Chapter 15
“So? What do you think?” Allie asked, her hands clasped in front of her as I surveyed the damage. Somehow, this pint-sized werewolf had managed to get her hands on more bunting than I’d ever seen in my life and hang it from every available surface.
It looked like a bachelorette Pinterest board had thrown up all over the pack house.
The dining hall had been turned into a dance floor.
There were games and food everywhere. The cake I’d asked for had pride of place in the middle of the room.
I hadn’t asked that it be shaped like a giant penis but I was okay with it.
“It looks great.” I nodded, doing my best to look pleased but not too pleased. Dinah’s watchful eye reminded me that I had to play this carefully. Too much enthusiasm would raise suspicion. “Thank you for putting this together.”
“My pleasure, it’s so exciting! We’ve never had a bachelorette party before! Oh look, your guests are arriving!”
My guests consisted of every female over the age of sixteen.
I knew almost none of them but I allowed Allie to make introductions.
I did my best to be polite and to not tug on the cocktail dress Allie had insisted I wear.
I’d tripped in the heels twice already but I was persevering. For appearances’ sake.
Tonight was the night. It had to be. I didn’t know how I was going to get away yet, but disappearing in the middle of a party seemed just insane enough to work.
It was the only time I was going to have my cuffs off.
The only time Kole was going to be far enough away to give me a head start.
I just had to let the women get nice and drunk…
but how I was going to get rid of Siobhan, I didn’t know.
I was hoping I wouldn’t have to hurt her but I had my eye on the cake knife just in case.
Kara might have hinted yesterday that she was going to help me, but I couldn’t miss this chance just for a hint. Especially as she hadn’t said a word to me since.
After saying ‘nice to meet you’ for the hundredth time, I excused myself to get a drink. I stepped into the empty kitchen, surveying the mass of beverages.
“Alpha said you weren’t permitted to drink alcohol tonight,” my shadow said. I looked over my shoulder at Siobhan.
“I know, don’t worry. I’m not drinking,” I said, running an envious gaze over her outfit of jeans and a t-shirt. “How did you manage to get out of wearing a dress anyway?”
“This is better for fighting.”
“You expecting much action at a fake bachelorette party?” That won me a hint of a smile on her usual stony face.
“You never know, Luna.”
There was that damned word again. I winced every time I heard it. “Please don’t call me that.” Before she could answer, we were joined by a familiar face, the receptionist I recognised from the school.
“Oh, hello Luna! This is a lovely party, I’m so happy you’re coming around to being a part of our pack.
” Kat grinned wide, her pink dress puffing like candy floss around her.
It was hard to imagine this woman transforming into a giant wolf.
I gave her a tight smile, trying not to throw up in my mouth.
“Thank you. It’s Kat, right?” I said, picking up an empty glass.
“Yes!” she squealed. “Can I get you a drink?”
“I’ve got it.” I waved her off.
“Please, allow me.” She snatched the glass out of my hand. “What would you like?”
“Um…water with ice, please.”
“Absolutely! You look so pretty tonight. Has Alpha Kole seen you in that dress? I bet he’d lose his mind.” She said it like it was a good thing, like Kole losing his mind wasn’t exactly what we were all afraid of.
“No, I got dressed after he went to…wherever all the guys have taken him tonight.” Whilst I was having my own little soiree, Konnor had seized the opportunity to take Kole for their version of a stag night.
Which might involve killing an actual stag.
I didn’t care what they were up to, but having them good and distracted was better luck than I’d hoped for.
“Well, maybe you should keep it on till he gets back. He won’t be able to keep his hands off you!” She winked and this time I barely managed to keep myself from punching her in the face. “Here you go.” She returned with my drink, smiling. I took the glass.
“Thank you.”
She was still smiling at me…waiting. I took a sip and she beamed even wider. “You’re welcome! Well, I’ll see you back in the party!”
I watched the hyper little bunny hop away. “What’s she on?”
“She’s just excited.” Siobhan leaned against the wall, her arms folded.
“To get me a glass of water?”
“To serve you.” I snorted. That was ridiculous. “Don’t brush that off, Luna. She’s showing you respect, building her bond with you. It’s important.”
I wanted to tell her that I didn’t need to be served by anyone, but instead I just nodded. “Better get back out there before—” The door opened again, cutting me off. Siobhan ducked her head in respect as Dinah stepped into the kitchen.
