Chapter 39 The Meeting

Chapter 39 The Meeting
Luna's POV

The estate sat on land that belonged to no pack, governed by a council older than modern supernatural politics.

Violence here meant facing consequences from powers that made Lycans look weak. The forced civility made my skin crawl worse than open threats would have.
Damien's security team positioned themselves around the perimeter while Catherine stayed close to me, her hand resting casually near a concealed weapon that probably violated the rules but no one would mention.
Vivienne arrived in a simple black car with only two guards, the minimal security a power move that said she wasn't afraid of us.
She stepped out wearing a cream dress that probably cost more than my first car, her dark hair perfect, her face beautiful in that ageless way of someone who stopped aging decades ago.
Her eyes found me immediately and I felt the weight of her assessment, like she was examining me for flaws and finding plenty.
We met in a sitting room that was too elegant for the conversation we were about to have. Antique furniture and oil paintings and windows that overlooked gardens that probably required a full-time staff.
Vivienne sat across from me with her guards standing behind her. Damien sat beside me but slightly back, a deliberate choice that said this was my conversation to handle.
"Luna Reeves," Vivienne said, her British accent making my name sound exotic. "I've been looking forward to meeting you properly."
"Have you."
"Of course. Your work is impressive. I particularly enjoyed your second film, the one about the woman rebuilding her life after loss." She smiled. "Very personal, I imagine."
The compliment felt like a slap. "You didn't ask for this meeting to discuss my filmography."
"No, I didn't." Vivienne crossed her legs elegantly. "But pleasantries are important, don't you think? We're civilized people having a civilized conversation."
"Are we."
"I certainly hope so." She glanced at Damien then back to me. "How is your son? Theo, isn't it? I heard he had an accident."
The question was loaded with implications about my fitness as a mother, about my absence from his life, about everything Marcus had been saying publicly.
I kept my expression neutral. "He's recovering."
"Children are so resilient. Though they do need stability, don't they? Consistent parenting." Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "I'm sure you're doing your best."
Damien shifted beside me but stayed silent. This was a test, I realized. Vivienne wanted to see if I could handle her or if I needed him to speak for me.
I chose directness. "What do you want, Vivienne?"
The question cut through her careful civility and her smile sharpened into something more genuine.
"I appreciate a woman who doesn't waste time." She leaned forward slightly. "I want what I've always wanted. Damien."
"He's not yours to want."
"Isn't he? I've known him for sixty years. I've been part of his life longer than you've been alive." Her voice stayed pleasant. "I was there through business deals and territorial disputes and decades of building what he has now. What have you given him besides six months of distraction?"
"The mate bond—"
"The mate bond." She laughed softly. "Yes, that mysterious thing that supposedly makes you special. Tell me, Luna, do you really think fate or the moon goddess or whatever you believe in decided you're worthy of a two-hundred-year-old Lycan King?"
The words hit exactly where she aimed them, at every insecurity I'd been carrying since Damien walked into my office.
"I think the bond exists whether I understand it or not," I said carefully.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps Damien is lonely enough to convince himself he feels something that isn't there." Vivienne sat back. "Either way, I've realized something over these sixty years. He won't choose me while you exist."
The threat wasn't even subtle.
"So you're going to kill me?" I kept my voice steady.
"Kill you? No, that would be crude." She looked genuinely offended by the suggestion. "I'm going to systematically destroy everything you've built. Your career, your relationship with your son, your independence, your sense of self. I'm going to take away every piece of Luna Reeves until all that's left is a shell who walks away from Damien voluntarily."
"Because that proves what exactly?"
"That you were never strong enough to stand beside him." Her eyes glittered. "That I was right all along. The mate bond is meaningless if the mate isn't worthy."
My hands clenched under the table. "You're insane."
"I'm patient." She reached into her bag and pulled out a folder. "And I'm thorough."
She slid the folder across the table.
I looked at Damien who nodded slightly, then opened it.
Documents inside, medical records and lab results and genetic testing I didn't fully understand but the summary was clear enough.
Sarah's pregnancy wasn't normal.
The baby was a hybrid, part wolf and part something else. Something the reports called "unidentified supernatural origin" in careful language that meant the doctors had no idea what they were looking at.
"What is this?" I asked.
"Proof that your ex-husband has been very busy." Vivienne's smile was cold. "Or rather, proof that he's been manipulated into creating something that shouldn't exist."
I looked at the genetic markers highlighted in the report, at percentages that didn't add up to anything natural.
"Marcus thinks the baby is his," Vivienne continued. "Poor fool actually believes Sarah loves him. He has no idea she was specifically chosen and that pregnancy was engineered for a very particular purpose."
"What purpose?"
"That's the question, isn't it?" She stood smoothly. "I thought you should know what you're really fighting. This isn't just about custody or reputation anymore. Someone is breeding weapons, and your ex-husband is the unwitting father."
She walked toward the door then paused. "Oh, and Luna? The person who arranged Sarah's pregnancy? They're working for someone far more dangerous than me."
She left with her guards following.
I sat there staring at the documents, my mind racing.
Marcus had been manipulated into creating something dangerous and he had no idea. Sarah wasn't just Vivienne's agent, she was someone else's tool in a game I didn't understand yet.
My blo
od ran cold as I realized how deep this actually went.