#2 When the Moon Turns Red

Evie

After talking with mom, I had family on the brain. My family has had some major blow outs, but we were always there for each other. I couldn’t help but think about Noah’s dad and his inexcusable act of betrayal. I decided that I needed to face him and try to figure out what drove him to make such a rash decision.

But, first, I had to ditch my babysitter.

I slipped out of my room and noticed that Sawyer was passed out on the couch in the sitting area. Noah had him working way too hard, plus I can’t imagine guarding me was super exciting. I tiptoed down the hall and decided to take the stairs to avoid the ding from the elevator. I was breathless by the time I reached the bottom.

Man, I needed to work out.

I found a pair of wolves I knew as Tatum and Dexter from Noah’s patrol. I squared up to them and in my most serious voice said,

“I need to see Alpha Toby.” Tatum and Dexter looked at each other warily,

“Is this approved by Alpha Noah?” They asked.

“I don’t need his approval to do anything.” I argued with them, my voice turning sour.

“Yes, Luna.” Tatum ducked his head,

“Right this way.” Dexter said, leading the way.

They took me to a wing of the packhouse I didn’t even know existed. At the end of a long, dark hallway stood a menacing looking door. It had a large key lock, a pin pad, and a fingerprint scanner. On the other side of the door was a winding staircase made of concrete and dimly lit by old fashioned torches.

“This is like a whole dungeon.” I gasped as we walked down the steps and ended up in a basement filled with medieval looking cells.

“Yes, ma’am.” Dexter said.

“The traitor is in the second one on the left.” Tatum said, pointing towards one of the cell doors,

“We’ll wait here, Luna, to ensure your safety.” Tatum added.

“Thank you.” I was suddenly nervous. I walked slowly to the cell and peeked inside. Toby was huddled in the corner looking horrible. He had only been there for one full day, but he was unkempt and in despair.

“To what do I owe this honor, oh great Luna?” Toby asked, sneering at me.

“I want to know why you betrayed your son and your pack?” I found my voice. Toby stumbled across the cell and threw himself against the gate,

“I never betrayed my pack or its Alpha. I only betrayed its wanna-be Luna.”

“By going against me, you went against your son and this pack. Noah is devoted to me and I have earned the pack’s respect. I’m not going anywhere and you’re the only one who seems to have a problem with that.” I snapped, refusing to look away from his glare.

“I can’t understand how my son fell for such a perky, selfish, little bitch.” Toby laughed darkly.

“Say what you want, Mr. Landry, you can’t hurt me. But, I’m afraid that you have hurt Noah, and that is something I won’t stand for.” I spoke solemnly.

“That’s Alpha Toby to you, girl!” Toby yelled, shaking the bars to the cage. I waved off Tatum and Dexter who began to approach us. I felt my eyes flash in anger and the voice that came out of my mouth was almost unrecognizable,

“No, Mr. Landry, it is not. I am stripping you of your rank and title of Alpha, and banishing you from not only the pack grounds, but New Orleans. I suggest you pray to your Moon Goddess that Noah doesn’t decide to do more.” I growled.

I saw Tatum and Dexter stiffen beside me. I looked over at them with a curious expression. Their arms were firm at their sides and their backs straight, like soldiers in a lineup.

“What’s wrong with you two?” I asked.

“They’re responding to your Luna voice,” Toby’s voice was the quietest I had ever heard it,

“You used it on me once before. I thought I was imagining it then, but I’m sure now.”

“What are you talking about?” I snapped. Toby rolled his eyes at my ignorance,

“Noah has an Alpha voice,” He acted like he was talking to a toddler,

“Likewise, the Luna has a commanding voice. However, it is not usually unlocked until the Alpha and Luna mark each other and the official Luna ceremony takes place. I’ll admit, I’ve never heard of a non-wolf having such a powerful command voice.” If I didn’t know any better, I’d say there was a touch of admiration in his voice.

“Can you stop doing that?” I asked Dexter and Tatum who instantly relaxed.

“I’m sorry.” I said.

“Don’t apologize to them, they are nothing.” Toby growled.

“Oh now you’re trying to mentor me? No thanks.” I glared at him,

“Pretend I used my Luna voice to tell you to shut up.” I turned my back on Toby and walked away from his cell.

“I am sorry I used my Luna voice, or whatever it is, on you. I didn’t mean to.” I apologized to Tatum and Dexter.

“There’s no need to apologize, Luna, it’s our honor to follow your command.” Tatum said.

“You have so much to learn, girl.” I heard Toby mumble from his cell. I sighed and walked back in front of the cell door,

“I don’t have anything to learn from you.”

“Such a strong Luna voice is a waste on such a pathetic little thing.” Toby said, leaning back on the concrete wall of his cell.

“Maybe I was granted this voice because the universe knew I wouldn’t abuse it.” I countered, crossing my arms over my chest.

“A Luna’s job is to birth and raise the next Alpha, that’s it, that’s all you have to do. All this attitude and ambition is just background noise. If my son was any kind of smart he would get you under control.” I felt my hands ball into fists, my anger getting the best of me. This dude really knew how to get under people’s skin.