“Iona, do you have a minute?”
“Would you like me to leave?” Siobhan asked.
“No, you can stay.” Dinah gave her a warm smile before turning back to me.
“We’ve had a busy few days so I haven’t had the chance to speak with you.
There’s something I wanted to discuss.” She took up a seat on one of the stools, pouring herself a vodka and orange.
“I hear that Alpha Kole’s dominance is affecting you now. ”
I winced, the memory of Kole’s power over my body making me feel suffocated all over again.
“I won’t bother to ask how you feel about it but I am always here to talk to if you have questions.” Her offer was kind on the surface but I had no doubt that anything I confided in her would be fed right back to Kole.
“No, thank you.”
“Fine, then I’ll talk. I wonder if it’s occurred to you yet that you have a similar power to the Alpha.” The thought had occurred to me. I’d seen Allie and Lucy respond in a similar way when I’d lost my temper in the kitchen but I thought they were just behaving that way out of respect.
“Your influence is to a lesser degree of course but no less important. The more you bond with the females and solidify your place here, the stronger it will become.”
“What does it do?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.
“It affects energy, emotions, moods. It keeps the pack steady. You can’t make anyone do or say what you want, but you can calm them and push them into submission.”
“Anyone?” This could be really useful, but it would only be useful if I got closer to these people, which I didn’t plan to do. Still, it would be good to know how much power Dinah had.
“Not Alphas of course, but your influence should work on others. Though, as I said, to a lesser degree. The power won’t transfer completely from me to you until you truly take your place as Luna. It will take time for you to hone it.”
This power, however it worked, was only useful if I bonded with Kole. “How does it differ from the Alpha’s power? Does it feel different?”
“Jonah has only ever used his influence over me when I was in labour, to calm me and help me manage the pain. I don’t know what it feels like other times.”
“He never used it to make you be quiet or submit when you were angry with him?”
She shook her head, sadness shining in her eyes. “No, he never did that. True, we didn’t have the same arguments that you and my son are having but that doesn’t mean we didn’t infuriate each other from time to time. Even so, he never used it against me, no matter how much I pissed him off.”
It must hurt her, seeing her son throw away everything his parents had taught him in favour of the advice of some crooked old cronies.
“But growing up here, your Alpha and Luna must have used it sometimes.”
“The Alpha yes, but the Luna never did.”
“Why?” I asked.
“That’s complicated.”
“So…you’ve never felt it?”
“The safety of my Luna? No. Not yet.” The weight of those words hung in the air and I had no idea what to do with them. I certainly wasn’t about to pick them up but that didn’t mean her sadness was lost on me.
“Why haven’t you used it on me?” There were enough occasions it would have made her life easier to shut me up and make me submit like Kole had done.
“Partly because I wasn’t able to yet, though I probably could now. But besides that, I didn’t need to give you more of a reason to distrust me.”
“I wish Kole was following the same logic,” I muttered.
“So do I.”
“You can try it if you like.” I was probably going to regret it, but she seemed to want to feel this so badly, I had to know why. “Your Luna thing…try it on me. I want to know what it feels like.”
“Are you sure?” she asked and I nodded, even though I wasn’t. “We aren’t bonded as females yet so it won’t be in full effect but you should feel something.”
I watched as Siobhan ducked her head, her eyes closing, but she didn’t seem scared…she looked like she was snuggled under a blanket in front of a warm fire.
Then I started to feel it.
A warmth in my chest, different from the power I’d felt from Kole. This didn’t dominate, didn’t suffocate. His was an oppressive bubble, sealing me in. This was a gentle heat, warming me from the inside out. I felt a syrup-like calm flood my body. It made me feel like I was home, like I was loved?—
“Stop.” I bit the word out, not wanting it to ever stop, but the crushing fear that hit me in a wave was too powerful to resist. “Stop it!” The warmth went as quickly as it came and I gasped, catching my breath. I urged my emotions to calm and not let the bond get the better of me.
“Iona—”
“I’m fine.”
Calm down, Iona. You’re supposed to be earning trust, not burning bridges.
Dinah didn’t say a word, just watched me with those all-knowing eyes. I hated that look. Like she knew without my saying a word that her flooding me with love after a lifetime of loneliness was more than I could bear.
She stood, brushing her hands off as if washing the tension away. “Come, you’d better get back to your party.”