*Isla*
Poppy flutters around the sunny sitting room, moving from light filled window to window as she spins in a soft circle. Isaac is in her arms, and seems unfazed by her attempts to get any type of reaction out of him.
So far, at only three days old, he is a quiet, amiable baby.
“He’s too young to really smile at you, Poppy,” I say from the floor where I’m sitting with my legs crossed. I look down at the paperwork littering the floor, my hand aching as I scribble my signature on something pertaining to a grocery order for the kitchen.
I hadn’t realized how much went into being an Alpha, let alone an Alpha King. Nor had I realized how much I was going to have to do as the Luna of all Lunas.
I place the signed paper on the pile of signed papers, which is sitting next to more piles of unsigned papers that doesn’t seem to be shrinking no matter how much time I spend on it.
“This is madness,” I breathe, shaking my head as I look up at Poppy. “Is this all necessary?”
“What do you think Maddox does in his office all day, Isla?” Poppy snorts, twirling in a little circle. She beams as Isaac lets out a little coo. “Got you that time, didn’t I? You tiny little dumpling!” She makes little kissy noises against his cheek, and I can’t help but smile.
I set the pen down and lay with my back flat against the carpet. I stare at the ceiling, considering saying a prayer to the Goddess to put me out of my misery.
I chose this life. I could have stayed in Maatua. I could have been the ex-breeder of the Alpha King instead of the Luna, for Goddess’s sake.
“This is why he goes through so many pens,” I whisper to myself, running my hands over my face and then peeking through my fingers at Poppy, who is hovering over me with a smug grin on her face.
“Let’s get out of here and go bug Ben for a while. How does that sound?”
Ben, Isaac’s new favorite person, is standing in for Maddox and Seth while they’re gone. I know he’s just as busy–more so, in reality. He’s spent the last day cleaning up the mess made by the rival Alphas and ensuring our allied forces made it back to their territories safely.
“I love to bug Ben, but I can’t,” I say in a muffled whisper. “I have to sign off on a change in laundry detergent for the head housekeeper.”
“Oh for Goddess’s sake, Isla. Let’s go get some sun!”
I reluctantly get up and abandon my task, following Poppy out into the back garden. Gardeners are working on the area, turning the dense overgrowth into a space worthy of garden parties and days spent lounging in the sun. I breathe in the fresh air and sigh, feeling more than a little overwhelmed.
“You like it out here, huh?” Poppy chirps to Isaac, who is blinking at the abrupt change in overhead light. His wispy blond hair trembles in the warm breeze lacing through the blooming lilac bushes and apple trees surrounding the cobblestone patio. I sit down on a chaise lounge, leaning my head back against the cushion and close my eyes for just a second… just one second….
“Isla, my dear,” Mystica’s voice flickers to my ear, and I blink into golden late afternoon sunlight.
“W-what?” I stammer, sitting bolt upright and rubbing my eyes. “Good Goddess, what time is it?”
“Almost four,” Mystica clucks, giving me a soft smile as she places a very hungry Isaac into my arms. “You’ve been asleep for almost three hours.”
“Three hours?” I gasp. “I don’t even remember falling asleep!”
“You needed the rest,” Mystica says softly, sitting down on the end of the lounger and patting my knee as I struggle to get Isaac to latch. He starts to fuss, and I panic, fighting back tears as he pulls away, and his face turns red.
When Maddox left yesterday morning, I’d been fine. Confident and ready to take on my duties as both a mother and Luna.
But that confidence had begun to crack by midday, and by the early evening I was a mess with a pretty bow on it as I drifted around the castle seeing to the needs of the departing Alphas and convening with maids, chefs, and warriors who were still guarding our home.
All while taking care of a two-day old infant.
I didn’t sleep at all, which was partly my fault. Isaac was apparently nocturnal, and I’d refused the help of the older maids who had experience as nannies and had offered to give me a much needed break.
I’ve been a walking, talking shell of myself today.
“I wish Maddox was here,” I whisper, tears welling in the corners of my eyes. “I have no idea what I’m doing with any of this!”
Isaac begins to howl, and Mystica gently takes him from my arms to settle him.
“We’ll calm him down and try again,” she coaxes, smiling at me as I wipe my eyes. “Or you could try a bottle.”
“I’ll try again,” I whisper, sniffing as I watch her soothe him with ease. “This is going to sound silly but… oh, never mind.”
“What is it, Isla?”
“I feel like he likes everyone better than me,” I say, wincing at how idiotic it sounds, but that's honestly how I feel.
