Chapter 36: Unveiling the True Luna

Wolfgang

I sat in the waiting area, thinking about Max’s words.

~“Look at all the pain you put her through! She didn’t deserve it! She was almost killed by that bastard! You failed to protect her!~

~ “You either reject her, or don’t bother looking for her ever again.”~

Max was right. As her mate, I should have sworn to protect her, yet I’d turned my back on her. I’d pushed her away, and now she…

I hung my head low, gripping my hair. How could I be an alpha when I failed to take care of my soulmate?

And it was all because of my ego.

“Alpha Wolfgang, you’re here.”

I looked up and saw the elders walking toward me.

“Is something wrong, Elder Radolf?” I asked, standing to face them.

“Nothing at all. We are here to welcome the luna back. We heard that she had awakened. How is she?” he asked.

“I-I haven’t seen her yet,” I replied, looking down at my feet.

“What do you mean you haven’t seen her? She is your mate. The Luna. You can’t leave her alone when she needs you to recover properly,” Elder Leto scolded me.

“From what I’ve heard, it’s a miracle she came back to us alive at all. They say her wounds were very deep, not to mention that she had wolfsbane in her system,” Elder Radolf commented.

“She has proven herself as the right luna for the pack, facing that rogue on her own. What a brave and courageous girl,” he continued.

I smiled at their praise for Aurora. She was indeed brave and courageous for going through all of that on her own.

She really was a strong woman, and the perfect guardian for the pack.

But my arrogance hadn’t let me see beyond the maid I’d refused to accept as my mate.

“Well, we won’t do much good standing here. We must see the luna at once. We must begin preparations for her presentation to the pack,” Elder Radolf said.

He began to walk past me to Aurora’s room, but I stopped him.

I had forgotten about that. Being the alpha’s mate, she had to be officially presented as the luna of our pack.

“Let me break it to her first,” I said. “Then you three can come in.”

I dreaded entering her room, but I eagerly wanted to see her.

So I filled myself with courage and marched inside.

Aurora

“Max, you don’t have to do that. I am perfectly capable of cutting my own apples,” I told the beta who was clumsily hacking at the poor, innocent piece of fruit.

“You are the patient, and you are sick. I can handle this,” he said, continuing to massacre the apple.

We heard a knock on the door. Max let out a sigh of frustration.

Rhea raised her head in my subconscious, one ear high in the air. She sniffed, then jumped up, excited.

~“Cronnos! Cronnos is here!”~ She jumped up and down in excitement.

Max handed the slices of apple to me and headed to the door. When he opened it, Wolfgang stood on the other side.

“What do you want, alpha?” Max growled at him. I was surprised at the hostility in his voice.

“Can I have a word with Aurora?” he said to Max with a calm yet authoritative voice.

“Whatever you have to say to her, you can do it with me here, 'cause I’m not moving,” Max snarled.

“I am your alpha, Beta Barone, and I’m giving you a direct order,” Wolfgang commanded.

“Seemed more like a request to me, alpha. I will not leave her side,” Max shot back.

They both stood, glaring at each other. For a moment, I thought they might start a fight, but then there was a second knock on the door, distracting them both.

The door swung open again, and the three elders walked into the room.

“There she is! Lady Aurora! Welcome home,” one of the elders said to me.

“Lady?” I echoed, confused.

“That’s right. That is your rightful title, after all. How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I’m slowly recovering, but doing well. What do you mean, ‘rightful title’?” I asked the elders, still confused as to their sudden change of demeanor toward me.

Before when I’d worked at the leader’s house, they wouldn’t have given me so much as a sideways glance.

And now they were addressing me as ‘lady’? I looked at Wolfgang, who stood there silently, not daring to look me in the eye.

“Yes, Lady Aurora. As the luna of our pack, you’re to be addressed as such from now on.”

I looked at Wolfgang once more.

“Why are you addressing me as the luna of the pack? Isn’t that Tallulah’s title? I’m nothing but a maid, sir,” I answered, trying to figure out if this was some kind of sick joke.

“No, my dear child. ~You~ are the rightful luna. Alpha Wolfgang has told us that you are his true mate, and that you’ve imprinted,” Elder Leto said.

I turned to face Wolfgang; shock etched across my face.

“Bu-But I thought that…” I trailed off as shock consumed me.

~“You see! He does care about you!”~ Rhea shouted excitedly in my mind.

He did care about me. He’d told the elders that I was his mate.

“He was forced to,” Max snapped. “If he hadn’t told the truth, the elders wouldn’t have authorized the operation to rescue you.”

That snapped me out of my daze.

“They were willing to sacrifice you, a maid, for the sake of Tallulah, who they thought was the true luna. And it’s all thanks to Wolfgang over there,” Max sneered.

“Beta Barone, you are out of line!” one of the elders shouted.

Anger flashed in Wolfgang’s eyes. In one swift motion, he grabbed Max by the collar and rammed him against the wall.

“You bastard! You had no right to tell her that!” he growled.

“This is insubordinate behavior!” Elder Radolf shouted.

“You shall be demoted from your position!” Elder Leto added.

“Wait!” I shouted. Everyone turned their attention to me.

I got out of bed and stood facing all of them.

“So…you never intended to save me?” I asked the five men who stood in front of me.

Wolfgang let go of Max and tried to approach me, but I backed away.

“No! Don’t touch me!” Tears fell down my cheeks, but I tried to keep my emotions at bay. I didn’t want them to see me cry.

“You all were ready to leave me in the hands of…of…” The words caught up in my mouth as I once again recalled the sickening feeling of Klaus’ touch.

I hung my head as realization crept in. “I was right from the start. That’s why I had to save myself.” My voice was barely a whisper.

“None of you were going to do it,” I spat through gritted teeth.

“Aurora…” One of the elders began, but I wouldn’t allow it.

“No! You have no idea what I had to go through! You have no idea how scared I was!”

I choked on a sob. “And now…you all stand here, praising me and calling me your luna, when four days ago I didn’t even exist for you!”

By now I was sure the entire hospital was aware of the scene going on, but I didn’t care.

They all stood silently, watching me cry. I desperately tried to wipe away the tears that streamed down my cheeks, but they kept coming.

“Aurora…” Wolfgang finally broke the silence, walking over up to me.

I raised my head to see him stretch out his hand to me, but I shook my head.

“Reject me!” I growled at him.

~“No! Aurora, what are you doing?!”~ Rhea shouted in my mind, but I ignored her.

“Reject me now, and mark me as a rogue. I don’t care anymore,” I continued.

“Aurora, don’t!” Max cried, but I didn’t listen.

“I’d rather be a wolf without a pack than become your luna,” I snarled.

^~End Of Book One~^