Chapter 61: 62: Luna Lessons

ALEX

I watch Ariel warily as she tears off the patient identification wristband from her arm.

She’s no stranger to emergency room visits, but it still scares the hell out of me every time we find ourselves here.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask, hovering over Ariel as we leave the hospital through the sliding doors.

“Yes, Alex, I just fainted. I must’ve gone too hard during training or something,” she replies.

We both know that’s not why she fainted, but judging by the way that Ariel is nervously biting her lip...

I can tell pushing the matter will only make her more anxious.

“Just…try to take it easy,” I say. “If I’m putting too much pressure on you, please tell me.”

“I’m fine, really,” she says, taking my hand and squeezing it. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

I’ll always worry about Ariel. It’s my job as her mate.

I know the things she’s been through, and I also know that you don’t just bounce back from those experiences.

It takes time and patience.

I should never have pushed Ariel to do that press conference. She clearly wasn’t ready.

~But when will she be ready?~

As my luna, Ariel will have to attend a lot of public appearances, speeches, and diplomatic dinners.

The royal alpha and luna are supposed to represent strength and unity, but we can only do that if we’re standing side by side.

I’m feeling a lot of pressure too…

Filling my father’s shoes is no small feat. I’m still new to ruling the Royal Pack.

~And I’m not sure I can do it alone.~

Ariel pulls on my arm, and I’m jolted out of my thoughts.

“Hey, where did you go just now? You got awfully quiet,” she says, her eyes creasing with concern. “Should I be worried about ~you~?”

“Sorry, my head was in the clouds. Needed you to bring me back down to earth,” I joke, trying to play it off. “Maybe I should get some coffee.”

We stop in the middle of the corridor, and I realize that we’re standing in front of a portrait of my father.

He looks like a true king—crown atop his head, wearing it with confidence, wisdom in every wrinkle on his stern face.

~Dad, I hope I won’t let you down…~

“You really miss him, don’t you?” Ariel asks.

“Every day,” I respond.

“Alex! There you are!” Dom jogs down the corridor toward me, looking out of breath. “It feels like ninety percent of my job as beta these days is to track you two down.”

“What’s going on?” I ask as he stops in front of me, huffing.

“You have a phone call in your office.”

“Can they call back? I’m not really in the mood for—”

Dom’s expression grows serious. “Alex—it’s the president—of the ~humans~.”

***

“Mr. President,” I say, nervously settling in at my desk. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

It’s highly unusual for human and werewolf governments to intermingle, but my father always maintained that we needed to keep an alliance.

I’ve never met President Cooper, but Dad said dealing with him was a balancing act that required negotiation and compromise.

A friendly but flinty voice speaks on the other end: “Well, I can’t say this call is a pleasure, unfortunately. More business.”

I swallow hard as he continues: “I watched your state-of-the-pack speech—well, all thirty seconds of it—until your wife fainted.”

“My luna,” I correct him.

“Right, right, of course,” he says. “I need to brush up on my werewolf terminology. But maybe that’s part of the problem—I don’t have the best understanding of you lot. Secretive bunch, aren’t you?”

“Wh-what do you mean?” I ask, not liking where this is going.

“Well, to be brutally honest, Alex, what happened with the alphas… That would’ve never happened under your father’s watch. Not to mention that your territory is crawling with Hunters.”

My heart sinks. He’s right. I can’t even deny it.

“And with that wif—er—luna, being so averse to public speaking, it looks like you could use some ~help~.”

“What are you suggesting?” I ask, feeling a twinge of annoyance.

“You need someone to make sure things don’t get out of hand again. Someone who will generate a stronger bond between us. We can ‘scratch each other’s backs,’ so to speak.”

“With all due respect, Mr. President—”

“Then it’s settled,” he says jovially. “My ambassador will arrive this week. I’m looking forward to learning more about your pack’s customs and way of life.”

Before I can even respond, a harsh ~click~ signals the end of our conversation.

I anxiously tap my claws against my desk, hoping this won’t end up a total disaster.

A human is coming to the Royal Pack.

ARIEL

As I return to my room, trying to forget about embarrassing myself and the entire pack on live television, I see Dianne waiting in the hall.

~Goddess, I can’t deal with her disapproval right now.~

I’m sure my mother has all sorts of opinions about me fainting in the middle of Alex’s big speech.

I’m a disappointment.

I’m a disgrace.

I’m a—

“Oh, Ariel!” Dianne wraps her arms around me, hugging me tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay, sweetheart.”

“Wait…you aren’t here to reprimand me?” I ask, confused.

“Oh, Goddess no,” she says, as if that’s the silliest thing she’s ever heard. “I just wanted to check on you.”

My mother has been acting differently around me since she moved into the palace, but this is still unexpected.

