Alpha's Legacy (Black Moon Saga Book 3)

12. A Lesson in Luna's Grace

It’s when I hear Rowan comment, “Aw, look. She really tuckered herself out at the zoo,” that my eyes instantly fly open, and I sit up in my seat.

I’m in the backseat because he somehow managed to convince me to let him drive for a bit, though I’m regretting it now. When I glance up at his reflection in the rearview mirror, he’s grinning and snickering, and probably feeling pretty pleased with himself.

“I’m not three,” I grumble at him. “Excuse me for wanting to rest my eyes for a minute after spending so long squinting at everything out in the sun.”

“You should have kept your sunglasses on,” he points out, and I can’t tell whether he’s still teasing me.

“When I have my sunglasses on, I can’t see the screen of my phone as well, and I wanted to take pictures,” I remind him again. I already told him that when I was doing it.

“Alright, children. That’s enough,” Tian scolds us, though he’s smiling about it. “Take a nap if you need, Anna Jade. We’re off to Luna’s Grace next, and that tends to be an experience that’s easy to get swept up into. You’ll appreciate the extra rest beforehand.”

Rowan is looking at me in the mirror again, so I stick my tongue out at him to really drive home the point that I’m not being childish. He chuckles and shakes his head a bit, and I turn myself to get comfy in my seat again.

I don’t know how much longer it is until I feel someone shaking me awake, and I open my eyes again to look straight into Tian’s gray ones.

“We’re getting close now, and I was thinking that it would be better if you and I are in the front when we get there,” he explains softly. “You’re the spitting image of your mother, so the guards will probably be friendlier to you than to Rowan. Despite the alliance with our pack, Luna’s Grace is still widely known to be unreceptive to outsiders.”

“I could probably use a good stretch anyway,” I tell him, suddenly aware of the cramp in my right leg. It’s my own fault though for the way that I’ve got myself awkwardly curled up in my seat.

Rowan helps me out and lets me lean on him as the sensation returns to my legs, and we both listen as Tian gives us a verbal tour of the area. He tells us about the “many robust economic endeavors” that are overseen by the Alpha of Luna’s Grace, and shares some stories from the times he’s been to this city before.

“How familiar are you with the philosophies touted and enforced by Luna’s Grace?” he asks us next, but I’m assuming it’s mostly for Rowan’s benefit.

I’ve heard a lot about this place over the years, and I already know that they’re traditionalists and devout followers of the Moon Goddess.

“I’ve heard that they believe Alpha Kylie to be some sort of religious figure,” Rowan tells him, though he’s blushing as if it makes him uncomfortable to say it. “And Commander Blake rants about the way they can be blatantly disrespectful by calling her ‘Luna’ instead of ‘Alpha,’ though admittedly, I don’t know much other than what he’s told me.”

“Well, you’re correct about both points, although I will argue that it’s not ‘blatant disrespect’ but a difference of perspective. In truth, they have the utmost respect and I dare say even reverence for her,” Tian explains. “But you must understand that to them, the mates of pack Alphas are lunas, in the common, lowercase sense. They call Alpha Kylie ‘Luna’ with a capital L because to them, she’s the Luna, a physical representation or perhaps you could even say an avatar of the Moon Goddess herself. And to them, Luna supersedes Alpha, any Alpha. They acknowledge that she is the Alpha of Black Moon, but more importantly, she is the Luna of werewolves everywhere. You’ll also hear them refer to her as ‘your grace’ for the same reason. She’s Luna, Queen Mother of werewolves, according to their philosophies.”

“Oh,” Rowan remarks, and he seems genuinely intrigued and impressed by all that.

“I learned in school that traditionally, the Alpha of Luna’s Grace also viewed all other pack Alphas as ‘alphas’ in the lowercase sense, viewing their own pack’s Alpha lineage as the ‘chosen’ family,” I add my own knowledge to what Tian was explaining. “They thought that when the ‘Divine-Touched’ finally stepped into her role as Luna, it would be with a Luna’s Grace Alpha at her side.”

“Well, that didn’t happen,” Rowan laughs, but stops when he sees the unamused expression on Tian’s face. “Right? It’s Alpha Kylie they were talking about?”

