Chapter 186
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I woke up the next morning feeling like a heavy stone was sitting on my chest. I reached out my hand, but the bed was empty. Again.
Astor came to bed late, and he left before the sun was even up. I knew it was part of the plan but that didn’t make the cold sheets feel any better.
I got out of bed and dressed in my Luna clothes. I chose a dark red dress. It made me feel strong and it commanded respect. If I had to face the wolves of this pack today, I wanted to look like their
leader.
I walked down the stairs. The house was quiet, but could hear sounds in the dining room. I walked in, expecting to see Ma.
But it wasn’t her and instead it was Ovelia.
Astor’s mother was sitting at the head of the table. She looked like a queen, but not a kind one. She looked like an evil queen who was ready to chop off someone’s head.
“Good morning, Ovelia,” I said. I sat down at the other end of the long table.
Ovelia didn’t look up from her tea. She stirred it slowly, over and over. “Is it a good morning, Faith? I don’t think so. The packhouse is a mess. The servants are confused. And my son looks tired and
sad.”
“We are doing a deep cleaning,” I said, trying to keep my voice polite. “And Astor is a grown ass man who can take care of himself.”
Ovelia finally looked at me. Her eyes were sharp and cold. ” Faith you left your mate and your pack. And now you come back and expect everything to be the same? You expect us to just bow down to you?”
“I am the Luna,” I reminded her. “I didn’t lose my title just because I went away to handle a crisis.” Ovelia let out a short, mean laugh. “Title? A title is just a word. A real Luna is a woman who stays. A real Luna is a woman who supports her Alpha when he is weak. While you were gone, someone else was doing your job.”
I felt a spark of anger in my stomach. “You mean Annabella.”
“Yes,” Ovelia said. She leaned forward. “Annabella has been a blessing to this pack. She is kind. She is loyal. She didn’t run away. She sat by Astor’s side every single night when he was grieving for his lost wife. She helped the Omegas. She organized the supplies. She fits here, Faith. She fits better than you do.”
I gripped my napkin tight under the table. My wolf was pacing in my mind, showing her anger.
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Chapter 186
Don’t let her talk to us like that, my wolf growled.
+25 Points
“Annabella is a guest,” I said firmly. “And she is a liar. She told everyone the Shadow Moon Pack was attacked, but it wasn’t. She is here for a reason Ovelia. Don’t you see that?”
Ovelia’s face didn’t change. “I don’t care about the reasons. I care about the results. The pack likes her. They trust her. When she walks through the pack grounds, people smile. When you walk through the village, people look at the ground. They are afraid of you, or they are angry at you.”
“I am trying to fix that,” I said.
“It’s too late to fix it,” Ovelia snapped. She slammed her teacup down on the saucer. “You are a White Wolf. You have all this power, but you have no heart for your people. You think you can just show up and move the furniture and everything will be fine? No.”
She stood up and walked around the table. She stood right over me.
“Annabella is the Luna this pack deserves,” Ovelia whispered. “She is the one Astor needs. If you really loved my son, you would see that he is happier with her. You saw them yesterday on the porch, didn’t you? He looked comfortable. With you, he just looks stressed.”
I stood up too. I was a bit taller than her, and I used that. I let a little bit of my White Wolf aura leak out. The air in the room got cold. The curtains started to flutter even though the windows were
closed.
“Do not talk to me about what my mate needs,” I said. My voice was low and dangerous. “You don’t know the first thing about our relationship.”
Ovelia’s eyes widened for a second and despite her cold interior I saw her fear.
“You took him away for a day,” she scoffed. “Big deal. One day won’t fix six months of absence. You are a coward, Faith. My daughter–in–law shouldn’t be a coward.”
I felt the power rushing through my veins. I wanted to scream. I wanted to show her exactly how much of a “coward” I was. I wanted to remind her that I could break this house in half if I wanted
- to.
But then I remembered Astor. I remembered the deal. I remembered his plan.
If I attacked Ovelia, I would be proving her right and I would look like a monster and ruin whatever Astor was trying to do.
I took a deep breath and forced the power back down. I made the air warm again.
“I am staying, Ovelia,” I said. I made my voice very calm. “I am not going anywhere. You can praise Annabella all you want. You can try to push me out. But I am the Luna of the Eternal Pack. I am the mother of the future Alpha. And I am Astor’s mate. That will never change.”
Chapter 795
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Ovelia narrowed her eyes. “We will see about that. The pack elders are starting to talk. They want a Luna who is stable. They are tired of your drama, Faith. If you don’t watch your step, you might find yourself banished for real this time.”
She turned on her heel and walked out of the room Her heels clicked on the floor like a ticking
clock.
I sank back down into my chair. I was shaking. Not from fear, but from anger.
It was a disaster. My own mother–in–law was working against me. She was helping Annabella. They are trying to turn the whole pack against me so they can replace me.
I looked at the teapot on the table and I wanted to throw it at the wall.
Instead, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. I needed an update. I needed to know what Liam had found. If I was going to win this war I couldn’t just move furniture. I needed dirt. I needed to prove that Annabella and her family were a threat to the pack.
I dialed Liam’s number. It rang and rang.
“Come on, Liam,” I whispered. “Pick up.”
Finally, he answered. “Luna?”
His voice was a whisper. He sounded like he was hiding in a closet.
“Liam! What’s happening? Did you find anything else?”
“I found something big, Faith,” he said. I could hear him breathing fast. “It’s not just about a lie. I found a hidden basement in the Alpha’s house here at Shadow Moon. They are keeping things here… dark things. Forbidden things.”
“What kind of things?” I asked. My heart was pounding.
“I can’t say over the phone,” Liam said. “But Faith, tell Astor to be careful. They aren’t just after the pack. They are after him. They want his power. And Annabella is the key.”
“Liam, wait-”
The call cut off. I looked at my phone. The signal was gone.
I stood up and walked to the window. I looked out at the beautiful green lands of my pack. It looked so peaceful, but I knew it was a lie. There was a poison in this house. It was in Ovelia’s words. It was in Annabella’s smiles. And it was in the secrets Astor was keeping.
I wasn’t just fighting for my family anymore. I was fighting for the soul of the Eternal Pack.
And if Ovelia thought I was a coward, she was about to find out how wrong she was. This White Wolf is done playing nice.
