The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power (by Emily Reed) novel Chapter 37

Chapter 37 A Feast Gone Wrong

Chapter 37 A Feast Gone Wrong

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Evelyn gave a cold laugh and shoved me aside. “We just bonded today, and you’re already yelling at me?” she snapped. “Who knows how you’ll treat me later. Besides, these guys fought beside you on the battlefield. What’s wrong with inviting them for a drink? When a new Luna is named, which pack doesn’t prepare extra seats for the guests?”

Her presence flared. She may have been born as a Gamma, but her battle record was impressive. Her force pushed back at mine, almost daring me to challenge her.

That wild edge left me momentarily speechless.

I didn’t want to fight her on this day. After all, we were supposed to be fated partners in war and life.

I took a deep breath and tried to reason with her. “But they shouldn’t be causing trouble. They released their pheromones and scared all the guests away.”

Evelyn refused to back down. “That’s because your side didn’t prepare well enough! Go ask any pack-who doesn’t celebrate all night? I don’t even know who planned this feast. It’s cheap and embarrassing. My buddies didn’t even eat their fill, and you have the nerve to blame me?”

At that point, I felt guilty. I couldn’t deny it.

Cindy’s face rose in my mind without warning.

If she had been here, everything would have been perfectly arranged. She would have set up extra tables in the outer courtyard for anyone passing by. This mess would never have happened.

But the pack was broken now. Every expense had to be counted down to the last dollar.

I couldn’t accuse Evelyn of not knowing how to manage a household. After all, I was the one who had sworn she was the truly powerful Luna.

So, I shifted my anger to Nick, since it was him who handled all the details.

When I looked at Evelyn, I saw her cheeks flushed from drink and her clothes slightly rumpled, and I remembered how she had been laughing and leaning on the other werewolf; a wave of physical discomfort rose in me. It was instinct. My wolf spirit rejected what it saw as disrespect from its mate.

“Stop drinking,” I said, waving my hand in disgust. “You reek of alcohol. Go back to the room.”

Most of the guests were already gone. Celebrating with her friends now meant nothing. No one was left to witness her moment. She nodded and urged, “You must ask Nick why the feast was so cheap and embarrassing. I had been disgraced the day I became Luna.”

“I’ll talk to her,” I replied. “You go rest first.”

The mood was completely ruined; our dignity was gone with it.

When Prince Adam’s envoy left, the look of open contempt in his eyes made my skin crawl.

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18:03 Sat, Jan 10

Chapter 37 A Feast Gone Wrong

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In the main hall, all the proper guests were gone. Only the rough rogues remained, shouting and drinking. slamming fists on the tables as they played loud drinking games.

Grandma was shaking with rage. She clutched her chest and struggled to breathe.

This pack had stood for over a hundred years. Never-not once-had we been this humiliated.

I found Nick. The anger in my chest finally broke free. I slammed my hand on the table, making the wine glasses jump. “Nick! If you didn’t want to help me run this feast properly, you should have said so. This feast has turned into a joke. All the guests are gone. How am I supposed to stand in the Royal Court after

this?

Nick looked wronged and close to tears. “I only followed the guest list. There was only so much money in the vault. How am I supposed to know so many people would show up all at once? How is this my fault?”

He complained, “Before, whenever there was a celebration, Ms. Cindy used her assets to cover the extra cost. Of course things looked grand. That wealth is gone; what do you expect me to do?”

“Don’t bring up that name!” The moment I heard that name, irritation clawed through my chest. Kenzi let out a low growl inside my mind. “Even if you didn’t handle events before,” I snapped, “this is a feast. Couldn’t you prepare more seats?”

“I did!” Nick shot back, then turned to Robert. “Ask Robert if you don’t believe me. He said an extra 20 seats would be enough. Most of the guests this time were high-status. The meat alone-top-grade venison and spirit-beast cuts-cost a fortune. We really couldn’t afford more.”

In simple terms, we were broke.

Robert sighed and stepped forward. “You can’t blame Nick. This feast was grand enough. If Evelyn’s friends hadn’t rushed in like a pack of hyenas fighting over scraps, nothing would have gone wrong.”

I took a deep breath. “If money was the problem, you could’ve told me earlier. I would’ve found a solution.”

“A solution?” Robert let out a cold laugh, hitting me right where it hurt. “What-sell your battle armor too?”

18:03 Sat, Jan 10 GR