27- The Invitation
POV Lunara Grimwald:
A pang hit my heart, a feeling of desolation. I admired that in Edric. He was a very different alpha from how my father had been, and from what Alessio would be.
People didn’t follow him out of fear; they followed him out of respect and admiration.
He had many flaws—huge, countless—but being a bad leader wasn’t one of them.
Only... the ritual was the only way to be free of him. On one hand, I no longer knew if that was what I wanted. His pack was a good one to live in. And then there was Alessio, who would never be able to catch me, not while I was under Edric’s protection. If I could bring my sister here, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to spend the rest of my days here.
"Look, want some advice?" he added, running a hand through his blond hair, pushing it back. "I have no idea what your plans are, but if you’re planning the ritual or trying to escape again, forget it. Edric will never allow it."
"I wasn’t planning any of that."
He shot me a sideways glance.
"Then why keep bringing up the ritual?"
"Because I had hope." I spread my arms, defeated. "But... living here isn’t so bad, and I still have protection against Alessio, so..."
He bit his cheeks, suspicious.
"Edric will kill him the first chance he gets." He threw out the words and studied me, analyzing my reaction.
A mordant smile spread across my face.
"Only after me."
"You hate him that much?"
A harsh laugh tore from my lips.
"Hate him? I despise him with every fiber of my being," I spat, feeling rage corrode through my veins at the mention of him. "He deceived me, rejected me, and humiliated me in front of the whole pack, and on top of that, he killed my family."
"I’m sorry for your family," he whispered, and he seemed sincere.
I averted my gaze, fixing it on the tiny grains of sand glimmering on the ground at our feet.
I blamed myself for not mourning my parents’ deaths, but guilt wasn’t enough to make me feel anything. Still.
It wasn’t as if I had been happy either, I just... felt nothing. With their deaths, Elowen and I had our freedom and could be ourselves for a while.
Until I went into heat and fell into Edric’s claws.
I took a deep breath.
"It’s fine, they weren’t... exemplary, anyway," I confessed, revealing a little more truth about myself and hoping that pitiful look on his face would vanish already.
We went back to walking, strolling through the village at a deliberate pace.
"You have no idea what became of your pack after your father’s death?" he asked after a while.
Edric trusted him blindly, as well as Lyris and Andrei. I hadn’t needed to tell them anything; everything I confessed to the alpha that night had been shared with his friends.
"I believe those who aren’t dead bowed to Alessio and Kellan. Many didn’t accept their betrayal against my father, revolting. That’s how I managed to escape, while they fought against my pack members." I kicked a little stone on the ground. "And I don’t care either. They were never anything but cruel. I know it’s my father’s fault as a leader, but I have no interest in going back there."
He nodded, silently.
Some females ran past us, laughing, jumping, and celebrating, holding in their hands the same little bundle of herbs I had seen before.
"Is there some event tonight?" I asked, watching them and envying them.
They were young, carefree, and happy. They were everything I could never be, because I was destined to be an Alpha’s mate. I was never allowed to be young, nor to act like one.
He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I just remembered I have something to do... I... uh... I’m leaving now," he said, stepping back one step after another, retreating far enough before turning on his heels and walking away.
That had been very strange. And he had clearly tried to change the subject, which only made me even more curious.
I wandered through the village without a specific destination. People still avoided me, but some smiled at me, trying to be polite.
I was distracted when someone bumped into me, almost knocking me over. I planted my feet on the ground, keeping myself from falling in a way that would have left me embarrassed for the rest of my life.
I lifted my face and met Thalira’s eyes.
Her curly hair was tied up high on her head, and she looked at me with the same disgust I had seen in her eyes the first time we met. She was a little taller than me and wore rather... revealing clothes that highlighted every one of her curves.
"Don’t you watch where you’re going?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. The movement only emphasized the curve of her breasts.
She was doing an excellent job of earning a spot on my mental list of despicable and hateful people.
"I think you’re the one not watching," I shot back.
She smiled sharply, uncrossing her arms. She slipped a hand into her pocket and pulled out a little bundle identical to the ones I had seen before. She tossed it up and caught it in her palm again, repeating the motion as if playing with it, making sure I saw.
"Did you get one of these?" she asked. I frowned, confused.
"No."
Her laughter boomed. I clenched my teeth, imagining how lovely she would look with her throat slit.
"And do you know what it is?"
I thought about lying, but I was genuinely curious about what it was, and only Thalira would tell me the truth. Of course, if it gave her some sort of advantage.
"No."
She ran her tongue over her plump lips and took a step closer, leaning in to whisper:
"It’s the invitation to a very exclusive party." She winked, releasing a satisfied sigh. "A party that happens once a month and is... wonderful, for most of us."
I would love to go, but I wouldn’t show it. I had never been to a party, not without the constant presence of my father or Alessio. And this one seemed special—it even had an invitation.
"Hmm..." I murmured, trying to sound indifferent. She took a step back, her smile widening.
"I’m going to have so much fun tonight..." she hissed, winking.
"Congratulations," I mocked.
I didn’t understand the connotation of her kind of fun, but I couldn’t care less.
"See you later..." She turned away but glanced back over her shoulder. "Oh, and it looks like your garden has more visitors than expected." She laughed loudly and walked off.
My God, what the hell was that bitch trying to imply? I huffed, ignoring her and trying not to dwell on her words.
Thalira had some sort of fling with Edric before my unexpected arrival, and it was obvious she was dying of jealousy, hating me for mating with him, for becoming his mate.
She was in love with Edric. Anyone could see that. I was at peace, and I wanted to remain that way.
I went back to walking, ignoring what she had said, refusing to let it threaten my peace.