A Luna's Power

Chapter 8: Claiming Back Power

-James-

First, she took over as luna, refusing to have an alpha by her side. Then she demanded a seat on the council, and now she wanted to change one of the oldest laws, ensuring that any mate she chose would not gain the power that came with being bonded to her.

She was… f*cking magnificent. There was no other way to describe her. She had stunned us not just once, but twice. Even the king had no words. He clearly hadn’t expected Lara to come here on her first day, demanding the council grant her complete control.

I knew I shouldn’t feel this way, but I was damn proud of her. I knew it was because my wolf claimed her as our mate, and her display of power only reinforced that she was the right partner for us.

“You cannot be serious?” one of the alphas at the table exclaimed.

She looked at him, her smug smile still playing on her lips, unafraid to meet his gaze. That confidence did things to me. It made my hands itch. I just wanted this meeting to be over so I could go to her, scoop her up, and carry her away. I could envision taking her to the first room I found, letting her fire run wild. I was sure I could make her burn.

I quickly shook my head, trying to dispel those thoughts. I shouldn’t be thinking this way. I shouldn’t be yearning for her. I needed to stay focused, not fixate on those perfect, plump pink lips that I wanted to kiss and adore, imagining how they would feel around me… Dammit! Focus!

“No?” she asked mockingly. “You think I’m making a bad joke?”

“You have to be, because what you’re suggesting is… is f*cking crazy!”

“And why is that?” she inquired.

The room fell silent.

“Because I’m female? Because I’m a luna ruling on my own? An alpha can rule solo,” she continued, placing her arms on the table. “An alpha doesn’t give up his power when he gets mated. An alpha stays in control. Always. A luna does not. Why is that?”

She slowly rose from her chair, placing her hands on the table and leaning forward slightly.

“It’s because you want all the power,” she said darkly. “You want control. You want to see us bow… but I won’t bow. My father had two daughters—two daughters, no sons. One of them was exactly what you wanted: a perfect little luna who never stepped out of line and would gladly hand over control because she was told her entire life by an alpha that she could never rule on her own. Meanwhile, the second daughter realized that her constant failures weren’t due to her own shortcomings but because an alpha dictated what was ‘perfect’. Why was he making the rules? Why was he setting the standard? He wasn’t a luna. Shouldn’t it be lunas who decide who is strong enough to rule on their own?”

She was playing with them. Goddess, I loved the sight of it. I adored how she had them right where she wanted them.

“My father always thought our inner strength was our weakness, but I realized he was making us weak so we wouldn’t question his choice of alpha for us. Now I see just how powerful a luna can be, and I will not hand over my power just because some outdated law tells me to. A law undoubtedly made by… alphas,” she said, gesturing toward the group. “Now change the damn law.”

“You can’t just demand that from us!” one of them shouted.

“No?”

“No!”

She nodded slowly, crossing her arms defiantly. “Very well. But the law also states that to make any new laws, we all have to vote yes, meaning you will need me. I don’t think I would agree to anything…”

She smiled darkly as the realization washed over the alphas. She was ready to undermine their authority. She was damn smart, that little female.

“I’ll let you all think about it,” she said before turning away.

“The meeting isn’t over!” one of them yelled after her.

“It is for me!”

I tried my best not to smile as I glanced at the king, who looked rather impressed. He turned to me, clearly struggling to suppress a grin.

“I did not expect that,” he admitted.

“Any regrets about putting her on the council?” Chris asked.

He turned to him, shaking his head. “But I guess it makes sense now why she wanted to be a part of it.”

I nodded. It suddenly clicked.

“Well,” the king said, “I guess the meeting is over then.”

Everyone looked at him in confusion as he started to leave the room.

“But, my king—” He didn’t turn back to any of them. It probably felt good for him to see them put in their places, especially after everything they had put him through.

We walked out of the room and down the stairs, and as we stepped outside, I quickly heard an engine start. We turned to see Lara grabbing her helmet, and she smiled slightly before putting it on and backing her bike out, driving off into the distance.

“Are we sure Selene and Lara are sisters?” Garrett inquired.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Chris said, a grin on his face.

They were right. Those two couldn’t be more different.

“She certainly is something else,” the king remarked as he walked over to our cars.

She sure was, I thought to myself.

“James?”

I hadn’t realized I had drifted off into my thoughts until I turned to see Garrett calling my name. I quickly shook off my reverie and walked over to the cars, sliding into the passenger seat as we drove back to the castle.

***

“She did what?” Selene exclaimed.

We were all gathered in the living room, enjoying drinks and relaxing since some of our afternoon plans had been cleared. Even Evan had come back with us, along with Madeleine, who was meeting her nephew for the first time. Evan looked just as shocked and impressed as the rest of us.

“She certainly put them in their place,” Chris laughed.

“Won’t this make her an even bigger target?” Selene asked, worry etched on her face.

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye on her,” the king assured.

Yet his words didn’t seem to ease Selene’s concerns. Rider pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head and reassuring her that his brother had it under control.

But the truth was, it wasn’t just the king they had to get through to reach Lara—it was me. I could feel my body tense at the thought of anyone hurting her. I really should have rejected her when I had the chance. Now I was unsure when I would see her again.

“I must admit, I had my doubts,” the queen said, “but not anymore.”

That prompted a round of laughter.

“Yes, who would have thought she could leave eighteen alphas, including the king, speechless?” Garrett inquired.

The king shook his head, chuckling along with the others. “She certainly surprised me. I just hope she knows what she’s doing.”

“And that she doesn’t make any more crazy demands,” Isabella added. “They won’t be very happy with her if she does.”

“No one is very happy with her right now,” Damian remarked, “except maybe us.”

“Will you agree to her demand, my king?” Garrett inquired.

The king smiled, taking a sip from his glass before glancing at his mate, who clearly wanted him to say yes. But I knew he was teasing her, making her wait for his answer.

“She has my support,” he finally said.