“What?” I ask. “Do what?”
“Go to the alpha’s place,” one of the others mutters under his breath. “He said not to. That the alpha can’t be bothered all the time, or it will make him mad, and then he’ll hurt us.”
“What?” I almost shriek. “Who told you that?”
“Uncle Jack,” the little girl says.
“Who in the—I mean, who is Uncle Jack?”
I’d been about to swear horribly in front of practically every kid in the pack, but I’m so shocked, it was probably the most appropriate use of the F bomb in my entire life.
“Him!” one of the kids says, pointing.
I turn around slowly, and I know what I’m going to see.
My father, coming down the street with a jolly smile on his face. He waves enthusiastically, and the kids wave back.
“Uncle Jack!” the little girl says. “And Aunt Mellie.”
Most of the kids make a beeline for them, and I watch my father talk and joke with the kids, handing out cake and candies.
“You won’t be like Luna Jess or Alpha Talon, will you?” the little girl asks, tugging on my hand a little.
“What do you mean?” I ask, my heart breaking in my chest.
“Uncle Jack said Alpha Talon was bad. That he would get mad at us if we tried to talk to him. Same with our parents. Uncle Jack said only he could talk to Alpha Talon because it wasn’t safe.”
I close my eyes, swallowing down my rage and frustration. The worst thing about this horrible story is that I’m not surprised by it in the slightest.
“No,” I say. “You can always talk to me. Didn’t you say Luna Jess was nice to you?”
“Yeah,” the girl replies. “But Uncle Jack said it was all for show. That she was really nasty underneath, and we couldn’t trust her.”
I bite my lip, looking up at the sky as I try to hold in a scream.
It will do absolutely no good to try to explain things to this poor child!
“I tell you what,” I say, bending down. “How about you and all your friends come up to the house real soon. I want to see you guys at least once a week, maybe even more, and I’ll show you how to take care of the garden, read books, and make cakes.”
I want to give you what Jess gave to me. What she could have given to all of you.
“That sounds nice,” the girl says. “But what about Uncle Jack?”
“Don’t you worry about Uncle Jack,” I say, winking. “He’s my pa!”
“He is?” the girl asks, her eyes wide.
“Yep, he’s my dad. That’s why I’m the new luna—because we want to make things better.”
The little girl looks up at me with wide eyes, as if she’s struggling to believe it. Finally, she throws her arms around my waist and squeezes me tight.
“Thank you!” she says before dashing off to join the others.
I watch the crowd of kids jumping around while Melanie hands out goodies, and some of the mothers join her. I’m interested to know what they’re talking about, but even more interested in where Father has gone.
It doesn’t take me long to find the men gathered by one of the houses. Father is right in the center, talking about making improvements to the buildings and getting everyone hooked up to electricity and running water. Shawn stands nearby, his arms folded and his eyes fixed on Father, looking at him with pure admiration.
No one notices me as I join the group, listening to Father carry on about all the great works they can undertake now that they have resources and a new alpha willing to help.
