Ethan’s P. O. V
Just like yesterday, Claire was nowhere to be seen at the dining table. I wanted to order someone to go fetch her, but with Lucy here, I couldn’t risk it.
After everything I discussed with Andara Spectra last night, it felt safer to keep Claire far away from Lucy.
“You remember we still have that meeting with Lady Apike, the wolf noble from the Lycan clan, right?” Lucy suddenly broke the silence during our meal.
“I know. I’ll-”
“She wants to meet your ‘real’ Luna. The one chosen by the Moon Goddess.” Lucy cut me off, her words making my chest tighten in shock.
Wait, meet my real Luna? Was she implying I had to bring Claire to this meeting?
“Why would I do that? There’s no reason for it.” I refused with a single sentence, hoping she wouldn’t speak again or say things like this. Because honestly, the more I heard, the more uncomfortable I felt.
Right. I couldn’t possibly bring Claire. That meeting might spell trouble for her-especially for the child she’s carrying. And with Lucy, who knows what underhanded schemes she might be cooking up to get rid of Claire?
“Why not?” Lucy shot back. “I’ve gone with you everywhere, even though I’m not your Luna. As your fiancee, I feel responsible for this Pack.”
She wasn’t wrong. Lucy had taken on responsibilities I couldn’t handle or didn’t want to deal with. Sometimes, I relied on her, and other times, I took matters into my own hands.
But now, as she kept talking, I knew she was angling for something.
“What do you want, Lucy?” I cut through her pointless rambling.
“Bring her along to meet Lady Apike.”
My brows furrowed. Was she serious? I couldn’t believe I was hearing this nonsense. “Are you insane? Why would I drag someone into Pack business when she doesn’t know the first thing about it?”
“If you’re not going to reject her, the least you can do is let her see the work I’ve been doing for this Pack! Maybe she’ll finally thank me for carrying her load as Luna!”
Her voice rose, a clear sign she was itching for a fight. She wasn’t just gunning for me-she wanted a confrontation with Claire, too. This wasn’t normal. What had gotten into her?
Not wanting to argue, I put down my fork, ready to leave. But before I could stand, Claire entered the dining room.
Her sudden arrival caught both Lucy and me off guard. We watched her as she walked over and sat down without a word, her expression calm but distant. Even as the maid served her food, she stayed silent, making no effort to acknowledge either of us.
Seeing her quietly start eating, I changed my mind about leaving. Lucy noticed, of course, and wasted no time stirring up more drama.
“Aren’t you the Luna of this Pack?” she asked pointedly.
I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly, trying to rein in my rising frustration.
“Can’t you answer me? You *are* the Luna here, aren’t you? If that’s the case, you should take responsibility for the Pack and act like it!”
“Enough with this nonsense, Lucy,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Nonsense? What part of what I said is nonsense? If she’s the Luna, she should step up and stabilize this Pack! Handle the politics and everything else that comes with-”
“And why should I?” Claire’s voice cut through Lucy’s rant, cold and sharp.
Lucy and I both froze, shocked. This was the first time I’d seen Claire speak up like this, her calm demeanor laced with icy defiance. She didn’t care about anything or anyone in this moment-just herself.
“What did you just say?” Lucy challenged, her tone dripping with disbelief.
“Was my statement unclear, Lady Torrance?” Claire replied, her voice oozing arrogance. “I said, why should I bother? You’re already doing everything for me, aren’t you?”
Oh, damn. Did I really just hear that? Claire sounded like she was calling the shots here.
“Watch your mouth, Lady Halle! You’re nothing but-”
“I *am* the Luna of this Pack. Or have you forgotten?” Claire interrupted, her words striking like a whip.
“You-”
“I’m done here,” Claire said, rising from her seat. “Thanks, but staying here any longer and listening to you talk makes me nauseous.”
With that, she walked off, leaving her plate barely touched. One or two bites at most-not nearly enough for a proper meal.
“Why would you let this happen, Lucy?” I asked, my voice low but firm.
“Why? Shouldn’t you make *her* apologize to me instead of defending her?” Lucy snapped, slamming her hand on the table as her anger boiled over.
I shook my head. “You might be my fiancee, Lucy, but I never agreed to let you handle our problems your way.” With that, I turned and left the room.
“You can’t treat me like this, Ethan!” she screamed after me, her voice ringing with unchecked rage. I didn’t look back.
As I left the dining hall, I caught sight of Claire heading toward the main gate. A few Wolf Guards moved to stop her, but she stood her ground, determined to leave.
I quickly mind-linked the guards to let her go, assuring them I’d handle it myself. Reluctantly, they stepped aside, letting Claire walk away. I watched as she made her way toward the main road, leaving the Packhouse behind.
Wasting no time, I headed for the garage to grab a car and follow her.
“Alpha, want me to come with you?” Danny appeared out of nowhere, offering his help.
“No,” I said firmly. “I’ll handle this myself. Your job is to calm Lucy down. If she’s still like this, cancel all her plans for today and send her back to her Pack.”
“W-what?! But what if-”
“Just do it, Danny. If her father gets upset, tell him he can meet me directly. I’m not wasting my time on this.”
With that, I left Danny behind and drove off to chase after Claire.