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“Unless you want to run away again,” Adrian said. “Because that seems to solve everything.”
“Can we please not fight right now?” Luna asked. “This is exactly what Victor wants. He drives a wedge between people, then preys on their vulnerabilities.”
“I’m not trying to fight, Luna. I’m trying to help you stand up for yourself and fighthim.”
Luna shook her head. “Look. I’m happy to stand beside you if you want to take the fight to Victor. I genuinely hope you win. But it’s no good for me to be out there right now. I’m no good as a public face.”
“How can yousaythat?”
“Because it’s true!” Luna cried. “You saw what happened. They’re not willing to give me a chance. The moment I step outside, I might as well be burning myself at the stake.”
Adrian folded his arms together, looking down his nose at Luna. It was true that he couldn’t conceive of everything she had been through. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t live through the death of Darius or the near execution Luna had endured.
He could imagine that reliving this must be traumatic for her.
“And part of me thinks it’s only a matter of time before you also start believing him,” Luna said, her voice now small. “He’ll twist your mind just like he does everybody’s. You won’t even see it coming.”
Adrian could see her shriveling and shrinking before his eyes.
“I would never give up on you, Luna,” Adrian said. “I’ve seen your kindness, as much as you tried to hide it at first. You’re not capable of the things he’s accused you of.”
“You’re just saying that. I’m the girl who just showed up in your life. He’s one of your senior elders.”
“Who wandered into our pack unannounced only a few months ago, right after the death of your father,” Adrian insisted.
This got Luna’s attention. She perked up her ears, meeting Adrian’s eyes. Her stare was bright in the dim bedroom, sunlight barely peeking through the curtains.
Adrian realized he’d said something very wrong.
“How did you know that?” she asked.
“Know what?”
“That Victor showed up here after the death of my father. I don’t recall telling you much about my dad’s death. I didn’t even find out about it until recently.”
Adrian could now see Luna scrutinizing him.
“Okay,” Adrian said. “I know I don’t usually tell you where I go on pack business because I don’t think it’s fair to you …”
“Out with it. What are you hiding?”
“This last time, when I left, I was getting in touch with the Silver Fang pack.”
Luna shook her head. He could sense her anger redirected toward him.
“Unbelievable,” she replied, her eyes no longer meeting his. “So, was it all a lie? Did you really believe Victor this entire time?”
“Actually, no,” Adrian said. “I went there to try to understand them, but Herald might have just set the ball in motion toward proving your innocence.”
“Herald?” Luna looked up at him suspiciously.
“I was trying to play nice, to infiltrate them from within. So I pretended to be a friend of Victor’s at first and used that to find my way in. But then, right as we were about to reach their den, Herald just blurted it out. He asked them how you could have been responsible for your father’s deathafteryou left.”
“I’m sure that went wonderfully,” Luna said.
“It actually did. I was about ready to punch him, but it turned out that your old pack had been asking questions, too, since Victor left. They just didn’t know how to answer those questions.”
Luna stared down at the carpet.
