His hands froze for a second before he moved on to my hair. “She blames you?” His question was soft, but I heard the steel behind it.
“No. But I wish she would.” I looked away and ended up staring at the sink. “She blames herself.” My hand gripped his to stop him drying my hair. “They tortured her. In ways I can’t say, but I am sure you understand. But she blames herself. What she did to survive.”
He growled. “No one should feel ashamed of surviving something like that. You do what you have to do.” I nodded.
“I agree, but she doesn’t see it that way. And in here.” I tapped my chest. “In here I ache because I swore I would protect her and then I left her in that cesspool.”
“She stayed to protect your mother.” I nodded again. “She is a Gamma protecting her Luna.” His voice was low, coaxing. “It’s horrible what she went through, and we will make sure everyone who touched her dies. But if you ask her if she regrets it, I know she would say no because it could have been your mother. Or you.” I felt another tear fall because I hated that he was right. “You diminish her when you talk about it like you are.” I reeled back and almost smacked my head off the glass. “Before you get mad, think about it. What is a Gamma’s duty?”
“To protect her Luna.” My answer was low.
“And why did they catch her?”
Her words came back to me. “She called me…with a warning. And they took her in right after.”
He nodded. “Don’t diminish her by blaming yourself. She protected her Luna.” Rowan kissed me and then turned and left me on the counter to think.
There was a pounding at the door, and I groaned. I rolled over in the darkness and realized I only had a few hours of sleep. Three at most.
“What is that?” Rowan’s voice was a hoarse yell.
I chuckled as I dragged myself out of bed. I had enough forethought to grab my robe before I trudged over to the door. I turned back as Rowan was about to move, and I barked at him to get back into the bed. “Stay put. No one else gets to see you naked.” I pointed a finger at him.
He laughed as he settled back into the bed with the blanket pulled over his lap. “We are wolves, love. Everyone is naked.”
I snorted. “Nice try, Lycan, you shift without taking off your clothes. No one gets to see you naked. Understood?” Rowan grinned and nodded once before I turned back to the door. I opened it as the person knocked again. “What’s wrong? Dad?” I pulled the door completely open. “Why are you here so early? I figured you’d be busy with Mom?” The man had the decency to blush as he shook his head.
“I mean, I was, but we have a situation, and I figured you and Rowan wanted to be there.”
Rowan perked up at that. “What’s wrong?” I heard him shift and knew he was about to get up. I turned as he shifted againand pointed back to the bed with a growl. He snorted. “He’s a man…and your father!” The disbelief in his voice was filled with exasperated amusement.
“Well, you should have thought about it before you flashed the Omega. Now you have to deal with two very territorial wolves. Congrats.” I smirked before turning back to my father. His smile made me point at his face. “Shut it.” He held up his hands. “Now what is going on?”
My dad snorted, but it disappeared quickly. “Theo wants to talk.”
I felt my eyebrows furrow. “About what?”
My dad shrugged. “I don’t know, but I figured you would want to be there.”
I nodded. “We both would. Give us a minute to get dressed, and we can head down together. Plus, it will give me a second to gather what I need.”
“What do you need?” My father gripped the door as I tried to shut it. “For what?”
“For the spells.” I looked at him, and I saw the pain in his eyes. “I know you don’t agree with me. But the Goddess has tasked me with this. I will use everything at my disposal to save us.” His hand dropped from the door.
“But…magic shouldn’t be used for darkness.”
I smiled up at him and his almost childlike outlook. “Darkness is relative.” I grabbed his hand. “You will torture and kill someone who betrays the pack, right?”
He nodded. “Of course. When they go against the pack, it is up to the Alpha to protect everyone. You know this.”
“I do. I did it for you. And I would do it again to save the pack.” I shook his hand. “This is the same thing, just on a larger scale. I’m the Queen Luna, and I will do anything, give anything, to protect our kind. Even if it costs me my soul…or my life.”
My father stared at me for a moment. “I remember you as my little girl, still running around with pigtails, and chasing after Loki.” He closed his eyes for a second, and I was surprised to see a tear trembling on his lashes. “When did you grow up into this amazingly strong woman?” He took a shaky breath and cleared his throat. “You don’t need me anymore, and I don’t know how to feel about it.”
I laughed and poked him. “I grew up because I had to. I am who I am because you and Mom raised me to know what is right. But you are wrong.” He lifted his gaze to meet mine. “I will always need my dad.” I pulled him down so I could kiss his cheek and then I pushed him away. “Give us a minute and we will be out.”
He nodded. “Mind-link an Omega to grab everything you need, and they can meet us downstairs.”
