Ivan
"Alpha, you look like shit," Greg walked into the kitchen, his eyebrows drawn together when he saw my face. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," I lied, shifting in my seat. My back was killing me, which was nothing new. However, it's been a long time since it's been this bad. "Why are you still up?"
"Who can sleep?" he didn't hide his excitement, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he grabbed a can from the twenty-four-pack of soda.
"The pup's got a point," AJ sat across from me, biting into the sandwich he'd made himself. "My wolf's running around in my head like a pup. He wants to see Luna again. I think we all feel that way."
Which would be a problem.
I don't want to share my new family yet.
"She handled everything a lot better than we could've hoped," Steven started the coffeemaker, always the calming presence in any room. "Considering how she was when we found her... I'm impressed."
"Yeah..."
Nefra had handled things well, but they didn't understand why. We'd need to discuss that before we went any further.
I don't want my Nefra to be herself and for someone to give her problems. It's hard to tell how they'll handle the news. The council and elders have opinions about magic, but not everyone else does.
"I want all of you in here," I commanded. It was better to do this now. "We need to discuss something..."
I wish I didn't have to do this.
I'd prefer to be upstairs with Nefra, even if it's making sure she's sleeping.
Taylor hadn't been subtle, but I understood. Today had been overwhelming.
Nefra doesn't need more anxiety. That didn't mean I didn't want to be the one with her. This was my time to spend with my girls, getting to know them and letting them know me.
Why did Taylor get that right?
"What's going on?" Terry grabbed a chair and turned it, his dominant wolf noting my expression. That's why I chose him as head of security for the trip.
"Wait until everyone's here..." My stomach churned. The Chinese not sitting as well. "I don't want to repeat myself."
"If this is about us not crowding Luna, you don't have to make a big deal about it," AJ started, but I waved him off.
"It's not that. Just... wait."
"Jeez, you look awful..." Vince scowled, nudging my shoulder before taking his seat beside me. My cousin was never one to be subtle. "I told you not to eat the entire container."
"I'm fine," I really wasn't, but I'd talk to Danny afterward.
"Indigestion?" the medic raised an eyebrow, his bag strapped over his shoulder. I rarely saw him outside the territory without it. Bran must've packed it for him. "I've got something for it."
"What?" Maybe I would take something. The heartburn was killing me.
"Tums..."
Everyone looked at him, not expecting his answer.
"Aren't you supposed to be some kind of voodoo man?" Greg looked disappointed; his drink forgotten. "Don't you have some magic potion or something?"
"I don't do Voodoo," rolling his eyes, Danny sat on the counter, pulling something from the front of his bag. "And some things don't require potions. An antiacid should work..."
"Thanks," I took the round, chalky pill, downing it without a drink. I never enjoyed chewing on these things, but it helped. It's not like I can take anything else.
"So..." Vince tapped on the table, glancing at everyone as they took their places. "Are we ignoring the elephant in the room, or are we talking about it?"
"It's not an elephant..." I wish it was. That would be less messy than reality. Magic, an assassin, and so many secrets. "It's... complicated."
"Aren't you happy with Luna, Alpha?" I snapped my head up at Greg, his accusation ringing in my ears. "You should be happy."
"Pup, watch yourself," Steven warned, his tone still calm as he got between us. "Until he marks her, he's going to be territorial. Comments like that might get you killed."
"But... he doesn't want us to tell anyone, and... he's down here. Shouldn't he be upstairs with her?" The innocence of his questions was keeping him alive. Chagan sensed no malice in the pup. He was being protective of his Luna, worried his Alpha was unsatisfied with someone he saw as perfect. "That's what I'd do if my mate was as sad as she is."
"Pup..." Terry echoed Steven's warning, but I wasn't angry. The pup's perceptive and brave enough to confront me.
"Your Luna needs time to process everything that's happened," I didn't want to divulge everything in one go, especially not in front of Greg. He was on the cusp of adulthood, but he's still a child. I'm not sure how he'll handle the truth. "And I don't want everyone knowing because it'll be too much for her. She's not used to wolves. It'll take her some time to fit in with our customs. Can you imagine how overwhelmed she'd be if everyone in the pack showed up tomorrow?"
