The King Without a Queen Book 2

SYLVIA

The idea that I might have the luna’s phone number was a surreal thought. The fact that she was actually texting me was even more dreamlike. Yet, it was happening, and it was slightly irksome.

She’d asked for my number yesterday, after leaving the house, so she could update me on any new developments.

She’d also requested that I drop the formal title of luna and call her by her first name. I nearly had a heart attack at the suggestion. Maybe it was her human side showing, not understanding the significance of titles to us wolves. To address a luna by their first name was something I’d only do under extreme duress—like having a gun to my head. The likelihood of that happening was slim to none.

I recall her pouting, thinking she’d continue to nag me about it, but she simply nodded and said she’d call me luna from now on, since I was soon to be one.

“Is it the luna again?” my mom asked. I nodded, giving her a helpless look. The luna had been bombarding me with texts, mostly about trivial matters. I’m not a fan of texting. Actually, I prefer solitude.

Mom chuckled. “She’s probably thrilled to finally meet a luna her own age.”

She was right. Most of the lunas in the country were older, and predominantly female. But that was changing. Just as the alpha role was no longer exclusively male, the luna role was no longer solely female.

Our wolf society was evolving alongside human society, highlighting our similarities. We just had sharper nails and teeth. Oh, and the ability to transform into wolves.

“Both wolf and man, both of them suppressed their female counterparts,” I muttered to myself.

Mom raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you write a ten-page essay on this topic a few years back?”

“Yeah. I should have focused more on school subjects instead of this. I couldn’t even publish it because humans don’t believe in werewolves,” I grumbled. By “publish,” I meant in a way that would enhance my academic career. The only audience for my essay was the werewolf community. But I did receive numerous letters from wolf women expressing their fascination with the subject, and their surprise at the parallels between their past conditions and those of human women. Those letters filled me with a sense of pride.

“I know, honey, but that’s not the point. You wrote a beautiful paper from very limited sources. That’s an accomplishment. And I’m sure you’ll do something equally impressive as a luna,” she said, her eyes sparkling as she leaned down to kiss my forehead.

Her compliment warmed me from the inside. It was true, my resources were limited. Werewolf literature for werewolves was scarce. We had to maintain our secrecy, but I managed to learn about many rituals from texts in our town library. I noticed that women often played no role. This wasn’t an isolated incident. Even wolves from different countries seemed to neglect women, and the conditions of wolf women mirrored those of human women.

I hugged my mom. “Thank you.”

She always knew the right thing to say, and I was eternally grateful for that.

“All right, but don’t think you’re off the hook. You’re helping me make this cake.”

“Of course, Mom,” I sighed resignedly.

Then I went to Dylan’s room and told him the whole truth. I hadn’t exactly lied to him, I’d just omitted some details. I felt a twinge of guilt. I’d never really lied to my brother, and I didn’t want to start now. Despite our age difference, we were close. I shared more secrets with him than with Mom.

He might tease me constantly, but I knew he was protective of me.

“Your mate is a what?” He finally looked up from his phone, his mouth slightly agape. I would have told him how ridiculous he looked, but the situation wasn’t right for it.

“A half-wolf,” I clarified.

“Aren’t half-wolves the…” He paused, searching for the right words. “Aren’t they the crazy murderer wolves?” I appreciated his blunt honesty. I wanted to laugh at his comment, but it didn’t seem appropriate.

“That’s a broad generalization,” I replied, but he wasn’t really listening. He frowned, setting his phone down on the bed. “Is this even safe?” he asked, his attention fully on me. It was one of the rare moments when he put his phone aside to talk to me.

“The alpha and luna assured me it’s safe,” I reassured him.

“If anything happens to you, I’m blaming them,” he snorted.

I laughed. “I’ll be the luna. Don’t worry; nothing will happen to me.”

His eyes widened in disbelief. “Your mate is an alpha?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Since he’s a half-wolf… He’s a half-wolf alpha?” he whispered the last part.

“He’s the alpha of the half-wolves,” I corrected.

“Unbelievable.” He nudged me with his foot. “I want to meet him before I decide whether I like him or not.”

I chuckled at that.

The rest of the day was filled with him complaining about why I hadn’t told him sooner, which eventually led to us bickering like any other day. Ah, sibling love.

The luna texted me that evening: We will tell Jerome about you today. He is on his way to our town.

I gasped. He was coming here? In person? I didn’t know whether to be excited or nervous about him being so close. I wanted to ask the luna more questions, but decided against it.

Then I groaned, remembering that my brother wanted to meet him. The idea of my fifteen-year-old brother deciding whether or not to approve of my mate would have been hilarious if I wasn’t slightly panicking. I could already envision a multitude of scenarios, most of them ending with someone in the hospital.

I tried to calm my racing thoughts.

“Deep breaths, Sylvia,” I told myself, focusing on the rise and fall of my chest, trying to steady my breathing. I regretted giving up meditation. I knew it would have helped me avoid this spiral of chaotic thoughts, but I was too lazy to keep it up. I remembered how I’d scoffed at the idea of meditating every day.

Look where that got me, I thought bitterly.

Later that night, while I was watching a movie on my laptop to distract myself from my thoughts, I heard my phone beep. The sound was loud enough to be heard over the movie’s grunts and stabbings. I knew instantly it was the luna.

I groaned. “Please get me out of this situation, Moon Goddess.”

I read her text message: HE IS GOING TO MEET YOU TOMORROW.

I wasn’t sure if the capital letters indicated excitement or fear. I decided to shut off my brain and just go to sleep.