Cassia stares at me with her mouth open.
Kneeling next to her, Jess asks, “Cass? Are you okay?”
“I… I don’t believe you,” she says as she breaks down. “That would mean I’m mated to a monster!”
“Look at her aura, Cass. She’s not lying,” Jess says softly, rubbing Cassias’ back.
Cassia’s eyes meet mine, and she studies me for a moment. “Oh Goddess,” she sobs. “What if you’re wrong? What if he didn’t tell anyone about the warehouse? What if it’s all a coincidence?”
“No one else knew, Cass. I don’t have any doubt in my mind that Damon is involved in my mate’s death. That he’s responsible for a lot of what’s happened to this pack,” I say sadly.
“Do you know anything that could prove any of it, Cass?” Jess asks.
Cassia shakes her head. “No. He never tells me anything. I’m surprised he even let me help organize the mate’s ball. He thinks Lunas should be seen and not heard…” she hiccups as she tries to hold back more tears.
“What about his visits with other packs?” I ask. “What can you tell me about them?”
“Red-River was the last pack he met with before returning here. We had our marking ceremony at Red-River, and then we went on our honeymoon for a week. That’s when his true colors showed,” she sniffs. “The only pack I visited with him was Yellow Rock, and I spent the whole time with their Luna. That was where we were when you came back.”
“I need to ask… Why didn’t you sense what he’s truly like? His… Aura?” I ask.
“It’s not always 100 percent. Our gifts fade with each new generation. But when you add the mate bond to the mix, it can be really hard to sense anything outside of that,” Jess explains.
“So, there’s no way he could have known about your gifts and somehow hidden his aura?”
“I mean, it is possible. Auras can be hidden by witches. But how would he know?” Jess asks.
“I have a feeling his deception and connections go much deeper than any of us could imagine,” I say somberly.
“This is just getting worse and worse,” Cassia sobs, clutching her chest in pain.
“I’m so sorry, sis,” Jess says as she tightly embraces her sister.
“What do we do now?” Cassia asks as she pulls away from Jess and wipes her face with the back of her sleeve.
‘*Delta, Alpha Damon is on his way back to the territory*,’ Harry mind-links.
“He’s on his way back from town,” I tell Jess and Cass. “We need proof. And I have no idea how to get it,” I admit.
“We need to get into his office. But the only person he lets in there when he isn’t here is Laura,” Cassia says.
“And we all know why,” I snarl.
“What? Why?” Cassia asks, her brows furrowed in confusion. I wince and open my mouth to answer when Cassia’s eyes glow yellow and she growls. “That BITCH!” She screams as she gets to her feet and sprints to the bunker door and up the stairs.
“Shit,” I mutter, and Jess and I chase after her.
“What just happened?” Jess asks as we run up the stairs, trying to catch up to Cassia.
“Laura is Damon’s assistant, and he has been sleeping with her. I thought she knew,” I tell her as quietly as I can. “Luna! Please stop! Think about this!” I yell after Cassia.
“I’M GOING TO KILL HER!” she screams as she runs around the side of the pack house and up the stairs of the porch.
“Harry, Leah, get to Laura’s office, NOW!” I yell through the mind-link.
I dash inside and down the corridor, just as Cassia collides with Harry and falls to the floor.
“Luna! I’m so sorry! Is everything okay?” Harry asks as he lifts her off the ground and looks at me with wide eyes.
“The Luna is fine. We’re just going to go into her office for a coffee,” Jess says, and tries to lead Cassia away.
“LET GO OF ME!” she yells at Jess. “LAURA! GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!” she commands Laura with her Luna aura.
Laura’s office door slowly opens behind Harry and Leah, and a terrified Laura peers through it. “Yes, my Luna?” She says as her voice trembles with fear.
“Cass, if you do this so publicly, the pack will know,” I whisper in her ear as I notice pack members staring in our direction, watching the spectacle.
“Let them know,” Cassia growls at me, her eyes glowing yellow.
“Elli, please,” Jess begs Cassia’s wolf. “You and Cassia need to calm down and think about this.”
“Harry, get out of my way,” Elli orders.
“Do not move, Harry. Protect your Luna,” I tell him.
He looks between us with pain on his face, and it seems like he is trying to fight the command.
“You’re not protecting me. You’re protecting her!” Elli turns and growls at me.
“No, my Luna, I’m keeping you safe from your mate. Who knows what he’ll do if you kill her,” I say calmly.
She snorts. “I don’t give a shit what he does,” she says, returning her gaze to Harry. “Move!” She yells, her aura radiating from her.
“DO NOT MOVE!” I yell, and Harry cries out in pain, bearing his neck in submission.
“What the fuck?” Laura gasps from behind the door.
