Wicked lessons from the Luna

Tart and strong

*Rexton*

I arrive promptly at two. I have never been a slacker in any regard. Moonsdowne Court is impressive from the outside, even more so from the inside with its cavernous entryway and stairs branching out on two sides leading to the upper floors.

I am not certain how Luna Moonsdowne has wrestled the residence, which has been in the Alpha’s family for at least a century, away from her husband, but her residing within these walls has resulted in another insult for which High pack Society won’t forgive her.

Extending my card to the butler, I am surprised by the man's youth. “The Beta of Greywind calling upon Miss Halfmoon.”

“I'll inform the Luna. Allow me to situate you in the parlor.” He says.

The parlor has deep purple walls and furniture in various shades of white. I had never realized white came in an assortment. Some of them are so pristine as to hurt the eyes, like snow captured in sunlight, some less so, more the ivory of tusks.

I wander over to the shelves beside the fireplace. Only half contains books. The others hold wood, granite, and marble carvings of horses in various stances: leaping, trotting, prancing.

Paintings of horses dot the walls, a huge one hangs over the fireplace. Obviously, the room reflects the Alpha’s love of horses. It must have pricked his pride to have had to leave all this behind.

Hearing the rapid patter of heels, I turn, completely unprepared for the hard kick my gut takes at the sight of the she-wolf striding toward me with such regal and uncompromising bearing.

She holds herself rigid and tall, with dignity and a daring that issues a challenge: mock me, mess with me, at your own peril. Nothing about her appears youthful, yet I doubt she has yet seen a quarter of a century.

She stops in front of me, her blue eyes… shrewd, calculating, suspicious… slowly raking over me, taking my measure. Much to my annoyance, I find myself straightening my spine a tad, when I had thought it was as straight as a poker. With hair as black as midnight, she in no way resembles her sister. This woman is no innocent. She doesn’t harbor dreams of love and romance.

I bet that poetry interests her not in the least. Pixie dust isn't sprinkled about her. She is all strength and vinegar. She wouldn't break in my bed. I would wager if anyone were vulnerable there, it would be me. She communicates quite effectively with her narrowed gaze that she would give no quarter.

“Good afternoon, Beta Rexton. I'm Luna Moonsdowne. I don't believe we've ever been properly introduced.” She says.

No, we haven’t. I can’t recall ever laying eyes on her. By the time I was occasionally making the social rounds, she was persona non grata. “It's a pleasure.”

Her smile, small and tight, indicates she knows I am lying. The décolletage of her burgundy dress is low enough to modestly hint at the swell of her bosom, only enough pale skin revealed to make a man's mouth water and his imagination take flight, but the rest of her is covered as primly as a schoolmistress.

“It seems Gina slept in. She's preparing herself now. I'm afraid she might be a while. I would offer to have the maid bring in tea, but you strike me as being a whisky man.” She walks over to a table sporting several decanters and wings a finely arched raven-black eyebrow at me over her shoulder.

I don’t usually indulge this early in the day, but I would welcome the heat of whisky in my throat to distract me from the other heated areas of my body. “Yes, please.”

To my surprise, she pours whisky into two glasses. She hands me one, takes the other, and raises it slightly. "Cheers."

She takes a sip and licks her lips in a manner that causes my gut to tighten, before walking over to the settee where she gracefully lowers herself onto a cushion. “Please make yourself comfortable.”

I select the chair nearest to me, study her, and can’t help thinking how quickly Alpha Moonsdowne must have fallen for her. She is poised, graceful, and beautiful. The man would have shined with her on his arm. That she then betrayed him and her vows is beyond the pale.

Little wonder people look at her and expect the same of her sister. This woman commands the room; she cannot be without influence, and her sister is her vulnerable pupil. What lessons she must have taught her. And that tutoring is going to make my task all the more challenging.