"I guess..." Deep lines appeared on the pup's forehead, his eyebrows nearly touching. He understood, but accepting it was harder.
"Besides, Ivan doesn't want to share them with anyone right now," Vince teased, trying to break the tension. "Not that I blame you. It's unfair to ask any wolf to share their mate the first few days. We'll give you some space, but she is our Luna. You can't expect everyone to ignore her."
"I'm not asking for that." I wasn't, but I'd appreciate the space. "But don't tell anyone. Not until I'm sure she wants to stay."
"Excuse me?" Nate coughed, his drink going up his nose. "What are you talking about?"
"Alpha, of course, she's going to want to stay. She's your mate... We all saw how she responded to the bond. I mean... yeah, it was awkward. Does she not understand how you feel about her?" Scott pushed off the wall, grabbing the back of a chair. "She knows... doesn't she? You told her?"
"Don't be crazy, Scott," Danny crossed his arms, his wolf growling at him. "You can't ask a human to understand our kind. Can you imagine what she's gone through? Alpha's right. She needs time to accept our world."
"But she knows about us," Vince interjected, picking up on what I hadn't said yet. "She called you out for being a werewolf at the store... How?"
"Nefretiri..." the tums weren't doing anything. My stomach tightened, and my shoulder burned. Peter needed to look at it again. Hopefully, I won't need another surgery. "Your Luna is a sorceress."
I let that sit, staring each of them down.
"Oh, shit..." AJ whispered, covering his mouth.
All of them had similar expressions. It's not what any of them expected to hear, even Vince and Steven. Now, they understood the complication to come.
It was my first test. If I couldn't convince them to accept her, how could I make everyone else embrace her as Luna?
I needed to talk to Vince about taking over the pack if I couldn't. I wouldn't abandon my girls.
"Are you serious?" Vince sat up, now in Gamma mode. "A real sorceress? Not just a made-up one?"
"Real. Her eyes change, and... I tasted her magic." The decadent flavor of dark and white chocolate lingered on my lips from our last kiss. I never knew magic had a flavor. On Nefretiri, it was like a dessert. "She's not a witch. Her eyes aren't amber. So, yeah, she's a sorceress. Does anyone have a problem with that?"
No one spoke, and my nerves tingled.
What if I had to fight them? We weren't inside the territory, and the rules didn't apply here. Would it change the way they felt?
I've known these men all my life. They wouldn't hurt her, but would they try to scare her off?
"The pup, too?" Steven was the first to speak, his voice straining to stay even.
"Yes. According to Nefra, Penelope is also a sorceress."
"And anyone who has a problem with it is an idiot," Taylor walked into the kitchen, a dangerous expression aimed at all of them.
"Eavesdropping?" Vince accused, the pressure still palpable.
"No, Nefra told me." shrugging, she threw away the empty bag of Chinese food. "It's stupid that you're talking about this like it's a deal-breaker. You'd be worse than a fool if you let it affect your decision."
"It doesn't," she was right. "Nefra is my mate, and Penelope is my pup. I don't care what anyone thinks."
"Good, I don't need to kick your ass," my sister walked around the table, glaring at each male, warning them she'd do just that if they tried to say something against Nefra before sitting in Steven's lap.
"This complicates things," Scott pressed the back of his head against the wall, already running through the legal uphill we could look at. "The tribes won't like this."
"The tribes can go to hell," I wasn't changing my stance on this. "Nefra is my mate. If she accepts the position, she will be your Luna. I need to know if you're with us. I can't change our history, but would any of you really judge her as guilty for something that happened before she was born?"
"Alpha, most of us don't care. We weren't around for that shit..." AJ scooted his chair closer, resting his forearms on the table. "That's not what I'm worried about. So what if she knows magic, but is she aware of the issues in the tribes? Scott's right. They're going to be a problem, especially Chief Jake. He's your friend, but..."
"Jake is the least of our worries," Vince cut in, staring daggers at me. "I've got your back, but AJ's right. Did you explain? This doesn't just affect us. It affects her and the pup. It isn't fair to her if you're walking her into a fight she didn't sign up for. As Luna, she'll have to defend her position in the pack and as the head of the tribe? Do you think she'll be able to handle the elves and the dragons?"
