Author’s pov
"Do you really think Luna Regina’s attitude toward our family will help our cause?" Liora whispered, her brow creased with worry as they walked along the retreat path.
Maggie Locke took a delicate sip of her herbal tea, every movement calculated and graceful. Despite her composed exterior, a quiet ferocity lurked in her eyes.
"Relax," she said, her tone syrupy-sweet with just enough bite to sting." Regina’s issue is with me, not you. And don’t forget, Elder Luna Black already made it clear she wants an alliance with our family."
Meanwhile, Sebastian’s group was finishing their plant-based lunch in the adjacent dining area.
Whether it was due to Luna Regina’s ice-cold silence or the fact that Maggie Locke and her entourage were seated just one room over, no one at the table felt like making small talk.
They ate in near silence, each person lost in their own thoughts, mulling over more than just food.
By the time Sebastian’s group finished their meal, Maggie’s trio had barely begun theirs.
Alpha Sebastian didn’t wait around for pleasantries. As soon as his group was done, he stood up, nodded once, and led the others toward the meditation wing.
They weren’t even out of sight when Maggie’s group abandoned their untouched plates and followed. The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence.
In the long hallway connecting the buildings, Zaria glanced back and gasped softly.
"They’re following us! " she hissed.
No one turned around. No one needed to. The energy shift behind them said enough.
Zaria fell silent instantly, her comment swallowed by the tension in the air.
Luna Regina walked ahead with York, the whispered conversation from behind reaching her ears, further souring her already turbulent mood.
All thoughts of peaceful meditation had vanished. She simply wanted to finish this retreat and return home, where she could lock herself away and process everything in solitude.
She didn’t look back, but her jaw tightened, her steps just a little sharper now.
Cecilia walked alongside Sebastian.
Their minds raced with the same question: What game was Maggie Locke playing this time? She’d brought two pack women with her, which suggested this wasn’t an assassination attempt. But what was her purpose?
Cecilia’s fingers brushed Sebastian’s briefly, but neither of them spoke. The question hung in the space between them like an unspoken thought.
The main meditation hall grew suddenly crowded with their combined presence.
The two young guides who had escorted them were still present, originally planning to wait another twenty minutes before leading them to the next session. Now everyone had arrived at once.
They exchanged quick glances, clearly thrown off by the unscheduled merge.
Alpha Sebastian had no desire to waste time here.
Without waiting for instructions, he stepped forward and guided his mother toward the meditation space.
The others followed, settling quietly into place.
The Locke women stood near the doorway, watching but staying out of it.
When Sebastian’s group was about halfway through settling in, the retreat master finally appeared.
He looked about seventy. Tall, slim, calm. His eyes said he’d seen it all and never let it shake him.
He greeted them with a warm smile, then glanced toward the door, clearly expecting more guests.
"Elder Luna Black reached out to me earlier," he said, voice soft but unshakably firm. "She asked that both parties begin this session together. Let’s wait for the other three to join us, and then we’ll move into the private chambers."
He sounded calm, maybe even casual, but everyone got the message.
Yeah, he knew.
He knew exactly who Maggie Locke was.
This wasn’t just some accidental overlap.
As far as he was concerned, they were all the same team now.
Luna Regina’s jaw tightened. Why should they be forced to sit with Maggie’s people?
She didn’t catch the full implication, but Cecilia did.
The master wasn’t just facilitating a retreat. He was following instructions. Elder Luna Black had briefed him.
Elder Luna Black.
Cecilia glanced at Sebastian, whose jaw had gone tight.
He’d clearly come to the same conclusion she had. This retreat wasn’t about self-reflection. It was staged.
The meditation hall suddenly felt too full. Too staged.
Luna Regina didn’t say a word. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she turned and walked out of the meditation hall.
York stood without a word and followed her, his expression unreadable as always.
Alpha Sebastian gave the room one last glance, then followed her.
As he passed, Zaria leaned in and muttered just loud enough for him to hear," Well. Cheers to emotional repression. Looks like Grandma’s bored again. That never ends well."
Outside, mother and son walked in silence down the shaded path.
"Mom, you don’t seem like yourself today," he said gently. "Let’s just call it. We can rest a bit and head home."
Luna Regina didn’t even glance at him. Instead, she turned to York, who hadn’t said a word all morning.
"Make sure everything your grandmother requested gets done," she said crisply. "She’ll want a full report when we’re back. I only came to sit through the meditation. If we skip anything, she’ll take it as defiance."
York looked at her under half-lidded eyes, unreadable as always.
"Whether you’re trying to please her or piss her off, that’s between you two," he said flatly. "Leave me out of it."
Luna Regina ignored the chill in his voice and reached up to pat his head.
A moment later, Cecilia and the others emerged as well, their expressions unreadable as they took in the scene.
Just then, Maggie Locke and her companions stepped out of the meditation hall.
This time, Poppy approached.
"Luna Regina," she said, her tone dipped in silk and steel. "You left so quickly earlier. I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself properly."
Her smile was polished, but her eyes were pure calculation.
"My mother sent us with the intention of building a bridge between our families. It seems the Elder Luna anticipated your resistance and chose not to burden you with the details."
She paused, then added with just enough sweetness to sting,
"Old wounds don’t belong to the younger generation. Don’t you agree?"
Luna Regina’s face paled slightly. So it wasn’t a coincidence. It was a play. And she was the piece being moved.
She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could form a response, movement at the edge of the courtyard caught everyone’s attention.
Two unfamiliar figures stepped into view near the meditation hall.
The silence was instant, sharp.
All eyes turned. Every sense went on high alert.
The air shifted.