Chapter 68: 69: The Role of a Luna

ARIEL

My claws extract instinctively. I have to remind myself that we’re here to let Xavier see his son.

He’s not about to pounce on us for no reason.

Still, it’s comforting to know that he’s behind a locked door, bound by silver shackles that prevent him from shifting. Although I know I can take Xavier, I don’t want to risk anything with this prisoner.

His gaze is giving me chills, and I cast a glance around his cell to avoid eye contact. It’s small and dark—not much more than a filthy cot.

A rotting smell permeates the air, and damp moss climbs the walls.

Xavier is chained to the far side, which keeps him from approaching too close to the door.

“Hello... Xavier,” Natalia says. “I’ve brought Xavi. I know you must have been wanting to see your son.”

She holds the child out toward him, and I’m surprised to see Xavi reach his arms out too. He doesn’t seem the least perturbed by his father’s feral appearance.

My heart glows and, at that moment, I feel I’ve made the right choice. Every child needs his father.

But the feeling quickly dissipates when Xavier begins to speak: “You were wrong, woman. I want no such thing.”

Xavi whimpers, not understanding what’s going on, and Natalia pulls her disappointed son back toward her chest.

“I’ve neither wanted to see you nor that child.”

“‘That child’ is your son,” she says.

“He’s not my son any more than you are my mate.”

“~Excuse~ me?”

“You heard me.” Xavier’s eyes flash with the venom of his words. “I refuse to recognize an heir from any woman but my destined mate.”

I can’t believe this is the same wolf who banished me.

He takes a step toward us and reaches out a caressing hand through the bars—to me.

I flick it away with a movement of my wrist.

“Ariel…,” he says.

“I’m not here to speak with you,” I say. “I’m only here to make sure you don’t try anything questionable.”

He opens his mouth to speak, but my rising anger pushes me to continue.

“You’ve already crossed that line. You don’t deserve to see your son, and yet you—you—have the nerve to disregard him? You’ll rot down here until you die. I’ll make sure—”

“No,” Natalia says, looking me right in the eye. “You won’t.”

I stare at her in disbelief.

“I don’t want that for the father of my son.”

A scoffing sound emerges from the depths of Xavier’s throat.

“Whether he accepts that role or not,” she says.

I can’t believe she’d forgive Xavier after everything he’s done.

At this point, it’s hard to tell which of us he’s hurt more, but I don’t think anything compares to refusing to recognize his own son.

And yet, Natalia wants her ex-mate to walk free.

~Is that pathetic or mature?~

“Let’s get Xavi out of here,” I say.

“You may have broken our mating bond, but you’ll never get rid of me,” Xavier sneers.

~Don’t turn around. Don’t engage.~

“I’ll always be with you. In your thoughts. In your nightmares. In your hearts. ~Both~ of you.”

***

Alex is waiting for us with folded arms when we reach the top of the stairs.

~Who told him where we were?~

“Seriously, Ariel?” He looks pointedly at Xavi like he doesn’t want to say any more in front of the child.

Natalia rushes out of the room, firmly closing the door behind her.

“What?” I say. “She convinced me. She said that even though—”

“I don’t care what she said. Xavier is a dangerous criminal—you know that.”

“I was careful. There are guards down there. And do you really think he would—”

“~Careful~. You’re my luna now. You can’t go around just doing whatever idea pops into your head. This isn’t about what Xavier would do, this is about you.”

“Excuse me?”

He unfolds his arms. “I’m sorry, but impulsivity isn’t your role anymore. You’re a luna. A queen.”

“And what exactly is my role, then? Doing whatever you say? Where have you been hiding this controlling side?”

Alex isn’t backing down. “Do you even fucking care about being the queen? Because if you do, I haven’t seen it. Your actions have consequences now, but you just run around doing whatever you want.”

ALEX

I know I’ve misspoken as soon as I hear the words, but I can’t take them back right now.

I’m trying to communicate something to Ariel, and at least this way, my frustrations are out in the open.

She storms out of the hall and marches up the stairs.

I don’t follow.

I want us to be on the same page, but I’m not calm enough to de-escalate this situation. If I try to explain my perspective now, I’ll only make things worse.

I’m just trying to protect her from Xavier, but I know she won’t want to hear that. She’s a warrior: she can protect herself.

But he’s dangerous. He’s manipulative. And he’s…her ex-mate.

