The Alpha God’s Luna by Marissa Gilbert
Chapter 58. Found
“What exactly are you implying here?” King Gideon furrowed his dark brows while his wife gently drew circles on the back of his palm with her thumb. “You know Queen Savannah of the Northern Lycan Kingdom is my sister! Neither she nor her husband would ever attack a neighbouring country! This goes against everything they believe in!”
“Or maybe you don’t know them that well anymore?” Vidar smirked, folding his arms over his chest as every Alpha in the room watched him. “Or maybe your lack of political experience shows,” Riannon pointed out calmly and met the deity’s stern gaze with a little smile. “We all know your story. Your father didn’t train you well, did he? You aren’t exactly prepared to deal with matters like this, so maybe it’s best you sit this one out? This isn’t similar to smiling a small pack, but I think by watching, you will get the necessary experience for your future endeavours.”
Joran snorted loudly, finding the conversation amusing, and all eyes in the room darted at him. This wasn’t his usual behaviour, but he did not care anymore, so he just leaned against the back of his seat to get a better view of the show.
“Right,” Forrest cleared his throat, trying to distract everyone. “Right now, it’s all simple speculation. We are not at war with them, and there is no reason for them to attack us.”
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“The reason is sitting right there!” Vidar pointed his index finger at Fenrir. “Or is it a coincidence that it all happened during your spectacular arrival and that it’s the witch from the East that leads them?”
“What is the name of the witch?” Astrea asked innocently, and Vidar sent her a withering glare, which she pretended not to notice. He always wanted her to be his silent accessory, and she wasn’t going to give him that.
“Salome Gray,” one of the older men read the report before him.
“Then why do you say she is an Eastern witch?” Astrea knitted her brows together. “Salome Gray was not born in the East. Moreover, she was banished from the Eastern Kingdom. I think you need to get your facts straight before accusing anyone. I honestly thought the Southern Republic had better intel than that.”
“Are you implying the North is the only one at fault?” someone demanded.
“My Luna is not implying anything,” Fenrir interfered. “She just tells the truth. Salome left our country, and although it is quite possible, she’s now working in the North because she’s a very talented witch, I highly doubt that she is leading their army. Not to mention that I don’t believe the North is about to attack.”
“Then how would you explain an army on our border?” another Alpha asked.
“Actually, I am afraid this can be my fault indeed,” Fenrir shrugged. “My — arrival was a bit — let’s say flashy. Maybe they got worried I would attack them next and just prepare to defend themselves if the need arises.”
Vidar did not like that response because it did make sense and was mining the narrative he weaved so carefully.
“The bottom line is they didn’t attack,” Forrest interjected. “And we are not going to attack first, considering our values. So, in my opinion, as the acting general and member of the Alpha Convocation, we should seek comments on what is going on from the Northerners and assess the threat level, but at the same time our army mobilization is a must.”
A few men in the room nodded.
“Any comments, Nathair?” An older woman asked, and the dragon lazily shifted his gaze to her.
“I think Forrest pretty much got it under control. Are we done here?” The man in question stretched his neck.
The silence in the room became heavy.
“Unless we are going to discuss our military strategy in front of strangers, of course.” Joran stood up. “We heard what they have to say. We know what we have to do. Forrest is our acting chief general. This is the end of the story for me until we know what the North has to say about it.”
He left the room before anyone could say anything else.
“We will give the Alpha Convocation the privacy it needs.” Gideon stood up as well and offered his wife a hand. His Queen accepted it with a subtle smile, and they were about to leave when Astrea gave a quick signal to Fenrir that she was going to follow them.
“Queen Riannon, I would like to have a minute of your time, if possible,” she said, suddenly remembering how she looked. Maybe she had to let it go and take that shower first.
Soft, silky fabric touched her shoulders, and she angled her head to see Devoss bowing his head to her. “My Luna.”
