Page 8 of Luna's Forgotten Vow

Since the engagement was finalized months ago, to my fucking dismay, I had been keeping tabs on the woman. It was my duty, after all, to know the woman who my cousin's fiancée was fucking on the side. I had imagined her another of Ronan's many whores who only cared that they had an Alpha's affections. And the benefits and wealth that came with bedding one.

But being in the same room with her, running an eye along the washed out black dress she wore, the worn boots with holes in them, the old, rusted necklace that hung from an elegant neck like it was a prized possession told me everything I needed to know. It definitely wasn't about the money.

It was...perplexing and my confusion only grew when I watched her smile at him, watched her look after him in confusion when he ignored her.

And it slapped me right in the face.

She loved him.

And then, I asked myself the very obvious question. Was she daft? Or possibly naive, falling in love with a betrothed man? Or did she just lack sense of self preservation?

Approaching her had been out of mere curiosity and it quickly rid me of every possible assumption I made of who I thought she was.

She was witty. And irritatingly arrogant in a way Omegas weren't. And somehow, it made me excited. It made Kaelin, my wolf, giddy. It was a rather terrible combination and before I knew it, I was touching her hair and talking shit.

And now, all I can think about is the devastation I'd caught on her face in the hallway, the rage that had been directed at me.Don't touch me. As if I wanted to. My body kept doing the weird shit around her.

One moment, she was falling, and it would have been satisfying watching her fall on her ass after talking to me like I was a fucking nobody—not even Eric talks to me like that. And the next, I was helping her. And what did I get in return? Screamed at.

Still, it didn't halt the realization that she hadn't known Tova and Ronan have been engaged for months, the union agreed upon by the council of Alphas. She was another victim of Ronan's, much like Tova.

"I swear I was patrolling and in the next I know, I'm in their dungeons..."

Eric is beginning to sound like a fucking drone these days, whining on and on, swearing that he had been kidnapped by the Alpha pup.

Had he not been my brother, I would have let Ronan kill him. It was after all, his lack of awareness that got us here.

That being said, I really need to sort through better choices for Betas. Eric has more penchant for trouble than a petulant kid. Still, I could count the number of people I trusted on three fingers and Eric fit into the three. It continues to remain his saving grace.

"We'll get her back," Eric promises, the weight of his guilt stealing the air in the car and my lips curl up in annoyance.

I had no choice. Trading Tova in marriage for Eric's life and the illusion of a truce was a necessary exchange. But something about it chafes. Maybe it's the way her eyes lit up like a Solstice tree, or the way I could scent her arousal whenever Ronan was in the room. She's in love with the fool, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something crucial.

"She loves him," I state coolly, watching the trees blur past the window. "She'll despise us if we take her from him."

Eric's gaze burns into the side of my face, his green eyes a shade lighter than mine. "Since when has that ever stopped you?"

He's right. I've killed to protect what's mine. Kidnapping Tova and saving her from her own emotions would be far from the worst thing I've done. But she made me promise to respect her choice.

I exhale slowly. Parenting is fucking hard.

The car jolts to a stop, tires screeching. My gaze snaps to Ken in the rearview mirror. "What?"

He nods toward the sidewalk. "Someone's bleeding out."

"Unless it's one of ours, don't waste my time."

But Eric is already peering out the window, his voice edged with something like disgust.

"It's Ronan's bitch."

A face comes to mind. Small, heart shaped, violet-blue eyes that glared at me, kissable lips that seemed to be in a constant frown, untamed, frizzy black hair that hung wildly like it had lost a fight in a thunderstorm.

I'm out of the car before I can ponder on it.

My hands slip into my pocket as I walk the short distance and stop by the pool of blood, frowning. Her black hair is matted to her head with blood and there's so much blood leaking from there, I wonder if she's even alive.

Her eyes are swollen shut, lips burst in three places. Her nose is broken. Her arms are bent the wrong way, though they remain wrapped around her middle protectively.

---