Filed To Story: In the Shadow of the Past Luna (Lily & James)
Because I changed my mind about selling girls to Antonio -I did not want other quality females around who might compete for his attention- I had to find another way to finance my escape. That is where my little sister came in.
I did not want to ask Antonio for money so early in our relationship, and I preferred to have my own anyway. Our rogue friends had been asking for a young virgin for a while, and I knew they were willing to pay top dollar. My sister had been such a good sport about letting me torture her that I thought she would be the perfect one to sell to them for a night.
I had expected my sister to cooperate like she normally does, but instead she fought back. That threw everything off, and we had to rush through the next steps of the escape plan. I also had to promise the rogues a replacement gift in lieu of my sister. (It took me a while, but I finally found one about six months later and had her sent to them.)
I do not know whether to be angry or proud of my sister for what she did that night. She definitely made my life harder, but I sort of respect her spirit.
Given all the torture I put her through, you probably think I hate her, but I do not. I actually love her a lot. That was why she made such a good torture candidate; my mother always said that to be like Luna Jane, I needed to know how to torture not just the ones I hated but also the ones I loved.
I am curious to see what my little sister is like now. Sheila has given me updates about a lot of what has happened in the pack, but for some reason she has not told me much about Lily. I wonder if she has met her mate yet? Perhaps Lily, her mate, James, and I can double date.
(Unknown POV)
I am currently at the large memorial/ wedding venue with the alpha, beta, and ga mma families and some of their early arrival out-of-town guests. We are here watching the omegas and human employees finish decorating for tomorrow’s event. It is admittedly a little odd to invite honored guests to watch the preparations for an event, but Margie saw it as an opportunity to flaunt the expense and details being put into it.
Everyone here is in good spirits, although everyone is happy for different reasons.
For example, Margie and Sheila are happy because they believe that James and Shella are getting married tomorrow.
The human employees are happy because their human employer-the owner of the multi-level opera house that will be hosting the combined wedding and memorial event- has promised them large bonuses for helping with this last-minute, ultra-grand affair.
And I am happy because the justice that I have waited several long, agonizing years for is finally going to be realized. After tomorrow, I will finally be able to say good-bye and good riddance to most members of the Brogan and Anderson families. Revenge has taken a lot longer than I expected it to, but it will be worth it.
Thankfully, despite the number of years that have passed, I am still relatively young and I have time to move on with my life. Hopefully, I will find a second chance mate and be able to finally have the peaceful, stable life that I have always dreamed of having.
In case you are wondering, the answer is yes: I am a member of the Movement. I was late to join, but that is only because I did not know about it before. You could say that I was one of the ones that helped the Movement piece together some of the final missing puzzle pieces. My involvement in the Movement is primarily as a consultant though, and my role in the movement is on a need-to-know basis only. And by that I mean that basically only the founder, the top leaders, and James know about me.
Despite my limited role, I am valued enough that I am one of only five wolves besides James who are aware that Stephanie may be making a surprise appearance tomorrow. I could not believe my luck when James told me. Of course, James could not believe his luck when he realized I was involved in the
Movement, so I guess we are even.
Honestly, when Stephanie did not return after two years, I started to worry if she ever would. At first, she did not return because she was having fun with Antonio. Then she got unexpectedly pregnant. Then she needed to work on getting her body back in shape. Then Antonio promised her a trip around the world.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I honestly do not know how Sheila tolerated all that bullsh&t.
Oh, wait. Yes, I do. Sheila tolerated it all because Sheila is evil. And she wants James for herself.
You are probably wondering how long I have known that Stephanie was alive. Answer: since the beginning.
Surprised? Do not be. Life is complicated. Especially when you are dealing with she-wolves who have lost their f&&king minds and an alpha couple that has a bizarre, co-dependent relationship with half of them.
Let me guess your next question. Have I told others in the Movement that Stephanie is alive? Nope. I did not even tell James.
