Chapter 20 Scared Rabbit No More
Kian hadn’t touched her since that night, but he also hadn’t put distance between them either. Raina was pleasantly surprised that Kian would come into her Luna suite in the evening, having ordered some tea and some sort of desert. One time, it had been chocolate covered strawberries. Another time, it had been cherry tarts. There were times he would eat his dinner late while she sipped her tea and ate her sweets.
It seemed as though he would wait until she’d fall asleep, because a few times, she had woke up and noticed he was still up. He’d sometimes be in that armchair, reading through documents or he’d be in his personal office. She could smell him and he’d always be close by.
This evening would be different, because the Elder Council had called a meeting over her recent behavior and most likely once again pressure Kian to find a more suitable Luna. She wasn’t looking forward to it especially when it was her second day of her monthly bleed. She had no desire for certain members in the Elder Council and their massive egos. She didn’t think she could hold herself in check if they so much breathed and looked at her the wrong way.
Blame the fact she was taken off her monthly contraceptive and now her hormones were wreaking havoc over her mood, self control, and body. She had noticed the subtle changes in her moods, but it came more and more pronounced until she was overly tempted to bite off anyone’s head that dared to upset her. This meeting would be an interesting to say the least, she mused darkly, even if Kian decided ultimately to abandon this foolish vision of her being his Luna-to-be, she wasn’t entirely sure at this point in time that she’d let him.
When Kian had asked how her check-in with Sterling went yesterday, she had told him that her sister said they could start trying for an heir after she was finished bleeding. A heated mix of lust and possessiveness flashed in his eyes as he looked over his mug at her while he sat with her on the sectional in her living room area. The appearance of it was refreshing, but she played it off like was simple as talking about the weather.
It was her wolf side that wanted what he was offering. She demanded it and she demanded to be breed… craved it even. There would be no going back on his word. Her wolf expected to be bred and she wouldn’t stand for being cheated what was owed to her. Kian owed her a pup in her. Her wolf demanded one.
“So the meeting for the Elder Council is tonight, huh?” Poppy asked, glancing over at her for a moment.
She nodded her head. “They’re going to grade me on how well I’ve passed their stupid tests.” Poppy smirked, shaking her head at her sarcastic response. Well, they certainly weren’t going to praise her for a job well done. “I’m pretty sure I failed all of them.”
“You don’t say,” Poppy chuckled. “What gave you that idea?” She winked at her. “I think the final straw was you appearing before them in your birthday suit.”
“They act like it isn’t a natural thing to appear naked after shifting,” Raina grumbled, rolling her eyes.
She sighed, chewing her bottom lip as she wondered how exactly she was going to keep herself together. Her bullshit tolerance was an all time low. She didn’t know if she was capable of not acting out if someone said something stupid and she knew they were. They always did. They were the Elder Council.
Not all of the Elder Council were awful, but it seemed like in their older age, some of the former Alphas, Lunas, Betas, and Gammas grew a bit narcissistic, believing they knew best even though their time had passed. For some reason, they had thought the Alpha could no longer take charge fully on their own. The Elder Council was meant for the Alpha to ask for guidance not for the Elder Council to replace the Alpha.
She had seen firsthand how some of the Elder Council treated Kian. Kian was a pureblooded Alpha. He didn’t need to be chosen by others. His actual bloodline was what set him apart. His father had been equally powerful and she had heard enough theatrics growing up surrounding Kian’s father and the Elder Council through the town news coverage.
“What’s wrong?” Poppy asked in concern.
She glanced over at her best friend. “Do you think they’d exile me if I murdered a member on the Elder Council?”
The randomness of her question wasn’t lost on her. Poppy had no idea what murderous thoughts were circulating her mind. Her best friend’s eyebrows rose up in surprise.
“Well, I don’t think they’d be congratulating you.”
“Okay, fine,” she huffed. “I’ll murder just one.”
Her friend couldn’t stop the incredulous laugh that came out. “I don’t think--”
“Oh, c’mon, one isn’t even that bad! It’s expected!”
Poppy bit her lip. Her eyes focused on the screen in front of her as she tried to keep herself composed but was failing miserably. She shook her head, chuckling at Raina’s audacity.
“I still don’t think that’s the best idea,” Poppy said, crossing her arms over her chest. “It doesn’t mean I won’t condone it.” She glanced over at her. “Give ‘em hell, Rain. They’re certainly going to give you hell. You might as well dish it back.”
“Oh, I ‘ll give it back alright,” Raina assured her.
Her promise was dark and unforgiving, just like she knew the Elder Council would be. They weren’t the only ones that could be savage and fierce. It was time to reintroduce herself as the Beta she was known to be not a scared rabbit.
Meri had knocked on the door when the time was right to retrieve her. Raina hadn’t tried to give her body guards the slip and Meri had been thankful over that. Meri had been a good sport about the entire ordeal and hadn’t been surprised that she and the others had been outsmarted by her.
They didn’t say much as Raina was escorted to the usual hall where the Elder Council met up in. When they reached the door, Raina sighed, willingly herself to stay put. She reminded herself that Kian trusted her to stay by his side and trust in him so she would. She would trust in him to do what what was best.
“No matter what they say, I want you know to know all of us already view you as our Luna,” Meri’s voice cut through her thoughts, startling her for a moment. Raina’s eyes slid to hers. “All the warriors you’ve trained. All of the Gammas and Deltas you’ve trained, we know where our allegiance lies.”
The door opened and Raina flicked over to Sebastian, who wore a smirk on his face. She knew instantly that he had overheard what Meri had said. Sebastian nodded to Meri, who nodded to him then to her before she headed off down the hallway towards the Training Grounds.
“She’s not wrong.” Sebastian spoke up, causing Raina’s attention to refocus on him. “You know the warrior class falls in line with their Alpha. It’s our duty to trust in our Alpha’s decisions. He wouldn’t have chosen just anybody to be his Luna. I wouldn’t have spent so much time training you if I didn’t think you’d be perfectly capable of handling anything thrown at you either.” He glanced behind him for a moment and took a deep breath before he once again faced her. It was like he was shielding her from the wrath of the Elder Council for a moment. “Mia doesn’t have the heart of a warrior. You do. There’s no competition who would be the best fit.”
With that, he stepped aside and she understood why Sebastian had mentioned Mia. There she was in all her elegant beauty with both her brothers sitting on each side of her. Why were Octavius and Donatello here? They weren’t a part of the Elder Council. They were actually a part of the World Council. An icy cold feeling of dread washed over her, settling in her bones. They were here to lend their powerful influence to the Elder Council to force Kian into submission.
She followed Sebastian to their usual seats that flanked Kian. She slid into her seat, feeling like she was on trial. Her eyes took in Octavius who she had previously ran into. He smirked at her, quirking an eyebrow at her in a subtle challenge.
And you were his Beta?
You look more like a scared rabbit…
His words were still like silver bullets piercing into her chest. Instead of fatally wounding her, she realized that he was right. She didn’t recognize the girl she had been gradually becoming. Most who knew her would never associate her with a scared rabbit. She was her Alpha’s Beta and she was his best warrior. She was not a scared little rabbit. She’d make sure he’d understand that and she’d smack that infuriating expression off his face. That expression he wore like he won and had power over her like he knew he could intimidate her with a only a look.
And maybe it helped just a tiny bit that she was on the rag to give a little more boost of savageness. She’d give ‘em hell like she promised Poppy, because she knew that they wouldn’t be merciful and neither would she. Kian made his decision and it was her so she was going to show them exactly why she chosen to be his Beta in the first place.