While I hope my intentions haven’t been clouded by that, it’s something that will never go away. A fact that cannot be forgotten.

I don’t think it’s influencing me now, but I’d be naive to say it’s out of the realm of possibility.

I just wish Ariel could see that I have her best intentions at heart. If she knew that, she’d trust me without question.

If I ask her not to do something, it’s not because I want to control her, but because, as her mate, I care about her well-being.

And, as the alpha of the Royal Pack, I care about the kingdom. I wish she’d take her responsibilities as luna seriously.

“What’s on your mind?” I look up to see my mother examining my face.

“It’s Ariel,” I say before thinking. “She needs to…”

My mother’s expression is a mixture of concern and what looks like amusement.

“What?” I say.

“It’s nothing. You two are exactly like your father and I were.”

I wish that were true, but my parents were both such natural rulers. I don’t feel cut out to be king, and Ariel is brand new to her role…

“You don’t look convinced,” my mother says.

“I’m not.”

“Take a walk with me,” she says, holding out her arm.

I take it, and we make our way outside.

“You know,” she says, “when your father asked me to be his chosen mate, I had my doubts. I loved him, of course, but my friends warned me my life would change overnight…and they were right.”

We descend the palace steps and stroll into the gardens.

“You had doubts about being queen?”

“Oh, yes. I loved my life, and though it didn’t yet have any solid direction, I was happy to find out where I was going as I went along.”

I’ve never heard my mother talk this way about becoming royalty. She’s always seemed born for the role.

“But when I chose to be your father’s luna, I knew that, to a certain extent, the path of my life became predetermined.”

“Is that so bad? You ruled over a kingdom.”

My mother shrugs. “It was an uncomfortable feeling for me. And I didn’t even have a plan to be a warrior like Ariel did. I didn’t know what I was giving up—and yet it still felt like I was giving up plenty.”

I take in the fragrance of the gardens for a moment, trying to understand. Ariel’s life was stolen away from her—twice. Once by the Hunters, and again by me.

I want to give her the world, but even that comes with strings attached.

~Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on her...~

ARIEL

When I was growing up, I’d never run to Dianne for comfort when I was upset. That was my father’s realm.

But I’m seeking her out now. My relationship with her has been improving recently. Since the source of my distress is my marriage—my man—I want a woman’s opinion.

I tap on her bedroom door.

“Who is it?” she says.

“It’s Ariel.”

Her voice brightens. “Come in, honey.”

She pats the side of the bed, and I sit next to her. I take a deep breath before beginning.

“I brought Natalia and Xavi to see Xavier. It didn’t go well.”

“I heard. Is that what you want to discuss?”

“Not really. Alex is mad at me. He said I need to embrace my ‘role’ more…”

“I’m sorry to say this, but I have to agree with him.”

My stomach drops. “Really?”

“You’re a bright girl. You can succeed at whatever you put your mind to…”

My heart leaps into my throat. I hear a ‘but’ coming.

“But you need to choose ~what~ to put your mind to. When you mated with Alex, you chose the role of luna.”

~There’s that phrase again: the role.~

As much as I want to continue resisting, I can hear the truth in her words. I did choose Alex. And the consequence of that is that I am the luna now.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to go traipsing down to the dungeon,” she says. “You need to submit to your mate.”

“What?”

“Don’t act so shocked. You’re a queen. Your people submit to you. You submit to the king. It’s the natural order of things.”

I remember how it felt when Dianne told Natalia she needed to obey me. She said it was her role now. This is the other side of that.

The idea of submitting to Alex makes me queasy. It doesn’t fit with our relationship.

~Is that what everyone expects of me?~

“Thanks, Dianne,” I say, standing up to leave. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

~Too much.~

My anxiety is really starting to take hold as I leave Dianne’s quarters. She and Alex seem to be on the same page... so am I wrong here?

I don’t know where to turn now. If submitting to Alex is what it takes to be a good mate, maybe I’m not cut out for the role.

My phone buzzes, and I relax a little when I see Amy’s name on the screen.

Amy

Hey bitch!

Amy

I’m so excited to see you at the royal pack tomorrow afternoon

Amy

And I can’t WAIT to see what you’ve planned for my bachelorette!!! 😉🍆

~Oh, shit.~

~Amy’s bachelorette party.~

It totally slipped my mind, and I haven’t even begun to plan it.

Ariel

Can’t wait, it’s going to be amazing!

~It’s going to be a fucking disaster.~