Why not? Easy. Given my circumstances, I trust absolutely no one. I have shared the information with the Movement that they need to know to accomplish our shared goals, but not a single piece of
Information more than that. In fact, not even the founder or leaders know why I am a member of the
Movement. At least not yet.
When I first found out that Stephanie may be coming back (thank you, Lily, for giving James that heads up
), I was a little disappointed that we had convinced Sheila and Margie to move the wedding and memorial event to human territory. The security reasons for moving it made sense; executing our plans on neutral territory was really important and ensured less risk for any warriors that may be called upon should things turn violent. And the selling points to Sheila and Margie were also very clear: for this to be the grandest and most elaborate wedding/ memorial event yet, they needed a larger and more opulent space than anything we had in the pack.
Still, I worried that if Stephanie does come as expected, she will not know where everyone is. I would not want her to miss even a portion of the event.
But then I realized that I could just make sure to leave a few of the wedding invitations out in plain sight where Stephanie is likely to go and see them. And there will be a limited number of border guards and other officials staying back on pack lands that can inform her as well, should she try to return through any of the main entrances.
I will confess that I am a little nervous for how tomorrow will play out. It almost feels too good to be true. that tomorrow could finally be the end. I know Margie well enough to know that she will not go down easily, and she probably has back-up plans in place.
However, at this point, I say bring it on. I cannot take even a second more of pretending to like Sheila or pretending to miss Stephanie. One way or another, no matter what, this nonsense ends tomorrow.
(James POV)
Today is the day. I am nervous, but I am also ready. We do not have all of the answers, but we have controlled for as many of the unknowns as we can.
Joey and I have spent countless days and nights in bars in human territory, with me always coming back to the pack late at night smelling heavily of alcohol and yelling at Joey to leave me alone and stop “baby-
sitting me.”
I have made no secret that I am unhappy about this wedding, and so my parents and Nick think that I am drinking my misery away, just like I did after Stephanie “died.”
In truth, I am 100% sober; I drink soda water at the bars. I am just using the hars as a cover to meet with other alphas and members of our team. With Dr. Hyder’s assistance, I have even convinced Alpha Brett to re-establish the alliance with our pack once we clean house at the top.
The plan for the event is fairly simple. We are holding it at an opera house in human territory. We have allies of the Movement positioned around the event hall, ready to step in if anything becomes violent.
Most wolves unaffiliated with the Movement believe that the event will begin with Stephanie’s traditional birthday memorial. Once all of the standard speeches have been given, it will be time for my “grand speech.”
During that speech, I will talk about how much I love Stephanie and how no one will ever compare to her. I will also spend 10-20 minutes giving her obnoxious and unearned praise (Margie decided to write the speech for me). Once all of that is over, the red curtain on the stage will lift, revealing a wedding arch. Sheila and her bridesmaids will descend a spiral staircase in the corner opera house and walk to the stage. Sheila and I will then proceed with the wedding and marking ceremonies, which will be of course officiated by my father.
It is all beautiful and bullsh&t pageantry, and none of it will actually come to pass.
of th the
Instead, just before I take the stage to give my “grand speech,”
I will demand my father step down from his post as alpha and turn the pack over to me immediately. I estimate that there is a only a one or two. percent chance that my father will agree to do so. If I am wrong and he does, great -it will save everyone some headache… but again, it is highly unlikely.
So assuming he tells me to go to hell, I will take the stage for my grand speech. Only, instead of talking about how much I love Stephanie, I will publicly accuse Stephanie, Sheila, Margie, and my parents of serious werewolf crimes. Audio of some of the (accidental) confessions will be played, and pre-recorded witness testimony (with the names and faces of the victims blacked out) will be shown on the movie projector behind me.
Representatives from the Movement and a few of our allies will be positioned to ensure that none of the five try to escape or interfere with the playing of the evidence. We will also have wolves positioned near any likely supporters, including Nick and those known to be on Margie’s payroll.
