Page 41 of Luna Rising

My mind quieted, though I remained slightly off-kilter. “Um, yeah,” I stammered.

Penn wrapped an arm around her shoulders and planted a kiss on her temple. “No sightings,” he muttered.

I lifted an eyebrow in question.

“Strays.” Drake shook her head, disgust curling her top lip back. “They’ve been an issue lately. Come on inside.” She opened the door and gestured us inside. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Her eyes went wide, realizing a beat too late that offering vampires a drink was dicey. Nervous laughter escaped her lips.

“We’re good,” Ewan assured her.

Drake led us through the house to a large living room decorated entirely in green and gold, with the Ophiuchus serpent visible on throw blankets and tapestries. Three women climbed to their feet as we entered.

The two redheads, a woman in her twenties and one in her forties, must have been related. They had the same flaming hair and perky nose, even their smiles matched. The other woman was much older, with keen eyes that made my insides squirm.

“You guys have met Penn, my mate.” Drake smiled up at him, features softening. “And my beta.”

My face displayed the surprise my brain registered. Penn was one of six original alphas, dominance was literally in his DNA, yet he had no issue taking a step back and letting Drake reign over their pack. It was both baffling and fascinating.

“This is Evera.” Drake pointed to the younger redhead.

The woman nodded first to Ewan and then to me. Unlike Drake and Penn, our crimson eyes made her extremely nervous.

“Grace.” Drake gestured to the woman beside Evera. Then, she indicated the older shifter. “Frann. They’re my advisors.”

With the introductions out of the way, Drake invited us to sit on the leather couch. The others filled the surrounding chairs, only Penn remaining on his feet behind Drake’s seat.

Frann cleared her throat. “Walter was somewhat vague when he requested this meeting.” She settled against the seat cushions. “It must be important for the Taurus alpha and his mate to travel all this way.”

“It is,” Ewan assured her. His gaze scanned the room, landing on Drake. “How much do you know about what we are?”

She started to chew her lip before seeming to remember the nervous habit wasn’t befitting an alpha. Inhaling deeply through her nose, she launched into a recap of her memories of previous lives. Just a hunch, but I got the feeling she offered us an abbreviated version of events and left out some of the juicier details.

Maybe that was just me projecting.

For Drake, the dreams had started the night of the twin comets, when Winter had opened the portal. She’d witnessed memories from her first life–our time in the games, her bonding ceremony with Lucien, crossing paths with an alluring eternal in the woods. There were also dreams from her other lives, though she only went into detail about the day the Zodiac Council of Wolves stripped the Ophiuchus of membership.

Penn put his hand on her shoulder while she talked as if lending her strength to get through some of the harder topics. Drake didn’t acknowledge his touch, but she sat up straighter and spoke with more authority.

“What about Mat, have you dreamt of him?” Ewan asked, keeping his voice neutral.

Drake’s gaze flicked to Penn. He nodded and left the room, returning quickly with a thick envelope that he handed to Ewan. I scooted closer to read over his shoulder as he removed a card and scanned the interior. In scrawling cursive type, it wished “many blessings on your union”. Underneath, in neat little handwritten letters, it said: “Congratulations on your new position, Diana. May the Ophiuchus prosper under your leadership. Be seeing you soon–Mat.”

“It arrived a few days ago,” Penn said. “To a mailbox we keep in the closest human town.”

“Aside from Walter, few outside my pack have any knowledge of my position or that we have bonded.” She indicated Penn unnecessarily. Her jaw hardened. “I can only assume we have a traitor. Sadly, not everyone is happy to have a lady alpha, so this doesn’t surprise me.”

Ewan gave her a wry smile. “Not everyone is happy to have a fanged alpha either, so I understand.” He rubbed his hands together. “Mat has spies everywhere. The guy’s been alive forever, and he’s created a vast network over the years. He’s also extremely adept with his magic, and the person feeding him information may not even know it.”

He spoke so matter of fact, like he had firsthand knowledge of Mat and his vampy enterprises. We hadn’t talked about his time at the eternal king’s mercy, and I wondered if maybe that was a mistake. Clearly Ewan had overheard information worth sharing.

Drake sighed. “Well, that’s too bad. Rooting out someone who hates me for my lack of a penis is much easier than uncovering a spy who doesn’t even know they’ve double-crossed me.”

“Is Mat the reason you’ve come?” Penn asked, steering the conversation back on track.

“Not entirely,” Ewan admitted, and then gave them the same rundown Essie had given us. He made sure to look at everyone in the room as he spoke, making each woman and Penn feel included.

Taking a cue from Penn, I rested my hand on Ewan’s leg. He didn’t need my strength, but he was about to ask Drake for a humongous favor, and I wanted to support him while he did. Plus, if he and I put on a united front, the Ophiuchus might consider the request more kindly. After all, they weren’t like the other packs. The coming war wouldn’t affect them, since they weren’t part of the Zodiac Order any longer. They could choose to remain on the sidelines, safe in the idyllic Snake Mountains.

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