Get Back The Abandoned Luna (Scarlett and Alexander) novel Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Scarlett’s POV

166

55 vouchers

“What’s the matter?” I glanced at Kathleen, who sat directly next to me with a heavy sigh.

Kathleen rolled her eyes. “Those neighboring packs are starting to question you. They say you’re not leading on your own–that you’re only Lucien’s puppet. They don’t believe the rumors about how you led Nightshade and commanded them directly when they were about to be attacked by rogues. They just dismissed those tales and say that whatever strength Nightshade has, it comes from Lucien, not you. That you’re just riding on his coattails.”

I raised my brows and couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s fine. Just let them be. They want to believe whatever rumors they want to believe. Anyway, they prefer stories about me that aren’t even true. Just let them be.”

Behind me, a chair scraped sharply against the tiles. Lucien had risen before Kathleen could respond. His voice was thunder when he spoke. “Who dares to fucking question her?”

The air vibrated with the fury he was holding back. His wolf lurked at the edges of his silver eyes, violent and unrestrained.

“Lucien-” Kathleen began.

“No.” His fists slammed against the table, rattling the ledgers and inkpot. “They insult her to insult me. If they think for a second I’ll let their slander stand-”

I stood up, laying a hand against his arm. His muscles were iron beneath my touch, but I felt the faint tremor of his restraint. “Lucien. Stop.”

His gaze snapped to mine, still burning.

“If I fight the whispers,” I said calmly, “it would seem like the rumors they spread were true. Anyway, it’s good enough that some of them believe in me, in my capabilities.” I squared my shoulders, letting my voice carry with a steadiness I wasn’t sure I fully possessed. “Let’s solve this with action, not violence. Besides, didn’t you tell me to be calm and not directly respond to their taunts?”

Lucien’s jaw flexed. His eyes locked on mine. “I didn’t say that. I told you before to control the words that come out of your mouth when talking in front of others–especially in front of councils. Because they would use your words against you and twist them into lies. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t fight back.”

I paused. “Hm, I know. But I don’t want to respond to their rumors and go around proving that I’m good at this or that. I want them to see it, rather than just hear about it.”

Lucien nodded. “That’s a good point. If you want to fight, go do it because I’m always behind you–I’ve got your back, always. I’ll let you do it your way, but don’t expect me to stay leashed if they cross the line.”

Before I could respond, he let out a heavy sigh. His hand nearly brushed my cheek before he clenched it into a fist at his side. “You infuriate me sometimes, little wolf. You’d rather carry the insult on your shoulders than let me crush the fools who spread it.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle and patted his arm. “I can’t let you do that. You promised the councils, remember,”

11:02 Mon, Apr 20

Chapter 72

66

55 vouchers

His gaze darkened. He gritted his teeth. “Those fools. Watch what I do after your bill gets approved.”

“You should continue to lie low,” I said.

Kathleen, who had been silent since earlier, spoke up while munching peanuts, giving us a sparkling look. “My brother has been lying low. For the first time, there is no blood, corpses, tortures, or massacres done either inside or outside of the pack. This is his cleanest rule as the Alpha of Nightshade–it makes me wonder if he’s really my brother.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her words and agreed. “Indeed. He’s been lying low for so long that the enemies have started to underestimate him.”

Kathleen laughed again. “Right! Those who knew Lucien before are wondering why he’s suddenly so tame.”

I rolled my eyes. “For sure, in their minds I’m branded as either ‘beast tamer‘ or ‘witch crafter‘ since I got him to listen to me.”

Both of us laughed, while the person we were talking about just watched us with a calm expression.

Seeing us look at him, he raised his brow. “What? Continue. I want to hear more.”

Both Kathleen and I looked at each other and cleared our throats. “We don’t have any more.”

“Oh, that’s a pity. I thought I would hear something like ‘Alpha Lucien of Nightshade is currently guarding Scarlett Winter of Crescent Moon as his mate. What is their status? Are they in love, or is it just an alliance?‘– like that.” He said this calmly, his eyes fixed on me so intensely it nearly made my breath catch.

I quickly averted my gaze, ignored Kathleen’s teasing smile, and was about to deny those rumors when Kathleen spoke with great enthusiasm.

“They asked that too! Someone from Nightshade asked me if Scarlett will be the new Luna of Nightshade!”

I paused and looked at her.

Kathleen smiled. “They even asked when she’ll officially become the Luna of Nightshade.”

Before I could speak, Lucien, the corner of his mouth curved as if he liked the topic very much, nodded and answered, “Scarlett herself will answer all those questions. After all, she’ll be the one to decide whether she wants to stay here and be my Luna or not.”

Ignoring Kathleen’s scream, I raised my head and looked at Lucien, who gazed at me so softly it almost made my legs weak.

However, I didn’t say anything.

I watched as he drew closer to me and tilted his head. “What are your answers, little wolf?”

I pursed my lips and was overwhelmed by the loud thumping of my heart. It made me think my heart was trying to escape my ribcage.

I averted my gaze, unable to look at him, and mumbled, “Let’s talk about this again after the bill gets

11:02 Mon, Apr 20

Chapter 72

approved.”

166

55 vouchers

I felt his gaze burning into me before he finally looked away. I let out a sigh of relief and glanced at him secretly, only to see the faint smile on his lips.

Damn.

In the afternoon, I was out in the courtyard, sleeves rolled past my elbows, overseeing the supplies inventory. Crates of grain, bolts of cloth, jars of herbs–all needed sorting and counting. A group of Omegas worked nearby, some still bandaged from the last rogue skirmish.

I bent beside one–a young girl no older than sixteen. Her arm was in a sling, but she struggled to haul a sack of grain with her good hand.

“Careful,” I said, steadying the sack for her. “Your shoulder will tear again if you push like that.”

Her eyes widened when she realized who had spoken. “Luna-”

“Scarlett,” I corrected gently. I took the sack from her, settling it in place myself. “You heal. That’s your task today.”

She bit her lip. “But I need to—”

“Don’t push yourself too hard,” I said firmly. “The pack needs you breathing more than it needs you broken. If you want to rest, take a rest. I’ll bring it up to your Alpha later so you can recover, even if just for a few weeks. Would that be okay?”

Tears shimmered in her eyes. She whispered, “Thank you. But… who will manage these supplies while we’re out?”

I smiled. “Don’t worry about that. There are Alphas and Betas who know how to manage it. I’ll ask them to lend a hand first.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify