“Are you sure?” Red asked me.
I nodded. “Yes. Please, don’t tell Ethan anything. Now, can you help me?”
“Anything, Luna.” Red bent his head.
“Please take me home and help make Ethan hate me.”
Red let out a sigh. “What will you do?”
“Maybe I will date Constantine a few times. Please let Ethan know wherever I will go with him.”
“Luna, don’t do it!”
“I must! Otherwise, Ethan won’t believe that I want to leave him. If we separate in peace, we may find it harder to let go. If he hates me, he will forget me fast.”
“I doubt it, Luna.” Red looked elsewhere. “Besides, both of you have marked each other. It creates a powerful bond. Our Alpha is not a fool. He may realize it sooner than you think.”
“No, if I have Constantine by myself. He treated me sweetly. So, I think Ethan will believe it in the end.” I stared at Red. “Help me, please. It’s my last request.”
Red knelt, then kissed my feet. “I have never guessed that we would be in this situation. It is 180 degrees from the last time. I asked you to leave our Alpha, but you insisted on staying because you loved him. So now you want to leave him for the same reason. I admire you, Luna. It’s a huge sacrifice to make.”
“Because I love him, I’m willing to endure it. Maybe time will heal the pain, maybe not. But if he’s happy, then I’ll be happy too.”
“Maybe, or maybe not. I know Lord Constantine, and I’m afraid he can hurt you, Luna.”
“He told me he and Ethan were half-brothers. He also told me that Ethan hated him and vice versa.”
“The Alpha and Lord Constantine are half-brothers, but our Alpha has never hated Lord Constantine.”
“Hmm ….”
“Don’t trust Lord Constantine too much, Luna. Please think again about your plan.”
“Why?”
“I don’t like him. He is evil. Luna, you are beautiful. You’ll find someone better than Lord Constantine.”
“Thank you, Red.” Then I looked away. “I will only use him to make Ethan hate me.”
“But you can choose another man.”
I shook my head. “Who else? I am not close to any other man. Constantine is my friend. I think he won’t hurt me.”
“Your friend? Since when did you become his friend?”
“Since two days ago. Why?”
“Haven’t you remembered he drugged you?”
“Maybe it’s someone else. Let’s think it this way. If Constantine did it, why did he let Ethan take me home?”
Red said nothing, but later, he replied, “Maybe because he didn’t want to raise your suspicion. Lord Constantine is sly, you know.”
“He wanted to marry me ….”
“What?!”
“That’s why he’s the perfect person to help me.”
“Luna, you invite the weasel to enter the hen’s coop. He will eat you alive.”
I took a deep breath, then gave Red a teary smile. “After losing Ethan, maybe it’s what I need. Constantine may help me forget Ethan.”
***
~ Ethan ~
It was rare that the Elders called me for a sudden meeting. So, I entered the hall. Twenty Elders stood immediately as they saw me.
“Alpha! You are back!”
“Yes, Elder Rhys.” I nodded at the gray-haired Elder. “Only today. So, why did you all have this urgent meeting?”
“Alpha, it’s for discussing our pack.”
A youngster came and brought a chair for me. “Please have a seat, Alpha.”
I sat. We formed a big circle. Elder Rhys is the head Elder. He was my father’s Beta before my father passed away. I was still a tiny pup, so Elder Rhys actually had a right to be the Alpha. Considering all the Elders supported him too. However, he refused and wanted me to continue as the Alpha.
“Alpha, so, how was it? Can you break the curse?” Elder Rhys asked me.
I took a deep breath. “Yes, and no.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ruby Miranda, the witch I met, couldn’t break the curse, but she gave me a hint.”
“Oh?”
“I need to find another witch.”
“It’s easy then. We will help you.”
I let out a sigh. “The problem is not as easy as that. Since the witch needs to be young and powerful, we all know that most powerful witches are old.”
“It’s true. But I will find out more about this. So, this young witch will break the curse. Then we only need to give her what she wants.”
“Love.”
“Sorry?”
“Ruby told me that the witch must have a true love to break the curse, and both of us should love each other.”
The Elders started talking to each other. “It’s madness. Having a witch as our Luna? Never in a millennium do I hear about it.”
“It’s the first time. Who knows if the witch can help our pack be the strongest?”
“It’s true. Also, if the witch loves our Alpha, she will do everything to protect him and the pack.”
“Indeed! So, it’s a good solution.”
Elder Rhys didn’t say anything but listened to everyone’s opinion. “So, what will your next move be?” He asked me later.
“I’m still thinking about it.” I cleared my throat. “The thing is … I have already chosen a Luna.”
“What?! Who is she? Do we know her?”
I shook my head. “It’s the mate-bond. The Highest One chose her for me. I didn’t choose her.”
“So, who is she?”
“Her name is Helena Starr. She is a human who works as a librarian in Moon City.”
“A human? Alpha, are you sure it’s a mate-bond?”
I nodded. “Yes, a hundred percent. My wolf confirmed it too.” Then I looked around. “I have marked her. So, I can’t leave her.”
Elder Gregory asked, “Alpha, why haven’t you brought the Luna to our pack? Why haven’t you introduced her to us?”
“I’m waiting for the right time.”
“With the new progress we heard just now, it seems you should leave her. Otherwise, we may choose another Alpha.”
It was noisy suddenly. Some supported Elder Gregory’s opinion, and the rest were against it.
Elder Rhys immediately stood. “It’s a huge matter. We can’t decide without asking the Highest One’s guidance.”
I nodded. “I agree. Let’s have a fast and meet again after a week.”