Filed To Story: In the Shadow of the Past Luna (Lily & James)
Wow. Does my mother not realize that her story has more holes than swiss cheese?
“She does not know when you and Lily discovered that you were mates. You never told anyone,”
Luke reminds me. “She must think you only discovered that you were mates when you saw her at the memorial.
‘But surely she had to have figured it out from how strangely I behaved that morning?”
I mind-link him back.
“I guess not,”
Luke says with a shrug in his voice. “Let’s see how far she is willing to go with this lie.”
“Do you think she is lying or do you think Margie told her all this and she believes it?”
I ask him.
“Well, I sense deception. So either she is lying, or she repeating a story that Margie told her that she knows is a lie.”
“How do you know all of this, Mother?”
I ask.
“Margie went for a walk after our meeting with you that morning. She found Lily in the woods, and Lily confessed everything before she passed out. Margie had Robert help her carry Lily home, and Margie stayed with her until she had to leave for the memorial. Before Lily passed out, she begged Margie not to call a doctor for her; she felt like she deserved the pain.”
“When did you find all of this out?”
“Margie told us while you were in the coma. She was feeling really guilty and embarrassed. I am sorry that I did not tell you, but Dr. Miller wanted us to avoid stressing you out, and then-
END OF FLASHBACK
The “confession”
and excuses from my mother went on for a while longer, but I do not remember many of the details after that. I honestly stopped paying attention. I was too floored by the fact that the she-wolf who raised me -my sweet, compassionate, loving mother- had somehow transformed into a co-
dependent, jealous, lying manipulator in the short span of just a few hours. Had I ever really known my mother?
I guess not, because after the second “confession,”
things got worse as my mother began to take multiple steps to help bring me in line. Or at least that is what I assume she was doing.
First, she had my father immediately lift the ban on she-wolves coming to my room. That meant that
Sheila and the other she wolves that I had had “arrangements”
with now expected to resume our regular rotation again.
The first few nights, I kicked them out of my room, but my mother came to me and basically said that I needed to move on and relax, and that she believed that having regular sex was a good way to deal with my pent-up frustrations. This conversation was as awkward as it sounds, and it only served as yet another reminder of how little my mother knew me.
Nevertheless, I did end up agreeing to let the she-wolves in my room again. It was easier than fighting about it or causing unnecessary attention. As long as my mother felt I was occupied and compliant, she would not be preventing me from doing the research that I needed to do. Or so I thought.
When I went to talk to Dr. Miller, I found out that my mother had ordered him to not talk to me about anything having to do with Lily, Stephanie, or Margie.
When I went to review the investigation report that was done after Stephanie died, I found out that my mother had ordered that it be put under lock and seal in her office.
And when I went to look for clues in Stephanie and Lily’s rooms, I found both doors locked. I found an omega and asked her to open the doors for me, but she told me that the locks on both rooms had been recently changed and now only my mother, father, and Margie had keys.
Reaching out to Dr. Hyder again was an act of total desperation, I was both shocked and relieved when he accepted my call. Then, I practically fell out of my chair when —after listening to me basically plead with him through the phone— he seemed open to the possibilty of me seeing Lily.
Most shocking of all, Dr. Hyder called back a week later and proposed a meeting between Lily and I in Hawall. I won’t lie; a part of me wondered if I was being lured there to be killed. However, a bigger part of me thought there were worse ways and places to go… especially because if I died, at least I would get to see my mate one last time.
So… ready or not, it is time to make plans for a vacation.
(James POV)
I am walking out the door of the packhouse, suitcase in hand, when I am stopped by my mother, Because of course I am.
“Where do you think you are going?”
she demands.
“I need to get away for a few days to clear my head,”
I say dismissively.
“So where are you going to go?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes. You are going to be the alpha of this pack soon. We need to know where you are, and we need to know that you will be protected “
1 will be fine, Mother.”
“Who are you taking with you?”
“Но
“No one, Mother.”
“That is not safe.”
“I will be fine.”
“Are you going to look for Lily?”
she asks accusingly.
“Seriously, Mother? Do you think I want anything to do with her anymore? After all that she did? No, I am not going to look for Lily. I just want to take some time to clear my head.”
My mother eyes me suspiciously. She is clearly not convinced by my lie.
“Margie and I have been talking…”
Oh, here it comes.
“Sheila Black was Stephanie’s best friend.”
“Yes, I know that, Mother.”
“Shella would make a good Luna, James.”
groan as I put my suitcase down and turn fully around. “What is your point, Mother?”
“Margie, Sheila, and I have been talking a lot about who your chosen mate should be. I think you should seriously consider Sheila, James. Margie and I think that wherever Stephanie is right now-she would be very happy with you picking Sheila as your mate.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because Sheila and Stephanie were best friends. Sheila will not try to replace Stephanie, and she will not try to erase her memory. Sheila will build on the future that Stephanie would have wanted for this pack.”
“What about the future that I want for this pack?”
My mother glares at me. “Why would that be any different than the future that Stephanie wanted? The two of you were completely in sync when she was alive.”
I sigh. I am not going to win this fight, nor do I have time to try. I have a flight to catch.
“I have to go, Mother.”
“You are not leaving without telling me where you are going.”
“1 am not a pup, Mother. I am a grown wolf.”
“You are my son, and I am still the Luna of this pack. I outrank you, and I can absolutely prevent you from leaving if I want to. Now, tell me, when will you be back?”
“When I choose to come back.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?