“I thought you’d be mortified,” I say, pulling myself out of her vise grip.

“Of course not,” she replies. “No one is perfect, dear.”

I find this to be ~slightly~ disingenuous, given our history.

My mother has always expected me to be ~perfect~.

I’m not sure what’s changed now—other than the fact that I’m a luna—but at least this is better than fighting with her.

“Listen, Dianne—”

“Mom,” she says quickly. “You can call me Mom, Ariel.”

“~Dianne~,” I say, more pointedly this time. “I appreciate the support, but you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t fully trust your intentions.”

Dianne looks hurt for a moment, but she still manages a smile. “I understand, Ariel. I know I haven’t always been there for you. But I really am trying to change. To do better.”

She hugs me again, and this time I don’t fight it.

It goes against my better judgment to let down my defenses, but I have to admit…

It feels ~good~ to have her on my side.

ALEX

My mother leans forward on her red velvet couch and steeples her fingers, looking at me hesitantly. “Are you sure about this, Alex?”

“Isn’t it what Dad would’ve wanted? He was always talking about establishing a peace treaty with the humans,” I say. “Maybe an ambassador is the first step toward forming that union?”

“Your father was a wise man, but sometimes he was a little too trusting,” Mom says. She gets up from her seat and approaches a marble wet bar in the corner of her suite.

“Meaning?” I ask.

“Meaning, his optimism was both one of his best qualities and his worst. He always tried to see the best in people, sometimes to the detriment of the pack,” she says, pouring herself a glass of wine.

“So, you think the humans can’t be trusted?”

Mom swirls the wine in her glass thoughtfully. “I honestly don’t know, Alex. You’re going to have to trust your instincts on this one. Have you spoken to Ariel yet?”

“No, not yet,” I mumble.

“Alex, she’s your luna. You have to keep her involved in pack affairs.” My mother’s tone is reproachful, and I wince because I know she’s right.

“It’s just…Ariel is so out of her element when it comes to this sort of thing. And don’t get me wrong—I love her for that—but I also don’t want to overwhelm her.”

“She’s strong. Give her the opportunity to prove herself.” Mom takes a lengthy sip of her wine.

“Well, actually, I wanted to talk to you about that,” I say. “I was hoping that maybe you could…I don’t know…give Ariel some luna lessons or something.”

Mom almost spits her wine out.

“Lu-luna lessons?” she sputters. “Alex, I don’t—”

“Mom, please. I really want Ariel to succeed in this role. And who better to prepare her than you? I know it won’t be easy, but I’m begging you. She really needs your help.”

Mom sighs and sets down her wine. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this…”

I scoop my mother in my arms and give her a huge hug. “Thank you! This means a lot to me.”

Mom puts a finger to her temple, as if she feels a headache coming on. “Goddess have mercy on me.”

ARIEL

“Maria, are you out of your Goddess-damned mind?” I say, absolutely dumbstruck.

“I must be,” she replies, shaking her head.

We’re sitting in the library, where Maria has compiled a required reading list for me.

I’ve just found out that I’ll be taking “luna lessons” to better prepare me for my role. And I can’t say the idea is too appealing.

“This is a ~terrible~ idea!” I blurt out.

“Well I think it’s a ~wonderful~ idea,” Dianne says, smiling ear to ear as she starts paging through a book titled ~Beauty and Grace: A Crash Course in Queening~.

Maria crosses her arms and furrows her shaped eyebrows. “Remind me again…why are ~you~ here?”

Dianne and Maria haven’t exactly seen eye to eye for the past month, and the two of them working together is a volatile concoction.

“I want to help my ~daughter~ be the best luna that she can be,” Dianne retorts. “Believe it or not, I do have some insight into the matter.”

“I can’t ~wait~ to hear it,” Maria says, her tone scathing.

“Do I even have a say in this?” I ask.

Maria gives me a sympathetic look. “I realize this is a bit unconventional, but it might actually help you. I wish that I’d had someone to help guide me when I became luna.”

She has a point. I’ve been thrown into the deep end with this whole luna thing, and it’s either sink or swim.

~Oh, Goddess, this is going to be worse than torture,~ I think to myself.

Maybe that’s a bit dramatic, given my history with the Hunters, but…

I turn and examine myself in a gold-trimmed mirror above the fireplace.

My tangled hair, masculine stance, dirtied clothes…

~I’m a warrior, through and through.~

~Will they really be able to mold me into a queen?~

I know I’ve let my past trauma drag me down for too long.

Now Alex needs me to step up and rule at his side—especially with the entire kingdom watching him. Scrutinizing his legacy as king, in his father’s stead.

~But what of my own legacy?~

Will I be a queen who’s loved and revered by her pack?

Or am I forever fated to be a broken queen?