No More Status Quo

Alex

~How did I end up here?~

~How did some backwater jerk manage to topple my standing?~

~How did he turn my own pack against me, the one I’ve dedicated my life to protect?~

~How will he handle the power that keeps growing as the people keep giving it to him?~

These questions haunted me as I lay in bed.

I couldn’t recall the last time I’d spent a day lounging in my room in just my pajamas.

Given the amount of scorn thrown my way after my disastrous party, it seemed like I’d be doing myself a favor by staying out of sight and out of mind for a day.

While some might find a lazy day relaxing, for me, a Beta whose job is to protect his pack daily, it was pure torture.

The day’s boredom was only made worse by my constant worries about Alpha Anthony.

His whole demeanor had changed in just one week.

He’d gone from a hot-headed, aggressive leader to a calm, downright responsible one.

Not that I was against anyone bettering themselves, especially in extreme cases like Alpha Anthony.

But the fact that Shadow Moon Pack now held him in higher regard than its own Beta was alarming—not just for me, but for the pack’s politics.

Every day, the authoritative Alpha was gaining a bit more power than the day before. From dipping into the royal treasury’s emergency funds, to setting up himself and his staff in Alpha Jax’s home, his demands on the pack’s resources were slowly growing.

What was even more unsettling than his advances was the fact that the members of both Shadow Moon and other allied packs saw his actions with approval and admiration.

He was hailed as a heroic leader of great wisdom and determination. Talk about him being superior to even Alpha Jax had started to spread among the ranks.

Something about his rise to virtually an unofficial, temporary Alpha for the pack seemed just a bit too easy.

It made me wonder if, when Alpha Jax did return, Alpha Anthony would step back from the emergency powers he’d given himself.

Would the wolves of Shadow Moon Pack demand that he do so?

I feared the answer to both of those questions was “no.”

~Knock knock knock...~

A gentle knock on the door pulled me from my worried thoughts.

“Come in,” I said, trying to sound casual.

In walked Sky, Harper, and Zara, their faces clouded with serious expressions.

I sat up straight in bed, “What has Anthony done now?”

Sky’s voice wavered, “He’s announced that war with the rogues is coming and that the packs need to be ready.”

“He's taken control of Shadow Moon's army to ‘oversee training,'” Harper added.

Fear gripped me.

~Taken control of our armies?~

“This needs to be addressed,” I said urgently.

Regardless of what the pack thought of me at this point, I couldn’t hand over our entire defenses to that ambitious Alpha.

He’d crossed the line this time.

Quinn

“My dear, sweet niece. You’ve grown so beautiful!”

Aunt Jodie enveloped me in one of her famously warm hugs.

I felt both comforted and shocked.

It was like hugging a ghost.

For so long, my mom and I had thought Aunt Jodie was dead.

She wasn’t the type to just leave her family without a word.

Yet here she was.

Alive and well.

Tears of joy streamed down both our faces.

Being back in her comforting arms felt so good.

All the fond memories of the times we shared came rushing back.

During a childhood spent mostly at home, Aunt Jodie was one of my only connections to the normal world outside.

Her sense of humor was unbeatable, and she'd always try to bring out mine by playing practical jokes on my mother.

Every now and then, she even managed to sneak board games, Gameboys, and popular magazines to me behind my mom’s back.

But what I remember and value most about her being in my life were the stories she told about my father. She spoke with such enthusiasm about their childhood growing up in a big house in the woods. It was through her that I got a better sense of what my father was like as a person.

The way she described him reminded me of how my mother saw me.

Innocent, idealistic, and in need of protection.

Like my mom, my aunt was also fiercely protective. But in a different way.

She was the kind of aunt that would actually beat up a boyfriend if he broke my heart. At least, if I’d had a boyfriend when she was around. I hadn't seen her since I was a little girl.

After what felt like hours spent in each other’s arms, we pulled apart.

That’s when the reality of the moment hit me.

My aunt was literally sitting on the rogues’ throne, next to the man who’d tried to kill my mate and destroy our pack.

“Oh Quinn,” my aunt sniffled, “it’s overwhelming to see you again as the woman you’ve become. Your mother must be proud.”

“I.. It’s good to see…” I stammered, still trying to process everything. But all I could do was cry tears of both relief and confusion.

