"You, girl. Ramona is calling for you."
Emira looked up from the stack of archives she had been struggling to organise and grimaced.
Wasn’t it Ryn who had just finished complaining that the Scroll Room was a dreary, lifeless corner? That no one ever came here?
She’d sworn Emira would die of loneliness buried under the dust and parchment. And now... now the place was suddenly teeming with visitors. First Prince Zen had appeared out of nowhere, and now this summons.
Emira let out a weary sigh. She should have known better. Most women she had met-Omega or not- were vindictive, especially when their pride was scratched.
Ramona Vye, the future Luna of the Stormhold Pack, was probably no exception. Emira had humiliated her, whether intentionally or not, was not the question. There was no chance the woman would simply let that insult fade away.
Of course, Ramona would come back for her, claws sharpened and ready. Emira had only hoped it wouldn’t be this soon. But here she was. Summoned.
The problem was, what was she supposed to say? That Ramona’s mates had only used her, just to provoke the Luna’s jealousy? As if such an explanation would ever make sense. They were not normal humans who needed to resort to such games. To admit something like this aloud would only make the Luna feel even more disgusted.
As she followed the servant down the corridor, a single question gnawed at her thoughts: what was wrong with the future Luna?
If it had been her mate who dared to ask another woman to kiss him-right in front of her-she would never have allowed it. She would have found a way to tear him apart, limb from limb, until he begged for mercy. That, at least, was how Emira thought a true Luna should act.
Yet Ramona? She had run. Not fought. Not clawed. Not claimed. She had fled the house entirely, vanishing in humiliation instead of standing her ground. What happened to her coming to Prince Kael, wanting to spend the day there?
And yet, though Ramona had been the one to run away, it was Emira who had paid the price.
Her body betrayed her worst. Her own foolish Omega instincts had flared under Prince Kael’s touch, twisting her needs. Even now, the memory of his hands and his mouth, made her shiver.
That had made the rest of the day a disaster. She had spent the rest of the day hiding. And strangely, he had hidden as well, avoiding her.
As she entered the room where she had been ’escorted’, she barely had time to glance around before something slammed hard into her back. The blow sent her stumbling forward, knees buckling against the stone floor. Pain shot up her legs as she hit the ground and she moved to sit up, but another rough shove forced her head down.
As the person moved to shove her again, Emira snapped. Like hell she was going to endure this treatment here. She grabbed the arm pressing her down and yanked hard, using their weight against them. With a sharp cry, the woman behind her stumbled and fell forward over Emira’s shoulder, landing in a heap at her feet.
Emira narrowed her eyes, her breath rough in her chest. She glared at the woman who had brought her here and hissed, "What do you mean by this? If your Luna wants to talk, then talk. What is the meaning of this?"
The woman tried to hit her back but Emira blocked it and was about to hit back when a cold voice stopped her, "Stop."
The fallen woman scrambled up, bowed her head quickly. "Ramona. I just wanted to teach this Omega a lesson on your behalf. She dares to covet your Mates..."
"Ria.. it is not your place to avenge me. You leave now."
Emira blinked as the woman walked away. Well.. that was unexpected. She’d expected Ramona order her to be beaten senseless... but she was asking her lackey to walk away.
And then, even more surprisingly the woman extended her hand and asked," Are you okay?
Emira nodded, thinking inwardly. Was this some kind of an act where she let someone beat her up and then pretend to be the good person? Still confused, she placed her hand in Ramona’s and stood up.
"Sit," Ramona said, motioning to a cushioned chair across from her as she sat in her own place.
Emira obeyed, waiting for the sharp turn of events that was sure to follow and the inevitable moment where Ramona would drop this act and bare her claws.
Instead, Ramona gave a small sigh. "I apologize for her," she said smoothly, folding her hands in her lap. "Ria can be... over-enthusiastic. She thinks her loyalty is proven through aggression, when all it does is create trouble."
Emira tilted her head slightly. Over-enthusiastic? That was one way of describing someone who had just shoved her face into the floor. She bit back her retort and only nodded. Better to listen and be alert than talk too much.
Ramona’s eyes studied her for a moment longer before she asked, "How have you been doing? Are you comfortable where you are? I would have thought that Kael’s place would make anyone uncomfortable... but you... seemed to be at home."
The question and the implication both made Emira blink. That was the last thing she had expected to hear. Not an accusation. Not a demand. Just... concern. Or what sounded like it. She nodded slowly. "Yes. You are right. I am very comfortable."
But inside, there was a single question running on a loop in her head, ’What was the catch?’
Ramona leaned back in her chair. "Good. That is what I hoped."
Then, as though the thought had just occurred to her, she gestured toward a side table. "I heard you did not get a chance to bring anything from your old pack. And have been wearing whatever Zen gave you. So, I prepared some things for you. Dresses, mostly. They should fit. If not, I’ll have them altered. You can let me know."
Her throat worked as she managed a quiet, "Thank you." The words slipped out automatically, but her mind continued to be in a spin... what was going on?