At the end, I will demand that the werewolf council -which we have ensured will have front row seats- exercise their authority to remove all five from power, and arrest them until they can be officially tried for their crimes. With the backing of the allied alphas, I will also ask that I be allowed to take over the pack in
I their absence.
Overall, the plan seems relatively simple. Unfortunately, as I mentioned at the beginning, there are still pieces missing. For example, we have been unable to figure out who Sheila’s baby daddy is, assuming she is even pregnant. Aiden is of course the most likely candidate, but who the f&&k knows who else that she-wolf has slept with. We also do not know who all is on Margie’s payroll, or when if at all- Stephanie will appear.
Ultimately, we decided that we needed to move forward anyway. We will trust who we know to trust, and we will pray to the Moon Goddess that it is enough.
As I finish buttoning my tuxedo shirt, I look in the mirror and take a deep breath. How I wish Lily was here with me right now. I just hope after this all gets done, she will agree to come back here with me.
I pick up my phone to call her. I know she is going to be a nervous wreck today, just like I will be. It will be nice to hear her voice, to give me a good reminder of why I am doing this,
(Margie POV)
Today is the day. I am very happy and excited. I, of course, wish that James was marrying Stephanie and not Sheila, but Sheila will be a good luna too. I cannot wait to meet little Stephan or Stephanie.
My only concern is whether Stephanie’s death has permanently damaged James. I have seen how much he has been drinking and staying out late the last couple of weeks. I hope that lifestyle of his ends once he and Sheila are married and marked. If not, we may need to consider Randall picking a different heir for the pack anyway.
James has one chance to get this right. His speech about Stephanie today had better be on point. I wrote it, so I will know if he messes up any of the lines.
A few of my clients are on the werewolf-council, so I pray that he does not embarrass me. I need to remind them of how strong our pack -and my influence- really is. I do not want anyone interfering with my business now or in the future.
(Author POV)
Finally, it was “show time.”
Guests were seated on all three floors of the large opera house, while presenters, members of the wedding party, and a few other important guests waited in rooms backstage. along with their (admittedly necessary) security details.
Each backstage room was equipped with televisions that allowed the occupants to see and hear what was happening on stage. Trusted members of the Movement were operating all of the audio and visual equipment required for the event, and they were also manning each of the doors in and out of the large facility.
Sheila was waiting in the largest backstage room. She was accompanied by her parents, Margie, Beta Robert, Nick, Jenny, Luna Jane, Alpha Randall, and her bridesmaids. Sheila was dressed in a beautiful form-fitting wedding dress that had been custom made out of lace and silk, and her neck, ears, and hair were draped in expensive diamonds.
Despite the fact that the event was also supposed to be a memorial, almost everyone in Sheila’s room seemed focused on the upcoming nuptials and found themselves to be in a relatively upbeat mood. (The) only exception was Margie, who was in a good mood but still-like always- 98% focused on Stephanie.)
While waiting for the event to start, Sheila excitedly talked to her parents and sister about her plans for her new pup and the new life that she expected to have as Luna of the West Mountain Pack.
Meanwhile, James was waiting in a much smaller room, and the mood around him was much more subdued. He was accompanied by Dr. Hyder and a few trusted members of the Movement including Joey and Jessica. Despite being told everything was fine and was being handled, James insisted on repeatedly going over their action plan again and again. In his mind, doing so was absolutely critical to ensure that no detail was missed that could derail the success of their plan.
Unfortunately, James would soon learn that no plan was perfect. Several events would take place that were beyond anyone’s control. One of those events was named “Stephanie.”
Yes, they knew she might come. They had planned for that. What they had not planned on was Stephanie causing a loud and public scene. They had assumed that-after faking her own death- Stephanie would linger quietly in the background, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself. Unfortunately, this bellef was premised on a false assumption as the Movement and others would soon learn, Stephanie had NOT faked her own death… or at least she had not done so intentionally. Nor was Sheila the ultimate culprit.
At exactly two o’clock, Alpha Randall took the stage to welcome everyone to the elaborate affair. The traditional memorial speeches began soon thereafter.
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?