“You’re his mother, Isla,” she says with a little laugh, lowering him gently back into my waiting arms. She helps me position him, then helps him latch, and in a few short moments he’s nursing away, happy as a clam. “You’re both just… brand new to this.”
“It must be hard being a brand new person,” I whisper, closing my eyes for a moment.
“Well, you came back from the dead… again. You could say you’re like a new person right now, too.”
I look at her, taking in her kind face and soft smile.
There might be some truth to that. I died and came back to life only to be thrust into two entirely new roles, my life abruptly changing course.
Now I’m struggling and stumbling through it, learning as I go. And so is Isaac.
“Thank you for letting me sleep for a while,” I say, making a mental note to tell Poppy the same thing the next time I see her.
“Will you allow some of us to help you tonight, Luna? It’s important you rest as well.”
I sigh, then nod, giving her a weak smile.
“And when was the last time you ate?”
“I had a little bit of breakfast–”
Mystica throws me a motherly look of disapproval and rises to her feet, shuffling slowly away as she says, “I’ll have dinner brought up to your room, and one of the maids can take Isaac for a while so you can rest.”
“Thank you, Mystica,” I say, and mean it. “Do you know where Poppy is, by chance?”
“She was up to something… I believe she said she was needing to forge some signatures, whatever that could possibly mean.”
“Oh, Goddess,” I mutter under my breath as Mystica disappears through the door leading back inside, and then I’m alone, successfully nursing my son.
“See, we can do it,” I whisper, leaning down to brush a soft kiss on his head.
* * *
“What do you mean,” I ask Ben, who is pacing back and forth at the foot of my bed. “Who told you this?”
“One of the scouts tasked with running the perimeter of the castle,” Ben replies, pausing mid-step. He looks down at me, shaking his head before pacing again.
“Someone is trying to…”
“Someone was spotted making note of the entrances to the tunnels, the known ones.”
“I don’t understand, Ben. How do you know this wasn’t one of our warriors doing this on Maddox’s orders?”
“Because Maddox didn’t say anything about it to me, and I’m supposed to be acting as a de-facto Beta while he and Seth are gone.”
I bite my lip then look over at the bassinet where Isaac is sleeping.
“What pack does this stranger belong to? Was he or she wearing anything that could identify them?”
“No, but they were traveling with someone who was in their wolf form, so I sent scouts out on their scents. I should know more in the next few hours.”
“Does Maddox know? Has anyone tried to get a hold of him?”
“All lines went dead a few hours ago, Isla. He would have made the crossing by now. We also would have heard from him if the crossing was unsuccessful.”
I swallow thickly nodding. Suddenly doing paperwork and staying up all night nursing a newborn seems trivial compared to a new threat.
“Are we in danger?” I ask calmly. Ben meets my eyes, rolling his lower lip between his teeth.
“No, you’re not.”
“I’m talking about the pack as whole–”
“I’ve beefed up security and some warriors to the tunnels in the event we have enemies taking advantage of Maddox not being here,” he says, his voice slightly strained. “It’s doubtful anyone knows he’s gone. Commander Vember did his best to make sure they weren’t followed, and that was successful–”
“I don’t understand,” I whisper, “why someone would be trying to gain access to the castle when Maddox just ripped apart half of the packs in the area for even looking at the front gate!”
“I think this is about the diamond,” he breathes, meeting my eyes. “Someone wants it, and if they believe Maddox is still here, that the diamond is here… well…”
“Not many people knew that I had the diamond in the first place, let alone brought it back from Maatua–”
“But Seth knew,” Ben says levelly, and a shiver of understanding runs up my spine.
“Maddox trusts him,” I try to say calmly, but my voice trembles.
“Isla… come on.”
“What do you know?” I ask, sudden panic tightening my chest. “Is Maddox in danger? Could Seth–”
“I don’t know anything you don’t,” he assures me, but the look on his face is grave. “All I know is that the castle needs to remain under lock and key. I need to know where you and Isaac are at all times. I think… I think guards should be posted outside your door tonight.”
“Ben, how serious is this?”
Ben looks down at me, concern clouding his eyes.
“If this isn’t about the diamond, then it’s about you, Isla. You and the heir.”
“I have powers–”
“You did have powers, but you died, and now we don’t know if they still remain. Have you tried to use them since Isaac was born?”
I shake my head, the panic now settling in the pit of my stomach.
“No, I haven’t.” Maybe I should.