Wicked lessons from the Luna

Lupo doesn’t like cheating

*Lupo*

I can spot a cheater from a mile away. Standing on the balcony of the Twin Wolves, I watch with astonishment as my brother rakes in his winnings, time and again, occasionally allowing the she-wolf to take the hand but ensuring the Alpha of Moonsdowne never again feels the satisfaction of adding chips to his pile but rather is reduced to watching the wooden disks dwindle away.

I am accustomed to Rexton using underhanded means in an attempt to prevent our sister from winning, but that is sibling rivalry, and I have yet to see Rexton outsmart Faye. I have never known anyone... man or she-wolf... with such nimble fingers. It is understood that when the family plays cards, we are all likely to use questionable means to win. The object is not to get caught doing it. But on my gaming floor, they are supposed to behave.

I make my way downstairs and out into the thick of the games, my stride casual while my mind whirls, striving not to judge or get angry until I understand the facts. As I approach the table where Rexton sits, I watch as Moonsdowne shoves back his chair and marches toward the library reserved for gentlemen who are in need of a drink or conversation.

The she-wolves have a corresponding library. When I had decided to open my doors to the fairer s*x, I had recognized that private areas were needed for each gender so they don’t have to always display the best of themselves.

I am nearly to Rexton’s back when I hear him say, “Miss Edith, might I bother you to donate my winnings to your favorite charity?”

Another unwritten rule among my family and friends: ill-gotten gains cannot be kept but are to be bestowed upon someone in need or in a manner that benefits charitable works. So I had been correct in my assessment: my younger brother has been manipulating the cards.

The she-wolf beams at his attention. “I would be most delighted, my Beta, to see it put to good use. Your generosity is inspiring.”

“Thank you, but it's the least I can do.”

Truer words may have never been spoken. I curl my hand around Rexton’s shoulder. “Join me for a drink.”

My brother doesn’t flinch. He merely meets my gaze head-on. When Rexton was younger, he fairly worshipped me, but with age, he has come to the realization that the lad his parents had taken in and raised as their own isn't so very special after all.

Rexton signals for one of the nearby servants to handle trading his chips for coins and instructs him to deliver the funds to Miss Edith. I might have thought he had an interest in the young she-wolf, except I have seen him be as solicitous to any number of she-wolves, so I don’t think she means anything special to my brother. If not to impress someone he might wish to woo, then why clean out another gent?

I don’t say anything until we are safely ensconced in my office, with the door closed and drinks in hand. “I didn't teach you to cheat so you could fleece my members out on the gaming floor.”

Rexton takes a sip of the whisky, walks over to the window, and glances out. “He deserved it.”

I sit on the edge of my desk. Black-haired and swarthy-skinned, I more closely mirror a devil, while my adopted brothers remind me of angels with their sandy-blond curls and fair eyes. Yet at this moment, I don’t think I would care to run into Rexton in a darkened alley. “Care to tell me why?”

He shakes his head, takes another sip. “Was Luna Moonsdowne ever a member?” Before I can answer, something seems to have occurred to the Beta as he adds. “Is she a member now?”

“She's not a member. I suspect she wouldn't like the chilly welcome she would be apt to receive.” I shake my head slowly, even though Rexton has yet to turn his gaze away from the night beyond the window and face me. “I don't recall her ever coming here while she was married to Moonsdowne. Why the interest?”

Rexton continues to stare at whatever is happening on the streets below. Another sip. A tap on his glass. A sip. “I'm not sure.” He swings around, leans against the wall, holding my gaze. “I met her today."

"And you started thinking with your c**k instead of your head.”

Rexton laughs, downs what remains in his glass. “I'm not certain I was able to think at all. I'm supposed to be courting her sister.”

I am glad to have been half sitting on the desk as I might have staggered back.

Although it is high time my brother takes a mate, he has not yet expressed an interest in doing so. But then, I had planned to never marry. But that is eight years, four children, and countless rescued animals ago. My darling mate has a soft heart when it comes to children and animals. And on occasion, me.

“Mother will be happy to hear that. She is in want of more grandchildren.”

Rexton scowls. “Between you and Faye, she has more than enough. And I'm not going to marry the chit. I made a pact with her uncle to get the other gents interested in her. Apparently, they fear she will be as unskilled at honoring her vows as her sister.”

“And what do you gain?”

“Two winners from Black Diamond.”

I whistle. “You've wanted that horse for stud since you first saw him race.”

“Indeed. So I will play the besotted beau for a bit.”

Frowning, I study my brother. He isn't an unkind man, but he is obsessed with the damned horse, with his racehorses overall. “Have you considered the she-wolf's feelings?”

“I shan't be with her long enough for any true emotion to take hold.” He promises.

“You can't control the heart.”

“A week at the most. She will have young swains falling over themselves to be with her. She'll cast me aside.”

“Perhaps you shouldn't tell Mother or Faye about this plan.” I warn him.

He shakes his head. “I had no intention of doing so. As I said, it will be over quickly enough. She drew the eye of a few gents when I took her to the park this afternoon. Tomorrow is the theater. One more ball, and it will be done.”

“I wouldn't be so sure. Take it from someone who knows from experience. Where she-wolves are concerned, the plans never go the way you expect they will.” I grin.