“What made you so hateful?” I asked him sincerely. He almost looked taken aback by my question,

“It’s not hate, it’s common sense.”

“You’re hateful, pessimistic, and bitter. You’ve pushed every single person in your life away. Your pack even stands against you. And, still, you refuse to change. I can’t help you.” I sighed in defeat.

“I don’t need your help!” Toby shouted, nearly falling on his face as he scurried across the cell.

“One day you’ll realize that this was the moment your life could have taken a different course, but instead you chose hate. When that day comes, no one will be there offering you their hand.” I frowned at Noah’s father and wished that there was something more I could do.

I turned on my heels and left Toby behind as his insults echoed off the dungeon walls. Tatum and Dexter escorted me out of the basement. When we reached the kitchen I instantly felt bad as I watched Sawyer panic running all around the lobby.

“Sawyer!” I yelled at him, waving my hands to get his attention. He sprinted towards me,

“You cannot do that!” He yelled,

“I was scared to death.” I tapped the top of his head like I was comforting a small child,

“I’m sorry, Sawyer, but I needed a minute away from my nanny.” I teased.

“Evie, I’m here to serve you. My only goal is to keep you safe. I would have accompanied you wherever you wanted to go without question.” Sawyer argued.

“I went to the dungeon to see Toby.” I said expressionless. Sawyer stared at me with his mouth hanging open,

“Okay, maybe I would have questioned that.”

“That’s what I thought.” I replied snarkily.

“Please don’t do that again.” Sawyer grumbled.

“I promise. Can I make a bowl of cereal, Mary Poppins?” I grinned at Sawyer who rolled his eyes in reply. He plopped down on one of the barstools at the kitchen counter and watched as I prepared some lunch.

“Noah’s back.” Sawyer said just as my mate walked into the kitchen.

“Hi, baby.” He grinned, immediately pulling me in for a kiss.

“How did it go?” I asked him.

“We weren’t able to find him. It looked like we just missed him.” Noah grumbled.

“Ask your mate what her extracurricular activity was today.” Sawyer totally called me out.

“Tattle tale!” I yelled at him as he retreated from the room.

“What did you do?” Noah groaned.

“I may have snuck away from Sawyer to interrogate your father in the dungeon.” I shrugged lazily.

“You did what?” He gasped.

“I had just spoken to my mom and felt really angry about what your father did to you, so I wanted to go speak to him for myself. I may have sentenced him to banishment and stripped him of his title. I don’t even know if I can do that, but apparently I did.” I shoved in another spoonful of cereal as I waited for Noah’s reaction.

“Evie.” He mumbled, sitting down next to me in defeat,

“First of all, you should never sneak away from Sawyer. If you’re going to do something crazy, at least take him with you. I won’t ask you not to do it, but I will insist that you don’t do it alone.”

“In my defense, I did take Tatum and Dexter with me.” I said.

“Well, I’m glad for that, at least. But, Sawyer is there to guard and protect you, not control you. You can do what you want, just let him keep you safe, okay?” Noah started playing with my fingers absentmindedly as he searched my eyes.

“Okay.” I sighed.

“Next topic, you can absolutely deal out punishments and sentencing for anyone in our pack. I wish you’d discuss it with me first, though.” Noah said.

“Yeah, it just kind of slipped out.” I grinned innocently. Noah chuckled,

“Somehow that makes perfect sense. So, you banished him and stripped him of being an Alpha?” Noah clarified.

“I did.” I replied.

“Good call on removing his Alpha title. He doesn’t deserve the respect or the amenities that come along with it. But, I think banishment is too light.” Noah admitted.

“I did mention that you may have a different punishment in mind, but I didn’t want you to have to discipline your own father. I was trying to give you an out. I’ll support any decision you make.” I told him, snaking my fingers through his so I was now holding his hand.

“Thank you for looking out for me, little mate.” Noah smiled softly, resting his head against mine, his eyes looked so sad.

“Do you have more work to do?” I asked him, hoping he would say no and I could take him to our room and comfort him.

“Yeah,” He frowned,

“I have to formally address what my father did with the elders and reorganize the search for Russell, plus up the security on the packhouse and the borders.” I ran my hand through Noah’s hair, soothing him.

“Can I help?” I asked. He shook his head with a small smile,

“No, love, you don’t have to worry about this. I just want you to be safe and happy. You’ve done so much already.” He assured me.

I knew I should have pushed it, I should be involved in the pack business and the meeting with the elders. But, if I were being honest, I had no desire to be picked apart by anyone else today. Instead, I agreed to wait for Noah in our room, assuring him that I would be safe and sound nearby. Noah walked me to the elevator where Sawyer was waiting for me.

“I love you.” I reached up on my tiptoes to kiss Noah sweetly,

“I love you, too.” He purred, holding my face in his hands and deepening the kiss. I giggled at his affection, breaking away from the kiss breathlessly. As I turned for the elevator, he gave my butt a playful swat. I squealed and jumped into the elevator, spinning around to glare at him. I stuck out my tongue and earned a roaring laugh from my mate.