“I'm actually rather glad we have this opportunity to speak privately,” she says, brazenly holding my gaze. She might be from the western lands but her accent is refined… not the harsh brusqueness of her uncle's but neither is it quite local. “You may be aware that our father passed a little over a year ago, and our mother some years before that. Gina’s inheritance has been placed in a trust to be handed over to her when she marries or reaches the age of five and twenty. In either case, she will bring to her marriage a small fortune, all that is left to her, and the wrong sort of man could take advantage of that, take it as his own, leave her with naught.”

“I have no need of a small fortune,” I state succinctly, feeling a need to defend myself even though I could care less about any girl's dowry. Based on what I know of her family's business, she is being modest concerning the size of the fortune she and her sister have inherited.

“Reputation, not coin, is the currency by which I will measure the value of the she-wolf I intend to take to my Luna.” I say.

Although she blanches, to her credit, she continues to hold my gaze. “While you may claim money has no bearing, it still needs to be emphasized that much is at stake here. I'm quite aware you come with a respected title, position, and influence. However, my Beta, if you seek to marry my dear sister, you must also come with your heart. You must not only convince her that you love her but you must convince me as well. I will not allow Gina to spend so much as an hour in a loveless marriage.”

I have absolutely no interest in marrying the girl. Still, Luna Moonsdowne's words irk me. How dare she judge me or my motives when she knows me not at all. “I am quite the catch, my Luna. Miss Halfmoon would be damned lucky to have me as a mate.”

"Modest as well, I see.” She huffs lightly.

“Merely speaking the truth. I, on the other hand, need reassurances that she will not follow her sister's path to ruin and scandal.” I say.

Luna Moonsdowne's chin comes up and I suspect she has an urge to toss in my face what remains of her whisky. “If she marries a man who loves her, a man she loves, I believe that will be assured.”

"You didn't marry for love?” I ask.

She holds her head high. "I don't see that my feelings regarding Moonsdowne are really any of your concern. However, I will admit my mother wanted me to have a title she could flaunt in front of her enemies back home. I was raised to obey my mother in all things. Moonsdowne wanted a dowry. I provided that. A title never interested me."

"Yet you insist upon being addressed by yours." Another offense against the high packs for which she will never be forgiven, to have the title tainted permanently by her transgressions.

Because of the embarrassment she had caused, Alpha Moonsdowne had asked the court to strip her of the title she had gained through marriage to him. They had ruled in his favor. She had appealed to a higher court... and won. Appalled by her cheek, people justifiably shunned her.

"I paid for the privilege of it. Quite handsomely since Downie took possession of my entire dowry. Besides, I knew it would irritate the devil out of him." She says.

Her secretive smile makes me want to grin, but I refrain. My family isn't without scandal, but she seems to relish it. I glance around. "You seem to be doing quite well for yourself now."

"My father is not a man to fritter away what he acquired through blood, sweat, and tears. His fortune was vast. Certainly, I shall never do without, and I want to ensure Gina does not go without either, which is the reason it is even more imperative to weed out all fortune hunters." She says.

I find it rather crass to be discussing money matters right out of the gate as though I am possessed of greedy fingers. Her opinion of me seems to be as low as mine of her. Her regard toward me is not deserved and leaves a rancid taste in my mouth. "I was under the impression your uncle is responsible for her."

"He has the means to introduce her into pack Society, which I do not. He and I are in agreement, however, that when it comes to her suitors, my opinion alone matters. He acts when called upon, but in truth, he has very little interest in either of us." She explains.

So, the man is striving to get this duty out of the way. I can't fault him when I find balls and the social games that go along with them rather tedious.

"I am not naïve, my Beta. I realize my divorce created quite the scandal, and I do not wish for Gina to pay the price. No doubt, I should have waited until she was properly situated." She glances away then, and I wonder what she is thinking. She brings her gaze back to bear on me. "But I didn't. Selfish on my part. But there you have it. I hadn't really thought things through..."

