Unrelenting Destiny

19. Now I See You

Luciana Faith Moore

Fresh out of the shower, Luci stared at herself in the mirror. Jasper's mark lay prominently on her neck, a gathering of storm clouds in distinctive shades of gray and black with dotted markings that mimicked rain and lighting that faded into her bare skin. It had more depth than many other markings she had seen and she marveled at just how intricate it was. Jasper appeared behind her, circling her still-wet body with his arms.

"Good morning, beautiful."

Luci's eyes closed instinctively, leaning in and breathing in his scent, "Good morning."

He spun her around, looking down and placing a kiss on her forehead and trailing down to her lips, "Today's a big day, hm? First full day as Luna."

Luci nibbled at her bottom lip with worry. The most prominent duty she would have would be to exonerate Orianna. Not only was it a daunting task with near-irrefutable evidence against Orianna, but she would be working closely with her mate's ex. No matter how grateful Orianna seemed to be at her offer, she knew that her temper was easily set off. She wondered just how successful this venture would be. But she needed to at least have a good attitude the first day.

As Jasper headed off to his own duties, Luci got ready. She put on a pair of light high-waisted jeans and a white off-shoulder crop top with long, billowing sleeves. She swept her hair up into a messy bun, strands of her blonde hair framing her face. Just a bit of lip tint and some expertly placed false lashes gave the impression of a natural look before she headed downstairs.

In the basement, Orianna was sitting reading a book on her cot. The remnants of her breakfast sat just inside the cell doors. Luci's stomach rumbled. Maybe she should've picked something up before all of this.

Orianna looked up, obvious envy in her expression as she saw Luci's freshly washed hair. She was still in the same clothes as the day before, "Hey."

"Hey," Luci greeted her awkwardly, sitting down in the same folding chair as before, "so Jasper agreed to let you stand trial. He wanted me to help you in case you needed anything."

"That feels unbiased." Orianna snipped sarcastically. She sighed a bit, "Sorry, I don't mean that. I'm just a little stressed."

"It's okay, I understand." Luci pursed her lips. This would be just as hard as she thought it'd be. She asked, "Have you been thinking about why Monica might be framing you? Or anything else that might help your case?"

Orianna shook her head, "No, not really. All of this really blind-sided me. Monica's always been a good friend, I can't understand why she would do this- why anyone would do this."

Luci bit on her lip, nibbling thoughtfully, "Well, how about we look at it from the opposite angle? Who benefits from this situation?"

Silence filled the space as the realization dawned on the two women.

Luciana felt a lump in her throat, "I-I suppose the people who benefit the most were..."

"You and Jasper." Orianna hissed, "Interesting point, Luna." She practically spat the word.

Luci got to her feet, rushing for the entrance with a sense of urgency. As she departed,. she could hear Orianna snickering, "Now I understand. Now I see you for who you really are."

Monica Amalie Larson

"It worked like a charm." The witch giggled as she twirled a red curl between her fingers.

A squeal of excitement rang through her AirPod, "I knew it would!"

Monica leaned back on her windowsill, looking out to her front yard, "And the best part, she played into it completely. Lied about the pills even when Jasper asked, attacked me when I accused her. It was like a scene from a movie."

"I mean, that's exactly what you predicted, right?" The voice replied, "Do you feel badly at all?"

"A little..." She admitted, "Orianna is my friend but after finding out she was having an affair even after all that talk about being committed to Jasper, I had no sympathy."

"Oh my god, I know," the voice trilled, "And with Saravie, too? That entire relationship just baffles me."

Monica sighed dramatically, seeing an unfamiliar blonde walking towards her lawn, "Oh shit. There's the new Luna. I gotta go." She quickly hung up, moving to the door and opening before Luciana could knock.

"Luna Luciana!" The witch welcomed her with a bit of surprise, "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"Monica, right? I don't think we properly met." Luciana gave a friendly smile, "I actually wanted to come by to ask you about Orianna."

Monica furrowed her brow, "Oh, sure. Come in, what can I help you with?" Monica led her into the kitchen, sitting down at the table and gesturing for her to join.

Luciana sat, clearing her throat, "Well, I wanted to hear more about what happened with her. I feel as though I may have...incriminated myself while trying to help."

"Incriminated yourself? Why do you say that?"

Luci explained her previous conversation with Orianna, expressing concern that she may have given Orianna an out, "I don't know her very well. But if there is a chance that she is this...conniving kind of person, I fear she will use this angle against me or Jasper. We haven't done anything... Jasper cares more about Ivan and this pack than anything in the world. He wouldn't have any reason to do this."

"I believe you, Luna, don't worry. Everyone knows Jasper wouldn't imagine hurting anyone in the pack and I already know they've accepted you." Monica reached out and gently squeezed Luci's hand. She paused hesitantly, "There's more to Orianna's motive than I originally told everyone. I just didn't want to make everything worse."

"What do you mean?" Luci asked, her clear blue eyes concerned and genuine.

"Well, there were rumors flying around that Orianna was having an affair with Luna Saravie. The rumor had it that Saravie ended it when she found out she was pregnant with Ilyana..." Monica gauged Luci's reaction, seeing the surprise quickly overtaking, "I never talked to her about it, obviously, but if it is true, there's a much larger motive for why Orianna would want to punish that family."

The Luna remained silent, taking in this information, "You were her friend, right, Monica? Do you really think she would do all of this?"

Monica licked her lip, hesitant before nodding, "I don't think it's beyond her. She's gone crazy lengths to get Jasper's attention before. But I'm sure him finding you really threw a wrench in it."

Luci nodded, getting to her feet, "Thank you for telling me, Monica. Rumors don't really help but you really helped me understand her a little more. I might have to rethink helping her prove her innocence."

As the Luna departed, Monica immediately redialed the number on her phone. The voice picked up after a ring, "What happened?"

"Just planting more seeds. I think this is a real nail in the coffin for Orianna." Monica sighed, peering out her window as she watched Luciana walk back to wards the pack house, "This Luciana is a pretty nice person, trying to defend her mate's ex. But I think that was very short-lived."