mom!” I shriek, and her attention snaps toward me briefly before catching sight of teachers rushing over. She stares them down defiantly, silently daring anyone to intervene.

Atticus finally turns tail, sprinting off in tears. I can only imagine the brutal mockery awaiting her tomorrow, right before daddy dearest swoops in to reestablish her queen-bee reputation.

“I’ve wanted to do that for years,” my mother announces before gripping my shoulders, bending down to look me directly in the eyes.

“Why do you keep letting them walk all over you?” she demands, grabbing my hands and lifting them slightly. “You’re better trained than every single one of these little punks. No wolf doesn’t mean no skill, you've beaten plenty of them in training. I trained you myself. Your father trained you too. These worthless brats aren’t worth your patience. You just need to actually believe that.”

I shake my head silently, knowing full well that fighting back only escalates things, and my bare hands are useless against a fully shifted opponent anyway.

“Come on, we’re leaving,” she orders, straightening and marching toward the parking lot without waiting for my response.

I hurry to catch up, falling into step beside her.

“What’s happening?” I ask nervously, Atticus’s words still ringing uncomfortably in my head.

Reaching the lot, I spot an unfamiliar orange moving truck parked right beside our car and freeze mid-step.

“Mom, seriously, what’s going on?” I press again as my father climbs out of the driver’s seat.

My mother pauses too, reaching back to grab my soaked sweater sleeve, tugging me forward insistently.

“Hey there, Pumpkin,” Dad greets warmly, pulling me into a hug while Mom flashes a quick thumbs-up toward the waiting moving crew.

“Knew you loved strawberry milkshakes, didn’t realize you preferred wearing them, though,” Dad teases, ruffling my milkshake-crusted hair before gathering it into a makeshift ponytail and wringing it out.

Mom pops the trunk open, retrieving a water bottle from inside.

“Tilt your head back,” she instructs, and I obey, craning as far back as possible while she rinses my hair thoroughly, then rips my ruined sweater straight up the seam, peeling it off me entirely.

“Mom!”

“I’ll knit you another one,” she says dismissively, tossing the ruined garment and empty bottle into a nearby trash can.

“Can somebody please explain what’s actually happening here?” I will try again.

Dad glances toward Mom briefly before offering me an easy smile.

“We’re relocating,” he announces casually, like this is the most normal thing in the world.

I stare at him, mind racing. New house? New state? New country entirely? Honestly, leaving the country might be the smarter move here, considering Mom just physically assaulted the Alpha’s daughter. Alpha Victor isn’t exactly famous for his forgiving nature.

“Was Atticus telling the truth?”