Page 26 of The Barren Luna

That night, I dreamed I was in Spruce Mountain again, but everything was tinged gray and looked spooky. I walked the empty streets, trying to get home as soon as possible since something was giving me the creeps. When I arrived at the crossroads by the fountain, where I needed to take a left, someone grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. It was a dead, rotting Dorothy. She looked like she had crawled out of her grave. Her voice was distorted and it hurt my ears as she said: “You don’t deserve happiness, you murderer, you killed me and your mate, you deserve to burn in hell!”

I cried: “No, Dorothy, please, listen to me,” but she just kept burning me with something that felt like silver, and I screamedand thrashed until I felt something wet on my face and I woke up to find a huge white wolf on my bed, nudging me with its snout.

I sat up on the bed, my heart racing. I turned on the lamp and drank some water from the bottle I kept next to the bed.

“Thank you for waking me up,” I told the wolf, figuring it was either Laura or Kelly. The wolf nuzzled my neck, pushing me back down, and I laughed.

“Okay, okay, I’m going back to sleep. Sorry for waking you.”

The wolf huffed and left the room. I was grateful for its quiet presence and I quickly fell back asleep.

12 - Ginny

Ever since I’d arrived at the Royal Pack, I’d been extremely warm at night, which was not what one would expect in the Rockies. It must have been a side effect of all the different drugs I’d been on in the last six months or a reaction to all the adrenaline leaving my body. Whatever the reason, I started my day with a cold shower like I did every day, before I got ready for the meeting I was scheduled to attend at the King’s office.

“Luna Regina!” The King’s brother, John, greeted me warmly. We’d met several times over the years and we always got along really well. He looked so much like his late father.

“Hello, Prince John,” I said politely, and he playfully wagged a finger at me. “None of that nonsense now, please call me John.”

“Only if you call me Regina,” I retorted, and it was settled.

“Regina,” the enchanting voice called, and I turned to face David. “This is my Beta, Helen Rawlins.”

“Hello, Beta Rawlins,” I greeted the woman whose petite figure, I was sure, belied the strength within. I knew I’d immediately sense her strong aura if my wolf were awake.

“Please, it’s Helen. Nice to meet you,” her manner was brusque and efficient, which I liked. It reminded me of Calum, and I felt a bit sad.

“You as well.”

With the introductions out of the way, Prince John and I sat down on one side of the Alpha’s desk, King David on the other, and Beta Helen simply remained standing behind him.

“I don’t know if you know this, Regina, but my brother is now the chief administrator of the Crown and Royal Court,” David explained, and I wasn’t surprised. John had spent all of his life at Court, serving the Crown, always by his father’s side, working hard and learning from him. “So tomorrow, he and I will preside over the trial together. He normally does this alone, so he can better explain how the whole process works,” he nodded at his brother, who immediately launched into an explanation:

“The Alphas, Lunas, and Betas of all American packs,”except for Spruce Mountain, I mentally amended, “will arrive at Court tonight and we’ll hear testimonies of all parties involved over the next three days, after which we’ll pass a verdict based on everyone’s votes. The majority wins. All those participating will be subject to a royal Alpha command – those testifying will be commanded to tell the truth, and those voting, to vote justly in accordance with their beliefs and values,” John scanned my face briefly as if to check whether everything was clear, and then continued:

“There are two charges being brought against you,” this sentence made me queasy but I kept my face blank, “one is related to mate disputes and is, obviously, the murder of your mate,” he glanced at David, seeming uncomfortable.

“The second one is related to territory and power, and you’re being charged with the underhanded murder of an Alphawithout an official challenge,” he concluded, and words weren’t enough to express my shock at the phrasing of the charge, as accurate as it was.

Nothing had been further from my mind than taking Henry’s pack and power, and yet that’s what I technically did. I felt the familiar tension of a strong jaw clench taking hold of my face. I saw Helen observing me intently before she spoke, “May I ask what your principal concern about the process is?”

I met her striking blue eyes and admitted, “I dread facing all those familiar people and their horrible judgmental minds, as well as airing out my private problems in front of an audience. I understand why it's necessary,” I hurried to add. “Only... I can't help feeling horrified at the thought that someone might think that I did what I did for some power grab,” I explained and she nodded.

“Well, trust the command. No one will be able to lie and everyone will have to vote justly, so you have nothing to worry about.”

I was touched by the faith these three people seemed to have in me, as unfounded as it was. I needed to stop worrying about what those other Alphas and Lunas thought. I remembered that pig Larson and what Henry had told me about him, and I was more determined than ever not to take anyone’s opinion into account. Caring what others thought of him in matters that were none of their business was, after all, a big part of what ruined Henry’s life.

There was only one question left to ask, “What happens if I’m found guilty?”

They all looked at each other, but it was John who spoke, “If you’re found guilty of the territory issue, you’ll be executed. And if you’re found guilty of the mate issue, you’ll be sentenced to life in prison. If you’re found guilty of both, I think the moresevere punishment wins, which would be keeping you alive in a dungeon.”

All I could do was nod. As I walked back to my room, two pups ran by me, and I was suddenly struck by a thought: Whatever happened to Henry and Hannah’s pup? While processing all that had happened to me, there was little time or emotional space left for anyone else, but now a cold, hard truth was staring me in the face: I left that poor pup fatherless.

All that pain and suffering undergone by me and, to a certain extent, his father, all so that he could be conceived, and in the end, for what? The poor pup would grow up without the paternal guidance an Alpha needed in order not to become overwhelmed by his powers. I felt horrible for not taking his tiny innocent life into account in the process of saving mine.You would have been a terrible mother, that horrible, distorted, dead Dorothy voice whispered in my ear as a tear left my eye. Without my wolf, I didn’t even have the energy to defend myself.

That afternoon, someone knocked on my door and when I yelled, “Come in!”, I expected to see Laura or Kelly. Instead, it was the King in what seemed to be his after-work attire – a black T-shirt, black sweatpants, and dark green slippers. He padded across the thick carpet to where I sat on the bed, his breathing heavy, making me wonder whether he ran here.

“I have a surprise for you,” he said while his eyes twinkled mischievously. “Close your eyes,” he whispered, and before I knew it, I was being enveloped in the kind of hug that only one person I knew could give.

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