The Sacred Luna

Chapter 20

(Aaron's POV)

I stay hidden until everyone has left the room, until I'm certain no one will see me emerge from behind the curtain.

I want to go to Sanya and comfort her. She's lost so much weight after getting married. The light in her eyes is gone, replaced by fear that makes my heart clench in helplessness. But after what just happened, I can't afford any more accidents.

And Sanya could do with a little less drama.

So printing her face to heart, I slip out quietly, and make my way to my room. The room Tyron assigned me when he hired me as Beta, and has now become both a sanctuary and a prison. Because I have to maintain this charade, keep pretending to be someone I'm not, until Sanya's happiness is secure.

My hands shake as I close the door behind me, and I lean against it, sliding down to sit on the floor with my head in my hands.

Today was too close, far too close, and I know my luck won't hold forever. Sooner or later Tyron will discover the truth. Before that happens, I need to find a way to make things right.

I need to find a way to clear Tyron's misunderstanding. To make him fall in love with Sanya...

Before it's too late.

I find Tyron in his office the next day, and I know what I have to do, even though it tears me apart inside to even suggest it.

He's sitting behind his massive mahogany desk, going through some papers with that permanent scowl etched into his face.

I have to force myself to walk through that door instead of turning around and walking away from this whole mess. But I can't walk away. Not when Sanya is suffering because of me.

So I take a breath and step into the office.

"Alpha," I say, keeping my voice steady even though my hands are shaking. "May I speak freely?"

Tyron looks up from his papers, and those ice-blue eyes of his fix on me with the kind of cold assessment that would make most wolves drop their gaze and back away. But I'm not most wolves.

A mere stare isn't enough to daunt me from completing my task.

"What is it?" he finally asks, and his voice has that edge to it that says he's still pissed about incident yesterday.

"Forgive me for overstepping, Alpha. But I saw what happened yesterday."

Tyron's face darkens immediately, like storm clouds rolling in. His jaw clenches so hard I can see the muscle jumping in his cheek.

"You're right to be angry. To want to know about the man in the Luna's past," I say quickly, because I need to tread carefully here. This is a sensitive topic no man of Tyron Stone's station would welcome interference. "But... if may I offer some advice?"

He stares at me for a long moment, those ice-blue eyes boring into me like he's trying to figure out why his new Beta is suddenly so interested in his marriage problems. I force myself to keep my expression neutral and respectful and exactly what a loyal Beta should look like. Finally, he leans back in his chair, the leather creaking under his weight, and says.

"Speak."

I take another breath, because this is it, this is where I either help Sanya or make everything worse. I pray to the Creator that I'm doing the right thing here. That this plan will somehow work even though it feels like I'm betraying everything Sanya and I ever had together. "What does it matter if she once loved someone else?" I ask, the words tasting bitter on my tongue because I'm talking about myself. "She's your wife now. You have the chance to make her love you more than she ever loved him."

Tyron is silent, and I can see the wheels turning in his head, processing this idea. The possibility of making her forget about the man she loved, instead of punishing her for having a past.

"Take her on a date," I continue before he can reject the idea outright. "Win her heart. Make her forget that man ever existed."

There's a long silence in the office, broken only by the ticking of the expensive clock on the wall and the distant sounds of the pack house going about its daily business. And I wait, because if he agrees... if he actually tries to win Sanya's heart instead of just beating her into submission... then maybe, just maybe, she'll have a chance at happiness, even if it's not with me.

Tyron fingers drum on the desk in a steady rhythm that makes me want to grab his hand to make him stop as he considers this. Then slowly, his lips stretch into a smile. "It's beneath my station to compete with another man..."

My breath catches.

"But I want to know what that man has that I don't for Sanya to refuse to give me his name. So I'll take your suggestion. I'll take her for a candlelight dinner and make her fall in love with me."

My heart sinks, and soars at the same time. This weird contradiction of emotions makes me feel like I'm being torn in two different directions. On one hand, this is what I wanted, what I pushed for. A chance for Sanya to see a different side of Tyron, to maybe build something with him since I can't be there for her. But on the other hand, the thought of Tyron taking Sanya on a date... of him sitting across from her at some fancy restaurant with candlelight flickering between them... of him maybe holding her hand or making her smile... it makes me want to tear this whole office apart with my bare hands.

So this is jealousy. But... I have no right to feel such an emotion anymore.

Tyron picks up his phone from the desk, and I watch as he scrolls through his contacts, finds Sanya's name, hits the call button. The phone rings once, twice, and then I hear her voice, small and hesitant, coming through the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Get ready" Tyron says, and his tone is commanding but not as cold as usual, which is probably the best Sanya can hope for from him right now. "I'm taking you out tonight."

There's a pause on the other end. And I can imagine Sanya's face scrunching in confusion, trying to figure out what her husband is up to now. Maybe a tiny flicker of hope that Tyron is finally going to treat her like a wife instead of a punching bag. "What did you say?" she asks, and her voice is so soft I almost can't hear it.

"You heard me. Be ready by seven."

He hangs up without waiting for her response.

Having achieved my goal, I leave the office before Tyron can tell me to.

I don't know if what I'm doing is right. Sanya definitely deserves a better man than this beast. But Sanya's brothers are unreliable. They won't stand up for her even if they hear about what she's going through.

And in the werewolf community, marriage is no longer what it used to be. Finding a loving husband is now the only salvation for a she-wolf.