Page 118 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

I walked into the cellar where we were storing the grapes for processing. The heat hit me in the face when I entered the room, followed by the sugary vinegar smell.

“What the hell, Eric?” I said, looking around helplessly at the cartons of leaking fruit.

“I don’t know how this happened, Luna. I checked the rooms myself yesterday, as we always do. It was working.”

“Call someone to fix it, and let’s see what we can salvage.”

I removed my sweater and got to work.

This room was supposed to be temperature-controlled, so there were no windows to let out the heat or the smell except for the entrance door. I was sweating profusely as we worked, placing the remaining grapes in the wine cellar for now, which thankfully ran on a different furnace. Things were looking grim by the afternoon. I was exhausted, and sweat and the syrup of the grapes saturated my clothes.

We lost almost eighty percent of the grapes to the heat. They pretty much cooked in the cellar. The furnace repairman didn’t understand what caused the malfunction. At this point, it didn’t matter. Even if I survived this year, I’d be fucked the next.

I walked out with Eric late in the evening to find a bunch of my people waiting outside the building.

“The grapes are in bad shape, but we still have options. Things will be alright,” I lied.

It was already past dinner, and Chris was still in his post, so I went to the luna office and found Violet working. On the little table that used to belong to Chris, Adam was coloring on some printed pictures.

“Can you watch him for a little while longer?” I asked.

“Sure. Take your time.”

I walked into the alpha office and sank into the desk, trying hard not to cry. How the fuck was I going to survive a year without making wine? I wasn’t even sure the amount of grapes we were able to save was usable. If they went bitter because of the heat, they were going in the trash. Even if they weren’t,I wouldn’t make much with them. Not enough for a pack to survive.

A knock on the door made me pull my head out of my hands, and Cade walked in a moment later.

“What’s going on?”

“I just got fucked in the ass,” I answered.

“You cheating on me, Princess?” Cade joked, making me let out a half snort.

“I wish. This wasn’t voluntary.” I sighed, pulling my hair up, and out of my face. “The thermometer in the cellar broke. The furnace was running all night. We lost almost all the grapes.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. All the work your peop—”

“That’s not even on my radar, Bells. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know yet,” I told him honestly. “But I’ll figure it out. I have to.”

“Have you eaten?” Cade asked, a pensive look on his face.

I shook my head. I hadn’t eaten breakfast, lunch or dinner. The smell of the grapes all day made the thought of food unappetizing.

“Let’s go find you something to eat.” Cade walked around the desk and offered his hand.

I took it, and he pulled me up and hugged me. I rested my head on his chest, relishing the comfort his hug was offering me.

“Luna, I heard—” The door burst open, and Hugh came running in, stopping when he saw me wrapped up in Cade’s arms. “Pardon me.” The idiot turned right around and left.

I wanted to curse, but instead of running after him, I sighed and hugged Cade tighter. Everything was becoming a fucking mess that was slowly getting out of my control.

‘Come to my office in twenty minutes,’I mind-linked Hugh.

‘Of course, Luna.’

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