Page 77 of Luna Rising

“I assume you mean a human fair. Seers aren’t really common in the supernatural world and few would set up a glass orb beside a dunking booth,” I said. “When did you talked to Reggie?”

“I haven’t. She’s been calling Charlie and talking to Missy and Archer. Pretty sure she is coming tonight. Charlie asked if I could open a portal not too far from Traitor’s Hell. So, save your questions for her.”

I smiled. “I will. By the time she gets here, I’ll probably have a ton.”

Twin Needs

Come sunset, the alphas were still holed up in the Temple of Gaia with the high fae leaders. Mom assured me that an alliance between two groups took hours to hammer out, sometimes days. The terms between the Gemini wolves and Leo Fae had apparently taken months of negotiations before Hayden traveled to Arcane Falls to meet me and sign the accords.

“The only reason things went so smoothly between Zach and Ewan to unite our two packs was because you had already bonded with him and the Geminis needed a safe place to relocate very quickly,” Mom explained when I made the mistake of pointing out the expediency of that alliance. “Ewan didn’t require contingencies in case he decides you aren’t to his liking in the future.”

“So he bought me as-is? Bold move.”

My mother rolled her eyes. “Can you ever be serious?”

“I am. It is a bold move. Even I want to return me sometimes.”

Birch snorted, which made Mom’s indigence totally worth it.

“Lucky for you, your mate does not feel the same way, dear. Though you might want to let him win an argument every so often, get his way on a few matters. Alpha egos are very fragile. Best to let them think they’re in charge.” Mom patted Brooke’s leg. “You should remember that, too. Zach is more sensitive than most.”

“All men are sensitive,” Colleen said.

We all looked at Penn, even Birch and Charlie.

“I’m well aware of my place. Drake is good at the political bullshit. I’m good at killing things. Our roles suit our personalities much better than the other way around,” he said.

Mrs. Wynn and Kiernan were the next to show up at my door, and he had two enormous bags full of food for dinner. Apparently no one had faith I would remember to feed my mortal guests. She too assured me that there was no cause for concern, and that I simply needed to have some patience.

The older generation, the moms, had an odd familiarity between them. They shared glances when they thought no one was paying attention, and I even caught my mom and Mrs. Wynn whispering to each other during dinner. And Mom and Colleen laughed at something that must have been an inside joke. It was weird and made me feel uneasy.

Birch left after he ate without giving a reason, while Charlie stayed to take over babysitting duties. I had sort of figured every one else would also leave. How disappointed was I when that didn’t happen?

It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate the company because I did. This was the most time I had spent with people who weren’t Ewan since rising, and I was exhausted. Not sleepy, more tired of talking. Done playing hostess. It was like working at Faenanigans without the tips.

Luckily, Mrs. Wynn, Mom, and Colleen had a prime target for mothering in Kiernan. The teenager clearly hadn’t been raised by someone with nagging tendencies and was wholly unprepared for the trifecta of maternal love and nurturing. I might have felt bad for the kid and tried to intervene, but better him than me.

As promised, Winter opened a portal at the specified time and location, and Reggie joined the party. She reported the same things that Winter had told me earlier, adding more detail and accuracy. The seer was Madam Malia who catered to chosen clients.

“No one knows why or how she picks who to guide. You don’t find Madam Malia, she finds you,” Reggie said.

“She found us.” Every eye in the room focused on Penn. “During my brother’s brief reign as Ophiuchus Alpha, he brought a caster named Malia to the Snake Mountains. She had it in his head that he was the eternal and his true mate was a member of our pack. I always thought she was telling him what he wanted to hear because he was paying her a lot, and he believed it because he wanted to.”

“Drake became the Ophiuchus Alpha by battle, yes?” Colleen asked.

“Yeah. She defeated Finn in a challenge.”

Colleen nodded. “The only way for her to become the one true alpha of the Ophiuchus pack. Something any seer with even a grain of ability should have predicted. She found you all to help Drake realize her destiny.”

“Mat must have asked her to,” I said.

Colleen shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe she has her own agenda. Mat is old, from a time when kings lived and died by the words of a royal seer. He likely has great reverence and great hatred for them after his experiences.”

“Malia is old, too,” Reggie said slowly. “Not mortal old either. Like, really old. Dad jokes she was around to see the dawn of time. Maybe she and Mat have known each other for a while?”

No one had an answer for that, so the mystery of Malia went largely unsolved.

The other news Reggie brought was about her sister, the infamous Petal AKA Demi, who had no memory of Mat or the rest of us. She’d never had a single dream, though neither had I until drinking Enzo’s blood. Same for Ewan with Angelica. Tish had said they started for her while pregnant and according to Penn, he and Drake only got them after the recent comets.

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