Chapter 123 Kane Luna
Jolie pov
"Wardrobes are handled." Mara makes final notes on her sketch. "I'll have everything ready in a few days. That gives us time for final fittings and adjustments."
"What about pack attendance?" Luna looks around. "How many of us are going?"
"Core group only." Ryder's voice is firm. "Jolie, me, Luna, Knox, Cass, and Phoenix. Doc stays here in case we need emergency medical support remotely and Mara runs compound security while we're gone."
"I want to go." Mara protests. "I want to see you put that bastard in his place."
"I need you here." I touch her arm. "Protecting our home, keeping our pack safe. That's just as important as what we're doing there."
She softens slightly. "Fine. But you better tell me everything when you get back."
"Every detail." I promise. "Including whatever happens when I try to read Celeste."
"About that." Doc enters carrying a medical kit. "I've prepared supplies in case your empathy triggers unexpectedly. Sedatives for both you and the target, something to suppress your divine power temporarily if needed, and emergency trauma protocols."
"You think it could go that badly?" I take the kit.
"I think we're dealing with a woman who had her emotional capacity tortured out of her as a child." Doc's voice is serious. "If your empathy suddenly restores that capacity, the psychological shock could be catastrophic for her. And the emotional feedback could overwhelm you."
"So I need to be careful." I set the kit on Mara's workbench. "Not force anything, just read what's already there."
"If you can." Doc nods. "But Jolie, your power is evolving in ways we don't fully understand. It might not wait for permission. It might sense her damage and try to fix it automatically."
That's what I'm afraid of. That my divine gift will try to heal Celeste whether I want it to or not, whether she's ready or not, whether it helps or destroys her.
"Then we prepare for worst case scenarios." Ryder moves to stand beside me. "Medical support standing by, extraction protocols ready, Doc on call for remote guidance."
"I'll monitor your vital signs through the mate bond." He continues. "If I sense you're overwhelmed, we leave immediately. No arguments."
"Agreed." I lean into him. "I'm not trying to be a martyr here. If it's too much, we extract."
"Good." Luna closes her tablet. "So we have a plan. Intelligence gathering, security protocols, dramatic entrance, strategic gift giving, and careful empathy reading of a potentially traumatized bride. Anything else?"
"Yeah." Phoenix looks uncomfortable. "What do we do if Jolie's father tries to separate her from the group? Or if he corners her for a private conversation?"
"He won't." Ryder's voice is flat. "She's never alone with him. One of us is always within ten feet."
"Always." I confirm. "I'm not giving him any opportunity to manipulate me in private. Everything happens in front of witnesses."
"He's going to try anyway." Luna warns. "Alpha Dominic is arrogant enough to think he still has paternal authority over you. He'll try to pull the father card, demand private time, maybe even order you to comply."
"Then I'll remind him that I'm not his daughter anymore. I don't take his orders, i don't owe him respect. I show up to his wedding because I choose to, not because he commands it."
"That's the energy we need." Mara grins. "Confident, powerful, untouchable. They'll see you and remember immediately that you're not the weak wolf who ran away."
"I'm the divine vessel who survived everything they threw at her." I finish. "And I'm done apologizing for it."
"Damn right." Knox raises his coffee cup. "To our Luna. Walking back into hell with her head held high."
"To Jolie." The others echo.
We spend the next hour going over details. Cass shows us maps of the Nightshade Estate, pointing out entry and exit points. Luna reviews dossiers on expected guests—alphas from neighboring packs, Council liaisons, Whitmore family members. Phoenix confirms the blessed silver wedding bands will carry protective enchantments as well as symbolic weight.
By the time we finish, my head is spinning with information.
"This is really happening." I say as we walk back to our room. "I'm really going back there."
"You don't have to." Ryder stops me in the hallway. "We can send a polite refusal, ignore the whole thing, let your father marry his Council plant without us."
"I know." I look up at him. "But I need to do this. Not for him, but for me. I need to walk back into that place as who I am now, not who I was then. I need to show everyone—including myself—that I'm not afraid anymore."
"You were never afraid." His voice is soft. "You were smart. You survived. That took more courage than anything."
"Maybe." I lean against him. "But now I want to do more than survive. I want to thrive and part of that means facing my past head-on."
"Then we face it together." He kisses my forehead. "But the second anything feels wrong, we leave. Your closure isn't worth your safety."
"Deal." I breathe in his scent. "Thank you for supporting this. I know you'd rather I stayed far away from that place."
"I'd rather lock you in our room and never let anyone hurt you again." He admits. "But that's my trauma talking, not logic. You're not a thing to be protected—you're my partner. And if you need to do this, then I'm right beside you."
"Partners." I smile against his chest. "I like the sound of that."
"So do I." He pulls back to meet my eyes. "Now come on. Mara wants final measurements for your dress, and Knox needs to brief us on communication protocols. We've got a wedding to crash."
"We've got a statement to make." I corrected.
"Same thing." He grins.