The bright purple blazer wasn’t exactly her style, but it did feel nice to be cared for and respected. Fenrir gave his friend a thankful gaze. He only had a shirt on and had nothing to offer Astrea at this moment, so his friend’s gesture was appreciated.
“Thank you,” the Dragonfly nodded politely and turned back to look at the western royal couple.
“It would be my honour, Luna,” Ria nodded subtly as Gideon opened the door for them both. “I wanted to speak to you too.”
Outside, Gideon kissed his wife’s hand.
“I have an urgent matter to attend to,” he said and nodded at Astrea. “I hope to see you again soon, Luna of The East.”
“Me too,” the girl replied nervously.
The Western King was gone and the two women took a stroll down the long corridors of the building, searching for a quiet place to speak. Finally, they saw a passage that led them to a hidden gem of the building — a spacious balcony with the city sprawling below. Green plants adorned it on all sides, creating a relaxing atmosphere.
Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Astrea felt a little better and slightly more confident about what she was going to do.
Her memories were back, as in the memories of her first life ever.
However, at the same time, she started to see glimpses of her childhood in this lifetime. They were mere fleeting moments, but each one resonated in her heart. Sometimes it was the memory of bare feet on the grass; sometimes it was children’s laughter. She saw wolves running and distinctly remembered hugging one. She remembered how soft it was and what a wonderful scent it had. Still, it was hard to tell what she saw.
Until she remembered a woman. Her shiny blond hair cascaded to her waist, her warm smile and eyes that looked through her soul, ft wasn’t the Queen of the Western Lycan Kingdom. Astrea was sure of it, but the woman she saw resembled Riannon a lot. Same features, same elegance. It couldn’t be a coincidence.
They stood on this balcony for a while, and none of them said a word.
Astrea didn’t know why it was so hard for her. She wasn’t usually the shy type.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” Riannon asked, leaning over the rails and touching one of the green leaves with her long fingers.
“I—” Once again, Astrea lost her words. “I wanted to make sure you are fine. And to thank you for not holding what I did against me.”
“You saved us all.” The corners of Ria’s lips tilted upwards. “I have to thank you. None of us would have survived if you hadn’t betrayed your Teacher.”
Astrea tried to form her question, but the words were not reaching her tongue. What if she was wrong about it?
“You know,” Riannon sighed, “family is the most important thing in the world for me.”
“I can tell that,” Astrea nodded.
“Maybe it’s because prior to meeting Gideon, I had lost everyone I loved,” Ria confessed, and her voice trembled.
“Your parents?” Something in the Dragonfly’s chest stirred. She hoped at least someone was still alive.
“Died right after my marriage. My first marriage.” Tears glistened in the Western Queen’s eyes. “This wasn’t the first time I lost someone. When I was still a teen, my brother and two twin sisters were killed in a rogue attack.”
“Wh-what were their names?” It suddenly became much harder to breathe, and she clenched the rails so hard that the metal bent under her grip-
“Brian,” Riannon’s voice was barely a whisper, “Stella and—”
The woman turned to face her, tears now streaming freely down her beautiful, perfect face.
“And Astrea.” Ria took her hand and gave it a light squeeze.
“You know,” the Dragonfly muttered under her breath. “How long have you known?”
“For a while,” the Western Queen tried to force a smile, but it wasn’t working. “I knew after I woke up in that Northern Hall. I knew who you were and what sacrifice you made for us all. I wanted to go look for you as soon as the battles were over, but—”
“But she sold you out to me!” Joran leaned over the balcony frame with a bottle of whiskey in his hand, taking a long sip as the two startled women watched him.
“I am pretty sure that’s a lie!” Astrea gritted her teeth, lacing her fingers with Ria’s to reassure her, but noticing how she lowered her head.
“I did not want to—” Her older sister was fighting a sob that threatened to escape her. “He—”
“Come on!” Joran chuckled coldly, enjoying the moment. “I didn’t even have to torture her. The whole thing took me like a minute or two. She sold you out because she did not care about you. The only person who really cared about you is me!”
