Mae POV
I make sure to slam my feet down on each one of the steps, letting everyone know that I am pissed off. I have never been more insulted in my entire life.
And to make matters worse, Kieran didn't even try to defend me. He let his sister speak to me like I am beneath her. Tish would have never done that.
I pause at the top of the stairs. I am unsure which room I should go to. As much as I hate to admit it, being surrounded by Kieran's cedar scent would make me feel better. But I am still angry and probably will be for a long time.
Leo waits patiently behind me, waiting for me to decide where I should go. Finally, I decide to go to the room I was assigned when I first got here.
Stepping into the bedroom, I try to close the door in Leo's face, but he holds it open. He steps inside and looks around but he doesn't close the door.
Rolling my eyes, I try to shut the door. Leo stops me.
"Leave it open," he instructs.
"Why?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Because I am one of the Luna Queen's mates, and you are an unmarked female," he explains, but it doesn't make any sense to me.
"Does your mate not trust you?" I ask sarcastically.
"She trusts me completely," Leo responds. "But we don't need rumors to spread."
"Whatever," I sigh. "I am changing."
Leo makes himself comfortable on the couch in the corner of the room. "Do what you want."
I mutter under my breath about not needing a babysitter as I walk into the closet and close the door. I consider hitting the panic button and locking myself inside. No one would be able to get in, and I could hide out until the Queen leaves. But there is no telling how long Raven will be here.
"You can't hide in there forever," Leo calls through the door. It is as if he can read my mind.
I let out a frustrated groan and stick my tongue out at the closed door. Sure, it is childish, but it makes me feel better.
Carefully, I take off the dark blue dress and hang it neatly on a hanger. As angry as I am, I don't want to ruin a dress I can't afford to replace.
I slip on a pair of jeans and my favorite T-shirt. Looking in the mirror, I pull my hair up into a messy bun. I feel better already now that I look more like myself.
Leaving the closet, I walk past Leo, pretending he isn't watching my every move.
"You know she didn't mean it," Leo says. "She just has a lot on her plate at the moment."
"That is no excuse to treat someone like they are beneath you," I snap back at Leo.
I grab my phone off my nightstand and pull up the location app. Tish's picture is in the same place I looked at several hours ago. I zoom in on the map, and it appears she is in a house in a small neighborhood. She is twenty miles from my location.
Leo looks over my shoulder at the phone and lets out a low whistle. "That's a bad neighborhood."
"What do you mean?" I ask curiously.
"That neighborhood is full of rogues and recusants. Even humans know to stay away from there," Leo explains. "Is that where your friend went?"
"It appears so," I say in a clipped tone.
Leo clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "That doesn't look good for her."
"She wouldn't have gone there on her own," I tell Leo. "You may think I am some naïve human, but I know my best friend."
"No one said you were naïve," Leo retorts.
"Not in so many words," I mutter under my breath.
Leo chuckles. "You are difficult, aren't you."
I scoff under my breath. "I am not the one being difficult."
"I would beg to differ," Leo says as he takes my phone out of my hands. "You don't know about our world and yet to jump to defend someone who could be doing us harm. You could have listened and understood where we were coming from. The recusants have tried to kill my mate since she was named Luna Queen. You need to understand why we have to be cautious."
"But you all didn't listen to me either," I whine, but Leo interrupts me.
"It isn't hard to see that you love this Tish person, maybe even more than you love your mate. You are willing to fight for her, and that is admirable. But you are a Luna now. You can no longer think of just yourself or your friend. It is your responsibility to look after a whole pack of people. They are depending on you," Leo tells me.
"I didn't ask for this," I cry. "I didn't ask to be someone's mate or a Luna."
"The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes," Leo replies.
"Argh," I growl. "I wish people would stop saying that."
Leo hands me back my phone. "One day, you will understand. Until then, I guess we will just have to learn to trust one another."
I look down at the phone in my hands. Leo has scrolled through my photos and landed on a picture I took before Tish left the pack house. I wanted a picture of Kieran and me together, and Tish refused to take the photo. So Kieran held the phone and took a selfie.
I look closely at the picture. At first all I notice is Kieran and I smiling brightly at the camera. His arm is wrapped around my shoulder, holding me close. But if you zoom in on the background, Tish is there. She isn't smiling. She is staring at us with a deadly scowl on her face.
I look up from the phone, and Leo is sitting on the couch. He is watching me carefully but not saying a word.
"Come on," he says suddenly.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"There is an Elder Council meeting, and you have been asked to be in attendance."