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“Please,” the second person pleads, and it takes me a moment to identify them as Luna. Her voice is broken and hitches in her throat, which is so unlike her usual upbeat self, my heart aches to hear her pain. “I need to speak to her, to apologise.”
The last time we spoke, we argued in the ballroom at the celebration. It hadn’t been pretty, and the last thing I want to do is hash it out now, but hearing just how upset she is, I know I need to speak with her. My friendship with her was one of the only things that got me through when I was first brought here. Am I still annoyed by what she said? Yes, her comments hurt, but I know she was only lashing out because she was in pain.
Forcing my eyes open, I find myself lying face down on top of Joel, my head resting against his naked chest. Nicolai’s eyes meet mine, and I know Syn is pressed up against my other side.
Taking a deep breath, I shuffle my weight, trying to assess how much energy I’ve got. My body is warm now thanks to my mates, but I feel weak, most of Kano’s power from earlier having left my body. “Will you help me sit up?” I ask the three of them quietly, and they wordlessly help me. Nicolai scoots to the end of the bed so I can lean against the headboard, with Joel taking his place. This bed really isn’t big enough for all of us.
Once I’m settled, I take a deep breath and prepare to speak with my friend. “Atlas, it’s okay, let her in. I want to speak to her,” I call out softly.
There’s a momentary pause, but I know they both heard me from the change in their breathing. Atlas must still be blocking the entrance, as I hear the moment that he lets out a defeated sigh and steps aside. As soon as he does, his cousin comes barrelling through the door, her beautiful face distraught and tears rolling down her cheeks. Her gorgeous black hair, so pristine earlier for the party, is now a matted mess.
“Laelia, I’m so sorry,” she chokes out when she sees me propped up in the bed. Other than being exhausted with a few bumps and bruises, I managed to come out of the attack relatively unscathed and those minor injuries are almost healed thanks to my werewolf blood. The fact that she seems so upset when she looks at me makes me wonder just how much of a mess I am.
“Why don’t we give them some privacy?” Joel suggests, and between him and Syn, they fuss around me like mother hens, puffing up pillows behind me so I’m upright and comfortable. In any other situation, I’d roll my eyes at their mothering, but I think we all need it, and Luna is hardly in a state to appreciate the joke. Once assured that I’m not going to need them for the short time I’m going to speak to my friend, the five of them step out into the sitting room, leaving us alone.
Luna continues to stand on her spot just inside the doorway, her hands clutched in front of her as though she’s frozen in place. Tears roll slowly down her cheeks, and she doesn’t bother to wipe them away, simply staring at me as she waits for my response.
Seeing just how upset she is causes a lump to form in the back of my throat. I know I can’t continue to let her feel this way, so I lift my hand and hold it out to her as a peace offering. Her eyes widen slightly as they lock onto my hand, and with a sob, she stumbles forward and takes it, climbing onto the bed until she’s kneeling beside me.
“I’m so sorry, Laelia. If I hadn’t acted like a colossal bitch, then this might not have happened. I’m the worst friend in the world.” The words tumble out of her in a rush, so desperate to be heard they merge together until they are almost unrecognisable.
Frowning slightly, I replay her words in my mind, and even then they don’t make any sense to me. “Luna, what are you talking about?”
Taking a large, hiccupping breath, she sits back on her heels and looks up at the ceiling as if asking the goddess for strength. “Kano told me what happened. You nearly died!”
I’m going to need to have a word with Kano and find out exactly what he said to her, because if he put the blame on her, then I’m going to have some harsh things to say to my half-brother.
“Yes, I did, and none of that is your fault.” When she looks at me once more, I don’t avert my gaze, making sure she can see the truth of what I’m saying. “We had an argument, Luna, that’s all. That’s something friends do all the time. What Maliki chose to do has nothing to do with you.”
There’s a flicker of darkness in her silver eyes, and although she knows I’m telling the truth and don’t blame her, she doesn’t believe it, taking the blame upon herself.
“You might not have run off if I hadn’t upset you.”
Sighing, I squeeze her hand and cut her off before she spirals any deeper into her guilt. “Me running into danger was because of me, and it had nothing to do with you. I thought I saw a werewolf, and the scent was so familiar that I couldn’t stop myself. It was stupid and reckless. I acted on impulse, and Maliki took advantage of that.” Fiddling with the edge of the blanket over my legs, I look down with resignation, knowing that my actions could have got me killed. I try to shake it off and smile slightly as I change the topic. “We should talk about earlier though. Are you okay?”
Being in love with someone who isn’t in a position to love you back must be heartbreaking, especially knowing that person has feelings for you in return. Luna’s way of coping is to try to get any sort of positive relationship to drown out her feelings in the hopes that it will stop her from pining for someone she can’t have. However, one-night stands with a male she doesn’t care for only seem to make her feel worse about herself.
“I acted like a bitch, and you almost died, yet you’re asking ifI’mokay?” She laughs without humour and looks at my hands, which are twisting the blanket. With a shaky exhale, she rolls her shoulders back. “I’m sorry for the way I behaved and for what I said to you. This is no excuse, but I find it hard seeing you so happy with all of your mates, all the while knowing that I can never be with the one I…” She trails off, not wanting to say the word, but it’s fairly clear that she was going to say “love.” Waving it off, she continues. “It doesn’t help that the queen flaunts her control over him at every opportunity.”
I debate what I’m about to say next, not wanting to give her false hope, but my gut is saying it’s the right thing to say. “We will find a way to get you both out of this situation, Luna. You will be happy, I promise.” Taking her hand once more, I squeeze it, leaving our fingers intertwined on the blanket. “I can’t even imagine how hard this is for you, and I forgive you.” I don’t actually think what she did requires forgiveness, but I can see that she needs to hear it.
The watery smile she gives me is full of thankfulness and hope. Squeezing my hand, she takes a deep breath and wipes the tears from her cheeks, looking more like the Luna I know. “So, tell me everything that happened after I left. Don’t leave out any details.”
For the next hour, that’s exactly what I do. I tell her all about the scent and the attack, as well as what I learned about the lake. She’s horrified, and we go over several of the details with her inserting her own theories. I’m fully aware of the five males on the other side of the door, pacing and waiting not so patiently to come back in. It’s clear that Luna is aware of it as well from the smile that pulls at her lips as she glances over at the door.
I hear one of my mates pace past the door. “I don’t think they’ll wait much longer.”
Luna laughs and rolls her eyes. “To be fair, they’ve lasted longer than I thought they would. I suppose we should put them out of their misery.” Leaning back, she cups her hand around her mouth. “You can come in now.”
They are not even subtle about it as they all try to squeeze through the doorway at the same time, making me snort. Luna needn’t have attempted to amplify her voice, they were poised and waiting the entire time. In my mind, I imagine the five of them pressed up against the door, their ears to the wood as they listen to everything that was said.
Sensing that her presence is no longer welcome, Luna climbs off the bed and smiles down at me, her eyes brighter and face rosy now that we’ve cleared the air between us. “Rest up, Laelia. I’ll see you soon.”
She nods at Atlas as she passes, and I notice how he returns the gesture stonily. The others don’t react to her leaving except for Syn, who scowls at her as she walks by, obviously still annoyed on my behalf for what she said to me at the party.
“How are you feeling?” Nicolai moves over to the side of the bed as he speaks, scanning me to check I’ve not changed in the short time they were in the other room.
Nicolai might have been the one to ask it, but the others seem just as invested in the question, slowly moving closer. It’s strange seeing these large, powerful males being drawn to me like magnets. Half the time, they don’t even seem to realise that they are gravitating towards me, and I often find myself unconsciously moving to be closer to them.
