From Rejected Mate to Luna (Julia White) novel Chapter 144

Chapter 144

Eric’s POV

52

The phone’s shrill ring tore me from sleep, my body tensing before consciousness fully returned. Lisa shifted beside me, murmuring something unintelligible as I fumbled for my cell on the nightstand. The screen showed 2:17 AM, the caller ID displaying “Security Team.”

“This is Eric,” I answered, voice thick with sleep.

“Sir, you need to come to Reynolds Manor immediately.” The guard’s voice was tightly controlled, professional, but I caught the underlying tension. “It’s urgent.”

“What happened?” I swung my legs over the bed, already reaching for my jeans.

“I… can’t say over the phone. All pack council members are being summoned.”

A cold knot formed in my stomach. “I’ll be there in fifteen.”

Lisa sat up, her blonde hair falling across her shoulders, eyes alert despite the hour. Through our mate bond, she could feel my anxiety

pulsing. “What’s wrong?”

“Not sure.” I pulled a sweater over my head. “Something at the Reynolds place. Probably Nathan causing trouble again.” But even as I said

it, an unsettling premonition crept through me. This felt different from Nathan’s usual disruptions.

Lisa touched my arm. “Be careful. Your heart’s racing.”

I kissed her forehead. “I will, Go back to sleep. I’ll call when I know something.”

The Reynolds estate was ablaze with lights, security personnel stationed at intervals along the driveway, I parked behind several other

vehicles I recognized as belonging to council members. The night air carried hushed voices and the unmistakable scent of grief.

Marcus, head of the security team, met me at the entrance. The veteran warrior’s face was ashen. “It’s Alpha Reynolds. He’s gone.”

1 froze, “Gone? You mean-”

‘Heart attack, according to the doctor. Found in his study about an hour ago.”

The foyer was crowded with pack members, some openly weeping, others standing in shocked silence. I moved through them in a daze, following Marcus toward the main sitting room where Luna Reynolds sat crumpled on a sofa, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

Beside her stood Nathan, one hand on his mother’s shoulder, his expression appropriately somber.

1/2

10:27 Fri, Mar 27

I’d known Nathan since childhood, recognized every nuance of his expressions. The grief displayed on my friend’s face seemed perfect- too perfect, like an actor who had rehearsed the correct amount of pain to display.

Dr. Moore, the pack’s physician, was speaking quietly to the gathered council members. “…sudden cardiac arrest. Despite his excellent physical condition, these things can happen without warning. I’d examined him just last month and found nothing concerning.”

My gaze drifted back to Nathan, who was now calmly issuing instructions to the security team, his posture straightening almost imperceptibly, authority settling around his shoulders like a cloak. For just a moment, when Nathan thought no one was watching, a flicker of something like satisfaction crossed his features.

I looked away, disturbed by the disconnect between what I’d seen and what I wanted to believe about my oldest friend.

52

Three days later, the pack gathered for Alpha Robert Reynolds‘ funeral. Black–clad figures stood beneath gray skies as Nathan delivered a moving eulogy about his father’s legacy. I watched from the front row, noting how perfectly Nathan hit every emotional note, how his voice broke at precisely the right moments.

The burial had barely concluded when Nathan announced the succession ceremony would take place the following evening. “My father would want a smooth transition,” he explained to the council members. “The pack needs stability now more than ever.”

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