The Luna

Thirty-Six

The packhouse is eerily quiet as Malachi leads me inside. I search for signs of any of the normal faces that I'm used to seeing but there is no one around.

I wonder if they told everyone of the council's arrival - maybe asking that they stay away from the packhouse as much as possible? If they had, I wonder if any of them figured out that it has something to do with the human?

"They're already upstairs," Malachi keeps his hand near my back as he ushers me up the stairs, "He has them in the war room,"

"What?" I nearly shout in my shock stopping on the stairs to stare at him.

My thoughts racing about there being a war room. Why do they have a war room? And how does Malachi know that's where they are?

"Relax," Malachi laughs shrugging like it's just an innocent word and not war, "It's just a really big, soundproof room that is only used for absolute privacy with a party this big. With the council, we won't all fit in Jax's office,"

I know he's right and I realize that I keep letting the human 'norms' influence my thoughts. I'm not among the humans anymore, I haven't been for a while now.

I start moving up the stairs again, allowing him to lead me all the way to the top floor. We walk down the hallway until we reach the last solid wood door where Malachi knocks three, short brisk knocks before opening the door.

They must have known we were coming.

I feel out of place instantly when everyone watches us enter. No, not us, me.

Ten pairs of eyes all watching me as I move towards an empty seat next to Jax. At least he, Austin, and Axe look friendly, the council just stares with no acknowledgment or even recognition in their eyes.

I can't help but bow my head down, staring at the table like it's the most interesting piece of furniture I have ever seen.

"As I was saying, Alpha Jaxon. Lotus denied our entrance into the pack but we definitely noticed something strange going on,"

"Yes, they had wolves roaming all over the human territory. We worry this will be a repeat of what happened years ago at Holden Pointe,"

"Holden Pointe?" My head snaps up at the familiar name and I can see the rundown, abandoned city in my mind.

"What does that place have to do with anything?"

One of the council members looks at me, his eyes softening marginally and I realize that I recognize him. Constantine.

"Honestly, my dear, we're not sure. We don't really even know what happened there but we've long suspected Lotus' involvement in the destruction of the human city. But there was no real evidence and the surviving humans' stories were so scattered, we couldn't prove anything,"

A sinking feeling starts in my stomach. It seems Lotus has been doing these things right under the council noses' for years and has been getting away with it.

How had they managed that for so long? Especially with the killings of humans?

A cold sadness washes over me as realization dawns on me. Of course, I wasn't the first easy target. One that would hardly be missed and be easy to convince to follow them willingly. No one would miss someone like me, so no one would ask questions or have suspicions raised.

I know how those other girls felt. It was easy to ignore any red flags because the supernatural was so unknown... so full of promises. Not to mention Caspian had been charming and known exactly what to say to make me want to take the risk and follow him. There was only one thing different between me and the previous Luna's.