"She will... but... I haven't told her everything. Not yet." That would've been too much tonight. However, she knew something was going on. "But Nefra's smart. You all saw her today. She can handle it."
"Shocker. The moon goddess gave you an intelligent woman as a mate." My cousin teased, leaning back. "But... speaking of today... are we going to talk about it? Or are we pretending we didn't see what we saw?"
"Greg, go to my truck. Grab the duffel bag in the back seat. Take it upstairs. It's your Luna's. Be careful. Some of it is irreplaceable." I threw him my keys, dismissing him as carefully as I could.
"I want to stay!" he looked hurt, but I couldn't have him as part of this. He'd let his anger take over and do something stupid, and the last thing I needed was for him to get himself killed.
"I'm not asking!" I threw a heavy dose of Alpha command into my voice, Chagan surfacing as he demanded submission from the pup. "Remember the condition for you to come? You do what you're told without question. I gave you an order."
"Yes... Alpha," Greg was fighting not to fall to his knees, an impressive feat. I've had adults give in faster than this.
"Go," I pulled away, not wanting to hurt him. "Then head to bed. Understood?"
"Yes..." he took my keys and stormed out, not bothering to hide his displeasure.
"He's been weird since this afternoon," Terry sighed, getting up to watch him through the window. "Too headstrong for his own good. And hasn't been able to stop talking about Luna since we got back. He wants to impress her."
"We can't pretend all of us don't feel a little of that," Nate defended, turning to me. "Must be bad if you threw the pup out."
"Tay, is Nefra sleeping?" I didn't want to talk about her behind her back, but they needed to know. It was for her safety and ours.
"No, she's taking a shower in your room."
That had my wolf purring.
He liked the idea of her being in our room.
"So, we've got some time," Steven wrapped his arms around Tay, instinctively wanting to protect her. "How bad?"
"Worse than you can imagine," I pulled out my phone and the vials I still had in my jacket, setting them on the table. "Be careful with this one. It's wolfsbane."
"She made this?" Danny jumped off the counter, grabbing a vial.
"No, she didn't..." I hated this because it would change how they saw her, but what else could I do? "These are her husband's."
The word burned like acid, and the heartburn worsened. I swear I could taste tar.
Just the thought of the asshole made me sick, and I wanted to drive back to that house and handle him and his bitch. Nefra thought he felt the break of whatever bond they'd shared. That made him more dangerous.
"He's a sorcerer? Or witch?" Vince scowled, looking at each vial. "These are unstable. Why have them?"
"She was married to... an assassin..."
The only sounds were Nate's whistle, and the front door slammed shut as Greg returned.
They hadn't expected that which overshadowed the news that Nefra used magic. I let it sink in, not sure how much I needed to tell them.
How much could I stand to say before I lost it? Would their wolves have the control to stay here and not hunt?
"I thought we were dealing with an abusive spouse... or a cheater... This is... Are you sure?" Vince's expression darkened, his caution teetering on doubt.
"Yes, I'm sure." Sliding the phone toward him, I let him look through the photos and videos I'd taken. Once you saw the proof, you couldn't deny it. "It's why she was desperate to go home. She wasn't supposed to leave."
"An assassin has a sorceress as a wife?" Terry came back to the table, looking over Vince's shoulder. "Is that…? Fuck."
"That is a lot of werewolves," Vince set the phone down, his skin paling. "How... is she alive?"
"He didn't know she was a sorceress..."
"You don't believe that," Taylor grabbed my phone, scrolling through everything. "Oh... Oh, goddess! Are those... Ivan... Those are baby fangs!"
"I know..." I almost threw up thinking about what I'd seen, but I had to hold it together. "No, I think he knew, but... he was pretending..."
It took me ten minutes to tell them everything, including my theory that this guy used magic on Nefra.
"How did she get out?" Vince was putting the pieces together, filling in the spots I'd missed.
"Nefra's smart," I didn't hide the pride in my voice, thinking of my clever mate. "She knew the codes."
"Then why not leave?" Nate wasn't trying to be accusing, but it was a question you'd ask if you didn't have all the answers.
"She tried..." I thought about what she'd said and the fear she still clung to. "He hunts for her. He won't let her go."
"Why?"
"Because... he loves her."