Second Chance Luna (Phoebe and Jason) novel Chapter 51

“I’m telling you, it was strange,” Lucille shook her head. “I mean, Phoebe is so gentle and unassuming but to hear her it was like she was someone else.”

She perched on Ben’s lap while they sat in Jason’s office.

After the sparring match between William and Lily’s first mate, training was rather benign. Jason sat at his desk trying to work but his expression was pensive and Lucille’s recount of their spa day was distracting. Luke leaned against the desk listening to her.

“Was it her wolf?” Luke suddenly asked.

Phoebe’s wolf remained as enigmatic as ever. Her former pack had been convinced she was wolfless though Jason had immediately felt its presence. Even Luke sensed it with little difficulty. There were of course instances of wolf spirits withdrawing after a rejection but that didn’t explain why they hadn’t known about her wolf before that. Even if Phoebe was a late bloomer her wolf would have emerged prior to her rejection.

Since arriving at Blue Moon it had become far easier for them to feel her wolf’s aura though it remained largely quiet. Yet her eyes shimmered silver often and Jason was convinced it was her wolf coming forward. They were all of the same opinion. What made it difficult was that Phoebe’s aura didn’t seem to change at all.

Usually when a wolf spirit came forward their presence and aura shifted allowing all to feel it. However, in Phoebe’s case there was no such shift…at least not unless she was angry as she had been at breakfast. They all felt her aura when confronting the young alpha and his warrior escort.

Yet those instances were few and far between.

Phoebes presence was usually far more subtle but there was no denying her influence. In fighting and disagreements between pack members had decreased and a new sense of unity grew. The warriors increased the intensity and frequency of their training on their own. In fact every member of the pack was performing their tasks with optimal efficiency and taking initiatives to improve them. Everyone seemed to want to impress their Luna with their work.

“Do you think there is something wrong with her wolf?”

Lucille asked. “I mean, it is like sick? Is that even possible?”

“Not necessarily,” Luke said after a moment. “You said her eyes were silver but you didn’t feel her aura, right?”

“Right.”

“Mona says that is a sign that a wolf is so in tune with their spirit that it is virtually impossible to tell one from the other.

“What does that mean?” Lucille asked. It seemed strange to think a person and their wolf spirit could simply switch places on a whim and no one would notice.

Luke sighed trying to recall how Mona explained it to him,” Think of you and your wolf as singing the same song. You are the melody and your wolf is the harmony. The more in tune you are with each other more blended the song becomes.”

“Sure,” Lucille shrugged. She was tone deaf so musical analogies didn’t really mean much to her.

“That’s why alphas usually awaken early,” Luke said. “It allows their souls to more closely sync with their wolves.”

“Right, everyone knows that,” Lucille rolled her eyes.

“Right, but they can sync so closely that they are truly one mind,” Luke said. “There is no disconnect at all between them and their wolves. They are one.”

“Really?” Lucille asked. She and her wolf argued all the time. Sometimes her wolf nagged her worse than her own mother.

“Jason is a prime example,” Luke nodded to him. “He and his wolf are so in-sync sometimes you wouldn’t know his wolf has come forward if you didn’t notice his eyes change.

“That’s true,” Ben agreed. “It’s almost uncanny.”

“And you think Phoebe is the same?” Lucille asked.

“Actually, I think she’s even more in-syne than Jason,” Luke said. “There is almost no difference between her and her wolf.”

“…So is that good or bad?” Lucille asked

“Neither,” Luke shrugged. “I’s just a fact. It explains why she’s so influential without actively expressing her aura. But it also means we won’t always be able to sense when her wolf is exerting its influence.”

“Well, that’s kind of disconcerting,” Lucille said.

Normally when one’s wolf came forward there was a shift which allowed them to prepare and raise their own guard.

Their own wolf would come forward in response. If the only sign that Phoebe’s wolf was present was a change in her eyes than they would be continually blindsided, like today.

“Maybe, but it is fun to watch,” Luke chuckled.

Jason softly growled.

“Relax Jace,” Luke smirked. “You saw the way she handled that young alpha and all those lunas. Name one other Luna who could do that…and with such poise too.”

Jason smiled, and he felt Lobo swell and proud. He never once doubted the Goddess when it came to his fated mated. From the moment he saw Phoebe, scented her, she took his breath away. And every day she amazed him more.

“Why?” Lucille asked

“Because even before Jason was mated, his aura rivaled the king’s,” Luke explained. “And he definitely outshined both of the princes. The king has always been wary of him.

The only reason the king never acted against him was because of the princess and the possibility Jason would take her as a mate.”

Jason growled unable to contain his disgust. Almost as long as Katrina pursued him Princess Selena had been an equal nuance. Every gathering the royal family hosted meant he had to endure her company all because of his unmated status.

“What’s she got to do with anything?” Lucille wrinkled her nose. The princess was insufferable but it wasn’t as if she held any real power.

“It’s no secret she’s had her eye on Jason,” Ben said. “If they did mate and mark each other Jason would become a member of the royal family and the king wouldn’t have to worry about him.”

“I would never touch her,” Jason sneered.

“That may be but you know how greedy the royal family is especially when it comes to power,” Luke said

Jason sighed. That much was true. Millennium ago when werewolves first emerged from their predecessor’s shadows and formed the original six packs they decided to follow the Lycan tradition of a royal family to centralize their politics. The same family had been sitting on the throne for generations but their influence had waned especially after several packs migrated across the ocean.

Outside the royals sphere of authority: Blue Moon, Blood Moon and Harvest Moon packs created and maintained their own alliances with Blue Moon gaining a decisive edge over the decades. The royal family had only moved their seat of power recently and now occupied territory in Manitoba. However they did not gain back their influence as they hoped.

Jason had little interest in the royal family’s politics and certainly no desire to openly rebel against them. He maintained a neutral status but it was clear to everyone that it was only a concession on his part. The royal family would find itself in quite a dangerous position if they made him their enemy.

“I didn’t see any royal family here,” Ben said. “Did we even invite them?”

“No,” Jason said. “It’s not required and I certainly didn’t want their drama to taint Phoebe’s ceremony.”

The other nodded. Technically it was considered courtesy to invite the royal family to important events but certainly not a requirement. Many invited them hoping to increase the prestige of their gatherings. However Jason did have a point about their drama and several other packs felt as he did choosing to avoid them as much as possible.

“So…what do we do?” Lucille asked.

“Nothing to do”” Luke shrugged. “It is what it is but I think we should be prepared.”

Jason sighed. He supposed they didn’t have any other choice. As much as he would rather ignore the royal family he wasn’t in a position to do that. Blue Moon was too influential and too many relied on alliances with his pack to ignore all the royal family’s antics. He would have to shield Phoebe from it as much as possible, though as his Luna she also couldn’t ignore it forever.