“But, what if—”
“Shade, stop,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You’re worrying about things that haven’t happened yet. If Caelan picks you, then he’s made up his mind that you’re the best she-wolf for him. And I won’t question his decision for a second. I know you’d make a great luna. Now, finish your breakfast.”
***
I was looking over an aerial photo of Harvest Moon’s territory when Sunny skipped into my room for a second time that day.
“Shade, you’ll never believe the day I had,” she said with a spin. “I had the most wonderful time with Caelan. He’s so perfect for me.” She flopped down on my bed, a dreamy look in her eyes. “We went for a long walk in the gardens and then had lunch together in the village before…”
She continued talking, but I tuned her out, rubbing a spot on my chest as that same pain returned.
Honestly, I hadn’t thought about their date all day. I’d been so focused on coming up with a plan if Dark Moon decided to try to sneak past the borders again.
Admittedly, I was less worried for Sunny now that I knew she wasn’t the target. No, the next time Alpha Huxley came back, he’d be coming for me, and I needed to be ready.
Still, it bothered me that they’d had a nice time together, even though I should have been thrilled. This was the whole reason we were in Harvest Moon, to ensure Sunny became the new luna.
I forced a smile as she talked about trying to get him to kiss her good night when they parted ways.
“I think he’s playing hard to get,” she reasoned. “Make me want him more, you know?”
I nodded, jealousy warming my blood.What is wrong with me?
There was a sudden knock on the door, and I was grateful for the interruption. I couldn’t listen to Sunny gushing about how she had thrown herself at the alpha any longer.
“Come in,” I called, ignoring the glare that Sunny shot my way.
The door opened, and the maid Zelda poked her head in.
“I was coming to turn down the sheets, if that’s all right,” sheexplained, and I nodded for her to go about her work.
“Of course. How has your day been, Zelda?” I asked as Sunny reluctantly jumped off the bed at Zelda’s pointed look.
I smiled. I liked the sharp-tongued maid. We’d had a few conversations, and I liked how open she was about sharing her opinions.
“A bit easier now with one less guest to worry about,” she admitted as she fluffed the pillows.
“Yeah, we heard about Deianira,” Sunny chuckled as though she were single-handedly responsible for her dismissal. “So sorry to see her go.”
“Not just Deianira, but Talulla as well,” Zelda informed us. “Really? When was she dismissed?” I pressed, my brow shooting up in surprise.
“Just a little while ago,” the maid admitted, smoothing out the comforter.
“See!” Sunny jumped, giggling excitedly. “I told you our date went well! He probably dismissed her as soon as we got back!” she sighed happily. “Caelan is totally falling for me! He’ll ask me to be his mate any day now, I bet! No one can resist my charms. I’m going to make the best luna this pack’s ever seen.”
“Yeah, that must be the reason,” Zelda agreed sarcastically. “Couldn’t at all be related to the fact that they were both ex-girlfriends of his whose relationships ended badly. It had to be because you’reso perfectfor each other,” she concluded with a roll of her eyes.
I hid a smile as Sunny huffed indignantly. Zelda finished her work, humming contentedly to herself as she bid me a polite good night, pointedly neglecting my sister.
“I don’t like her,” Sunny scoffed. “She’s rude and extremely disrespectful to those who are better than her. The first thing I’m going to do when I’m in charge is fire her and that head of house, Niral. Both of them need to be reminded of their place in the pack.”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “She’s a hard worker, and Niral was just following orders. You can’t fire them for doing as they were told.”
She looked at me, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “You’re disagreeing with me? Seems even you’ve forgotten where you belong since we’ve been here.”
I ducked my head, baring my neck to her. “I’m sorry, Sunny. I meant no offense.”
She tossed her head, turning her nose up at me. “I have half a mind to tell Father, but with Dark Moon sniffing around, I can’t afford to lose you. Butdon’tlet it happen again, Shade.”