Tian nods before confirming flatly, “No, that didn’t happen. I was there the day that Alpha Magnus tried to convince us that it was pertinent for Alpha Kylie to take him as her mate for prophecy’s sake, but thankfully, she quickly shut down all that nonsense. I knew the man who wrote their ‘prophecies,’ and the Alphas of Luna’s Grace had been taking it all way out of context for centuries, it seems.”

He scoffs and shakes his head as if to clear his head of those memories before adding, “But to his credit, Alpha Magnus has since remedied that error and amended their texts accordingly. He has his own luna now, but understand that their pack doesn’t officially recognize their leaders’ mates as part of the leadership. They have small, mostly ceremonial roles, and that’s about it.”

“So, Aunt Emily isn’t their Beta female?” I wonder, this particular revelation being news to me.

“We call her that, but no. Officially, she’s the Beta’s mate,” Tian clarifies. “And that’s partly why we’re having this conversation. You, Anna Jade, will likely be given plenty of leeway for whatever errors you may make, but you, Rowan, may not be so lucky.”

“No pressure though,” Rowan jokes, chuckling uncomfortably.

Tian nods, giving him an approving half-smile before becoming serious again.

“Your lack of preparedness is largely my fault for not considering it sooner and spending our travel time explaining things to you, but even so, I think it might be best for you to speak as little as possible,” he tells Rowan. “Alpha Magnus himself will likely be cordial and forgiving with any guest of mine, but I can’t even predict how anyone else will respond to what they may consider ‘blatant disrespect,’ as you were describing before.”

“How ironic,” Rowan comments in response.

“Yes, well, it is what it is, I suppose,” Tian tells him. “But also understand that I may be overreacting entirely. Perhaps Luna’s Grace has come a long way in the decade or so since I was last here, and there will be no issue at all. Perhaps they’d even be willing to cheerfully educate your ignorance.”

“But how likely is that really?” Rowan asks him.

“I’d say your chances are slim to none,” Tian tells him seriously. “But I’m old, not omniscient, so anything could happen.”

“Alright, well then, how much danger would you say I’m in by going in there?” Rowan wonders next.

“None,” Tian answers him, almost seeming surprised by the question. “I wasn’t meaning to imply that they would respond to you with bodily harm, or anything of the sort. I only assumed that you wouldn’t enjoy being judged unworthy of someone’s time and treated as an unwelcome nuisance.”

“No, but I am used to it.”

Tian gives him a warm, sympathetic look and reaches out to give his shoulder a gentle squeeze. He may even be regretting his own treatment of Rowan only the night before, when he assumed that he was interested in me for the wrong reasons. Even I wasn’t entirely sure why he was seeking out my company, despite assuring Tian that there was nothing to worry about, but after spending the day with him today, I’ve concluded that like me, he only wants a friend.

“I suppose in the interest of completing my brief overview of Luna’s Grace,” Tian continues his scholarly lecture, “you should also know that they only permit mating between true, fated mates and do not allow space for rejection, they value the ancient, traditional ways of werewolves, and they follow what could be considered a warrior culture. All pack members endure some degree of training beginning at a young age, and far more than half of the pack’s men are warriors. With that in mind, I should add that you will be in no physical danger unless you do or say anything that could be viewed as a challenge. Combat challenges aren’t reserved only for passing the Alpha title and can occur for a wide variety of reasons.”

“So, what I just heard you say was ‘keep your head down and your mouth shut, Rowan,’ and I assure you I will,” Rowan quips, laughing through his growing discomfort.

“Where in the heck are we taking him, Tian?” I finally chime into their exchange. It’s a playful question, but I am kind of wondering why we’re bringing him along with us to such a place.

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Tian brushes me off. “I tend to worry too much. You know that better than most, Anna Jade.”

Which is true, but I’m still left wondering whether we should just park my new friend in a hotel room or something before heading to what is starting to sound like kind of an intimidating place. But then I remember how much my sisters seem to like visiting Luna’s Grace despite the way they view women there, and I do my best to let all my anxiety and reservations go.

With my limbs sufficiently stretched and proper circulation restored to them, there’s no reason to linger here any longer. Besides, I’m hungry, and Tian made mention of Alpha Magnus’s plans to host a big dinner to welcome us to his pack. So, we all pile back into the truck, and I drive us through the rest of the city and right up to the impressively high gates at the edge of Luna’s Grace territory.