Page 38 of Moon Cursed

I peered around the stage curtain, observing the scene with interest.

I never had reason to be in the alpha auditorium before, but it was a marvel much like every room in the building with the name alpha stamped on it. All the seats were covered in plush, red velvet cushions, there were private balcony seats above, and painted on the walls were scenes from famous werewolf plays throughout time.The Big Bad Werewolf—we get those fucking pigs in our version.Death of A Werewolf, A Streetcar Named Wolfsbane,andA Midsummer Night’s Howl.

“Everyone will be placed in the classes they belong. Fairness and equity will be the order of the day.”

More raucous cheering and carrying on.

“Are you sure about this?” Edric asked in my mind. “Anyone with the stench of Sunella on them can’t be trusted.”

“Believe me,” I thought back, eyeing that self-satisfied smirk. “I don’t trust her worth a damn.” I glanced back at him. “Speaking of Sunella being a treacherous bitch, is your sister safe? Is she home?”

He nodded. “She told Sunella she was quitting yesterday, and when she handed over the damages fee in cash like it was nothing, Sis said her eyes about popped out of her skull and rolled down the hall. I only wish I was there to see it.”

“Good. I’m glad she’s free of her now.” I flicked back to Ash, who had launched into the details of the new classes, meals, and dorm assignments. “Did you tell her about Lucia? About the resources, support, and loans that she offers to survivors? She even has a stash of emergency funds for women that need to relocate in a hurry. Sunella might not be done with your sister after all. Tell her Lucia is waiting for her call, and will give her anything she needs.”

“She doesn’t need help from a vampire.”

Edric heard the uncharitable thoughts coming back at him loud and clear.

Amusement trickled down the bond. “I’m not a stubborn, bigot jackass, thank you very much. I’ll have you know, I did tell Idalia about Lucia, including that she stumped up the first two million. Idalia is thankful, and believe it or not, so am I, but she still has dreams, Daze.

“It’s like you said, many werewolves want Wolf Nation to become the haven it pretends to be. Idalia plans to be the first omega clan leader of the wind wolves. She wants to enact real change. It’s already next to impossible for her to lead a clan as an omega. She’s got no chance if her enemies ever find out she accepted help from a vampire,” Edric replied. “I appreciate what you both are trying to do, but this has to be her choice.”

I backed down, nodding. “You’re right, it does. Sorry I went on the attack. I’m just a bit on edge today.”

“An agreement and an apology? Wow. You’re definitely not feeling well this morning.”

I flipped him off.

“Is it because of Ash?”

As much as I wanted to deny it, I had to tell him the truth. “Yes. She’s a puppet of the council—no matter what she says. They’re planning something, but I have no idea what it is. They can’t possibly want any of the changes she’s made, so why did they send her here to make them?”

“Maybe they’ve seen sense.” I felt his presence behind me. Edric grasped my tense shoulders and dug in, kneading the hard, tight knots between my shoulder blades. If I was any kind of cat, I’d purr. “You don’t fuck with Luame’s will. You just don’t. You know the saying, ‘she’s not as strong as she was—’”

“'—but she’s always strong enough to punish disrespect,’”I finished. “I know the saying, but if they’re going to fight for the vision, they’d have to believe in it in the first place, and I’m not sure they do.

“I may not know enough about Wolf Nation, but I was smacked with some hardcore culture shock when I was hiding among the mundanes. A lot of the lost packs have protected themselves by living in plain sight among them, so I had to as well,”I admitted. “One curious thing I learned about them is that they twist their religions to suit their own prejudices, not the other way around.

“But are we any different? At no point in Wolf Nation history did Luame ever indicate through gruff, growl, or vision that she wanted the alphas and betas on top, and the rest of us begging and scrambling for their scraps. But even though that’s true, alphas still shout from the mountaintops their supremacy is their Luame-given birthright.

“If they truly believe they were born to have everything, and they’ve believed that for thousands of years, are they really going to trust me when I pop out of nowhere, saying they’ve been bad and Luame wants them to give up their toys?”

His massaging slowed. “I... I don’t know. I honestly can’t say I would’ve believed you if I hadn’t seen into your mind and got the full blast of that vision myself. Wolf Nation is about to become every horror movie combined, and I’ll burn my fucking toys to stop it from happening, but if I didn’t have proof and I was going on nothing but the word of the psycho priestess that betrayed Wolf Nation...” We both fixed on Vice Ash. “I wouldn’t believe it, and I wouldn’t give up shit.”

I couldn’t even get mad at him for saying it so bluntly. He was only confirming what I deep down knew was true. Ididbelieve that Ash’s changes were good ones, and I also believed that she loved her sons enough to want them to live in a better world.

But I damn sure didn’t fucking believe that her vision of a better world—or the alpha council’s vision—would come close to mine.

“They’re just placating me. Stringing me along for a few months or years until I’ve completed the bonds, and they don’t need me anymore. These changes will never go farther than Corvin Academy.” I shook my head, knowing in my bones it was true. “We can play at being equal all we want within these walls, but out there, the alphas and betas are on top. And they’re not giving up their toys.”

“Sorry to say this, Daze, but that’s one hundred percent what they’re doing, but you had to know that already.” His hands skittered down my back and up under my shirt, popping goose bumps on my flesh as he rubbed my lower back.

My lids lowered unbidden, a soft sigh escaping me. When Edric said he planned to turn off his jerk switch, and become a sweet, worshipping boyfriend, I blew a raspberry in his face. I was convinced his fake and phony efforts would be the biggest lady-boner killers, and it would turn me off worse than guys who say they hate reading.

But then the stupid, irritating fart-fuck had to prove he was good at that too. In the last two days, he’s had lavender bubble baths waiting for me when I returned to our room. He requested, and paid for, the kitchen staff to make me a special batch of butterscotch muffins because he plucked out of my head that they were my favorite sneaky treat. And he found a mundane woman online who makes crochet dolls ofmythicalcreatures. She had a white werewolf with markings eerily similar to mine in her stock, so he had that shipped to Incepe Din and Hope.

The night before, Lucia turned the camera on my baby and she was bouncing in her bouncy seat, waving the little wolf around, and giggling her tail off.

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