When I hear movement in the background, I turn to see Tony and the Crescent Warriors filling the small hallway of the pack house.
Tony comes to a halt and puts his hands up as if to protect himself. “Woah, Enyo! I come in peace!”
“It’s not Enyo,” I growl, as realize my eyes are glowing blue.
I return my attention to Cassia and the others, who are looking at me with a mixture of confusion and bewilderment.
“You just…” Cassia stutters, her eyes back to normal.
“What?” I ask, just as confused. “I just what?”
“Look at Harry. He’s fighting the Lunas’ command. Your command is overpowering the Lunas…” Jess says, shocked.
“Bullshit. Aside from my position as Delta, I have no authority over him. So, he shouldn’t be able to resist the Luna’s command… That is not possible…” I mumble.
“I’m telling the Alpha!” Laura yells and tries to slam the door shut, but Leah stops her and grabs her by the hair, tossing her to the ground.
“You’re not telling the Alpha shit,” Leah barks in Laura’s face.
I sigh as I remember what brought us here. “Harry, stand down,” I say, and he sighs with relief as the pain fades from his face. Then, I turn to Cassia and ask, “what do you want to do, Luna?”
Her eyes swap between brown and yellow as she and her wolf fight for control. “She slept with a mated lycan and disrespected her Luna. I want her dead,” she says far too calmly.
“Then let me do it, Luna. Let me protect you from becoming a killer,” Enyo comes forward and whispers to her.
“Very well, Delta,” she says. She walks over to Laura, grabs her by the hair, and pulls her up to her feet.
“Ah! Let go of me, you crazy bitch!” Laura shrieks as Cassia drags her down the corridor, the Crescent Warriors parting for her to get through. Everyone follows them outside, and Cassia throws Laura into the dirt as more and more pack members join the crowd.
“Ladies and Gentlemen! I bring in front of you all today a piece of trash that has betrayed me and broken the rules of the Goddess, Selina, by sleeping with a mated male!” Luna Cassia yells.
There are gasps and angry growls from the crowd, who are now circling us.
“I, Luna Cassia of the Blood-Moon pack, sentence you to death,” she growls at Laura.
I quickly stand behind Harry and strip down, then Enyo comes forward, and we shift. Enyo stalks towards Laura, who is kneeling in the dirt, crying.
“Please, Luna! Please don’t kill me!” Laura begs as she crawls towards Cassia’s feet. Enyo stands in front of Cassia and growls at Laura, causing her to stop. “I beg you, Luna!” Laura screams.
“I protect this pack when the Alpha can’t. You have betrayed me and, in doing so, you have also betrayed our pack. You have made our pack weak, and I will not stand for it!” Cassia yells. “Do you have anything you wish to say before your sentence is carried out?”
“You’re pathetic! No wonder he came to me!” Laura yells. Enyo stops her from saying anything else by knocking Laura onto her back and taking her throat in her mouth. Enyo looks at Luna Cassia, who simply nods, so with one swift motion of her head, Enyo snaps Laura’s neck.
The moment Laura dies, there is a loud howl from the direction of the front gate. We see Damon’s large grey wolf running in our direction a moment later. As he approaches the group, he shifts and moves through the crowd.
“What’s going on here?” His voice booms over the crowd. Then he looks down to find Laura dead in the dirt. “Enyo! You killed a pack member?!” He screams as he rushes to her lifeless body and kneels beside her.
“On my order,” Cassia says sharply.
Damon’s head whips around to look at her, rage and disgust filling his eyes. Not liking the look he is giving Cassia, Enyo goes back to stand in front of Cassia to protect her.
'*Luna Guard, protect your Luna*,' I tell them through the mind-link. Harry, Leah, Tony, Luca, and James all rush to the Luna’s side.
Damon stands up from kneeling beside Laura, his look of rage matching the rage radiating from him. “You ordered one of MY pack members to kill another one?” He asks as he walks slowly toward Cassia.
“I am the Luna of this pack, and she was screwing MY mate,” Cassia growls out. Gasps fill the air as the pack realizes that the mated male Laura had slept with was their Alpha.
Damon growls back at her and raises his hand to slap her, but Enyo growls loudly as Tony pulls Cassia behind him.
Damon stiffens and lowers his gaze to Enyo. She growls again, causing him to take a step back. With a sigh, he looks around at the crowd that has gathered around them. “Michael!” Damon calls out to his Beta, who emerges from the crowd and walks over to him. “Organize her funeral, then meet me in my office,” Damon snarls, storming off towards the pack house.
‘*Everyone, escort the Luna into the bunker*,’ I order the guards and Crescent Warriors. Enyo turns to face Beta Michael as he lifts Laura into his arms. He then turns to look at Luna Cassia, who is being led away by the guards. Enyo growls at him before turning around and following everyone down into the bunker.