Chapter 11 #4
“You guess correctly.” She smiled to herself.
“You should have seen their faces when we announced we would be sending a female to medical school.” Despite how much I hated all of this, I found myself smiling along with her, imagining the outrage on their smarmy faces as Kara skipped off to college.
“And when Kole announced the first female as a Luna guard, I was so proud of him on that day.”
“And now?” I asked, wondering how proud she was of her eldest son after seeing him muzzle me and chain me up outside like a dog.
“Now, Crowley, Forster, and Tesh see an opportunity to get Kole under their thumb and via him, the rest of the pack too.”
“He’s the ship.”
“Exactly. They’ve been barely holding onto their sway for a long time and they don’t want to lose it. They’re all but obsolete now and they know that.” For the first time, I saw fear in her face. “You can’t let them break you, Iona.”
I stared at her, shocked by the sudden turn. “I can’t let him do what he plans either.”
“I don’t see a way around it. I’ve tried but I can’t…he can’t keep his wolf at bay for much longer. If you don’t go willingly…”
“His wolf will force him to take me, I know, but I can’t make myself want this.” My voice cracked, my fear betraying me. My anger, my terror, was a simmering pot threatening to blow the lid off any moment.
“I know.” I could feel the concern emanating from her. Concern for all of us. “I’ve thought about asking Kara to give you something to get through the ceremony.”
“You want to drug me?”
“Not without your consent.”
“No. I don’t want that.” I didn’t even have to think about it.
“I thought it might?—”
“I said no,” I snapped, scowling at the older woman. She looked like she wanted to argue but she relented.
“Alright. Kole probably wouldn’t have agreed anyway.
I’ll keep thinking if you promise to keep trying.
Try to see past the front that Kole is putting on.
What you’re seeing isn’t who he is. He’s compassionate, brave, funny even, but waiting so long for his mate has twisted him and the Elders are twisting him further. ”
“And he’s letting them for his own gain.”
“For his own survival,” she said, her face stricken in earnest. “Do you think he wants it to be this way? Our whole life we dream of finding our mate. That first claiming…I can’t describe the feeling to you.
It is the greatest joy, the greatest ecstasy.
No other moment in life compares to it. Instead of that, you both have to experience this horror show.
” Her face crinkled in disgust but her displeasure at what her son was going to do to me didn’t give me much comfort.
It didn’t help me. “I need you to find another way.”
“What do you mean? How?”
“I don’t know. But if he goes through with this and you aren’t willing, it will destroy him.
You’re a Luna. Like it or not, it’s what you are.
That means you are made of stronger stuff than the average female.
You’re resilient, intuitive, and you can make that Alpha do anything you want.
All Kole can see around him are dead ends.
His wolf is a wild, thrashing beast caught in a trap.
We need you to find another path and lead him to it. ”
I gritted my teeth. I didn’t want to lead Kole anywhere except off a cliff. “What if I refuse?”
“Then he’ll take you. One way or the other.
And it’ll ruin both of you.” Something passed over her face, a haunting darkness in her eyes, as if she was holding a memory, a secret deep inside.
I got the feeling that there was a lot she wasn’t telling me.
“After the bond is complete and his wolf is calm, he’ll come back to himself.
He’ll come back and what he’s done to you will haunt him.
You don’t know him, Iona. The male that I raised would never allow a female to be treated this way. ”
She looked like she wanted to say more but her head tilted as if she was listening to something.
I strained my ears but heard nothing. She stood, busying herself getting the bread out of the oven.
I watched, useless in my cuffs as she sliced my misshapen loaf and placed it on a tray, adding salad and chicken strips too.
Moments later I heard familiar voices and I turned to find the Beta, Gamma, and their mates in tow. Allie looked suitably guilty, but the rest looked as awkward as I felt. Except Marcus whose stern expression didn’t suit his freckled face.
“Alpha Kole is expecting you to join him for lunch,” he said.
“Guess I’d better run along then.” I stood, picking up the tray as well as I could with cuffed hands.
I looked at Allie. “Dinah filled me in, we’re good.
” The words felt foul on my tongue but I needed friends right now, not enemies.
Her face brightened and she moved to hug me.
I backed up a step. “We’re not that good. ”
Her face fell and I felt every eye in the room on me.
Reluctantly, I passed the tray to Konnor and held out my hand to her, the only compromise she was going to get.
She grasped it tight and I felt a warm tingle on my skin.
I stared down at our hands as a calmness settled inside me, not quite what I felt with Dinah but almost.
I pulled away, not sure what to make of it. “Enjoy your lunch,” I muttered and left without another word.