Chapter 77: 78: For the Greater Good

ARIEL

I collapse into the nearest chair and read the newspaper headline again.

And again.

^PARTY GIRL LUNA GETS LOOSE WHILE KINGDOM IN CRISIS^

I can’t believe that’s what I’ve been reduced to in the public eye.

A bimbo getting a lapdance at the Full Moon.

~This is what I get for taking one night off…~

“Maria,” I say when I see her rise from her chair. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea that anyone was taking photos.”

“I know you didn’t,” she says. “Onward. I must arrange for a response to be issued from the palace.”

“How can I help?” I say, rising to meet her.

“For now, I think it’s best if you do nothing, dear.”

“What about lessons?” I ask, my voice dripping with desperation. “I need advice.”

“Not today,” she says sternly.

As she disappears from the room, I sink back into the chair, averting my eyes from Dianne’s judgmental stare.

But I know that I can’t avoid my mother forever.

“Whatever you’re going to say, I don’t need to hear it right now.” My voice cracks when I speak. “I’m trying my best.”

“That’s not true, Ariel. You haven’t tried ~everything~.”

“I always show up to my luna lessons. I wear the stuffy dresses. I say the polite words. I eat with the right silverware. What else can I do?”

“You might look like a queen from the outside, but I know that your heart is in a different place. You are always distracted by those pack warriors.”

“I can’t just forget about my warrior duties entirely.”

“That is the problem. As long as you have duties outside of being luna, you will never be able to support Alex in all the ways you should.”

I know what she’s telling me to do.

She wants me to defect from the pack warriors—to end my service for good.

“But that’s not what Alex would want,” I tell her. “He doesn’t want me to make that kind of sacrifice for him.”

My mind flashes to images of the night before…

~Sparring with my mate…~

~Pinning him to the ground…~

~Seeing how his eyes lit up as he watched me in my element…~

“Let me tell you a secret about matehood, Ariel,” my mother says, pulling me back into the present.

“What?”

“Sometimes your mate doesn’t know what’s best for them. Sometimes you have to make the hard decisions alone and show them what they need.”

~Shit.~

I never thought I’d live to see the day, but my mother might ~actually~ be right.

My gaze drifts back to the newspaper.

~Party Girl Luna…~

I’ve let the kingdom down already.

Can I really let the warriors down, too?

***

Alex

Any updates on the Xavier situation?

Gen. Dave

We’ve searched the pack border on all sides.

Gen. Dave

No whiff of him yet.

Alex

Keep looking.

ALEX

I slam my cell phone down onto my desk.

~It’s hopeless…~

Xavier has had plenty of time to get as far away from the pack as possible.

He’ll be reunited with the Hunters in no time, if he isn’t already.

And then Goddess knows what trouble is in store for me and Ariel...and for the whole kingdom.

Just then, the landline on my desk rings.

I know what that means…

I take a deep breath and answer the call.

Immediately, I hear the president’s smooth voice on the other end of the line.

“Hello, Your Highness,” he says, “I was very glad when Vivian told me that you wanted to speak.”

“Hello Mr. President,” I say. “I’m sure that you’ve already heard about the escape of our prisoner, Xavier.”

“Yes, it’s a very...unfortunate situation,” he says with a loud exhale. “How is the search going?”

“No good news yet,” I say, defeated.

There’s a pause before the president speaks again.

“I know how hard it is to swallow your pride and ask for help,” he says. “But there is no shame in letting our troops patrol your borders. We have a mutual interest in finding Xavier. He poses a threat to my communities, as well.”

~Here it goes…~

Asking for human military intervention is the last thing I expected to be doing in my first official year as king.

~But wolves plan and the Goddess laughs…~

“Thank you, Mr. President,” I say. “I would be very grateful for your help.”

“Good,” he says. “I’m happy you’ve finally come around. I will alert my general right away.”

“I’ll alert mine, too.”

I hang up the phone and try to ignore the sound of my ego popping like a balloon.

In my dad’s whole reign, he never had to ask for this kind of aid.