“Is that so?” Astrea snapped her head in his direction. “Is that what you caring about me looks like?”
He frowned, taking another gulp of the liquid that failed to burn his throat the way he wanted it to. He wished for it to burn away all the pain from his chest, but it wasn’t working. She still couldn’t see what he saw.
“It’s me,” Riannon admitted. “I don’t want there to be lies between us, Astrea. He asked me about your location and I told him. Maybe if I didn’t, you could have escaped to the East and be safe there with Fenrir.”
“Or maybe he would have found me anyway,” the girl shook her head. “He is a god and a freaking dragon! It was naive to think I could escape that easily.”
“It’s still my fault—” Riannon exhaled painfully, and Joran let out a bitter laugh.
“Let me guess,” his Dragonfly gave him a continuous glance, “you were pregnant, and he threatened to hurt your child?”
“And she chose the brat that wasn’t even born yet!” he “reasoned” and she rolled her eyes at him.
“As she should! This is her child and my nephew! 1 would have been appalled if she chose otherwise! But that’s something you wouldn’t understand!”
“If she really loved you—” The dragon got angrier and threw the whiskey bottle against the wall right next to Riannon, myriads of shards flying in all directions, cutting the Western Queen’s skin in several places.
Ria hissed in pain, and Astrea was next to her in seconds. “Are you out of your mind?” she yelled at the god before her and then concentrated on her sister. “Are you okay?”
“I am fine,” Riannon cupped her cheek and smiled through tears. “It’s just a scratch, and I am already regenerating. And to be honest, nothing can min this day for me. Not when I finally found you, Asti.”
The word sent a rush of goosebumps down her spine, evoking more childhood memories that were now flooding her mind.
Astrea took off the blazer Devoss gave her and tried to use the fabric to soak the blood from her sister’s wounds, while the latter assured her, she was fine.
“Ria, we will talk again soon!” Astrea pulled her into a tight hug and whispered into her ear. “Right now, I need you to find Gideon. Take him and leave back to the West. It’s not safe here at the moment and you have a kid to worry about.”
“I am not leaving you!” Riannon embraced her back. “Not again!”
“You are not leaving me,” the Dragonfly smiled. “You are helping me and Fenrir do what is right. In the meantime, you need to take care of your country and your people. You know that.”
The Queen of the West pursed her lips. It wasn’t what she wanted to hear or how they wished for this conversation to go, but they both knew that at this given moment in time, it was the best course of action.
“Just know that me, Gideon and the West are always with you,” Riannon gave her one last hug. “Whatever you need. Any time.”
“I know,” Astrea smiled and embraced her tighter. “Go, Ria. We will catch up another time.”
Riannon was about to leave, when she stopped right next to Joran.
“Remember what I told you,” She said through clenched teeth. “I don’t even have to do anything. Your end has already been written!”
“Bye, witch!” he ignored her and stepped onto the balcony, smashing the glass under his boots.
He waited for the sounds of receding steps to disappear before he spoke up again.
“Is it finally my turn?”
“What do you want?” The woman snapped, throwing the blazer over the rail and meeting his gaze.
“Really, Astrea? Is that all you have to tell me after everything?” He ran his hand through his blonde hair.
“I just know you better,” she retorted. “You always want something.”
“I saved you!” he bellowed.
“And turned me into your slave! You are sad now because I am not wearing my collar anymore. Or am I wrong?”
“Everything I did was for your protection,” he threw his head back, trying not to look at her because it was too painful for his liking.
“You know it’s a lie just as well as I do.” Astrea shook her head. “Get over it.”
She turned on her heels to leave, but he caught her arm, fingers digging into her flesh.
“Why?” A fire she hadn’t seen before burned in his eyes. “Why, after all these years, you couldn’t fall for me?”