Chapter 8 8
Jenna's POV:
Luna Elsa tried to step between us, palm raised gently toward Evelyn. “Evelyn, please calm…”
“No!” Evelyn’s voice cracked like a whip. “Don’t tell me to calm down, Elsa.” She pointed straight at me, her eyes blazing with a hatred I couldn’t possibly have earned. “I don’t want her as my son’s woman. Tell her to get the hell out of this house!”
I stood there, frozen, shocked, and confused because I had never met this woman in my life. So, I didn’t know what I had done wrong.
Elsa grabbed Evelyn’s arm, lowering her voice urgently. “Evelyn, stop this. You’re causing a ruckus. The staff will see…”
“Oh, let them see!” Evelyn snapped, wrenching her arm free. “You’re the one who ruined this family, Elsa! And now you want to force her into it too?” Her eyes cut to me again. “I have not accepted her for my son and I will not allow her anywhere near him.”
My cheeks burned, as humiliation slowly crawled up my neck.
Evelyn lifted her chin. “Guards! Someone come escort this slut out of my house!”
Suddenly, a wave of shame washed through me even though I had done absolutely nothing wrong. But even then, even with that insult ringing in my ears, I knew I couldn’t talk back. Because was Caesar’s mother, and Caesar had been nothing but kind to me. So, for his sake, I held my tongue and lowered my gaze until I noticed Luna Elsa stare at me.
I watched as her expression softened and something unexpectedly protective flashed in her eyes. Then she turned on Evelyn. “Enough.” Elsa said sharply.
Luna Elsa… was standing up for me?
She stepped in front of me like a shield. “Evelyn, you’re being unreasonable. Jenna hasn’t done anything to deserve this. She is a good girl, and she has been nothing but respectful.”
“You’re defending her?” Evelyn gasped dramatically, one hand flying to her chest. “I cannot believe you would say such things to me, all because of this girl!”
“I’m saying this because you’re wrong.” Elsa didn’t move. “Your son found someone who makes him happy, and brings out the best in him. So maybe it’s time you stop trying so hard to control every tiny detail of his life when you know how much he hates it.”
“You…” Evelyn stuttered, then shook her head as if deeply wounded. “Where is my son? I want Caesar right now. I’ll tell him myself that this girl needs to be thrown out. She’s not good for him, she’s not good for this house, and she is certainly not good enough to be the future Luna of this Pack.”
Then she shoved past Elsa, literally shoved her shoulder against hers, and stormed upstairs, heels hammering each step as she went in search of Caesar.
As soon as she disappeared, Elsa exhaled and turned back to me. “Jenna… I’m so sorry. Please don’t take her words to heart. Evelyn is just in a bad mood, that’s the only reason she said those things.”
I swallowed, the tightness in my chest finally easing. “It’s okay.”
“No it's not.” She insisted gently. “But I want you to know that you are good for Caesar and you make him smile, Jenna. That’s more than anyone has done for him in years.”
My eyes stung a little. “Thank you.” I said and I meant it because having someone defend me meant more than I expected. Then I cleared my throat softly. “I left my phone in the car, I’ll just go get it.”
Elsa nodded and let me go.
Outside, I took a deep breath as I walked to the car, opened the door, leaned inside, and rummaged around the dashboard area until I found my phone wedged between the seat and the console.
I scrolled through and saw two missed calls from Roger, so I called him back immediately and he answered on the second ring. “Finally! Jenna, why weren’t you picking up? I called because I wanted to know how last night’s dinner went.”
“It went well.” I said, though the word tasted strange after what had just happened.
“Well, what’s your next plan? What decision have you made about Caesar?”
I leaned against the car, staring at the packhouse windows. “I decided to stay with him until he recovers. I still don’t know much about what he’s going through… but Beta Nathan explained that he doesn’t want anyone, even Caesar's family, to know yet because it could cause a political uproar. And because Nathan thinks the best way to keep Caesar stable is if I stay with him, I’ll have to stay by his side until he gets better.”
Roger paused, then said dryly. “By staying with him, you mean living in the same house, being publicly recognized as his girlfriend, and attending lectures holding hands?”
I almost laughed. “Funny how I actually just moved into the packhouse because his parents practically insisted. I guess they kind of liked me.”
“Don’t you think they’ll feel betrayed when the truth comes out later?”
“I know they will.” I admitted. “But at least they’ll understand that I only did it because I was worried about Caesar and the Pack.”
“Well, that’s fair.” He admitted. “So? How has moving in been?”
I sighed. “I thought that it would be fun, but that was before I met Caesar’s birth mother.”
Roger perked up instantly. “Did she offer you a blank cheque and tell you to leave him?”
“Oh my God, Roger.” I groaned. “This is real life, not a movie or some web novel. The whole ‘leave my son’ part did happen, sure, but the money part definitely didn’t.”
“Then she’s dumb.” Roger declared. “There’s no way she told you to walk away from becoming the next Luna without offering you a truckload of cash.”
“Roger! What are you saying?”
“What? I’m just being honest.” He said innocently. “At this rate, you’re going to end up becoming Caesar’s wife and the next Luna. Wait, have you seriously never thought about it?”
“No.” I said immediately.
“Really? You think Caesar won’t want you after he regains his memories and finds out everything you did for him? He’d be an idiot not to.”
“I’m not helping him because I want to become his Luna, Roger.”I said quietly. “If he chooses another woman later, that’s fine because I never expected anything.”
“So it has absolutely never crossed your mind?” He pressed.
“Yes.” I affirmed.
Suddenly, Roger went silent for a few seconds then he said. “It should. But since it hasn’t, you should ask yourself if you don’t love the idea of being his woman even a little. If your answer is no, I’ll run across the Pack square naked. If it’s yes, call me back and tell me.” With that, he hung up while I stood there, utterly confused.