Tora's Sacrifice

13. Goodnight Moon

Tora's Point Of View

I was in hell.

It was cold as balls, it was dark, there was nothing on the menu aside from fish, and they had separated Sean and I until later this afternoon. On top of that, I was about two minutes from taking the shishkabob that my fish had been served with and stabbing it through the maid's eyes for daring to suggest the salad instead of the rich filet I'd eaten. To say I was one pissed off interim Luna, was an understatement. I had been prepared to no see Sean for a few hours, sure, but we'd been apart since we arrived two days ago, and while I wasn't the type to cling, I did not want to be left alone during this trip, and I definitely did not enjoy being squashed into a room with nearly one-hundred other women like we were sardines. My patience was running thin, but instead of focusing on the levels of hell going on around me, I was burying myself in paperwork so when the others were off scurrying to finish theirs, Sean and I would be free to play and enjoy a semi-vacation before we left.

I'd been trapped in a large room with the other she-wolves for the last few days and was tired of listening to tales about home wreckers, nannies and not enough 'me time'. To me, it seemed that every one of these women were only here to get away from their children, not to help their mates, and the thought of such selfishness had anger swirling deep in my gut. I dropped my pen with a sigh and shook my hand out, grimacing when I noticed I still had quite a few pages to go. Looking up proved to be a mistake.

I clenched my teeth when the blonde devil incarnate began to saunter my way with her posse of vain Lunas, but attempted to ignore her presence as best I could. I knew all she wanted, even after nearly five years of me ignoring her existence, was to rile me up. She lived to prove that she had the upper hand, but she would be horribly disappointed to find out that she didn't have it.

"Oh, Tora, how are you?" Her saccharine sweet voice made me want to gag. It wasn't enough that I was the only female in the room trying to do something to help her Alpha by doing the required paperwork, but she really had to come single me out?

"I'm fine, thank you Luna Parks. How are you?" My voice was calm and level, not giving a trace of discomfort or agitation. I wouldn't let her believe she had won anything. After all, she was the woman who had to live with the knowledge that her 'Mate' was so desperate for his Destined Mate that he'd nearly staked his entire Pack.

"Oh, I'm fine, Luna Leeland, or wait-- it's just Tyler, isn't it? You're simply filling in for when Sean finally finds his real mate and when he does, you'll be tossed to the side just like you were with Nate and Slater." At this, I simply rolled my eyes. She was a petty woman, and with the laughter that sounded from behind her, so were the other Lunas.

"It's just Tyler, Luna. Thank you for remembering. How is your son?" I didn't say his name, I still found it odd that his father insisted on naming him Tyler. I wasn't sure if it was an accident, but I sure as hell hoped so.

"My baby is just fine, Tora, he's perfect-- just like his father." This was probably her attempt to make me jealous, but it wasn't in me. I didn't want what she had. I was content in my life.

Liar. Xianna hissed, and I could feel her hackles rising the longer that Amber stood in front of me. She held on to her hatred for both sides of the Parks marriage, but I couldn't. That kind of resentment was too heavy to try to hold on to for the rest of my life.

"That's fantastic to hear, Luna Parks. If you'll excuse me, my Alpha has requested--" as the words fell from my lips a loud roaring sounded from outside the closed doors and I could hear the maids and guards scrambling. I was curious to see what was happening, and stood, pushing the stacks of paper out of my lap before I heard the loud clatter of breaking wood.