Page 40 of Luna: Posy 2

"Aw, we didn't mean to make you cry. We're sorry. We want to stay in contact with you, but if it only hurts you, we'll—" Now Beta Aiden sounded likehewas on the verge of crying. "We'll back off. We don't want to hurt you anymore, baby sister, even if it means we have to let you go."

The luna's little fists gripped my shirt tightly, and she trembled harder.

"Hold on a second, please," I told them, then leaned down to whisper in her ear. "What do you want me to say?"

She lifted her face to mine and her eyes were wide and tragic, although she wasn't crying anymore.

"I can't talk to them, not yet, but I don't want to cut them out of my life. I'm so confused. What should I do, Matthew?"

The alphas had told us that her father abused her and kept her locked in the alpha house for six years, but they hadn't said a word about her brothers. I had no idea what I was dealing with here, but I could tell it wasn't anything good.

"What advice did your mates give you?" No way was I getting in the middle if there was something more going on than I knew.

"That it's my choice. They wouldn't help me decide, even though I asked them to justtellme what to do."

Knowing my alphas, I didn’t expect anything else.

"Okay," I said slowly. "How about we thank them for checking in and say you'll be in touch later? That's polite and noncommittal."

She dropped her forehead to my chest and nodded.

After I told them that, Alpha Briggs thanked me for being there for his sister and told her she could call them any time, day or night.

After hanging up, I laid her phone on the kitchen island, took a deep breath, and put my other arm around her. As I swayed us side to side, I wondered what was going on between her and her brothers.

Stressful, Roy grumbled.

Yeah.

When she finally stopped shaking, I decided to get some answers.

"Luna, what did they do to you?" I murmured.

"Nothing. They did nothing."

Then why she upset?Roy wondered. If brothers do nothing, why upset?

"You mean your brothers did nothing as your father hurt you?" I asked, aghast. "What, did they sit back and watch?"

"Once Aiden turned eighteen, they moved out and stayed away." She took a step back, and I dropped my arms. "Other than challenging Father for the alphaship, they didnothing."

I couldn't wrap my brain around that. Both of my brothers were older, mated, and settled into careers, but I still would do anything to keep either of them safe, to protect them, and I knew that they would do the same for me. To abandon them completely when they were vulnerable and needed help the most?

It was unfathomable.

Maybe brothers were hurt?Roy was struggling to understand, too.Or maybe father stopped brothers from helping?

Or maybe they're more their father's sons than anyone wants to believe,I spat.

"Luna, I swear, you will never be abandoned again. Even if something were to happen to your mates, your beta guards will never desert you. I know it might take decades to convince you, but we will—Iwill stand by your side until death takes me."

She squinted her eyes at me for a moment, then held out her hand. I took it - and was surprised when she used it to pull me down to her eye level.

"I haven't forgiven you for how you've been treating Tyler." Her eyes burned like blue fire.

"I understand, and I'm sorry. I apologized to Tyler, too." My smile was hopeful. "I'm going to be a better teammate from now on. That's what you told me to do, right?"

"Yes. That's what Iexpectyou to do." She shook my hand and released it, then went over to grab a tray from one of the cupboards.

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