Alpha's Legacy (Black Moon Saga Book 3)

20. A Morning of Surprises

I jolt awake, a feeling of dread washing over me along with a sense of something being wrong, though I’m not sure what it is until I sit up and reach for my phone. It’s already almost breakfast time, and I have barely enough time to shower and change before I race over to the packhouse to meet everyone in Alpha Magnus’s private dining room.

I’m honestly shocked that Tian didn’t come to wake me before now. Normally, I’d be up and ready all on my own, but I really struggled to get to sleep last night and even now, it feels like only a couple hours or so have passed since I finally drifted off. Tian might even be trying to make a point that if I want to be treated like an adult, then there will be no more early morning wakeup calls from daddy dearest, as Lee likes to refer to him.

After a quick rinse in the shower, not even bothering to wash my hair so that I won’t have to waste precious time drying and smoothing it out, I quickly throw on the first outfit I come across and hustle over to the door to head out. But to my surprise, Lee is already there, his fist raised as if he was about to knock.

“Freaky,” he comments, grinning with amusement. “But your timing is perfect. Your escort to breakfast has arrived.”

“On any other day, I’d have already been over there, and my escort would have been late,” I tease him, still working to calm myself from the frenzy of my late start.

I guess at least with Lee walking me there, he can take some of the heat if we arrive late. I’d feel bad about even thinking that way, except I know he doesn’t care about stuff like being late. He’s always late.

“I know, but Tian also told me that he thought you might be running a bit behind today, so I figured it was worth a shot.”

“Tian told you that?”

I can’t help sounding just as shocked as I feel. Why would Tian be talking to Lee before breakfast? Even then it would only be because idle chatter is expected at the table. I mean, I figured Tian would have woken me up bright and early so we could talk some more, or rather so that he could lecture me some more, but instead he was talking to Lee? What planet am I even on?

“Yeah, I got up bright and early and went to him so that I could apologize for last night, just like I promised my dad that I would,” he explains, and even he seems a little surprised and maybe even impressed by the truth of it.

“Who are you, and what have you done with Lee?”

It’s my turn to grin at him with amusement as we make our way down the stairs together. Our pace is a lot more leisurely than I would have walked on my own, but all my worries seem to have disappeared now. Or more like they’ve been pushed to the back of my mind so I can focus on enjoying Lee, which is much easier to do since I know that he’ll help make the awkward situation of being a bit late not seem so bad.

“Yeah, well, I know that your dad and what he thinks are important to you, so I’m trying to be mindful and respectful of that. I wanted to take my best shot of winning back a little favor from him, even though I knew it was a longshot.”

“And how did that go?” I ask with genuine curiosity, no longer teasing him.

I appreciate beyond words how he’s willing to go so far outside his comfort zone to do things that he knows are important to me, even if he disagrees with the premise of them. That’s incredibly sweet in his own unique way.

“Well, since you said that you brought up the whole us potentially being mates thing with him last night, I decided to plead my case with that too. I figured that maybe if he heard it directly from me, he’d be less suspicious of my intentions. I’m not entirely sure how he ended up feeling about it when all was said and done, but he did agree not to stand in our way.”

“Wow, for real?” I question in wonder and disbelief, my mouth hanging open a little from how surprised I am to hear that.

“For real, though he did also make me promise not to do or say anything that can’t be undone until after your birthday, when we’ll know for sure. So basically, he doesn’t want me to make it public yet, and he’s forbidding me from marking you or anything like that until you have your wolf.”

“That makes sense.”

“It does, and I had no problems agreeing to that. I wouldn’t want to mark you without your wolf’s consent anyway. The only issue I’m still figuring out is whether that means I shouldn’t tell my dad yet. Tian said he’s leaving it up to me, but warned me that if I do decide to go that route, then he will fight me and my dad to make sure that I keep my promise. Basically, he’s saying that there will be no public announcement of it at the succession ceremony, no matter what my dad says. He even threatened to get your mom involved if he has to.”

He’s laughing now, obviously amused by Tian’s threats, but I don’t find them all that amusing. Especially the part about my mom. If what Lee said about Alpha Magnus basically idolizing her and treating her like an absolute authority figure is true, then calling her in is exactly what we need to be willing to do if Alpha Magnus gets out of hand.

“Honestly, I don’t really want to go public about it until I have my wolf to advise me either,” I admit, hoping he won’t be too hurt or offended by that. “With the way you describe the people of your city, it almost seems like just saying something like I’m your mate will rob us of any other choice but to make it so.”

