Page 24 of Rising Luna
"No, and I don't think I want to if they will condemn someone to death over the bond the Great Moon blessed them with."
She smiled. Something about the smile seemed off. Her movements were off, too, but I couldn't put my finger on why or how. When I focused on it, the movements just looked jerky. Was this because of my exhaustion over sparring with Dylan? That could be it. I need to rest and get some food.
No. I see it too. Her wolf scent is stronger than normal, too,my wolf pointed out.
Come to think of it, I agreed with him. The wolf's musk had been stronger than anyone I met. For a moment, I thought it could be from her power. Lupe had been the most powerful female wolf I'd met in a long time. She could be a Beta under the most powerful if she wanted to be. However, she cut all ties with a pack to work here. Her duty should be to this school.
But something tells me that isn't how she feels.
"I doubt they would have killed her over that. It would have been a slap on the wrist if anything, but I didn't want this to be on record of any kind, especially when I noticed she suddenly had another mate come to the school."
"Hunter."
"Yes. Mr. Hawthorne."
"Did you know he was an Enforcer?" I had to ask.
If they allowed him to walk in here knowing who he was, I really needed to bring reinforcements to question everyone who worked here. Not many people typically know enforcers. Their names are kept from all databases to keep their identities unknown. However, Lupe seemed to know more than she let on.
"No. I didn't know he was here to kill Dylan. I wouldn't have allowed him in this school if I knew that."
I nodded. "Good."
"Dylan calmed down a lot once her two mates were bonded to her. Then things really took a turn for the worst. Someone in the school had been killing other students. I'm not sure why yourmate thought she needed to get involved with that mess. The school had it covered."
That's what Dylan mentioned before. How Lupe hated her for thwarting her plans. Would Lupe spill that information to me right now? She wouldn't be stupid enough to give me incriminating information. This woman didn't get to this position for making stupid moves like that.
"Dylan didn't feel like the school was doing enough."
She lifted an eyebrow at me. "Did she tell you about what happened?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Not really. All she would tell me was how she stopped someone from killing more students before I arrived. Dylan doesn't trust me yet to explain everything to me."I looked down at my feet and slumped my shoulders to sell the point.
"Probably for the best. She stopped the person, but I'm sure we could have helped the students behind it. They were misguided."
I had to stifle a laugh considering Lupe was the one who guided them to do what they did. That's why Dylan hated this woman so much. She gained a following and led people to their deaths. Dylan may not trust me yet, but I trusted her judgement. If she killed them, there wasn't any hope for them. Hell, there may not have been a cure for them, or they wouldn't listen to reason. There had to be a reason Dylan thought they were lost causes.
"I see," I answered. "What does this have to do with today?"
The curves of her lips ticked upward slightly. "To help you understand your mate. You two didn't know each other before you found out about you being fated to each other, correct?" I nodded. "So, you two don't know each other well? I've known Dylan longer than you, in a way now. Let me tell you this. Your mate is stubborn and headstrong. She won't listen to you ifshe believes she is right. Dylan is powerful and is very aware of how powerful she has become. Her power will lead her to great things someday."
"I know. What does this have to do with today?" I repeated.
"Today was about her being stubborn about how she feels about you, Mr. Lynch. She is aware of your bond, rejected it, but hasn't outrightly killed you because she understands what kind of power it will bring her to have another mate. She can do something many can't with her magic. Dylan can share her power with her mates through the bond. This means she can also share it with her pack if she were to move to one who isn't Shadowborns."
This was news to me. Dylan hadn't said her power had grown like that since she came here. That did not exactly intimidate me, though. Dylan could grow in power until she became the top Alpha in our world, and I wouldn't care. I wouldn't advance in life without her, and if she gains more power, that would only help our world, wouldn't it? Maybe she was what we needed to bring peace to our people–someone who can make anyone a Shadowborn, in a way.
"So? That is great for her. I'm sure it brings her happiness, knowing she has full control over her power now. I know she didn't have control over it before she came here." I tilted my head and thought about that for a moment. Then I looked back at Lupe. "Thank you for that. With her being more confident in her abilities, Dylan will be a more confident alpha. I'm not sure where we will end up once we are mated, since she has three mates. I'm supposed to take over my pack, but I believe she is to take over hers as well. We have much to talk about."
I stopped listening to Lupe. Something about all this didn't sit right with me. Lupe’s actions were intended to frighten me about my mate. I wanted nothing to do with that now. I'vegrown since she rejected me. I stood up to leave and Lupe frowned at me.
"I'm leaving. There is a lot I need to talk to Dylan about. Today was not a good day to repair our bond. Something tells me I will need to talk to her and apologize for springing this on her. I'd say you need to apologize to her as well for not warning her at some point before today."
Before she could say anything else, I walked out the door. I needed to find Dylan and tell her Lupe tried to sway my thoughts on her, or she triedsomethingat the very least. I'm not even sure what this was, if I was being honest. It felt like Lupe wanted me to hear these things and reconsider fighting for Dylan. That wouldn't have worked, anyway. I made a mistake leaving Dylan once, and I wouldn't make it again.
When I arrived at the dorm, Dylan was outside with her mates. I casually strolled up to them, and they stopped their discussion to look at me. The way my ears burned as I walked up to them, I wasn't sure if that was from nerves or the old wive’s tale of that oddity happening when people talked about you. Either way, the look on Dylan's face was murderous. She still wasn't happy about me showing up during her class. I understood that. I now wasn't happy with Lupe for springing this on my mate.
"Hi. I know you aren't happy about what happened today-"
