Chapter 121 Planning
Jolie pov
"Possible." Doc leans closer. "But more likely, she's been trained to suppress emotion. The Council had programs for that—teaching wolves to control their reactions until they became automatic."
"Why would they do that?" Cass frowns.
"To create perfect soldiers. Perfect spies." Luna's voice is grim. "Wolves who could infiltrate packs without emotional tells. Who could make cold, logical decisions without empathy getting in the way."
"You think Celeste is one of those?" Ryder asks.
"I think she's exactly what the Council would create if they wanted a weapon that looked like a bride." Luna pulls up more files. "The Whitmore Pack has Council connections going back three generations. Gregory Whitmore served on special Council committees. Celeste was educated at Council-approved academies. Everything about her screams program participant."
"So my father is marrying a Council plant." I process this. "Someone designed to infiltrate our family and gain access to me."
"That's the theory." Luna nods. "But we can't prove it without more evidence."
"Then we get evidence at the wedding." I stand. "I'll meet Celeste face to face. Use my empathy gift to feel what she's hiding."
"Is that safe?" Doc looks worried. "Your empathy is evolving unpredictably. What if close proximity to someone that emotionally damaged triggers something?"
"Then I'll deal with it." I'm firm. "But I need to know what we're facing. If Celeste is Council-made, I need to understand what that means."
"You could accidentally flood her with empathy like you did Morgan." Ryder points out. "Force her to feel everything she's been trained not to."
"Would that be so bad?" Mara challenges. "If she's a weapon, maybe feeling emotion would break her programming."
"Or it could traumatize her beyond repair." Doc's voice is serious. "These Council programs weren't gentle. If she's been conditioned since childhood, forcing sudden empathy on her could shatter her psyche completely."
That gives me pause. I think about Morgan's desperate face when she came back, begging for relief from the empathy I'd accidentally given her. That was an adult woman who chose her path. But if Celeste was trained as a child, taken as a victim herself...
"I'll be careful." I decide. "I won't force anything. But I need to at least try to read her, to understand what she's feeling or not feeling."
"We should have contingencies." Knox pulls out a notebook. "If Jolie's empathy does trigger around Celeste, we need a plan. Medical support, quick extraction, ways to manage the fallout."
"I'll prep a medical kit." Doc stands. "Sedatives for both of you if needed. The empathy connection goes both ways—if you flood her, you'll feel it too."
"Good point." I hadn't considered that. "Okay, medical support standing by. What else?"
"Transportation." Cass taps the table. "We're not showing up in regular cars. We arrive on bikes, full pack colors, making a statement."
"I like it." Ryder grins. "Show them we're not ashamed of who we are."
"Wardrobes." Luna looks at me. "You need something that walks the line between formal pack Luna and badass biker queen. Elegant but dangerous."
"I have ideas." Mara surprises me by volunteering. "I know designers who specialize in leather formalwear. Could make you something perfect."
"Really?" I blink at her.
"Really." She shrugs, but her eyes are warm. "You're our Luna. You're walking into hostile territory to face your abusive father and his creepy bride. The least I can do is make sure you look fierce doing it."
Something tight in my chest loosens. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet." She grins. "Wait until you see the designs. I'm thinking silver leather, strategic cutouts, and enough hardware to double as weapons."
"Perfect." I laugh.
"Gifts." Phoenix adds unexpectedly. "Traditional pack weddings involve gift exchanges. We should bring something that makes a statement."
"Like what?" I ask.
"Like blessed silver forged into wedding bands." His smile is sharp. "A reminder that you survived what should have killed you, and you're not afraid of anything they try."
"That's brilliant." Luna types notes. "I'll commission the work. Blessed silver that Jolie's already absorbed and neutralized. A power move and a threat wrapped in tradition."
"I love this pack." I look around the table. "You're all helping me walk back into the place that destroyed me, and you're doing it with style."
"That's what family does." Cass says simply. "We've got your back, Luna. Always."
"Two weeks." Ryder squeezes my hand. "We have two weeks to prepare. Research Celeste, plan security, design wardrobes, forge gifts. By the time we roll up to that wedding, we'll be ready for anything."
"Ready for war disguised as celebration." Knox's voice holds dark satisfaction.
"Exactly." I feel my silver light pulse steadier. "They think they can trap me. Use my father's wedding to corner me, pressure me, maybe even separate me from my pack and my mate. They're wrong."
"Damn right they're wrong." Mara stands. "Now come on, Luna. We have fitting appointments to make. If you're going to crash your father's wedding as a divine power statement, you need to look the part."
I let her lead me out, Ryder following close behind. As we walk through the compound, I catch glimpses of pack members going about their day. Training in the yard, working in the garage, cooking in the kitchen. My people. My family.
Morgan tried to destroy this. The Council tried to break it. Now my father and his mysterious bride think they can manipulate it.
They're all going to learn the same lesson.
The Moonfire Luna doesn't break. She doesn't bend and she doesn't play by their rules anymore.
And in two weeks, at a wedding designed to trap her, she's going to remind everyone exactly what divine justice looks like.
I smile as we reach Mara's workshop, silver light dancing around my fingertips.
This is going to be fun.