Luna Revealed

Chapter Twenty Three

Phoenix rushes to finish getting ready, pulling on a pair of shoes, barely taking the time to lace them. I stand, watching him, trying to comprehend his words. Before he leaves, he walks over to me and takes my face in his hands.

"I'll send Mikhail up in a moment. In the meantime, stay here." His voice is stern and commanding, sending sharp shivers down my spine.

I nod my head, unable to speak. He presses a kiss to my forehead before rushing from the room, leaving me alone. I blink a few times, suddenly exhausted. My wolf hums, agitated.

How can he just leave us here? We should be at the council meeting, too. If Viktor has been found, there's no reason to hide us away.

I barely register her words, my brain foggy with emotion. They found Viktor? Captured him? What does that mean? My internal questioning drowns out my wolf and she pulls away. Flashes of Viktor's face enter my mind and I squeeze my eyes shut. My legs give out on me and I crumple to the floor. I bend forward, resting my forehead on my knees.

Dahlia, we're okay, my wolf soothes. He can't hurt us anymore. Her soft words bring tears to my eyes. The emotions ripping through me are dizzying. Fear and anger make my hands tremble again. I grip the hair at my scalp, feeling the same sensations I felt in the forest so few days ago. God, not again.

I let out a scream into my lap. Not out of fear, but of fury. I hear the door slam open and then hands are on my shoulders, lifting me into an upright position. They clear the hair out of my face and I see Mikhail, crouching beside me. Hot tears still spill down my cheeks, but I allow him to help me to my feet. Mikhail takes me into his arms, hugging me tightly while I cry. I want nothing more than for Phoenix to be here instead, but I hug Mikhail back, grateful that he's here with me.

"Are you okay?" Mikhail's voice is cautious as he pulls away from me, keeping his hands on my shoulders.

I look up at him and shake my head. "No, I'm... not okay." I struggle to get the words out past my tears.

His face twists and he hugs me again. "You're going to be okay, Dahlia. We caught him and he can't hurt you anymore."

I sniffle and nod against his chest. When we pull away again, Mikhail helps me find a pair of shoes before leading me out of the room and down the stairs. Most of the members of the household are in their rooms for the night, but a few higher ranking members linger in the kitchen and front room. One familiar face jumps out at me and I approach him.

"Nico," I say, catching the man's attention. He turns and bows his head to me before looking at Mikhail.

"Mikhail, should she be out of her room? Alpha Phoenix said–"

Mikhail cuts him off. "I think Dahlia deserves some ice cream and alcohol right now, if that's okay with you, Nico." His voice is tense, despite the playful words. Nico just nods stiffly and turns to walk towards the kitchen.

The wolves in the kitchen quiet as we walk in, turning to look at us. A few bow their heads at me, the rest appear tense. Mikhail seats me at the kitchen table, moving some papers out of the way to make room. It looks like a bomb went off in here. There are stacks of papers and maps everywhere, littered on the tables and counters. I glance at one of the maps on the table labeled "Properties 15 through 22" and squint at the depictions of houses and other buildings. Mikhail catches me looking at it and moves it away.

"What happened in here?" I ask Mikhail, glancing around the room. I shiver, chilled from the episode upstairs and one of the wolves brings a blanket to me, throwing it over my shoulders.