Chapter 3
I hadn’t been answering any calls for a while. I had just finished nursing Rylie at the maternity center when Irene burst in, her scent heavy with anxiety.
“Luna, why haven’t you been picking up your phone? Alpha Miles is nearly frantic at the embassy,” she blurted out, her voice trembling with urgency. “You need to come with me right now. We have to get Alpha Keanu’s documents and head to the embassy!”
I calmly recited, “666313.”
Irene paused, her brow furrowing in confusion. Gently, I adjusted the blanket over Rylie and explained, “I’m not able to leave; that’s the password to our den. You can get whatever documents you need from there.”
Her hands trembled slightly, the faint scent of fear wafting from her. “Luna, how can you be so cold-hearted? Alpha Keanu is in a warzone, and we have no idea if he’s alive or dead.” She continued, her voice rising, “Haven’t you seen his distress signal? He said he’d been shot in the leg and is hiding out at a stranger’s place, under fire.”
Irene’s entire body shook as she spoke, but I remained composed, my Luna instincts keeping me steady. “I’m aware of Alpha Keanu’s situation. Even before he sent the pack-wide message, he mind-linked me several times asking for help, but I chose not to respond.”
She staggered back, her scent souring with shock. Watching her, I felt a twinge of guilt. During the seven years I was mated to Keanu, she had been like a mother to me, filling the void left by my own mother’s absence. But Keanu had shattered all of that.
Quietly, I handed her a recording of my conversation with Keanu from that night. “Mom, please don’t blame me for being heartless. This was Alpha Keanu’s choice.”
Her fingers shook as she took the recording. After watching it, she collapsed onto the floor, her lips moving silently before she finally found her voice.
“Listen to me, Luna. There’s nothing between Alpha Keanu and Gamma Cassidy.”
Despite the pain from the C-section, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. I got out of bed to help her up, much like how I had handed Keanu my credit card and passport as he left, ignoring my condition.
“I know he and Gamma Cassidy aren’t physically involved. But Alpha Keanu abandoned his pack and family to chase after her in a warzone, showing how little he values our family,” I said, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. “He’d rather risk Rylie growing up without a father and leave me a widow than stay with us. He must face the consequences.”
Irene’s face turned pale at my cold words, her mouth opening and closing, unable to form a response. Perhaps even she couldn’t find a reason that would convince me. Eventually, she gave up trying to persuade me, trembling as she stood. “Take care of yourself, Luna. I’m leaving now,” she said, looking aged and defeated as she hurried out.
I felt a deep pang of guilt watching her go but still called out just before she left. “Mom, when can you and Alpha Miles move out of my apartment this week?”
She turned back, unable to hide her reaction. “Can’t you just give it a little more time?”
I shook my head, my Luna instincts overriding any lingering softness. “Alpha Keanu didn’t make sure I was safe in the hospital before flying overseas, did he? I just want to settle our mating assets before he returns.”
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