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"We should have a seat," I suggest. "I have a lot of questions; I hope you don't mind?"
"Yes, of course." She looks relieved as she passes us, leading the way into a small kitchen. Dominic is quiet, trailing behind both of us and letting us take seats first at the circular dining table crammed in the corner of the kitchen.
Dominic drags a chair closer to my side, and I don’t protest since I did the same thing hours ago when we faced Callum. So I suck it up and try not to brush up against him as he invades my space as much as he reasonably can in polite company.
"That painting… where did it come from?" There wasn’t artwork in the house where I grew up. I don’t remember my parents hanging anything but family photos, and even those were gone when Tevin became the reluctant head of the house.
"Ah, it's been here longer than I have." The Luna smiles fondly at me, the way I imagine a grandmother would. It warms something inside of me. "Winona Jarreau. A former Luna Sovereign herself, and I believe she painted that here in the back garden actually. I'm afraid I don't know much more than that. When we take our post, our focus turns to other shifters; we rarely remember to memorialize our own histories."
I think that might be one of the saddest things I've ever heard, but I try not to show it.
"I'm sorry, you're saying someone in Tess's family was the Luna Sovereign once upon a time?" Dominic's voice is laced in disbelief as if the very idea is too ridiculous to even entertain. I feel myself bristle on behalf of an ancestor I never knew about until now.
The Luna Sovereign shoots him a disapproving look of her own. "You've done a poor job of getting to know your mate, Alpha. The Jarreaus aren't just another family of shifters, they're a legacy family, Dominic. Some of the oldest existing shifters we know of on this continent."
"What?" Dominic and I both blurt out at the same time.
"Ah, so you didn't know either. I thought as much." The Luna nods to herself as she studies me. I feel on display here, and I'm suddenly wondering if we weren't summoned because of Dominic after all.
"I don't exactly understand this. I'm from a small pack, and a mostly boring family aside from…" I trail off because I'm sure the Luna already knows what I'm referencing. And there isn’t a reason to spill all my messy family drama out for Dominic to see.
"Aside from what?" Dominic asks.
But the Luna speaks over him to say, "That's a conversation for later. A private conversation."
Silence descends in the kitchen for a moment. This is all turning out to be more than I expected. I thought she would ask some questions about why I'm with Dominic's pack. I would skirt her questions and get out of here, run for safety the first chance I got.
My plans have all gone to hell.
"Luna, what exactly are we doing here? I was under the impression there were concerns about Tess's presence on my pack grounds. I'd like to make it clear she's broken ties with her former pack, and I have every right to choose how to treat rogues on my own land."
"Anything to add to that?" the Luna asks me.
I glance at Dominic, his face completely passive. I'm sure he'd love to send me a warning look, but he doesn't dare with the Luna Sovereign at the table. His knee nudges mine, encouraging me to say something instead of sitting in awkward silence.
"I won't be returning to the East Terrace Green Pack, Luna." It's the best I can do without blatantly lying to that woman's face.
That seems to be enough.
"We should eat while the food is hot," the Luna says. She stands, patting my shoulder as she crosses to the tall pot on the stove. "The two of you have given me enough. For now."
* * *
The Luna Sovereign spends dinner regaling us with stories of shifter history—some of which involve my family, but most of which makes no sense at all. I was never much into history. That's always been more of Tasha's thing.
Whatever trouble Callum thought he might cause by going to the Luna, it never appears. Dominic is completely off the hook with little to no help from me.
It almost pisses me off, especially now that I know my chance of escaping from here is almost non-existent. If Dominic is telling the truth about having his pack on guard, I have no way of knowing how to escape without running right into them.
The Luna offers to show us the gardens before we leave. I let Dominic walk beside her as she points out some of the oldest living plants on the estate.
I try to pay attention, but my interest wanders. I stare out at the land surrounding the house and gardens. There are woods in every direction, camouflaging whatever lies beyond. Even Dominic doesn't have enough wolves to cover all that ground.
Don't run, my wolf begs.Mate. Our mate, Tess.
There's a sudden pounding in my head. I can feel my wolf trying to gain control… trying to make this choice for us.
"I'm sorry," I speak up, interrupting our tour, "but could I use the bathroom?"
