THE SILENT REBELLION

Chapter 12

Five Starfish

I found my Grandmother in her little study, poring over the day's rota.

"Hi, Grandmother," I chirped happily. Having my voice back was a huge relief.

She glanced up at me, her lips twisting into a scowl. I still couldn't figure out why my existence seemed to bother her so much, but it was clear she wasn't fond of me. She hadn’t done anything but frown and scowl at me since I’d arrived.

Grandfather, on the other hand, didn’t smile often, but at least he didn’t look at me like I was something unpleasant. Sighing inwardly, I turned back to my grandmother.

"I see Alpha gave you permission to speak again. Personally, I liked the silence," she said, her voice as bitter as her expression.

It was a shame. She was a striking beauty, the kind of woman who could have stepped straight out of a 1920s Hollywood movie. Even her clothes seemed tailor-made for such a persona—long dresses with lowered waistlines, giving her an elegance I could never hope to achieve in my shapeless sacks.

But her sour expressions and mean words took away from her beauty. The spiteful way she spoke made it harder to appreciate her looks.

"Don’t worry, Grandmother. I’m happy to adhere to your wishes and speak to you as little as possible," I offered, my smile as sweet as honey.

Her jaw ticked in irritation. "Do not call me Grandmother. It seems ridiculous when I only look a few years older than you," she snapped.

Well, she did have a point there.

"So, shall I call you Granny, or Elgatha?" I asked, feigning innocence, knowing neither would sit well with her.

"No," she hissed, her voice sharp. "You may call me Luna Elgatha, or Luna, just like everyone else."

"Okay, Luna." I was just happy not to acknowledge her as my grandmother. I had no idea how she’d produced my sweet, funny, and kind mother.

"Grandfather has given me a punishment," I said, trying to change the subject.

Her lips curled into a smirk. "What did you do?"

"I’ll let Grandfather explain, but my punishment is that I’m cooking dinner tonight—solo."

Her eyebrows shot up, her gaze turning to the rota. "Well, that just changes everything I’ve been working on. How annoying. I might have to add to your punishment for the inconvenience."

"But it’s not my fault! Grandfather chose it," I protested.

"Yes, but if you hadn’t done anything to warrant a punishment, this wouldn’t be an issue," she said, her tone smug.

"Hence my punishment," I shot back. "I don’t think you're entitled to add to it for the same reason," I huffed in frustration.

She seemed pleased at my irritation, her eyes glinting with a hint of victory. Silver growled low, her displeasure echoing my own at this woman's attitude. I certainly wasn’t going to take this lying down.

"If you punish me, won't it look like you don’t support Grandfather’s decision?" I asked, my expression one of innocent curiosity.

Her victorious smirk faltered, and it took everything I had to keep my face neutral.

"Yes, well..." she floundered, her confidence wavering. "It’s ridiculous to think that. I support my Alpha in everything." She waved me off. "Just go, you brat. I need to work."

"Okay, Luna," I quickly amended, seeing the scowl deepen on her face.

I hurried out of the study and through the hallways, making my way to the laundry room. I tiptoed to the door, quietly turning the handle before throwing it open and jumping into the room.

"Hi, girls!" I greeted loudly.

Sophie, Bee, Lacy, Joan, and Kat all jumped in shock, eyes wide. I giggled at their stunned expressions.

I quickly shut the door behind me, knowing this room was one of the few soundproofed spaces in the house, which would give us the privacy we needed. The constant hum of the washing machines made the rest of the pack house less peaceful, so soundproofing was considered necessary.

I locked the door behind us and grinned, unable to contain my excitement.

"I got my voice back!" I announced, wiggling my eyebrows.

They just stared at me, momentarily speechless. I giggled again at their surprised faces.

"You're allowed to talk to me again now," I added encouragingly. Just as I spoke, the house intercom crackled to life, my Grandfather’s voice booming over the speakers.

"Greta Anderson’s silent punishment is lifted." Then the crackle cut off as he turned off the microphone. Well, that was short and to the point.

I wiggled my eyebrows again. "Told you," I grinned.

"B-b-but why are you here?" Sophie’s soft voice broke the silence. She looked confused, as did the others.

"Where else would I go to celebrate but with the people who mean the most to me?" I asked, smiling at them.

They all stared at me blankly, so I continued. "I’ve been calling you my Loyal Ladies in my head all month. Without you, I would’ve gone insane. Or cried non-stop. I can never repay you for what you did for me."

Joan’s brow furrowed. "But now that you’re not under punishment, why would you want to spend time with us? You’re a Little-Luna, surely you’ve got better things to do?"

"No, nothing more important. I wanted to finally be able to speak with you. I was hoping we could be friends?" I asked, my voice soft, hoping they wouldn’t reject me.

"You want to be our... friend?" Bee asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

I nodded. "Yes, please. I kind of hoped I already was."

"Loyal Ladies, huh?" Sophie smiled, her eyes twinkling.

"Yeah. Or sometimes just The Loyals," I added with a grin. "I mean, you helped me sew those secret red undies." I laughed, and this time they joined in too.

"I have to say something," Sophie spoke up, looking down at her feet before mumbling something I couldn’t hear. Even Silver's enhanced hearing didn’t help. Useless wolf, I teased her silently.

Sophie gave me a playful mock-growl at my thought, and I smirked at her internally.

"Sorry, Sophie. I didn’t hear that," I said.

She turned bright red and spoke louder. "Thank you for my note. I can’t even... it just..."

"Spit it out, girl," Joan laughed.

"Well, I don’t know what to say exactly, but... it really helps me. I think about it all the time." Sophie’s words came out in a rush, "Like yesterday, when Base-Beta Jeremy was yelling at me, saying really horrid things—I thought about it." She pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her apron pocket and showed me the note I had written a month ago.

The note was in tatters, the edges frayed, and the creases ripped. Clearly, it was something she held dear. I mentally noted that I’d write her another one soon.

"I keep it on me all the time and hold it when I’m sad or scared," Sophie continued. She folded the note carefully, like it was something precious, and tucked it back into her pocket.

I smiled widely. "I’m glad it helps. I’m just really sorry you need it. I hate the way packs work like this." I shook my head. "My dad was an omega, too, you know."

Gasps went up around the room. "Oh yes, my Little-Luna mum fell in love with my omega dad. That’s why they ran away."

Joan frowned. "What do you mean love? Wasn’t she given a mate by Alpha?"

A shudder ran through me. "She was supposed to mate with Base-Beta Jeremy, but she couldn’t stand the thought. You can imagine why." I looked at all their faces, and I could see the shared disgust in their eyes. Everyone had unpleasant memories tied to that man.

"But what made her think she could go against Alpha? That’s forbidden," Lacy asked.

"Well, she just couldn’t bear the thought of being with such a selfish, creepy man," I explained. "She told me that something just clicked, and she realized if she stayed in the pack, she’d never be happy. She thought about her future and knew it wasn’t what she wanted.

"She already liked my dad. They met because he worked in the Higher House, like you do. He was the heavy lifter, moving furniture. She kept asking him to help her move things in her room so they could spend time together." I giggled at the memory of my mum telling me those stories with fondness.

"They used to talk and laugh. I never believed it when Mumma said they were the only ones who did. Not until I came here anyway." My smile faded slightly as I thought about the sad truth.

"Mumma said there was something between her and Dad that was more than just friendship. More than anything she

thought love would be. She told me once that she felt like she was betraying someone by falling in love with him, but it was the best thing that ever happened to her." I finished.

"And that’s how you came to be?!" Joan was wide-eyed now, clearly intrigued.

I nodded. "Exactly."