"I was given to understand you kissed a servant in front of guests." I can't believe I said it. To her face. My mother would be appalled.

Luna Moonsdowne simply smiles, without joy but with triumph. "Yes. He now serves as my butler."

The one who had opened the door to me? The man isn't particularly handsome. I find myself wondering at the size of the man's c**k for surely he had to have offered her something worth her ruination. Or perhaps she simply enjoys a bit of the rough. She wouldn't be the first well-placed she-wolf to be attracted to those of the lower class. Still, I recognize I am behaving as though I came from the gutter. "My apologies. My words were uncalled for."

She takes another sip of her whisky. "No apologies needed. I know I'm an object of curiosity and shame. However, I do not want my choices reflected upon my sister. I must know your intentions regarding her are honorable. To be quite honest..." She finishes off her whisky, sets her glass aside, and captures my gaze as though she intends to tame it. "...I will kill any man who causes her any sort of hurt, no matter how mild or seemingly insignificant. I do not want her to shed so much as a single tear because of a man's heartless behavior."

Had she shed tears? I can't quite envision it. She is ice surrounded by cold steel.

"Have I made myself perfectly clear?" She says.

The sharpness of her words, the challenge glistening in her sapphire eyes, speaks loudly that she would indeed slay me if I do not rise to the occasion and meet her standards.

I do not particularly like the way my heart speeds up and my chest tightens. I do not like that I wonder what she would do if I got up, crossed over to her, caged her between my arms, and claimed her mouth. Good Goddess, she is so much more appealing than her sister. She is spit and fire and unbreakable. Nothing about her is innocent. Something in her past, possibly her marriage, has honed her to a fine edge. I am fascinated, I am intrigued, I am...

"Apologies for keeping you waiting, my Beta." Miss Halfmoon fairly skips into the room and suddenly she seems more like a child than ever. I can see her frolicking through fields of daisies. I doubt Luna Moonsdowne has ever frolicked.

I shoot to my feet and fight to keep my attention on Miss Halfmoon rather than the she-wolf I can see out of the corner of my eye. The contrast between the two is incredible. Temptress… girl. Worldly... innocent. Tart... sweet.

Damnation if I do not prefer tart. But tart won’t get me the stud. "You look lovely, my dear."

She smiles brightly, her eyes twinkling with joy. My clothing suddenly feels tight, and I have a need to loosen my neck cloth before it strangles me.

"Your delay served us well," Luna Moonsdowne says gently. "As it gave us the opportunity to get acquainted."

Tiny pleats appear in the girl's delicate brow. "How is it that you were not acquainted before? I would have thought you were of a similar age."

"During my youth, I traveled extensively," I say. "I didn't spend much time in Blackrock city if I could help it." I decide not to mention I have no interest in the social scene and avoid it whenever possible.

She brightens once more. "How marvelous for you. I should like to see more of the world, I think. Will you take your Luna traveling?"

"If it is her desire. But I must procure her first, and rituals must be followed." I set down my glass and walk toward her. "Miss Halfmoon, my carriage awaits."

I offer my arm. Her face falls. "We have a bit of a problem there. My maid has a migraine, and I've ordered her to bed." She looks past me. "Tillie, would you be so kind as to serve as chaperone?"

Tillie? An image of her, sweet and innocent, young and happy, indeed frolicking through meadows of daisies... before Moonsdowne had taken her to his mate… flashes through my mind. I don’t like it, don’t like it one bit. I glance back just in time to see the Luna’s calculating gaze travel the length of me. Christ, I have the urge to spread my feathers like a blasted peacock.

"I'd be delighted. It will give me the opportunity to get to know the Alpha better and get a sense of his true feelings toward you." She says.

"He has no feelings yet," Miss Halfmoon assures her. "We met only last night."

"Oh, I'm certain he's feeling something," the witch says with a smirk as she walks past me.

I am struck by the realization that she smells of lavender and orchids. She is also correct. I am feeling something... something that can lead to no good.