Chapter 482: Demand

Chapter 482: Daphne

Wow. Clarissa really is cruel.

Well, she has never been kind-hearted. A genuinely good person would not baby-trap someone they know is taken.

But she is brave for goading someone who nearly killed her once.

I watch from the window in the pack house, with Elara next to me. We came out to watch once we saw Clarissa walking in her direction. Diana’s house is within hearing and seeing distance from the main house.

"Oh my goddess," Elara says at my side."Is she not afraid?"

"I do not think she will do anything," I say. "She is in public like this. I mean, the public opinion of the Luna is at an all-time low. I do not think she will risk making it worse."

We watch as the white-haired woman’s chest heaves. She takes a deep breath.

And she walks away.

"See?" I say.

Elara exhales.

"That was really close," she says.

"I thought you wolves liked to fight," I say.

"Yeah, with our peers. Not the Luna," she says.

"Wait." I turn to her. "Since you are essentially Luna of Redmoon, do you also have that ability?"

I have been meaning to ask, but it has slipped my mind. Often.

"Also, how does the hierarchy work? Are Lunas like queens? The way a queen is to a king? Or is it a matriarchal society?" I pause. "That cannot be right, though. From what I have seen from some of your traditions..."

I trail off, thinking about Elara herself. She was cast out. Sent to live at the edge of the pack when she was pregnant and unmated. Definitely not how a matriarchal society would work.

I hope one day I do find myself in one, though.

"Are you asking me this now?" Elara says, her hands on her hips.

"Yes."

"Daphne, you have been here for over five years."

"It has been that long?"

"And this is when you are curious about how the society you have essentially been living in works?"

I shrug.

She stares at me.

I stare back.

She walks toward the couch and sits down. I follow.

"Fine," she says. "I will explain."

I sit beside her.

"Lunas," she begins, "are not queens. They are not rulers. They are... partners. Counterbalances. The Alpha leads the pack. The Luna leads the heart of the pack. She is the one who nurtures. Who heals. Who mediates. She has influence, yes. But she does not have absolute power. Not like the Alpha."

"You have the bloodline command?"

"I have a bloodline command," she corrects. "It is not the same as the Luna’s. The Luna’s command is absolute. It comes from the goddess. It binds all wolves. Mine is... different. Weaker. It only works on Redmoon wolves. And only when I am acting as Luna."

"So you do have it."

"To a lesser extent."

I nod.

"And the hierarchy?"

"The Alpha leads. The Luna supports. The Beta advises. The pack follows. It is not matriarchal. It is not patriarchal. It is... balanced. Or at least, it is supposed to be."

I place my hand on the back of the chair, and Elara shifts closer to me.

"If the Alpha is absolute, and the Luna supports, how did it work with the current situation? She had four Alphas and seems to be the one calling the shots," I say.

I nod along to her explanation, but my attention has drifted. The political structure of wolf packs is fascinating, I’m sure, but it’s no competition for the way the soft fabric of her dress has shifted, revealing the gentle swell of her breast.

"Well, this was a special... case. Are you listening?"

"Yes, definitely," I say, moving closer.

"As I was saying, it is a special case. The current Luna is born from the fact that the wolves needed to... unite—Daphne." Elara scolds, but my hand is already slipping into the inside of her dress.

"I am still listening," I say. "Need to unite, yes?"

She sighs and shakes her head, but she does not pull away. If anything, she leans into my touch, her skin is always so warm.

"Yes, need to unite. You know about the vampires and how we had to band together to fight—Daphne."

"The vampires," I continue, my lips now close to her ear. "Must have been terrible. All those teeth. All that darkness." I press a soft kiss to her neck, right where I can feel her blood rushing beneath the surface.

She sighs and leans back onto the chair, her eyes half-closed. "Yes, it’s in an alpha’s nature to be aggressive, and arrogant—ah—" Her words break off as my hand moves higher.

I carry her to my lap, and push her shirt up. Her breasts spill out, bouncing slightly with the movement—how pretty. The rosy nipples tighten immediately in the cool air of the room.

I fucking love women. Mostly my woman.

"Yes, I know all about the great fight against the vampires." I say, my eyes never leaving her chest. "But I think there are more important battles to be fought right now."

"Yes, them sharing a mate was a huge factor in making the packs unite— ahhh—" Her words dissolve into a moan as I lean down and take one nipple into my mouth.

Clearly, this conversation is over.

My other hand moves now, sliding up her thigh, pushing the hem of her dress higher.

"I thought we were discussing pack politics," she says, her fingers tangling in my hair and yanking me away from her chest to look up at her, but there’s a teasing note in her voice now.

"Best kind of politics," I murmur, nipping at her lower lip. "The kind that happens behind closed doors. Between mates."

She laughs softly before pulling me down for another kiss. This one is deeper and more demanding, and I can only give into the demand by pulling her closer and kissing her just as hard.