Second Chance Luna (Phoebe and Jason) novel Chapter 77

Phoebe hesitantly stepped into the dining hall. Her face immediately warmed as the scant crowd turned their attention to her. By now most probably knew about the confrontation between her and the princess as well as the king’s ultimatum. She hadn’t even been among them for a year and she was already bringing danger to the pack. Yet as she studied their expressions she didn’t see any resentment or anger. Rather they all seemed hopeful and happy.

“Over here,” Lucille waved.

Nervously Phoebe crossed the room and settled in the seat across from her sister and mother-in-laws. They both smiled with knowing grins making Phoebe’s face heat up again.

“We were beginning to wonder if we were going to have to call the fire brigade,” Lucille teased.

“S-sorry we worried you,” Phoebe mumbled.

“Lucy,” Norah admonished before reaching for Phoebe’s hand. “How are you dear? Your first heat after being marked can be quite overwhelming especially with wolves as synced as yours and Jason’s.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you are as in tune with your wolves as you two are they often come forward and, in some cases, take over. So don’t be surprised if there are gaps in your memory.”

“Oh.” Phoebe nodded. Yes, she did notice her memory was a bit fragmented over the last few days and what she did remember blended together so it was impossible to separate one day from another. Some paragraphs are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on Jobnib.com. Visit Jobnib.com to read the complete chapters for free. “Will all my heats be like that?” “Yes and no,” Lucille shrugged. “This was your first and we’re in the middle of a stressful situation so I’m sure that contributed to all the chaos. It probably won’t be as overwhelming next time but with Jason being Mister Possessive Alpha, who knows?”

Phoebe nervously glanced around the room to see many were watching her. She didn’t feel any hostility. They remained curious and eager as if waiting for her to give them some sort of command.

“Why is everyone staring at me?”

“Because they all want to know if you’re pregnant,” Norah chuckled. “It’s been almost twenty-five years since pups was born to a high-ranking wolf and this one will be an alpha so everyone is excited. Don’t be surprised if they start following you around and offer to complete whatever mundane task they can for you.”

“You’ll never have to lift a finger again,” Lucille chuckled.

“I don’t need them to do that,” Phoebe shook her head.

“That won’t matter,” Norah said, “you’re their Luna, their very pregnant Luna. You’ll be treated like a queen.”

“I don’t even know if I am.”

“You will soon enough,” Norah chuckled, “and Lucille isn’t wrong. You will be waited on to ensure the pup develops properly so don’t be surprised when the kitchen staff starts changing up your meals.”

***

“He lives!” Ben exclaimed as Jason stepped into his office.

Jason growled as he faced his Beta and Gamma. One was bad enough and here both of them were waiting to ambush him. His cheeks tinged pink, “I suppose asking you two to drop it won’t do any good.”

Luke rolled his eyes gesturing for him to sit, “Come on, Jace. Sit.”

With a sigh Jason moved to the couch. Smirking Ben poured him a drink as they sat across from him. They shared amused looks at how uncomfortable their Alpha looked.

“So, how are you doing, really?” Luke finally asked.

Jason scrubbed his hands down his face. He suddenly lurched forward, grabbed his glass and downed it in one swig. “That well, huh?” Ben said as he refilled Jason’s glass. “Come on, be honest. We know you adopted Blake and Emma and you’ve been honing those daddy skills. But really, what’s it like knowing you have a bun in the oven, hmm?”

Jason sighed looking at his glass before he finally spoke, “I think it’s the most electrifying and terrifying feeling in my life. I can’t decide if it’s the best or the worst timing.”

He looked up at them his gaze reflecting his elation, fear and awe. It wasn’t simply worry for the new pup. With the threat from the royal family hanging over them it was a much more complicated situation.

“Hey, take it easy,” Luke reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “You’re not alone. There isn’t a single wolf in this pack who wouldn’t lay down their life for their Luna. We’ll all help you keep Phoebe safe.”

Jason nodded letting out an uneasy breath.

“That’s right,” Ben agreed, “We should hear something soon.”

“How soon?”

“Very. You know how my sister likes to work.”

Jason nodded struggling to recall the she-wolf he hadn’t seen in years. He remembered a rather serious woman who had very little time for young male antics, even if the male in question was her brother: or rather step-brother. Christina’s mother, Dolores, had been part of a different pack. She was another nameless cog like Phoebe and, like Phoebe, had been mated to her alpha.

Rather than rejecting the mate he thought unworthy of him the alpha instead kept her chained in the pack’s prison calling for her whenever he needed to satisfy himself. She was repeatedly raped and tortured for years, forced to endure his infidelity as he liked to keep multiple partners. Somehow she managed to conceive and give birth to Christina who grew up in the same prison cell her mother lived in.

When Christina turned ten her father set his sights on her ready to give her the same treatment as her mother. Despite her weakened state Dolores’s protective instincts flared and she leapt to defend her daughter. He might have killed them both if Ramon, Jackson’s Gamma, hadn’t been touring the prison. Having only just lost his own mate in childbirth, he and his wolf became enraged.

After beating the alpha to within an inch of his life Ramon forced him to accept her rejection before sweeping both mother and daughter away and into the protection of Blue Moon’s pack. It took months of patience and dedicated nursing to heal both mother and daughter. But the greatest balm for Dolores’s wounds was an infant Ben who was in desperate need of a mother. In the end Ramon took Dolores as a chosen mate and fully accepted Christina as his own.

Though they were only chosen mates there was no denying the deep abiding love existing between them. Her previous abuse and malnutrition prevented them from having more pups but they devoted themselves to Christina and Ben. Ramon treated Christina like a princess and Dolores was the only mother Ben ever knew. They were so closely bonded most were surprised to learn the blended nature of their family.

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