“Oh, it definitely will, and I’m not arguing with that,” he assures me, tugging me closer to him using our linked hands. He drapes an arm around me as we walk, and leans over to kiss my temple.

Then he whispers into my ear in a low tone that only I should be able to hear, “Tian also basically said that if we don’t turn out to be fated mates, and you and your wolf both decide that I’m who you want anyway, then he’ll keep his silence about it. That’s assuming that I keep up my end of the deal, though. Otherwise, all bets are off, and he’ll be the first to rat us out.”

“He actually said that?”

I’m honestly shocked based on how grumpy he gets whenever I seem interested in someone who he is convinced is not my mate. I figured that meant that he’ll only approve of whoever does turn out to be my true mate, so what Lee is telling me seems entirely unlike him.

“You have to understand that I was in there talking to him for like an hour,” he explains. “His position about it all seemed to evolve over time, I guess because he decided that I’m not so bad after all.”

“Or at least that you’re not just trying to trick me or use me for your own purposes,” I add, thinking back to my phone conversation with Tian when he was advising me to use caution with Lee.

“Same thing,” he waves it off with his free hand.

We’ve arrived at the back of the packhouse now, and he steps forward to open the door for me.

“After you,” he says, waving me through with his hand. And then once we’re both inside and making our way down the hall that will lead us to the stairs, he adds, “Now I just need to come up with a suitable pet name for you. ‘Kitten’ is overused, and makes no sense for a wolf anyway, and I’m assuming you don’t want me to refer to you as ‘my pet’ or anything like that, so –”

“Anna Jade works perfectly well,” I assure him, cutting off what I assume was about to turn into a stream of ideas that I’ll hate just as much as his rejected suggestions.

“Oh, come on. Girls love pet names. Don’t you want to be my ‘sweetie pie,’ or ‘sugar lips,’ or –”

“No,” I silence him by turning and holding a finger up to his lips.

“Always so serious,” he complains teasingly, grinning and drawing out the word ‘serious’ rather dramatically.

We’re only a few strides from the door to the dining room now, and a silence falls between us as we approach. I’m feeling the nerves and panic from how late it is cropping up again, but Lee puts a gentle hand on my shoulder and leans over to kiss my forehead again.

“Relax. There are literally no consequences to you being late, since you’re a guest here,” he whispers.

I don’t have time to respond to him before he reaches to open the door and nudges me inside. If I did, I’d remind him that’s it’s me who’s the hardest on myself, and there’s no escaping that, guest or not.

Some of the food has already been served, and we’re walking into an ongoing conversation between Alpha Magnus and his mate, Leah.

“All I’m saying is that it may seem worth the money saved, but I disagree. I miss the way that the farm-fresh bacon from our old supplier tastes,” she says, shaking her head as if she’s frustrated.

Alpha Magnus is smiling at her affectionately, and Lee uses the opportunity to jump into the conversation and announce our arrival, though I was hoping to just sort of sneak in.

“I agree. The new stuff tastes faintly of cardboard, and the cooks over-crisp it,” he comments, grimacing as he reaches for an extra chair leaned against the wall and brings it to the table.

He makes a spectacle of forcing his brother to slide over so he can add in the new chair, turning back to smirk at me as he does it. I would have just tip toed over to the other side of the table and slid into my usual spot next to Tian, but I have a feeling that I know who the extra chair that Lee is adding is meant for.

I don’t know which would be more humiliating – refusing the chair he’s setting out for me, or taking it and acting as though I belong on this side of the table even though I know I don’t. Especially not next to his brother, who I’m pretty sure is Max, the one who he was fighting with just yesterday.

“I am glad that you finally decided to join us, but what are you doing now?” Alpha Magnus asks Lee.

I can tell that he’s trying to sound stern, but he mostly sounds curious and maybe even a little bit amused.

“I want Anna Jade to sit with me,” Lee explains nonchalantly, even shrugging as if it’s no big deal.

“Well, she has a perfectly good, unused chair waiting for her next to her father, who I’m sure would rather she sit with him as usual,” Alpha Magnus protests.

I glance up and see that Rowan is here, though he’s been moved to the other side of Uncle Robbie and Aunt Emily, probably because he’s no longer a guest of the pack but is now a member. I’m glad he’s still being included, though I can’t help feeling exposed and embarrassed when I see both him and Uncle Robbie smiling at me as though they’re amused by the show Lee is putting on. Aunt Emily just looks confused and concerned, and Tian is as stoic and expressionless as he was the night before.

