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Adrian chuckled, and seeing that she was given the okay, Luna laughed quietly too.
“I just had my monthly breakfast meeting with them,” Adrian said matter-of-factly. “Give them twenty minutes. I’m sure they’ll need two nap times today.”
Edna moved her eyes from Adrian to Luna as though questioning something. “I don’t know if they have time for two nap times,” Edna said. “But okay.”
Edna turned to go back into the school, but then reached out before she did. “Hey, you’re the new female, aren’t you?” she asked.
Luna nodded, smiling brightly. Adrian realized she was so much less guarded now that she’d had some time around the kiddos. He doubted if she hated children as much as she claimed.
“Be careful,” Edna warned, despite Adrian’s fierce gaze. “This pack is incredibly welcoming of outsiders, but betray them, and it’ll be the last thing you do.”
She disappeared behind the door, and Adrian sensed Luna’s posture becoming stiffer and more defensive.
“Don’t worry about Edna,” he said, trying to get Luna back to the same level of comfort he’d loved only moments ago. “She often says what she’s thinking without regard for how it will affect people.”
Luna smiled, but Adrian felt she was being disingenuous. “I’m not worried about it,” she said. “I get it.”
They shared a tense moment of silence, trying to seclude themselves from passersby, who moved along the tiers of the den village. Adrian could hear the hammer of the smith pounding into metal.
“So, what’s next?” Luna asked suddenly.
Adrian was certain she’d insist on going home and was relieved when she didn’t.
“Well, we’ve got a meeting with the town elders,” he said. “There’s a whole lot to discuss.”
He thought he noticed Luna sniffing the air and questioned the meaning of it. She seemed very observant of her surroundings. Too observant.
“The elders,” she asked. “I thought your pack was ‘unconventional.’ Don’t tell me you’re still counting on the advice of stuffy old men in marble rooms.”
Adrian could feel himself getting defensive, standing over Luna aggressively. He tried to relax himself.
“Well, first of all, ‘unconventional’ was your word, as I recall,” Adrian said. “And second of all, there are some traditions you don’t break, no matter how forward-thinking you claim to be. These are our guides. These are our roots we’re talking about.”
“I suppose …”
But Adrian knew he hadn’t convinced Luna and could feel her retreating inside her shell, becoming more distant by the minute.
“I promise it won’t be long. I’ve just got to clear you with the tribe.”
Luna nodded in response.
They walked along the muddy path of the village, eventually hitting a cobblestone track that led to a bright, shining building flanked on both sides by tall, bowing trees. It always reminded Adrian of the Parthenon, even though nobody in the pack had that level of architectural prowess.
“Follow me,” Adrian said, walking up the rock steps, the commotion of the village growing more quiet behind them. “I’ll lead you in.”
Occasionally, Adrian checked behind him to make sure Luna hadn’t run off. He wondered why she had still insisted on staying despite all her reservations.
He hoped he was making a good impression on her.
As they breached the column-laden entrance, disappearing into the vast, dim room, Adrian thought he heard Luna gasp.
“Yeah, it’s not always easy to keep this thing hidden,” Adrian said in response. “But it’s been here several decades, built by my grandfather back in the day.”
Behind marble stands, several men in crimson and green garb stood, awaiting their arrival. Through the ceiling, the room was lit only by a dim skylight.
As he looked back at Luna, he recognized that something in her had changed dramatically. She seemed almost ferocious in his sight. Suddenly, he was less afraid of her leaving and more afraid of her causing an altercation.
“We have been expecting you,” Victor said, standing as tall as his advanced age would allow. “Lovely to see you, Adrian and Luna.”
