"Well?" I ask Suzie as she skims through the stolen textbook, lounging on Michael's gaming chair.
She mutters a few facts as she traces her finger against the page. "All five of the great packs–—Silvermoon, Bloodmoon, Dawn, Dusk, and Moonlight—went to war against a nation made of rogues, the Eclipse." She shows a picture of the territory they fought over.
Michael takes a picture of the page.
Suzie continues. "Silvermoon and Bloodmoon led the resistance, but when the war was over, Bloodmoon turned on us."
That's the part that doesn't make sense. "Why?" I ask.
"Because they wanted more land than was originally theirs." Suzie closes the book. "Or so this thing says."
"You don't believe it?" Michael asks.
She gives a 'what do you think?' look.
He gives a 'my thoughts exactly' look.
I stare at the item in question. "Can I see that?"
"Knock yourself out." She hands it over to me.
I'm about to use something I've never used before—the additional resources section. I flip to the back of the book, glancing over the various titles. Something stands out to me immediately. It's actually so apparent that I have to close the book and look at the front.
You've gotta be kidding me.
"Why didn't we notice it before?" I ask.
"What?" Suzie walks up to Michael's bed, sitting beside me. Her face falls. "No."
"What?" Michael's eyes dart between us. "Your father's evil, isn't he?" he asks her.
I turn the book towards him, pointing at the third author. Reynolds.
He shakes his head, giving Suzie a dirty look. "I knew your father was evil."
"That's the old man, you fool," she says.
"Oh, my bad." He chuckles sarcastically. "Your dad just teaches the class."
At first, Suzie looks like she wants to strangle him, but then she seriously considers it. "Hm." She rubs her chin.
What's wrong with these two? "The point is," I start. They look at me. "We have like a day to get to him."
"Get to him?" Suzie asks.
I nod. "We're gonna have to talk to him to find out the truth."
"The truth of what?" she asks. "The truth about how he'll lead you straight to your death?"
"There's no other way," Michael says. "The answer's always been him. The more we try to avoid him." He jabs a finger towards the book. "The more he pops up."
"I agree," I say.
She groans.
I shrug. "You've been outvoted."
"Outvoted?" She cocks her head back. "Since when has this been a democracy?"
I've been outvoted over forty times according to her. What is she talking about?
She adjusts her turtleneck, fluffing out her hair. "Fine. If you wanna get yourself abducted, be my guest. Just make sure to leave me as your successor in your will—"
"If you joke about that again, I'm gonna throw you out the window," I say.
She cocks her head back. "Oh I see. Long live the king." She narrows her eyes.
What is she talking about? "You'd be Scar." The traitor.
She smiles, not taking me seriously at all. "I think we can all agree you're no Mufasa."
I can't take this anymore. I turn to Michael, narrowing my eyes.
He looks thoroughly entertained.
I glare at him. "Does anyone have any idea how to get to Mr. Reynolds?"
"No, he's been detained." Suzie looks serious now, looking towards the window. "There's no way we could get to him, which is why I didn't suggest him in the first place."
"We could," Michael says. "If we had a guard on the inside."
Michael and I exchange a look. Sibling telepathy is ten times better than mindlink.
Suzie gives us a weird look. "Yeah. Maybe. But we don't, and since one's not just gonna fall from the... Please tell me you're not thinking about Dante."
I'm already getting ready to call him. "What am I saying guys?"
"Nothing!" Suzie cries out. "He's just another loose variable. We can't risk it."
Michael's already halfway through the list of things I should say. "And then hit him with the, you said you wouldn't let me get killed part."
Ooh, I like that. I hit the call button, and Michael forces me to put in on speaker. We wait in silence for a few seconds, but when he picks up, he doesn't say anything.
"... Er, hello?" I ask.
"Hello?" he asks.
Suzie tries not to laugh. I'm sure she thinks my plan's falling apart already, and I'm starting to think so too. He doesn't even remember me? "This is Mia," I say.
"Luna?" he asks. "Why do you have my number?"
"You gave it to me...?" What? I cock my head back.
"Right... But why are you calling me?"
Suzie falls on Michael. Michael falls on Suzie. They can't stop laughing, hitting each other. I glare at them.
"Ignore them," I say.
His voice sounds skeptical. "Ignore who? What's going on?"
"They're in on the plan," I say. "So you don't have to worry."
"The plan?" he asks.
