Luna Revealed

Chapter Nine

Caine is the first to speak. "Woah." Phoenix turns to glare at him and my Alpha simply rolls his eyes in mock amusement.

Phoenix takes my face in his hands, checking me for injuries, even though he knows I'm not hurt. "Are you okay, my love? What just happened? And why is Alpha Julian in my living room?" His voice is soft, but his questions are sharp, probing. I nod, attempting to at least answer his first question. This only gets him riled up and he opens his mouth to speak again.

Alpha Julian steps in at that moment, saving me from Phoenix's questioning. He bows in respect before speaking. "How about we find somewhere to sit? The young Luna looks tired." He gestures towards the kitchen doorway and Phoenix nods roughly, helping me into the kitchen and into a chair at the kitchen table.

Alpha Julian sits next to me and across from Phoenix, clearing his throat before he begins. "My halfwitted Beta wants his daughter back." Phoenix scoffs, but Julian continues, holding his hands up. "I know that may not be what it seems like, but it is."

He looks over at me, his dark green eyes soft and apologetic beneath his bushy brows. "To make an extremely long story short, Magnus is fully convinced that Dahlia murdered his wife ten years ago. He managed to convince most of the members of the pack house of this "fact" as well." He pauses and sighs heavily, shaking his head. "I didn't even realize what was happening until I saw her bruises a few weeks ago."

Phoenix's eyes shoot to him when he says this. "Bruises? What bruises?" He looks back at me. "Dahlia, what is he talking about? Are you hurt?"

Alpha Julian regards me with surprise in his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I assumed you had made your new mate aware of your situation." He pauses and furrows his brows. "Actually, it makes sense that you haven't. You never complained of abuse to us before. I always thought the way the other young wolves in the pack house treated you was due to the stories your father told. But now I understand." He stops and reaches for me, placing a gentle hand on my arm. "I should have seen the abuse sooner; I should have been there to protect you."

His confession makes me dizzy. He didn't know about any of this? I rake through the memories of the last 10 years, remembering all of the people who have abused me. His face is not among them. He didn't live in the pack house, having left it to my father many years ago. And he rarely visited unless there was a complaint made by one of the residents. He was much too busy fixing dangerous situations my father got the pack into.

Phoenix is silent and his face has frozen over, reminding me of my father's steely gaze. I try to read the emotion in his electric blue eyes. His wolf is nearing the surface again, his skin rippling with the intricate change of hormones and chemical reactions that cause the shift. For fear that he may attack Alpha Julian, I grasp one of his hands with both of my own, willing him to calm down. Even my wolf attempts to reach out to him to calm his own. It takes a few moments, but eventually, he begins to relax and lean back into his chair. Rage still comes off of him in waves, but his wolf seems to have backed down.

Alpha Julian reaches over and lays his large hand on my arm. "We will make this right, sweet Dahlia. You have me on your side against your father. He is no longer welcome in Aurora." His words reassure me, but also scare me. My father is now packless – a rogue? What about my brother? My little sisters?

I seek the answers to these questions with my eyes. I cling to the rage Phoenix is emanating for my father, allowing it to build my courage to speak. "What about my family?"

Alpha Julian sighs and looks at Phoenix. "When things settle down here, I will come back for the full story. If there were others involved in this and I feel that your siblings are in danger, we will discuss moving them." He pauses, looking around the room, eying the few men that followed us to the kitchen. "I do need to ask something. Please don't feel pressured to answer."

I gulp and nod, urging him to continue. He takes a deep breath, opening and closing his mouth several times before saying, "I know Viktor Sokolov is a close confidant of your father's." The name sends chills down my spine. "I'm sure he is the one who has carried out this so-called punishment on you. He is known for very," he pauses again, his face twisting, "violent ways of punishing wolf prisoners. He has been admonished many times in the past, but your father always backs him up. Recently, he was accused of raping multiple female wolves in our prison during interrogations."

I hear Phoenix's breath catch in his throat. "No," he growls. "Don't say these words. That man will die at my hands if you say this."

I am shaking my head before Phoenix even finishes speaking. His grip is so tight on my hands, I feel as though they will break. I reach out in my mind, begging Julian. Please don't. Please don't ask this question. Tears prick my eyes when he shakes his head, speaking anyway.

"Has Viktor ever sexually abused you?"

Phoenix tears his hand away from me and stands, his chair falling to the floor. He bursts from the house, barely making it out before he shifts. I don't see him go, only hear the howling as he runs away from the pack house.

Caine quickly follows Phoenix, hardly managing to strip from his clothes. I hear him swear just before shifting, the heavy sound of paws on dirt making me cringe

Once I am alone with Alpha Julian at the table, I wither, slumping forward until my head hits the table. My wolf is whining, forcing my memories deep into her dungeon. I don't realize I am still shaking my head until Julian places his rough palm on my cheek.

"Sweet Dahlia, you never deserved that. I have truly failed you. I am so sorry." His words barely register in my mind.

Memories, long since repressed by my wolf, seep into my mind. In them is a dark room and a scared, young girl. I squeeze my eyes shut, desperately trying to push the memories away. That's not me! The girl's screams echo through my mind. God, please, that can't be me!

Julian catches me just before I fall from the chair and calls for help. One of the men runs over to us, but I don't see who. I can only see that girl in that room. Warm hands brush through my hair and I push them away, terrified that he is coming for me. Someone says my name, but I can't tell if it's real or in my head.

I struggle from the arms of whoever is holding me, gasping for air. I feel like I am being suffocated, drowned in my memories. I don't remember climbing any stairs, but I find myself on the third floor of the house. I burst through a door, into a blue room. It's a familiar sight, an escape from my thoughts. I walk towards the unmade bed and fall onto it, letting my wolf consume my thoughts.