Aunt Jodie put her arm around my shoulder and helped me dry my eyes.

“You must have so many questions,” she said gently.

I chuckled through my tears and nodded.

“I promise they will all be answered in time. But first, you must answer me. Who is this serious-looking young man who came in with you?”

“Huh?” I asked, confused.

She pointed over to Jax.

In all the excitement, I had almost forgotten that he was here.

He stood a few steps back with a worried and confused look on his face.

Clearly, he was even more lost than I was about this whole situation.

“Oh…” I said, wiping my nose with my sleeve. “This is my mate Jax, Alpha of Shadow Moon.”

“This is Shadow Moon’s Alpha,” my aunt said, sounding a bit surprised. “I never would have guessed. He’s much shorter than his father. And not nearly as imposing.”

Jax snorted at Aunt Jodie’s subtle jab.

“So, you’re the Luna of the pack?” she asked, her eyes wide as she turned back to me.

I nodded, my cheeks flushing a bright pink. It was flattering, the recognition.

“You must make the young Alpha’s job easy. He’s lucky to have a clever girl like you by his side,” she winked at me.

I noticed Jax’s face turning a shade of red, his anger barely concealed.

“Aunt Jodie…why are you here?” I managed to ask, finally finding my voice.

“Well,” she smiled, “like your mate, I’m an Alpha too.”

My heart, which had been fluttering with joy, sank.

“An Alpha? Of the rogues?”

She stiffened at my words. “We don’t like the term ‘rogues’. We prefer our pack name,” she glanced at Carl, his face impassive. “Vulpes.”

The word sent a chill down my spine. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

~My aunt? The leader of our pack’s greatest enemies? The one behind the violence against Shadow Moon?~

Aunt Jodie placed a comforting hand on my shoulder as I instinctively moved away from her.

“I understand your fear. Given what you’ve seen and experienced of my pack, it’s justified. But I promise, if you stay, you’ll see that your impressions of us are greatly mistaken.”

“We don’t have time,” Jax cut in. “We have a pack to return to.”

My aunt turned to me.

“We thought you were a prisoner here, that you were alive and with the rogues. But since you’re an Alpha…” I trailed off.

Aunt Jodie looked at me with gratitude. “I should have known you’d come to save your old aunt. You’ve always been brave, Quinn. Noble, like your father. Despite your mother’s attempts to suppress it.”

We shared a silent moment, her amber eyes sparkling with nostalgia. It was as if she was telling me I was home. And for a fleeting moment, with her there, I felt it.

“You must stay the night at least,” she said. “You must be tired after your journey.”

Jax started to protest, “We really can’t—”

“I insist,” my aunt interrupted with a smile. “Will you stay, my niece?” she asked, hope in her eyes.

Jax was shaking his head, a clear no. I knew I should have listened to him. It was foolish to consider sleeping under the same roof as our enemies. But something in me trusted my aunt. My curiosity told me there was more to this story.

“We’ll stay the night,” I agreed.

My aunt hugged me tightly. Over her shoulder, I saw Jax scowling. He was not happy with my decision.

“Beta Carl,” my aunt called to her silent companion, “show our guests to their rooms.”

***

The ominous toll of a clock marked two in the morning as I wandered the vast tunnels of the fortress. Between the barrage of questions and Jax’s cold disapproval of my decision to stay, sleep was impossible.

I turned a corner and found my aunt sitting in front of a large fireplace, a book in her hands.

She turned to me and smiled, as if she had been expecting me.

“Can’t sleep?” she chuckled.

“It’s been a long day…a lot to take in,” I admitted, moving closer.

She held up an old, leather-bound book. “Just going through the family album,” she said, her smile soft. “Your presence here, Quinn, it’s made me miss the old days with your father. You’re so much like him. Even that dreamy look in your eyes.”

I sat next to her on the couch. “My father,” I began, “did he know about this? About you and Vulpes?”

Aunt Jodie sighed, her gaze fixed on the fire. “There’s a lot you don’t know about your father, Quinn. Things your mother made me promise not to tell you. But you’re an adult now. A Luna. It’s time you knew.”

“Knew what?” I asked, taken aback by her sudden seriousness.

She turned to me, pain evident in her eyes. “How your father was murdered.”