Pursuing My Rejected Luna by Cara Anderson novel Chapter 240

Ch. 12

bah

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I’ve been dreading this couficil meeting all week. Donovan Reeves, Alpha of a bordering pack, has formally filed a border dispute claim. And it’s just the cherry on top of the shit sundae life has been feeding me lately.

He’s been a pain in my ass since the day I took over as Alpha, like a shark sensing blood in the water. Filing a formal claim is just his latest move in his campaign to see if the change in Alpha has weakened Ironwood enough for him to press the advantage.

The formalization changes the response options available to me. He’s forcing me into a decision, Fight or flight Whichever I choose sends a message about what he’s up against. I have to choose wisely.

I’ve spent two days preparing for this meeting, in between obsessing over my recent diagnosis, and I think I know what I’m going to say. At least I hope I do. But the anger of being backed into a corner is simmering in my veins, and containing it feels a lot harder than usual.

The council chamber holds twelve people around the table. I’m at the head. Cole is at my right. The meeting is called to order and I lay out the situation, the filing, the options.

Of course the council members have questions, which I do my best to answer despite the aggravation I feel building. They have concerns about precedent. I address those. The discussion is going the way I planned it to go- methodical, complete, moving toward the right decision. But I can’t help wondering if they would’ve questioned Jaxon this way.

And then an elder who supported Jaxon’s leadership with occasional friction and has transferred that friction to mine, because I think he enjoys being difficult, interrupts me mid-response. It takes the last of my fraying patience to listen to what he has to say.

“With respect, Alpha, I’m not sure you have the experience to navigate a formal territorial dispute. Jaxon Vale handled several of these before he was your age.”

The headache is already there-it started twenty minutes into the meeting, behind my left eye, quiet enough to manage. What isn’t quiet is the flash of heat that moves through me at his words.

It’s not hurt. It’s not even uncertainty about my ability or my position. It’s anger-raw, burning, the kind I don’t usually let into rooms like this but floods in like an unstoppable tsunami now.

“With respect, Elder Voss, fuck you.” I hiss, my tone no longer respectful at all, “Jaxon Vale chose me as his replacement. Your opinion wasn’t fucking warranted then and it’s irrelevant now. If Jaxon was so Goddess- damned amazing, maybe you should respect his choices. And let’s not forget, he also spent six months managing the fallout from one of those disputes because he acts before he thinks. You’ve got me now. And I’m not him.”

The room goes quiet. Not the productive quiet of a meeting in deliberation. This is the quiet of people in shock. But I’m still too fucking pissed to want to take it back.

I feel Cole go completely still at my side, a huge departure from his usual laid back energy. It’s the thing that finally clears the red from my vision. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself before I release more of the bile rising in my throat onto the unsuspecting people in the room.

“The filing requires a formal response within fourteen days,” I continue, my voice back to its usual register. “We have time to be thorough. We’re going to be thorough. That’s my decision.” I look around the table. “Anything else?”

No one so much as utters a word. The meeting ends and Cole falls into step with me in the hallway outside the

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chamber. He doesn’t say anything for a moment.

axon would have thrown Voss out,” he says finally, laughing to himself.

It’s not what I expected him to say. I expected a lecture.

“Jaxon did throw people out,” I agree. “But then he spent months managing the backlash.”

“Fair point.” He concedes. “You okay?”

“Why?” I decide playing dumb is my best move here.

“The Voss thing.”

“He was out of line.” I shrug, like me completely losing my shit and cussing at an elder is just another Tuesday.

“He was,” Cole doesn’t argue the point. “You were also-” He chooses the word carefully. “Sharper than usual.”

“I made the right call.” My voice rises again and I have to remind myself Cole isn’t the enemy. What the fuck is happening to me?

“You did.” He stops walking and turns to look at me. “But the question stands. Are you okay?”

“I get it. I’m always quiet. But it doesn’t mean I’m a pushover.”

“Different quiet lately,” he points out. “And that wasn’t quiet. That was the opposite of quiet.”

“I’m fine,” I insist. “I’ve got a lot on my plate.”

He stares at me for a moment longer, trying to read my face. I do my best not to give away anything. “Okay,” he says. In the tone that means he doesn’t believe me and has decided to let it go for now. “I’ll have the formal response draft on your desk by tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” I reply and stand there until he walks away.

Piper catches up to me shortly after Cole leaves. “Noah.” She falls into step briefly. “The Calloway family submitted a follow-up to last month’s allocation agreement. They want to expand the scope.”

“Send it to my desk,” My tone is clipped, not in the mood for more complications. “I’ll review this week.”

“Already sent.” She hands me a summary sheet with a shy smile, “Thought you might want it before the Reeves response takes over your week.”

I look at the sheet. Then at her. “Thank you,” I find myself smiling back.

“Of course.” She stops at the junction of the hallway-her direction is left, mine is right. “Good meeting,” she grins mischievously.

“Was it?” I smirk

Her expression turns serious. “Good outcome,” she amends. “Voss was out of line.”

“People are going to compare me to Jaxon for a while.” I try to hide my scowl.

“People are going to compare you to Jaxon forever,” she says, “Doesn’t mean they’re right.” She turns left. “Good luck with the response.”

She goes and I watch her turn the corner. Easy, I think. Whatever that conversation was, it was easy. She made it

easy.

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I log that thought away alongside everything else I’m saving to think about later.

Cara Anderson

Author

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