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A spattering of people surrounded Luna on all sides, demanding she answer their questions. She felt like she was being approached by the paparazzi, only she had nowhere to hide. They had cornered her.
Luna had simply gone for a walk in search of Adrian, who she expected to be home by now. But upon arrival at his newly renovated office, a fairly out-of-place-looking two-story brick building, she saw a gathered crowd of people. She tried to double back, not looking for a large interaction, but as it turned out, they were all looking for her.
This must be Victor at work, she thought.He moves very quickly.
It was just like Victor, giving her a week of uneasy peace, only to launch into a coordinated series of attacks with no recovery.
“I promise you I know nothing about your son,” Luna told Edna, the daycare center specialist. “Please enjoy your day off and leave me in peace.”
“How could we ever believe you?” Bruce, the butcher, asked. “Victor’s told us all about your checkered past.”
“Because I’ve never been out of your sight,” Luna answered honestly. “As the new female pack alpha, my life is rigidly scheduled. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Adrian, Herald, Sasha, or the pack enforcers.”
She had thought this eased them as they quieted their commotion.
“You mean your co-conspirators?”
Luna was surprised to see Devdan, the librarian of all people, give in to the deliberate misinformation.
“If you’ve really gotten to the point where you don’t trust pack leadership, Devdan, I don’t know what to tell you,” she said. “Maybe this isn’t the pack for you.”
“That is a bit crazy, Dev,” Bruce said as though trying to distance himself from the rabble before turning back to Luna. “But we still need answers. My shipments are going missing! Can you tell me why that is?”
“I promise you that Adrian will look into it as soon as he returns. For now, sit tight and wait for his arrival.”
“You’re supposed to be leadership too,” Lily exclaimed. “If we want answers, you should be able to give them to us. Or else what good are you?”
To her relief, Luna perceived the familiar scent of Sasha, which always reminded her of fresh linens. Even as Luna stood defensively on the brick steps of Adrian’s office, her shifter nose told her Sasha was still in the distance.
“Why don’t you give Miss Luna some space?” Sasha asked, cutting through the crowd as best as she could. She ducked under the opening tape, standing beside Luna.
“You’re supposed to be welcoming Luna into our pack, not driving her out with your conspiracy theories! Whoever’s responsible for all this trouble, I’m sure that they will be held accountable.”
“Oh, great,” Devdan yelled. “The conspirator speaks too!”
Sasha furrowed her eyebrows, staring down at Devdan. “There’s a line at your shop, Devdan,” Sasha said pointedly. “Why don’t you go deal with your customers?”
“Mind your own business, traitor!”
She hadn’t thought much of him before, but Luna was starting to really not like Devdan Luthor, the local librarian and bookstore owner.
“Does this man speak for all of you?” Sasha asked the crowd, nearly yelling. “Because if so, we have some major issues we need to discuss.”
Luna could have told them all the source of their distress … the elder now seated on their council, Victor … but she knew that accusing him without proof would be disastrous.
“Now, now, now,” a throaty voice said from the crowd. “Why don’t we give the poor girl some space?”
As if on cue, she could see his tall, snaking form, his eyes dark in his callow face. The crowd parted easily as he passed, stopping just before the stone steps.
“After all, she’s been through enough already.”
“That’s easy for you to say, Victor,” Devdan replied. “You haven’t been personally affected by her.”
She wanted to ask how she had in any way affected Devdan but decided damage control meant stepping back for the moment.
“All I ask is mercy,” Victor said. “We all know the crimes this woman has committed, and she’ll pay for them in due time. But why don’t we wait until thetruth comes out?”
At his final words, he cast a knowing glance toward Luna. She thought she even saw him wink.
