Lucy’s POV
Moonstruck pack was just like the stories had said. High, towering, buildings, a merchant-led cosmopolitan, and clean land devoid of any rubble or debris-not that it was supposed to tbe dirty-even though its land was flowing with a larger number of people than those in Bloodbath and Moongrowl combined.
To most, it appeared as a singular nation on its own, distant from other packs, and vivid in territory.
The journey there took a long while, and throughout I had forced my eyes to remain open, more from childish wonder and excitement than from the need to remain alert. It wasn’t uncommon for rogues to intercept travelling vehicles, and with the growing alarm in the neighbouring packs, it was wise to pay attention to one’s surroundings when making such travels.
We were welcomed into the palace at the centre of the territory, where the aged, but powerful looking, building rose like a sword raised to the sky, catching the rays of sunlight on its reddish-brown stone walls.
The guards led our carriages to a place where we could stop and alight. And all the while I couldn’t stop my eyes from catching on every piece of expert architecture.
Shaun, who had been my companion for the entire journey, leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. He lifted my hand, the one with the new ring wrapped around my finger, and asked me if I was ready to see his home.
“Yes I am,” I said, kissing him back, but on the lips. He eagerly returned the action, and from the way his hand found my waist and gripped it tightly, I could tell that there were many more thoughts running through his mind that weren’t related to our visit to Moonstruck.
I gently pushed him away, unable to keep myself from smiling. “If you keep kissing me we aren’t going to leave this carriage until tomorrow morning.”
“Is that supposed to be a bad thing?” he replied, smirking.
I gently shoved him towards the carriage door. “Yes it is. We came here for important business.”
He groaned, but got down regardless, reaching back into the carriage to help me get down.
Scott and Seth had come in a different carriage, and were already waiting for us outside. When Seth caught sight of us, he gave us a knowing look.
“Thought you two were never going to get down,” he said, “if you had wasted another moment I’d have locked you both inside there.”
“Sorry,” I said quietly, although I didn’t feel sorry at all.
Together, we went into the palace to see the Luna of Moonstruck pack.
–
We made our way into a hall made for receiving visitors like ourselves, as evidenced by the arranged chairs and a single round table taking up half of the room’s total space.
At the far end of the room, seated with her hands clasped underneath her chin, was a very familiar woman dressed in a powder blue gown that had an oily pattern which was transparent in strategic points, but opaque in others. I had seen a picture of her somewhere before . . .
Her eyes lit up when she saw us. “Welcome!” She rose from her chair, giving us a better view of her artistic dress, and rushed to greet the triplets. She pulled each of them into a hug and kissed them on their cheeks, making comments about how much they had changed and how she had missed them so much. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it to your father’s funeral, but there was something urgent I needed to attend to right here at the time.”
So, she did know about Daven’s death. But then again, who wouldn’t? Daven was the strongest Alpha in all the lands, with influence and power that many coveted. A giant tree would surely make a loud sound when it was finally cut down.
Finally, my turn came.
She stopped in front of me, looking confused for a few seconds, before she took my hands and finally smiled. “You’re welcome to Moonstruck, my dear.”
I nodded. “Thank you very much.”
“Dearest aunt, forgive us for not introducing you,” said Seth, coming up from behind her. “This is Lucy Harris, Shaun’s mate and bride-to-be. Lucy, this is Trudy King, Luna of Moonstruck, and twin sister of our mother.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed, before they finally widened with recognition. And something about the shift in her gaze worried me. Perhaps she knew of my past and the fact that I had been married to Daven?
But after a little while of silence, she turned to Shaun, who looked like he wanted to shove his fist into Seth’s face for spilling news that he likely wanted to announce himself. “Oh, Shaun, congratulations. It’s no wonder she smells like you.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks as she turned to me, looking at me a little differently. With something like . . . appreciation. “I hope he isn’t giving you too much trouble dear. I know Shaun can be . . . a lot.”
“Aunt Trudy!” Shaun practically whined, squeezing his brows together like child.
“I’m only telling her the truth. It wasn’t so long ago that you were always getting in trouble and getting into fights for no good reason,” she said, smiling good-naturedly. Faint crow’s feet appeared at the corner of her blue eyes, pointing to the fact that though she appeared young, she had many years under her belt.
“Your mother would have been so happy to see that you’ve finally left behind your childish ways and found a woman.” As she spoke, there was a momentary flash of sadness in her eyes, but it quickly disappeared.
It was then it finally occurred to me why she looked so much like the picture I had seen in the triplets’ room. She was the sister of their mother. I hadn’t thought of it deeply before, but now, it made a whole lot of sense.
“Come on now, take a seat,” the Luna of Moonstruck said, moving back to her seat.
When we were all settled, she returned to her initial pose, and all traces of humor left her face. “Now, I don’t want us to waste any time, but there’s a very serious issue we have to discuss.”
“What is it?” asked Seth, concern written on his face, as well as his brothers’.
“Before we even adress that, I want to understand what really happened between you and Vladimir. Did that bastard really try to kill you, Seth?”
“Tried and fortunately failed,” Seth replied.
“I’m unhappy that I wasn’t informed until weeks after the incident,” she cast an annoyed look to Shaun.
“If you found out, you would have come right down to Moongrowl, and it wasn’t necessary for you to do so,” said Shaun.
“I deserved to know how my nephews were doing, Shaun. What if Seth had died? Is that how you would have left me in the dark?”
“He didn’t die, okay? I didn’t want you to worry-”
“That’s not your choice to make, Shaun,” said the Luna, eyes flashing momentarily. “This must never repeat itself.”
Shaun said nothing.
“Am I clear on that?” she asked, her voice turning soft at the end. “Don’t put me through that kind of turmoil ever again.”
“I-I understand, Aunt Trudy. And I’m sorry,” said Shaun, looking contrite.
Satisfied, the woman sat up a little straighter. “Well, it’s a good thing that you now have a mate. I always expected Seth to be the first in this, but this brings me joy regardless.” She faced Scott, who had been quiet throughout the whole exchange. “Scottie dear, I found a perfect match for you.”
He remained still, but it was clear that he hadn’t been expecting such. “A match for what?”
“A mate.”
“I’m not interested,” he said quickly, barely giving his aunt a moment to land.
“Just wait until you meet her,” the woman said, still relentless.
“I appreciate you trying, but I’m not interested. Besides, you mentioned that there’s something very important you needed to tell us, I hope this isn’t it?”
“Well it’s related to it, things are changing rapidly, and a little stability would go a long way. You are all of age now, so there’s no reason why you’re still single. You need heirs soon to protect your lineage.”
“All in due time,” said Seth, looking a little enthusiastic at the prospect. “But we’re not in a hurry.”
The Luna narrowed her eyes a little. “I’m not giving up just yet. Before you leave here, I hope that you and Scott find a woman you can settle down with. Packs have looking for ways to build an alliance with you three since your father passed, but I believe it’s better if you build alliances on your own terms, and not out of desperation. You haven’t found mates of your own accord, so there’s nothing wrong in settling down with a woman of your choice.”
The triplets’ eyes found me very quickly, but they seemed to understand that it was too obvious a sign. Fortunately, their aunt didn’t catch on to it.
“Scott, tomorrow you’ll meet Annabella, the daughter of an esteemed friend of mine. Seth, don’t worry, I’ll also arrange meetings with lovely women for you as well. You three must all have brides before the moon completes three cycles!”