"Yes," I say. "The plan." Is he pretending again?
"To do what?" He sounds startled.
"To find Mr. Reynolds," I say exasperatedly. Then I check the phone.
It sounds like he passed out on the other end.
"Dante?" I ask. "Are you alone? Is this a bad time?" I should've checked those things to begin with.
He doesn't sound like he's okay at all. "I think you might've been a bit confused." He says this next part very clearly. "I'm not helping you find him."
"What? But you said—" I start.
I hear movement on the other end, like he's shaking his head. "I said that if you had already found him. If you were in a questionable situation. If there was no one else to protect you, you could call me. Maybe. Just so you don't die."
My jaw drops. Michael and Suzie can't believe their ears.
"I'm not gonna be a part of some mutiny plan," Dante scoffs. "Sorry, Luna."
"..."
"Luna?"
"..."
He clears his throat. "Er... Are you still there? Did you want me to hang up, or...?"
"If you hang up on me, you really will have some problems." I put him on mute. "What are we supposed to do now?" I whisper-scream to my so-called advisors.
They're still cracking up on the edge of the bed, barely holding themselves together.
"You really picked a good one," Suzie says.
Michael gives me a sympathetic look. "When you said he'd be down for the cause, I can't believe I actually believed you."
"Help me," I yell at them. "Laugh later. Help now." I shove the phone in their direction.
Suzie takes it, reluctantly, staring down at the device like it's beneath her. She taps the screen with one perfectly manicured finger. "Hello."
"Hello?" Dante asks. Thankfully he doesn't hang up.
Suzie sits all regal like, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "This is Suzie."
"... Okay?" Dante asks.
"I demand that you disclose the location of the individual in question." She smirks, telling Michael to get his phone ready.
Michael starts recording what Dante says, but it's not the answer.
"... No," Dante says.
Suzie cocks her head back, holding the phone closer. "Excuse me?"
"I thought I was on speaker before?" Dante asks.
Suzie's eyes widen. My jaw drops.
Dante sighs. "Okay, listen. I'm—"
"I know what you told the luna before," she growls.
"Oh. Okay." He sounds extremely confused. "I just thought you didn't hear."
"Why?" Suzie asks.
"Because if you heard me tell my luna no..." He looks for words. "I guess, I just don't understand why you'd think I'd say yes to you."
Silence.
"No offense."
"I..." Suzie can't even breath. "I am your key advisor, you disrespectful, insolent boy."
"Disrespectful?" Dante repeats, questioningly. "Insolent?"
Suzie stands up, looking like she's ready to beat the crap out of him through the phone. "I'm done with this conversation. You need to tell me, right now, where that man is. Right. Now." She holds the phone closer to Michael, expecting the answer. "You better hope the next thing that comes out of your mouth is what I want to hear."
"Sorry," Dante says in a not so sorry tone. "But luna beats the key advisor... to be."
Suzie stares into the open air. Even her wavy hair seems like it's suspended, frozen. She whispers into the receiver. "Where is your location?"
"My... my what?" Dante stutters.
"Where are you?" There's a crazy look in her eyes.
"Hey." His voice drops. "I don't want any trouble. Just calm down—"
Suzie tears him a new one, threatening him with this, cursing him with that. "I know what division you're in." Then she goes on a diatribe about how the allies are coming tomorrow. We need to know this information today. "You better start talking."
I let her work her magic, turning to Michael. "Are you getting all of this?" I ask, barely containing my fits of laughter.
He nods, saving the recording.
It's eventually decided that Dante will let us talk to Mr. Reynolds over the phone in a few hours. He just has to figure out how to make it discreet.
Suzie sits down, fanning herself and indulging in some calming chocolate. She still has a death grip on my phone. "The audacity," she mutters to herself.
###
A few hours can feel like days when you've got nothing to do but wait.
I mainly stare at the walls, looking at Michael's posters. He's got inspirational workout quotes on one side and Morph fanart prints on the other.
Suzie points at the TV. "Are you gonna play or....?"
"No. Knock yourself out," Michael says.
Michael refusing Morph? Someone call the doctor.
Suzie wastes no time putting on Chicago Med, crying every time Dr. Choi and Nurse April get into a fight. "It's so tragic." She holds her heart. "What a handsome Asian man. And what an... attractive Black..." She looks at Michael. "Person."
He lifts a brow, and she gives him a painfully obvious wink.
