Chapter 76 Children of the moon
“Is she also expected to stand up and spin a 360?”
Dad snapped a finger in the air. A maid came running to refill his glass, even though the bottle of white wine was right in front of him.
In response to his sarcastic quip, Alpha Rosamund let out a good-natured laugh.
“I'll say that's a small inconvenience to bear if a person decides to represent all seven districts. We need reassurance that this arrangement will not unravel.”
There was no pretense anymore. The district leaders were now openly naming the arrangement for Fentone and I to be married for what it was. A political pact.
“In the past few days, our daughter has done more than walk.” Mom spoke up while dad sipped his wine, an attempt to mask his building ire.
“She’s returned to her normal schedule at the academy, and…” she turned to Luna Octavia, “This whole tour business was such a shame. I'm sorry. It was cruel for the academy to raise Celeste’s hopes that way.”
Mom did not sound sorry at all. She was goading the Luna. An open reminder that no one could dethrone their star ballerina.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
“Are you okay?” Fentone asked immediately, leaning in.
The second I started to respond, the vibration fired alive.
“I’m not.” I grabbed my thighs under the table, gritting my teeth.
Bully! You are lucky you are so damn big. I cursed in my head knowing Hale could hear me.
There was an amused smile on his face when I peeked at him from under the fringe of my lashes.
Fentone pushed a glass of water in front of me, oblivious.
I gripped my thighs harder, head down, unable to breathe, think, much less reach for the drink.
“You have me worried, Lys.” Fentone whispered in my ear as the district elders continued their dialogue of veiled insults. “What's wrong? Is it your…”
“Yes.” I whispered, because period cramps were in fact the best excuse. The quickest lie to reach for.
“Should I help you drink?”
I paused, tempted to let him place the cup against my lip because that would teach Hale a lesson. But at the sudden memory of Draki back home, I shook my head.
“I’ll drink.” I whispered. “A minute… just need a minute.”
The vibration stopped.
I raised my head, tempted to walk out right then and pull the plug myself. But as my eyes met those midnight blue ones across the hall, I remembered crawling on the floor, the torture on my clit till I was weeping shamelessly, my thighs still raw from the spanking earlier.
I trashed the idea.
My hand closed around the glass, bringing it to my lips as Fentone watched me anxiously. I gave him a small smile.
“... and I cannot think of a better reassurance that the marriage pact is progressing nicely.”
My head jerked up to find all eyes on us.
Velvet Widow tapped a finger on the table, and continued, "The recent events at Silver Summit district, however, need some explaining.”
She gave Alpha Rosamund a direct stare.
“What are the Hearthrown gods doing about these ninety-nine plagues and one perdition?”
The room fell silent. And then Arthur started to laugh.
He and Gianna sat flanking my parents on the other side of the table. The whole evening, they had been shooting me angry looks, for separate reasons.
But now, Arthur was laughing so much he had to clean tears off his eyes.
I winced.
This delusion that he could stand up to those creatures in an attempt to defend his sister's honor would be the death of him.
Why couldn't they just back off, all of them. Those men could literally stop his heart where he sat?
I shot a quick glance at Hale. He still maintained the laid back, high lord demeanor. But there was a small, almost imperceptible twist at the corner of his lips.
“The almost-earthquake was jarring enough, and every supernatural being in both Hollywood districts fell sick in one night.” Velvet Widow continued in her quiet, powerful voice, “and now the rumors… sightings of the children of the last moon in West Hollywood.”
A complete hush fell over the room. Arthur's amusement dried up.
My heart pounded as my ears started to ring.
The taxi driver. I hadn't been hallucinating that night. The tinge of blue on his skin had been real.
“Calm down now,” Alpha Rosamund’s gaze covered the terrified faces around the table, “I understand your fear with the other issues, Ma'am Velvet. But it's dangerous for elders like us to breathe life into rumors. Those…” He winced in distaste, “...those things haven't been seen in over a hundred years.”
“Those things,” our Gamma, Freddy Merryway's voice cut across the room, “are responsible for the premature birth of pups in five out of the seven districts.”
The alpha's eyes narrowed into dark pits.
It was one thing for a vampire to demand answers from him, it was another for a pack member to challenge his efficiency in public.
“The children,” Hale spoke up in that deep velvet voice, “are healthy now, according to reports from my COA.”
There was a strange look of guilt in his eyes as he stared down at the empty champagne flute in his hand.
I had a sudden feeling that whatever was going on, I was a part of it.
“Thank you, Mayor.” Alpha Rosamund said, genuine gratitude ringing in his voice.
“Interesting how a werewolf who spends the better part of his time all the way up in Glass Meridian district is better informed about pack affairs than my Gamma here in Hollywood.”
Gamma Alyssa was giving her husband a warning look now to say no more.
The table was silent, the two dozen guests watching quietly as the Alpha's eyes flickered between a dull red and their natural brown.
Finally, he exhaled, reining in his emotions.
“From my last conversation with the Hearthrown Alphas, the premature-birth crisis could not be helped. But there won't be a repeat of it.”
He turned his gaze to the Velvet Widow.
“As for the quake, someone upset the dragon.”
He did not need to say anymore than that. I saw the quiet terror in all their eyes, the tremor running through their skin, the heat in their cheeks.
It was a vain thing, very vain, but I could not help the pride in my chest.
That fiery creature who was best not named, who terrified all of them so much, was bound to me.
I knew his real face, knew that he liked to leave his long hair down when lounging around the house, that he had a boyish smile if you caught him in a good mood.
They had heard of the beast, but I knew the man.
I knew his voice was so deep you had to be real quiet to hear him, his lips were hot, and his kisses were punishments. But he liked to hug me to himself whenever we slept.
Sudden goosebumps covered my skin. Hale was listening to my thoughts again.
But when I glanced up at him, there was no hint of jealousy in his eyes. He gave me a small conspiratorial smile.
I smiled back, my chest warm with the sweet feeling of companionship. We shared a secret no one else knew.
The home-sick feeling was sudden. I wanted to return home.
I no longer considered this place where I grew up, home.
“Excuse me.” I whispered to Fentone and stood up. It was ten minutes already.