~But there’s no turning back now.~

~I have work to do.~

If there are going to be human soldiers arriving at our borders, the alphas need to be briefed.

Alex

Hey Dom—call a press conference ASAP.

Dom

What’s the announcement?

Dom

You get the Queen preggo???

Alex

Dom please

Alex

This is serious

Alex

Just do it

Dom

On it, boss 👍

I look up from my phone at the sound of footsteps and find Ariel standing in the doorframe, her face contorted with worry.

~Oh no…~

~What now?~

I get up from my desk and rush over to her.

“What’s the matter, baby?” I ask.

She pushes a newspaper into my hands.

I unfold it and read the headline.

~Goddess…~

~This day really can’t get any worse.~

I pull her in for a deep hug.

“I’m fucking everything up,” she says, her face buried in my chest.

“Welcome to the club,” I whisper into her hair. “But they’re just trying to sell papers. I could make a scrapbook of all the ‘Playboy Prince’ headlines they’ve written about me. It will pass.”

I wish I could stay until I’m sure that she feels better, but there’s no time.

“Ariel,” I say after a moment, “I’m sorry but I have to go. There’s a press conference—”

“Oh really?” she says, smoothing out her hair. “What time does it start? Should I get dressed for it now?”

I look at her distressed face. And then at the front page of the newspaper still in my hand.

“You know what, babe? Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?” I say. “Besides, you hate press conferences anyway.”

I press my lips into hers and then walk out the door, bracing myself for what is sure to be a fucking media firestorm.

ARIEL

I watch Alex go and my heart sinks.

Even if what he said is true—even if they’re just trying to sell papers—I know that I’ve embarrassed him.

One of my main duties as luna is to present a united front with Alex in the eyes of the kingdom. Now, he doesn’t even want me to stand next to him at the press conference.

I think back to my mother’s advice.

And I know now that I have no other choice but to listen to her.

***

I take the well-worn path to the warrior barracks.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve walked this route, wearing my uniform. Now I’m dressed in a silk gown, holding my armor in my hands.

When I enter the training room, Steve is already there waiting for me.

He stands when he sees me.

“Is everything okay, Ariel?” he says, his face filled with concern. “Your message was so vague.”

“Any news about Xavier?” I ask, trying to prolong the inevitable.

He shakes his head. “Nope. Why weren’t you patrolling with us? We sent out an alert to all the warriors.”

“Steve…that’s what I came here to talk to you about.”

“What is it?”

“I…well, I just…”

The words are catching in my throat.

My heart doesn’t want to say them.

But my head knows better…

~If I don’t do it now, I never will.~

“I need to resign from the warriors,” I say resolutely.

“What?!”

By the look on his face, I know this is the last thing that he was expecting to hear.

“Don’t ask me why,” I say. “Just know that I have no choice.”

His confused eyes search mine.

If one more person looks at me with disappointment today, I might break in half.

“I don’t get it…,” he says. “You’re the best we have. I was going to recommend you for colonel when I retired.”

~Ugh.~

His words sting.

But there’s no time for second-guessing.

“I’m really sorry, Steve,” I say.

“What about your squad?” he asks. “How do you think they’re going to feel about their captain abandoning them?”

“Assign them a new captain,” I say, trying to disguise the pain in my voice. “They deserve someone who can give them everything.”

Suddenly, his sad expression becomes tinged with something like anger.

He takes a firm step toward me and grabs my wrist.

He turns it over so that I’m staring directly at my crown-shaped warrior tattoo—the one I was given on the day of my induction.

“When you got this, you made a commitment. Doesn’t that mean something to you?” he asks.

“Of course it does,” I say, taking back my hand. “But since then, I’ve gotten a new mark.”

I pull at the collar of my dress and point to the scar from Alex’s bite on my neck.

“I’ve made new commitments,” I say.

“Is Alex making you do this?” Steve asks incredulously.

“No. It’s my decision. Please don’t make it any harder than it already is.”

And with that, I hand him my armor and walk out of the training room.