Lee turns and reaches for my hand, guiding me over to the chair that is usually his, right next to his mother. I’m pretty sure that he’s trying to make some sort of statement by putting me right by the Luna, though it could also be that he doesn’t want to put me by Max.

“True, but I want her with me,” Lee answers his father as though he has the right to make decisions like that.

I just stand there, frozen with indecision. I don’t know who I’d rather offend, Lee or his father?

“Go ahead and sit, Anna Jade,” Leah tells me gently. “Wherever you want, even if it’s with Lee.”

Alpha Magnus nods, gesturing to the chair where Lee wants me, as though he’s begrudgingly giving his consent. I’m still not sure that it’s the right choice, and Tian isn’t giving me any sign of how he feels about it, but I quietly slide into the chair that Lee is offering me, and he helps me slide in closer to the table like a proper gentleman before taking his own seat next to me.

“I appreciate that you’ve been so accommodating for our guest, Lee, but let me just put it on record that I have my concerns about you showing this kind of attention to her,” Alpha Magnus tells him disapprovingly. “You will soon be Alpha of this pack, and you know the expectations of the role. Whatever is going on between you two, you can’t let it get out of hand. You can’t have girlfriends, or mistresses, and I certainly hope that you have the sense not to even try something like that with the Luna’s daughter. She was the one who made the law extend even to the Alpha.”

“She was also the one who made it so that you could take a chosen mate,” Lee reminds him bitterly.

“And I’m really tired of having this discussion with you. All I’ll say is you need to focus on your succession, and on finding your true mate. So, that’s that, and now we’re moving on.”

I glance over to see how Lee is taking that, noting how tensely he’s clenching his jaw, and how tightly he’s holding his silverware. He seems to be struggling to control himself, though he’s looking down at the tablecloth so I can’t see whether his wolf is showing through his eyes.

“I think she is my mate,” he confesses lowly, after long enough has passed that I thought he’d dropped the topic as his father commanded. “I just can’t know for sure yet because she won’t have her wolf until her birthday in a couple months. But I feel it, and so does she. There’s a connection there unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.”

And there it is, though I’m not entirely sure how I feel about him announcing it to everyone like that. We didn’t really come to a definitive decision about it before, so I figured he’d wait. My hands are sweating, and my heart is jumping around so much that I can barely catch my breath.

It’s a struggle for me to look up at Tian because I’m so worried about how he’ll react to it, but his face is just as expressionless as before. Maybe his jaw is tense as though he’s clenching up just like Lee was a second ago, but I can’t be sure. He’s looking at the table, so I can’t see his eyes to be able to know for certain whether he’s angry.

“Well, that’s different then,” Alpha Magnus responds cheerfully, almost like he’s an entirely different person from who he was a minute ago. “And it’s good timing with your ceremony coming up on us in less than a month. We should –”

“Don’t even finish that sentence,” Tian warns, no hints of any emotion at all in his tone. “We will do nothing until after her birthday. It would be foolish to even whisper about it until then. What if they turn out to be wrong, and you’ve been promising your pack a Luna that you can’t deliver to them?”

“I suppose that’s a fair point, but –”

“No buts about it,” Tian cuts him off. “We wait. End of discussion.”

That seems to silence everyone for a few minutes, and we all turn our attention to quietly eating our breakfasts. Lee reaches for my hand under the table, and I cling to him, thoughts of the overly crisped, cardboard-tasting bacon on my mind. Lee’s right about that, though I’d never speak it aloud in this room.

“I’m sorry, but I have to say it,” a feminine voice finally breaks through the uncomfortable silence. I can’t see who it is, but I think it might be Maggie. “Are we really just going to sit here and act like it’s not going to be an issue if our pack’s next Luna is a witch? Do you really think the people will just accept that?”

“If it’s the will of the Moon Goddess, then yes,” Alpha Magnus answers her without hesitation. “It is not our place to question her choices, and even the most devout among us knows that. Especially the most devout among us. Besides, this witch is the Luna’s daughter. She’s all light, just like her mother.”

He gives me a warm, reassuring smile, and I’m so shocked to hear him defending me that it takes me a few seconds to do anything but stare back at him stupidly.

“Anyone who doesn’t accept my mate can leave for all I care,” Lee grumbles.

“I certainly hope that comments like that are never spoken outside this room,” Alpha Magnus scolds him. “That would be unlawful, and you know it.”

