Lunar Temptations

Ch 29

"So, how are things going with Zayden?" Esme asked the moment the waiter left with our order. Winnie propped her head on her hands, eager to hear my reply.

Well, my love life was one famous topic in both the packs at the moment.

I shrugged, trying not to recall the events of last night. "They are going alright. He is barely home, we barely talk." I looked down at the table, twisting the fork in my hand. "It's just the way I wanted it to be."

They exchanged a look, "How long are you going to keep this up?" Winnie asked. I arched a brow at her, "What?"

Esme sighed, falling back into her chair. She rolled her eyes at me. "Sometimes, I find myself deeply worried for our pack's future." Sighing, the corners of her mouth turned down dramatically.

"And why is that?" I questioned.

"Because you're pretty oblivious for a future Luna." she retorted, suddenly sitting up straight. "Just mate with him already, we both know you want it now." She hissed at me like a ferocious dog ready to pounce at me any second if I didn't agree to her terms. Winnie hummed beside her.

I eyed Esme, motioning towards our younger sister listening about how Esme wanted to mate with my fiance. "Oh no, don't mind me. Besides, I am no more 13." Winnie chimed in, with a wave of her hand.

Talk about my sisters being dramatic.

Even if I wanted to, I couldn't tell them about last night. It was still too raw for me to process that too after spending the whole day shopping and being distracted by their stupid jokes. Hours went by in minutes with them, and we didn't even realize until it was 7, and our stomachs rumbled, begging for solid food. They both managed to unknowingly lift my mood and take my mind off last night's events. At times like these, I wish things were different, and I could get to be the same old Raya from 5 years earlier, with lesser responsibilities and reckless behaviour that nobody could hold me accountable for.

"How about we stop discussing him?" I put both my hands on the table to make a statement. Right when Esme's eyes narrowed, I decided to bring up the topic I wanted to discuss with Esme before they had both reminded me that we needed to shop for the loup-garou festival. "Yes, something happened, and I think you might be able to help me," I said, glancing at Winnie.

"Go ahead." She pouted at me, eyes narrowed. I contemplated what to tell her and what details to miss out on. I couldn't tell them that Esme was, in fact, right, and I made a fool out of myself, wanting him to claim me. The only event I could tell them of was my encounter with Esther. Winnie knew about how my wolf was weak while only observing my wound for a while. She was a genius and a bookworm. More importantly, she was my only hope right now to get answers. Unlike the normal world, you couldn't find werewolves' history or any answers related to them. Books, people with exceptional knowledge, or our elders were our only sources of old knowledge and information. In Winnie's case, she was the one who knew her interests in our history. For a moment, I couldn't help but feel proud of her.

As I recalled Esther's words from yesterday, my eyes landed on the restaurant door. Recognition filled my head when I spotted a familiar woman walking in. Nicole was in her casual attire, quite contrasting to what she wore yesterday. Alongside her was an unknown woman, who seemed to be in her fifties. The waiter guided them to a table, and they both seated themselves.

"Hey! Earth to Raya!" Esme's waving hand blocked my view, and I hushed her. As if on cue, she shut up, and they both followed my gaze.

"Who's that?" came Winnie's voice. "Beta Drake's wife, Nicole." My lips moved on their own accord, while my attention was directed towards the two women sitting across us. It wasn't long until the woman started to cry, and Nicole laid a hand on her shoulder, explaining something to her.

"Any idea what's going on?" Esme was watching them intently. "No- but I have a feeling it's nothing good. The woman looks devastated." My heart sank watching her cry, and for a moment, I wanted to walk up to them and help her. I glanced at my sisters, who looked equally intrigued and moved. "Well, as the future Luna of this pack-" the older of the two began to reason, and they paused when a voice ripped through the bustling noises around.

"How can I calm down? All I am asking for is justice!" The sobbing woman cried out loud. My eyes widened, and so did everybody else in the restaurant. Nicole tried to calm her, but she had already attracted everybody's attention there. If anyone didn't know that Nicole, the beta's wife, was here, then they probably did now. We were rarely on human territories and would mostly be surrounded by the pack's wolves, which sometimes was a little overwhelming. Especially now when Nicole was dealing with a personal issue and everybody seemed to be interested in it. I was glad that I hadn't been formally introduced to the pack yet, or else they would have recognized me as well.

She looked around embarrassed and tried to pass a few smiles around to assure everything is alright until her eyes landed on me. I mentally slapped myself because I had been ogling her as well. My cheeks heated when she waved at me lightly, and I awkwardly waved back.

"Way to go, Ray," Winnie said, and they both giggled at me. I had never wanted to disown my sister more until today. It didn't take long for her to walk over to us and bowed lightly to me. "Hello Ladies, I hope I am not interrupting."

My eyes widened, and I scrambled to get on my feet.