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“I don’t blame you,” Luna replied. “Victor’s hard to resist. I know you did your best.”
Sasha nodded. “They really weren’t giving you many opportunities to speak,” Sasha said. “And using a child against you? That was completely uncalled for.”
“A child,” Adrian said blankly, a hint of disbelief in his voice. Apparently, he hadn’t seen everything after all.
“Little Maurice came forward with a question,” Sasha clarified. “He wanted to know if Luna was really responsible for the deaths of Darius and her father.”
Luna could see Adrian’s lip curl in response, and he spat down upon the stone steps.
“Son of a bitch,” Adrian said quietly. “That’s absolutely repugnant.”
Luna gathered that Victor had seen Maurice’s moment of weakness with the conflict at home and swooped in to take advantage of it.
That was how Victor worked. His eyes were always on everybody, and he was always biding his time, waiting for an opportunity to feed.
For Maurice’s sake, and for the good of everybody in the pack, they needed to win.
She just hoped that she and Adrian were strong enough together to weather this.
FOURTEEN
ADRIAN
“Ican’t believe they’re doing this,” Adrian said, wearing holes into the carpet from endless pacing. His wolf paced inside him as well. He was almost unaware of his body, moving at the whims of his mind.
Leaving the office after the near disaster earlier, Adrian had brought the discussion back home so they could talk privately. But as much as Adrian talked, Luna was content to sit in defeat. She’d lost the fire that had earlier inspired him to take up arms, and it bothered Adrian greatly.
“How could they say those things about you?” he asked to seemingly nobody in particular, Luna having long since checked out of the conversation.
Adrian had seen echoes of how Victor worked, but as much as he had seen, he had no idea what was coming. Luna was a powerful ally in this, having seen the depths of Victor’s evil. He needed Luna’s help in the coming storm.
But whereas Adrian saw this as an opportunity to learn, it felt like Luna had come home to give up. She was surrendering right when Adrian needed her expertise the most.
“I told you,” Luna said. “Victor’s difficult, if not impossible, to beat. I’m only glad you’re on my side for this.”
Adrian cast her a stony gaze, sitting on the bed beside her. He thought he saw a faint glimmer of a smile on her face as he rubbed her shoulder. The day had only just started, and it had already felt impossibly long.
“Just tell me you haven’t given up,” Adrian said. “Because I’m sitting here, and I feel like you’re not here with me anymore.”
Luna pursed her lips. “I’m sorry, Adrian,” she said. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
Adrian inhaled sharply. He rose to his feet from his seat on the bed. He was positively manic, unable to hold a position or sit still for more than a minute. His inner wolf was agitated and restless, and it was obvious even in his human form.
He just wanted answers and closure. They needed a definitive plan.
“You mean it doesn’t bother you what they’re saying about you? Not even a little bit?”
“Of course, it bothers me,” Luna shouted. “How could you even say that? I just know that I can’t fight it anymore. And I’m beginning to think you shouldn’t either.”
Adrian stopped his pacing and then stood within an inch of her, bringing his nose to hers.
“Luna,” he said calmly, rubbing the tip of his nose against hers. “This goes beyond giving up on you. These are my people. If I let Victor win, I’m not just giving up on you. I’m giving up on them too.”
He wanted her to keep fighting.
“You saw that crowd. They’re a shell of the warm, welcoming people they once were. In place of charm, they have paranoia and misunderstanding. It’s positively insidious. He’s turning my friends and family into monsters.”
Luna turned away from him, looking toward the closet. A dark thought crossed Adrian’s mind as he remembered Luna on the edge of the woods and how quickly she’d run upon seeing Victor’s face.