“Don’t worry, I intend to challenge him as soon as he takes over,” Max announces, and though I can’t see him through Lee, I recognize his voice from how much he is always talking and being a nuisance during mealtimes. “The law says that it must be him who succeeds you, but the law also says that I can challenge him if I believe him to not be the devoted, devout Alpha our people need and deserve, or if I question his motives or ethics. All the above, honestly. He’s not the guy for the job. We’ve all been forced to sit here and listen to his griping about it for years now, so I’ve even got witnesses to back it up. Let that be your warning, Leopold. I’ve been practicing, and I’m going to win next time. I promise you that.”

Then he tosses down his silverware and backs away from the table, rising from his seat and leaving the room before Alpha Magnus even has a chance to remind him that he’s not been dismissed.

“I’ve waited far too long to pass the reigns over to you, Leopold,” Alpha Magnus sighs, slouching and looking defeated. “I should have followed tradition and done it as soon as you were of age, but I was hoping that a few extra years would give you time to come around. But it hasn’t, and it seems that I’ve only made things worse by allowing your brother extra time to plot and prepare.”

“He’s never beaten me,” Lee insists, a bit of a growling edge to his tone.

“No, but I don’t think that was ever his goal. He’s been studying you, and if he’s finally vocalizing his intent, then that means that he thinks he’s discovered some weakness that he can exploit, or something that leads him to believe he will have an edge that will assure his victory. And he’s right about the law, so there’s not much I can do to stop him.”

“Nor should you,” Tian advises, his tone finally warming some. “What you should do, Lee, is take the time you have left and spend every moment that you have preparing, training, and doing some plotting and planning of your own. Now is not the time to be letting yourself get distracted with romance. Should Anna Jade turn out to be your mate, that will still be true once you’re Alpha and have put your brother securely in his place. Right now, she will only be a distraction, and she may even be the weakness that your brother thinks he has discovered.”

“Oh, that’s a good point,” Alpha Magnus agrees. “That certainly would explain why he chose right now to say something.”

“So, what are you saying?” Lee asks Tian, sounding almost panicked as he clutches my hand in his so tightly that it’s almost painful.

“I’m saying that after breakfast, Anna Jade and I will be preparing to leave so we can continue on our travels,” Tian explains. “I had contemplated letting her stay just a bit longer considering your newly discovered connection, but now I don’t think that’s the best idea for either of you.”

“Please, just one more night,” Lee begs in a desperate tone I’ve never heard from him before. “One night, that’s all I’m asking, and then I promise I’ll take your advice and focus more on training and preparing.”

Tian sighs, staring Lee down as he considers his proposal. I don’t think it’s meant to be intimidating, just thoughtful and calculating, and Lee doesn’t seem to shrink away from his gaze either. He’s staring right back at him, that pleading, hopeful look still on his face as he waits.

“One night,” Tian finally concedes. “You can have the day together, and three more meals, and then we’re leaving. That’s my final decision.”

“Okay, I hear you. And thank you,” Lee tells him gratefully, squeezing my hand again. “I’d come over there and hug you, but I don’t get the sense that hugging is your thing.”

“With you, absolutely not,” Tian retorts, and most of the people at the table laugh or at least chuckle a little.

It seems to help resolve a lot of the tension that’s been lingering in the room since Lee and I arrived, and it lightens the mood of the conversation through the rest of our meal. I suppose it also helps that Max is gone now because he tends to make things awkward and difficult.

After breakfast, I head back to my guest room so I can finish showering and putting myself together. Lee said he wants to take me around a bit and show me some of his favorite parts of the city, and I don’t feel comfortable going out after only rinsing off and not even washing my hair. He was amused, of course, but agreed to give me an hour or so to get ready.

I’m just finishing my hair at the mirror when Tian knocks on my bathroom door, a solemn, serious expression on his face.

“I’ve just gotten off the phone with your mother after updating her about everything that’s happened since last night,” he informs me, sighing with the weight of whatever he’s left unspoken. “I know you have plans with Lee, but first we need to talk, Anna Jade. It’s important, and it can’t really wait.”

I set my brush down, swallowing back my nerves as I turn and follow him into the bedroom. Whatever this is about sounds rather serious, so I hurry over to the bed to sit down before he shocks me with whatever it is. He stands not far from me, clutching the back of the same chair he was holding onto just last night.

I’m getting the sense that whatever he’s about to tell me is going to leave me feeling just as miserable and disappointed as I did then, too.

“Your father is worried about the way things have been going here, and he and your mother are on their way to try and do what they can to fix it,” he reveals.

That takes me a moment to process before I can even try to respond to him. Fix it? Fix what? What does that even mean? And my father is somehow involved? Could this be about one of his mysterious dreams?