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“You’re too late,” Victor cackled from on the floor.
The doors of the shrine opened just as Sasha began guiding those who were too young or too old to fight out from the side of the shrine.
The only people left inside were those ready to fight. Adrian’s enforcers and young enforcers all stood prepared to back their alpha.
“I’m too late?” Adrian asked. “Look around you. You’ve already lost.”
“Stop!” the voice of an elderly woman rang out.
Luna’s grandmother, who apparently hadn’t left the building, walked out from the shadows, appearing in the threshold.
Victor looked as though he’d seen a ghost.
Slowly, she shambled through the shrine, appearing beside Adrian.
“Congratulations on your pairing, Luna,” she said, standing quietly beside Adrian.
She gestured for Adrian to speak to the crowd of combatants. He turned to see Victor, stunned but watching to hear her speak.
“Thank you to those who have gathered in the name of our pack,” Adrian said. “And to those of you on Victor’s side, I hope you might hear me out.”
He saw several rogue wolves scowling at him from the back, but not Devdan, Bruce, or the rest of the members of his pack who had changed sides.
“I know you feel like I haven’t heard you … like I haven’t addressed your problems,” Adrian said. “And to those of you who feel such, I sincerely apologize.”
He was starting to lose them. He could see their gazes falling away from him.
“But this woman has something to say, and I hope you’ll hear her out.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Adrian saw Victor climbing to his feet, ready to lunge. Adrian tackled him to the floor, determined to stop him from intervening.
“I’m Luna’s grandmother,” the woman said, clearing her throat. “It’s been wonderful to see her after so many years.”
She turned to Victor, who, in his advanced age, had been easily subdued by Adrian. There was a reason Victor relied on mind games and recruiting others so heavily … physically, he could never have an advantage.
“The truth is that there’s a reason why I’ve been kept from my granddaughter for so many years, and it’s this man.”
She gestured toward Victor.
A gasp emanated from somewhere in the room.
“Nearly fifty years ago, Victor was my suitor, a man who was determined to claim me regardless of what I wanted,” she continued. “Eventually, our pack had to intervene, and in his bid to use me to claim the title of alpha, he was exiled from the pack.
“But even in his exile, he found a way back to me. Years later, he stole my daughter, running off into the night. I didn’t know what to do. I looked everywhere, but I couldn’t find her.”
Everybody in the room was suddenly fixated on her words, especially Luna, who hadn’t heard this much of the story as far as Adrian was aware.
“That was your mom, Luna,” she clarified. “And that's why I’m only meeting you now.”
Victor no longer struggled against Adrian’s grasp, the defeat prominently visible in his eyes.
Adrian got to his feet, keeping an eye on Victor, who lay on the ground.
“And that’s why, no matter what he tells you, you shouldn’t trust him,” Adrian clarified to the room. “I know he promises great things, but he will steal from you like he stole from so many before.”
He watched the room, waiting for some semblance of a reaction.
That’s when Devdan cried out.
