Chapter 105
Claire’s POV
Under my watchful eye, Leo and Nova played a board game together in one of the sitting rooms of the pack house. They seemed to be having fun, which I was relieved by. Since discovering Daphne was here, Leo had been very nervous. I was glad to see that Nova could help calm him down. He was even laughing some.
At least, he laughed until he looked up at the doorway and froze
Daphne was there.
Stepping in front of him and Nova, I blocked Daphne’s view of the kids. She looked at me quietly, just as she had been staring at Leo from a distance.
I hoped she would walk away of her own accord, but when she didn’t, I approached her.
“Is there something you needed help with, Daphne?” I asked.
“That’s Luna Daphne to you,” she said.
I looked at her blankly. “You aren’t my Luna.”
Daphne hummed but seemed no less smug. “I’d be careful how you speak to me. You never know, I might take any slight personally and who knows what might come out of my mouth then?”
She was threatening me, clearly, but I didn’t know exactly what she was getting out.
“I was merely stating facts.”
“Even if I’m not your Luna, it is still a matter of respect to address any Luna as such,” Daphne said. “You should know that, but then you were never a real Luna. Gideon did reject you after all.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about
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“Of course you do. I haven’t forgotten your time here, Claire, even if you’d prefer everyone else would.”
My breath caught in my throat. “What did you just say?”
“I think you heard me,” Daphne said, grinning a little. “Maybe you’d like me to say it louder for the children to hear? Or Gideon himself? You hide behind that mask for a reason, don’t you? If Gideon knew who you really were, he’d cast you out in a second. Just like he did back then.”
My blood ran cold.
“I’m warning you out of the goodness of my heart, Claire. Stay out of this, once and for all. If you even as much as sneeze rudely in my direction, I will tell everyone who you really are. Then how would you ever see your son? Oh, right. You wouldn’t. Now. Perhaps you would like to correct how you address me?”
She blinked her eyelashes while she grinned, smug and oh so pleased with herself.
I hated her, not just for this moment but for every moment of strife and hardship she had added to my life since the
moment I had met her.
Now, I was terribly stuck. What could I possibly do? To stand against her was to risk it all. And Gideon had already revealed to me how he felt about me. He didn’t even want to talk about me at all. He wanted me to stay dead and buried in his past.
For him to find out I was not only still alive, but also right here, right now, hiding under his nose. Lying to him. I didn’t think
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Chapter 105
he would be forgiving
He might cast me out. He might never allow me to see Leo again
“I’m waiting.” Daphne said.
“Yes… Luna” I bit down on my tongue to keep from saying more I had to stay respectful to keep her silence.
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Even then, I wasn’t sure that would be enough, she would lord das over my head for a long time to come. Of that I had no doubt.
And I had no idea how far I would go to keep the secret,
That thought alone terrified me.
“Better,” Daphne said, “Careful not to slip in the future now” With that, and another smile, she turned and left.
I waited in the doorway, watching as she walked away down the hallway. Then, I turned and approached my children again.
They looked at me slightly nervously,
“She’s gone,” I said, “You should get back to your game.”
“We just finished,” Nova said.
“You don’t want to play another round?” I asked.
Nova looked at Leo, who nervously shook his head.
“Are you okay, Leo?” I asked.
He worried his hands together. “Actually, warrior lady… could I talk to you for a minute?”
“You can talk to me about anything,” I said,
He nodded.
Together, while Nova cleaned up the board game, Leo and I sat down together on the couch.
“What’s going on?” I asked him.
“I know you and Dad are fighting,” Leo said.
“We aren’t fighting,” I said.
Leo gave me a flat look.
What I said wasn’t a lie but I felt the need to correct. “We just are somewhat distant right now.”
“Well…” Leo said. “I know Dad has been going through a lot. Especially with those two here…”
He must have meant Justin and Daphne.
Leo’s eyes went a little sad, only somewhat hopeful. “Is there anything you can do to help him?”
My heart broke. What a brave and insightful little boy. He didn’t know the full extent of what was going on, but still worried for his father, who he could sense was in some kind of trouble. And even without knowing what it was, he still wanted to help. So he came to me for help.
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I hated to disappoint my son, but without revealing my identity which I had already sworn not to do, I didn’t know how I could possibly assist Gideon in this.
Besides that, as Daphne knew my secret, to speak out against her was to also but that identity in danger.
“I’m sorry, Leo. I don’t know that there is anything I can do to help. I said.
He shook his head. “I don’t believe you”
“I wouldn’t lie,” I said.
“You have to help him,” Leo said. “You can do anything! Can’t you do this too?”
His faith in me warmed my heart, but I didn’t know what I could do without endangering myself. If Daphne revealed the truth, I could lose Leo forever. If I was going to do something, I would have to do it with the upmost secrecy.
It would have to be something Daphne would never be aware of so that I wouldn’t bring down her wrath upon myself.
After carefully putting the lid on the board game box, Nova came to the couch and sat on the other side of me. She looked up at me with bright eyes.
“You can help him, can’t you, Mommy? Alpha Gideon has been nice to us. We should be nice back.”
With both children giving me the doe eyes, I really felt like I couldn’t say no.
But without knowing how I could help Gideon, I didn’t feel like I could promise.
“I’ll try,” I said. “But I just don’t know if I can.”
Both kids seemed troubled by that answer, to my regret, but they didn’t push the issue.
The thought of it stayed with me though.
How could I help Gideon? There had to be a way.
Later, as I went to Gideon’s office to give my daily report, I saw a familiar envelope there. I’d seen it before in Ivan’s office, every year around this time. Every year Ivan would send his regrets and decline the invitation.
But maybe he wouldn’t this year, if I asked him.
This was an invitation to the Alpha King’s annual banquet.
If I could go. If I could speak to the Alpha King on Gideon’s behalf…
Maybe I could solve everything without anyone knowing I had done so.
