Forsaken by the Moon Goddess novel Chapter 69

Sloane

I ignored the side-eye glances I received as I walked into warrior training. I don’t know if it’s Benedict’s scent on me, or if they heard me while Benedict made me come only a few yards away, Either way, it would be obvious what we were doing.

“Damn. BWFive staking his claim again, huh?” Scarlet asks softly as she walks up.

“Let’s just say he and Marrok were feeling a bit possessive about everything that happened.”

When it looks like everyone is here, I start by addressing the pack.

“I’m sure you all realize that Beta Gabriel and Gamma Jack are not in attendance this morning. They are currently in the pack cells accused of allowing an intruder to pass onto your pack lands unannounced. The intruder was Kaelin, Alpha Waylon’s son, who you all know was banished. Kaelin remains unwelcome in this pack. There will be an all-pack announcement at three o’clock this afternoon. Everyone is expected to be there.”

Everyone glances at each other, but I nod at Scarlet and she begins taking them through the warm-up.

Scarlet is obviously pissed about Kaelin because she basically beats the snot out of our warriors. As we walkback inside, following behind the limping warriors, Grandpa Waylon comes out of his office.

“Sloane, your aunt and uncle just arrived.”

“Excellent, let’s meet them outside,” I say. “Scarlet, will you join us?”

As we walk to the front of the packhouse, I tean toward her. “When will your parents arrive?” I ask softly.

She checks her watch. “In an hour or two.”

“Perfect. Benedict and Bethany will be here at two, then we can make our announcement and have the ceremony at three.”

“What are you going to wear? We didn’t get you a dress for this,” Scarlet says.

“That’s okay. If Kaelin shows up, I want him to see that he’ll be fighting a warrior, not simple she-wolf.”

“You’re going to wear a sparring outfit to your Alpha ceremony?” she asks, frowning.

“Yep. Simple, effective, perfect for fighting,” I say as we walk out.

I smile as Uncle Roman pulls up with ten trucks. To say my uncle wasn’t happy to hear that Kaelin was in my bedroom at two o’clock this morning would be an understatement.

While he knows I can take care of myself, I’m family and no one messes with Uncle Roman’s family.However, it’s Aunt Samara who is first out of the truck rushing over to look at me.

“Did he hurt you? Did he touch you? Did he try to mark you?” she snarls. Ayla is front and center and looking like she’s as ready to kill Kalin as Benedict was.

“None of the above, Ayla. We think he recognized my scent and for whatever reason, he left,” I say.

“Because he obviously couldn’t mark you, Sloane. Hello, Luna,” Scarlet says, hugging my aunt.

“Hello, Scarlet. I just got off the phone with your mother.

She said they’ll be here in about an hour.”

“And obviously Benedict has come to check on you, since his scent is all over you,” Aunt Samara says.

“Yes. He came when I called him at three o’clock this morning. Then he returned home to lead warrior training, but he’ll be back by two along with Bethany. I asked him if they could be witnesses.”

“Good thinking,” Uncle Roman says, walking up. He gives me a hug. Behind him, Slade is watching me.

“He’s lucky you didn’t wake up,” Slade says as Uncle

Roman steps aside.

“Yes, he is.”

Slade hugs me, and then it’s Aria, Theo, Jessica, and Royal, one after the other.”Hello, Alpha,” the warriors from my uncle’s pack say.

“Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming,” I say, waving at the warriors who have all come to help protect my new pack.

“Yes, thank you for coming. I will rest easier knowing that Sloane is protected now,” Grandpa Waylon says.

“Do you know how many more we should expect? I want to make sure we have enough food for all the extra warriors tonight,” Grandma Judith says.

“I took care of it, Luna,” Scarlet says to her.

“Thank you, Scarlet.”

“How about we go inside and decide where you want the warriors to set up,” Uncle Roman says.

“Absolutely. Can we use your office, Alpha?” I ask Grandpa Waylon.

He raises an eyebrow. “Is there another office that you would use, Alpha?” he asks, stressing my title.

I know what he’s saying. In just a few hours, the office, the packhouse, and the entire pack will be mine. He’s already stepping back while I’m trying to be respectful and not push him out.

While I was meeting with Benedict earlier, Scarlet and Daniel set up a patrol schedule for the rest of the weekend. We decided on a combination of my new packmembers and Uncle Roman’s and Scarlet’s father, Alpha Austin’s warriors.

We review the schedule with Uncle Roman, getting his input on how many from each pack to have running patrols. He agreed with my higher numbers since we’re not sure if Kaelin will return with more warriors or by himself.

By the time we’re done, Alpha Austin arrives, doubling the warriors that Uncle Roman brought. I can tell the pack is getting nervous, but soon enough, they’ll understand.

And then they can decide if they are willing to be lead by a female Alpha, or if they want to leave.

Beatrice POV

I barely survived the trip across country, but I did. Then I found a hotel where I could recover.

While recovering, that bitch Lydia called me.

When he finally finished, he’d smacked my ass hard enough to leave a mark.

“Excellent. You can stay. Get dressed. Anytime I call you, you come. You do what | tell you, when I tell you, and you get to stay. Got it?”

“Got it,” I’d said, because what else could I do? I had nowhere else to go.

I’d followed him to the packhouse, where Lydia was waiting, watching me with her own knowing smirk.

“Welcome to hell, Luna. But at least you have a roof over your head and a pack to protect you,” she’d said.

That was two days ago. Since then, the insatiable Beta has called me to his bedroom several times a day, always wanting to humiliate me by forcing me into unwanted sexual activities. He calls it ‘breaking me in’.

I considered leaving, but once I found out that Kaelin was going to snatch the Hartwell girl, holding her until he could force his mark on her and take back Waylon’s pack, l knew I could endure whatever it took.

Finally, after all these years, Althea’s daughter would get what was coming to her and Benedict would have nochoice but to move on.

When I saw Kaelin walking around the pack the day after he was supposed to take Sloane, I was furious, sure that Lydia had lied to me.

“I didn’t lie to you, Beatrice. I was as surprised as you are.

But Katin ran into an unexpected snag.”

“What snag?” I snarled.

“Sloane isn’t Sawyer’s daughter,” she says.

“Of course she is. What are you talking about?” I demand.

“Fergus recognized Sloane’s wolf as family. She isn’t Sawyer’s daughter, Beatrice, she’s Derrick’s, that whore’s son, Sloane is a true heir to Waylon and has just as much right to that pack as Kaelin does.”

I stare at her, shocked. Benedict’s words from his birthday party come rushing back to me. When I’d told Benedict that Sloane wasn’t Luna material, he’d agreed with me.

What had he said?

He’d looked at her and said, But you ARE Alpha material, aren’t you?’

He’d known. Even then, Benedict had known who she truly was and what Waylon’s plan was.

Then I remember what Sloane said when I told her she would never be Luna of Benedict’s pack. She said I was right, she wouldn’t.Because Waylon is going to name her his heir. She will never be a Luna because she’s going to be an Alpha. The first female Alpha in history.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. How can two Alphas possibly come together if they lead separate packs? It’s unheard of. But then, so is having a female Alpha.

And I know my son. If he was willing to banish me for Sloane, then he’ll find a way.

That bitch needs to die. Kaelin challenging his father and taking over the pack isn’t enough. He needs to wage war on Waylon’s pack and destroy Althea’s daughter once and for all.