I cringe. I don't know how she knows, why she knows, or where this is coming from, but the last thing I need is Michael thinking people are talking about him and Onai. "You wanna go get a drink?" Before Suzie says something else that I'll cringe for, I grab Michael's arm. "Come on."
She doesn't stop us. "Finally." She smirks. "Now I can get on with my life."
Once we're out in the hallway, Michael asks, "What's wrong?"
I gesture towards him.
He cocks his head back. "What?"
I give him a look.
He gives me one back.
I sigh. "Listen."
"Mia—"
"No, don't Mia me." I look into his eyes. "Onai likes you."
He shakes his head, turning back towards the room.
I get in his way. "I'm serious."
"If he likes me so much, why didn't he tell me that?" Michael says it in a joking tone, but his eyes are anything but.
I hate seeing him this way. "He thought that because he didn't imprint on you," I say. "You wouldn't think his emotions were genuine."
"So what does he think my emotions are? Stupid?" He scoffs. "Because I can't imprint on him either."
That's not it. "It's because..." How do I say this without saying it? "It's just for a different reason with him."
"Like...?"
I can't tell you! "He's..." I look for words. "Well, he's not exactly...." I can't say it. "Let's just say he has a reason why he can't imprint that not everyone is the nicest about." Yeah, that sounds about right.
Michael gives me a wary look. "Is he sick?"
"No," I say.
"Weird?"
"What?" I cock my head back. "That doesn't even make sense."
Michael's eyes widen. "He's half-vampire."
"What?" I furrow my brow. "He's not—" Well, actually, now that I think about it... I rub my chin. Maybe that's not a bad starting point. "Okay, let's just say it's something like that."
"He's been a hybrid all along," Michael whispers to himself. "He probably couldn't control himself around the scent of my blood." He runs a hand down his neck, staring at me in horror.
Omg. "He's not that kind of hybrid," I say.
"Really?" he drops his hands from his neck.
I nod.
"Well." He hesitates. "What kind is he?"
That's not my business to tell. I point towards the backyard. "His shift starts around two. You're welcome to ask him."
Michael seems to think about it for a while, then he nods. "Okay. I will."
I consider calling Onai to give him a head's up, but I think I've finagled in their relationship enough for one lifetime thank you. They're just gonna have to handle it from here.
"But what about you and the brothers?" Michael asks, lowering his voice. "Is that still going good?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?" I ask.
Michael shrugs. "Just with everything going on. Being sure if you can trust them or not."
I frown, seeing them in my mind, and thinking back to the conversation I had with Dante. "I was feeling like that... But then I realized there's no way they wouldn't have my best interest at heart. They just need to learn to tell me things. Even the bad things."
"So no matter what happens, you guys'll be good?" Michael asks.
I nod.
He hesitates. "Even after they find out all the people you've been talking to behind their backs?"
"Please." I try not to burst out laughing. "After all the secrets they've kept from me, they've got no room to talk." I think of Aiden. Carson. And Axel, whose hoodie I'm literally wearing right now. "If push comes to shove, we'll argue for like an hour..." I imagine all the fights we've had that probably could've been avoided. "...before we make up..." I imagine all the hugs, kisses, and 'let's never fight again's we've all had. "What're they gonna do?" I ask. "They need me." And I need them too.
Michael nods, laughing at the conviction in my voice. "Okay, luna," he teases.
I roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah."
Not long after we walk back into the room, it's time for the call. I sit between Michael and Suzie, holding the phone out.
My heart beats in my chest over the silence.
Mr. Reynolds' smooth voice fills the room. "Luna. I have to say, this is unexpected... To what do I owe the pleasure?"
He sounds tired. Really tired. I can only imagine where he is right now. Dante said it was somewhere he couldn't take me, for more reasons than one. Let's just say that the pack doesn't lock people up for petty crimes.
"I doubt we have a lot of time," I say. "So I'll cut to the chase." I look at Michael and Suzie one last time to make sure this is really what we want to do.
Once we ask him, there's a very good chance this'll get out to the brothers. We might have our answers, but we'll definitely have more problems too. I kind of regret dragging all of them into this. Michael. Dante. Even Suzie. I hope it's worth it.
Michael nods.
Suzie mutters, "It's too late to turn back now." She gives me a reassuring look, but I still think she's waiting for my doom.
I take a deep breath, asking this question hopefully for the very last time, "Who's fault was the Bloodmoon War?"