Chapter 90: Luna Lessons

Lilia POV

MEN! They always howled when they shouldn't.

Not that Ravyn couldn't be stubborn. The strong women in Lilia's life never backed down from a fight, even when they were gentle about it–which was, strangely, when they were their most powerful at times. 

Swiftly, Ravyn and Daxius passed through the room where Patch and Anneliese stood guard over Hades. Jude huffed and growled, following Ravyn. "Come back here."

Ravyn ignored him, and Lilia held up a hand to stop him from charging ahead and making an even bigger mess. If she knew her mother, Ravyn needed some space to cool down. Taking Ravyn's trembling arm, Lilia steered her into the main Healing Wing, then pulled her into a small examining room where they could talk privately.

"MOTHER. Listen to me. Hades has damaged the pack. To Jude, and to all shifters, the pack is everything."

"I know that. Where have I lived the past three years?"

"As Pack Mother, not as a pack Luna with responsibility for their well-being. You've made decisions, yes, but not these kinds of decisions."

"I suppose Emer said that, too." Ravyn crossed her arms. "Will everyone do that when I'm living at Faolan Castle? Tell me all day long, 'Emer would do this,' 'Emer would never do that,' 'Emer could fly to the moon,' and on and on and on?"

Lilia shrugged. "She was beloved. You know that. And why did this suddenly start bothering you? You've never been one to snipe about people–especially not strong, intelligent women."

Blushing red, Ravyn turned away, hugging herself. "Lilia, I'm a witch–"

"Jude was right. A Luna has to think of the pack first. It was hard for me. I got into a ridiculous fight with Dane the night of our first feast as a mated pair before the attack on the Crimsontails." Lilia took a moment to recall that fight. "Not my proudest moment."

* * * * *

THREE YEARS AGO

Lilia waxed poetic. "We could have shifters come to the shop and learn about our crystals. We'll divide our time between here and Wildefell. The witches will help the shifters. It won't hurt the pack to have more of a presence. In fact, it'll be good."

His eyes blazed, full wolf, and she felt the bite of his irritation. He just barely kept his anger in check as they sat up in bed, where they'd just achieved bliss together. Where he'd claimed her again.

"Being a Luna is not a part-time job, to be fit in when you're not at the store. It means being a leader. It's a lifelong commitment until one of our children takes over. Either our daughter marries a royal mate, or our son steps in as Alpha. The pack deserves no less. Didn't you know that?"

"I heard all about that during the last few days." Full of wounded pride, she added, "And why do you keep calling me ignorant?"

He growled, digging in. "You act like it. The Moon Goddess only knows why I got a witch as my mate."

Lilia leapt off the bed faster than if she suddenly became a wolf. Standing tall and as big as she could, she said, "And I got the most pigheaded Alpha who ever lived!"

The golden fire in his eyes flared. "Try carrying the weight of an entire pack, instead of your one shop, and see how fast your attitude changes."

"My shop is not little or meaningless! It's important–it's been my mother's life."

"And you aren't? Your happiness isn't?" He reached for her, seeking her touch, her acceptance … her surrender. "Don't you see? The two of you deserve so much more. A home. A big family. You saw that during the feast tonight. You felt it, I know you did. You belong here with me."

This was the Dane who shared his heart with her when recovering from the rogue poisoning him with silver and wolfsbane. This was the Dane who made her heart leap up, who she'd left home for. 

He continued. "We'll stand beside you, love you, and not abandon you on a whim!"

* * * * *

In the present, Ravyn absorbed what Lilia had just told her. "You never hinted at such a quarrel at the time. Clearly, it ended well."

"We made up," Lilia said with a blush, pushing aside the warm wave of memory. "He realized he was being an idiot, too. He told me something Jude ought to remember. That he loved my loyalty and commitment to my loved ones, to my magic, and something larger than myself. AND that the role of a Luna is to set her mate straight on occasion. She's the only one who can–even more than the Wise Woman. Most Betas will give advice, but not really question the Alpha. The Luna is the one who keeps him in check."

Her mother sank down on the examining table. "I didn't know, and I should know."

Lilia sat down beside her and put an arm around her. "How could you? Living among the pack, even in a family like ours, is one thing. Being mated to a shifter is another–and Jude is an Alpha. They're a handful when all is going smoothly. You happened to pick a powerful, proud Alpha with many years' experience on the job, who's preparing his own son to take over one day."

"I didn't realize that, either."

"You're a pack Luna, and you're still learning," Lilia comforted her, feeling Ravyn's shudders and anxiety cease. 

"And I haven't even started being Silverpaw's Luna yet!"

Lilia nipped her gently, making Ravyn jump. "I beg to differ."

* * * * *

Ravyn POV

Her daughter was becoming more wolfy day by day.

"Are you ever going to become a wolf?" Ravyn asked.

Lilia smiled. "Yes. Right after I give birth. I'm probably about a month along. You could become a wolf, if you really have any doubts about being Luna."

"Lilia, Jude and I just bonded and then left on this wild, impossible journey. I haven't attended one Silverpaw Pack Council meeting or cut the ribbon on the opening of a new business or held a feast or anything."

Lilia could roll her eyes like no one else. "Oh, of course not. You've only been stopping Hades and the Dark Goddess from launching a surprise attack on an unsuspecting world and possibly drawing humans and shifters into a war."

"I went for purely selfish reasons–"

"And ended up doing more good than if you'd embarked on some lofty spiritual quest," Lilia said gently. "If you hadn't sought the truth, you'd always feel uncertain about Jude, and about your ability to pick a good man, and even doubt the Moon Goddess. What do you think that would have done to your bond? How would it affect your reign as pack Luna?"

Sitting still and thoughtful, Ravyn considered the answer. "I would always doubt him, like you say. And I'd doubt being his mate. I'd question every little thing he did. That wouldn't create a good home for him. I've seen you and Dane relaxing together when you're off-duty. You're each other's shelter from all the cares of the world."

"Exactly. You don't worry that Jude is suddenly going to change on you and become threatened, or move another woman into Faolan Castle. I don't know of any Alphas in loving fated mate relationships that would even think of doing such a thing."

Ravyn was reflective. "And your father didn't do that … I was wrong. I let myself be twisted by gossip and manipulated by a dark plot." 

Triumphantly, Lilia pounced. "And yet, when he asked you to help him, you did. You stood up for what was right in a roomful of Crestas and three Alphas. You defied a whole flock of witches. And I won't even rehash what we all endured on the island–"

With a shudder, Ravyn said, "Please, let's not."

"The point is, Mother, you acted in the best interest of the pack, even while away. You've been a leader."

Clasping Lilia's hands, Ravyn kissed them, and felt sunshine wash all over her. "I watch you, and you make it look so easy. You and Garnet. Being a witch is what I know. A queen, not so much."

Lilia dared to joke. "You could have fooled me. You've been the queen of my world forever."

When her mother laughed, Lilia hugged her. Ravyn smelled the sweet scent of some flowery oil from the bathroom. "Just be honest with Jude about your fears. And then have a romantic night with him."

Daxius cleared his throat as he peeked in the room. "Ravyn, I need you–now!"