The Mates of Monsters

Chapter 22

I lay on the grand bed as I hear the water turn on in the bathroom. David is taking a shower, so I try to busy myself. All of my dresses and other clothes that must be hung up—as Jeremy instilled in my head and left on a note in one of the suitcases—have been hung up, and all of my dinner has been eaten.

I roll onto my stomach and stare at the door. My eyes shift between the bedroom doors and the bathroom door. Surely this place is safe or else David wouldn't have brought me here, so I step into my shoes and slip out of the suite like Alice adventuring into Wonderland.

I walk down the large hall, looking into the beyond as the space seems to open up. There is only one other pair of doors until the branch of the hall is connected to the body of the building; a vast space with elegant, stone stairs whose railings are carved and detailed like ones from Ancient Rome. It's cool to the touch, and I dare travel down them, hearing the satisfying click of my shoes with each step. On the opposite side of the room are identical staircases leading off to other leadership suits, but in the center, at the bottom, there is a fountain. And when I peer up, there is a grand skylight, making me feel as if I am a small rodent scurrying around in a barren greenhouse.

"Brigette?" A voice calls from behind. "Is that you?"

I turn around on the stairs and see Aurora standing at the top, gazing down then quickly meeting me on the midway landing. She promptly gives me a hug. "It's nice to see you again," I say behind her back.

"I wasn't sure if you would be here," she says and pulls away. "But here you are. So, what do you think? The first time I came here, I was—well, I wasn't expecting all of this."

"Oh, it's pretty amazing. I mean, everything looks like it's been here since the beginning of time."

"I was told a northern Alpha from long ago had it built, but halfway through its construction, the project was abandoned. A little later, once some of us found the willpower to get along, they completed it and used it as neutral ground—a place to negotiate. I suppose it's still that. Neutral. All leadership here has time and time again agreed to keep it that way."

"So some Alphas here don't get along with others?" I ask.

Aurora smiles. "There's at least one close call each time everyone gathers, especially if both Leloup and Lovegreen are here. Those two can't stand each other."

"Leloup? From France?"

"Of course. Everyone comes here. I supposed we're lucky not having to cross an ocean."

I nod slowly, my eyes following her as she moves around me. "Well, I should get back to—"

"I was just about to meet a fellow Luna who arrived yesterday from Argentina. Would you like to come? It's always good to make friends in a place like this."

I glance back up the steps, thinking about David in the shower, unaware of my wandering. "I-I didn't tell David where—"

"He'll be able to find you," she assures me. "Now come on. There's so much more to see."

Aurora takes my hand and hurries me down the rest of the steps. She guides me and influences me like a Luna mentor, and a part of me doesn't want to lose her friendship. She is my connection to a network of Lunas just like myself, and such relationships would be useful if this is my life now.

We make our way out of the main building, across the dark courtyard, and into the adjacent building. "This where all the food is," she tells me. "Usually I come here for lunch with some other Lunas after the morning meetings. Alpha Nicodra likes to spend a lot of time in the boys club," she says with a sour taste in her mouth.