Chapter 89: The Duty of a Luna, Revisited

Jude POV

His son's strong voice felt like a comfort. Bram yawned, bleary-eyed, looking like he'd recently woken up and just wandered into this fray. "Ravyn … Mother, what are you doing?"

Lilia threw him a suspicious look. "You're still opposing her, after everything?"

They'd all stepped into the next room away from Hades' bedside, not wanting their new family, the Blackthorns, and Hades to witness this particular fight. Besides, it was really between Ravyn and Jude, with Lilia, Bram, and Dane mixing in. Jiro stood guard, keeping the others from intruding, and also ready to offer his services as peacemaker. 

Daxius had thrown Jude a sympathetic look as Jude hustled Ravyn into the next room. Daxius was clearly no fan of Hades, and knew Ravyn's stubbornness even better than Jude. Clearly, Lilia inherited that trait. She gave Bram a look that could wither new spring flowers.

Holding up his hands, with his expression haunted, Bram said, "Don't misunderstand me. I'm not against her. I'm supporting my father in this. I just woke up from a long sleep–got hit with some of the flying energy, so I was drained."

Sympathetically, Ravyn said, "I saw you. Do you need healing? I'm sorry, I should have–"

Bram held up his hands. "To be honest, I wasn't sleeping all this time–I was wandering around this human palace. It's a sight I've always wanted to see but never dared to hope I would. But now, I've got my full wolf strength back. Enough to hear PITY for this monster, this miserable excuse for a wolf, in Ravyn's voice. In our pack Luna's voice."

That hit a nerve. Ravyn's lips trembled, but she said, "Dane told me, when we were prisoners, 'Part of being a Luna and a leader is being willing to take risks to protect the pack.' Even crazy ones."

What a woman.

If only she weren't so d*mn misguided. 

Hades would eat her pity for breakfast. He'd feed on it like a vampire drinking blood. 

Sighing, Dane put a hand on Ravyn's arm. "Yes, I said that."

"I'm sure you did," Lilia replied, injecting dark humor into the tense situation.

"Didn't expect Ravyn to quote me in this situation," he grumbled.

Lilia smirked. "It's my mother. You should have."

"Lilia Evangeline Rolfe Cresta, show some respect," Ravyn chided.

Bram rolled his eyes, smelling sympathetic. "She knows you, like I know my dad. But clearly, she doesn't know my dad, because if she did, she'd understand his reaction. And even without that, this man hurt you."

Jiro's eyes narrowed. "Ravyn, you can't feel sorry for this man."

Dane backed him up. "He's not Cyran. He doesn't deserve that much help."

"I KNOW THAT!"

Ravyn's outburst came from the fire in her blood that Jude sensed.

Eyes flashing purple beams, hair spread out like a golden stormcloud, Ravyn looked defiant and beautiful. "Do any of you not know me? I didn't say I liked him or felt sympathetic towards him, not even one bit. My mate should know me. My daughter at least does. My sons should realize who I am. Otherwise, why have I nurtured them over the last three years, soothing their heartbreaks, staying up with their children so they and their perpetually tired mates could get some rest, worrying with them over the future of the pack? Why did I even bother, if they were going to accuse me of loving Hades or being soft towards him?"

The silence in the Healing Ward lingered following Ravyn's tirade. 

Ravyn continued. "EVERYTHING I've done over the last three years is to help the shifters and the witches, to the point of being tugged on one side by wolves and pulled by magic on the other. It's been a balancing act and I've fallen flat on my behind a few times. I loathe Hades and everything he's done. Keeping him in Melisande's body, trying to relate to him, not punishing him … none of that means I approve of his actions. Right now, as my normally level-headed red-headed Alpha son should realize, he's our best weapon and our ONLY weapon against the Dark Goddess. I should not have to tell you all that."

Her breathing heavy, her chest heaving, Ravyn leaned on Daxius for support.

Jude's wolf Arcturus snapped and snarled, green with jealousy. Jude himself bristled. 

Daxius gently but firmly said, "I was cursed like Hades, Ravyn. I didn't do what he's done. I understand your sense of justice as a witch."

"Sense of justice?" Bram snorted. "He CHOSE this."

Daxius sighed. "Yes, but you have to understand. The witch code is, 'Harm none.' Right now, Hades is a patient. Our duty isn't always tidy or clear. That said, Ravyn can be a little–"

"YES, Daxius?"

The chill in her voice made Jude's wolf cower, and it wasn't even directed at him.

"You tend to be a little much at times," Dane ventured. "And I even say that as an Alpha."

"With the greatest respect," Jiro added. "And being in intelligence, I do understand the tricks of the trade. You do have to sniff behinds you'd normally cross a river to avoid."

"There's a limit to behind-sniffing when it comes to traitors," Jude argued. 

"And demon-lovers," Bram added. 

Ravyn stiffened, but all she said was, "Don't hold back. Tell me everything you think."

Again, what a woman. She didn't fight in the usual way. He'd never met anyone like her, and that included Emer. Scratch that. Emer would have kept him on his toes, too. 

But she would have understood what being a pack Luna meant.

The thought flitted and buzzed in his brain, refusing to lie quiet, no matter how much he swatted it away. It didn't help that his wolf agreed.

He could make Ravyn see reason. She was an intelligent and perceptive woman.

"Being a Luna is very different from being a witch," he said gently, looking at Lilia, who remained silent. "I'm sure that Garnet would agree."

Jiro snorted. "Handle your mate yourself, Jude. Don't pull ours into it and make it a sparring free-for-all. We just went through a massive battle."

Jude had the feeling Jiro said that for Lilia's benefit, even though Lilia and Ravyn had their share of disagreements. 

Surprisingly, Dane agreed. "You're on your own. This is between the two of you now."

"It wasn't a second ago," Jude protested.

"It is now. Alpha's choice," Jiro and Dane chorused. 

Jude threw up his hands. "Since when has anyone in this family ever hesitated to stick their noses into the fray? Even Kyon does."

They all suddenly took an interest in the nature-themed mosaics on the wall. Someone clearly meant the artwork to be calming for patients and doctors.

"We should really think about getting Kyon to do paintings and mosaics for our Healing Wing," Lilia commented to lighten the mood. "These are just exquisite. I've never seen a river depicted so artfully."

Jude refused to be distracted. He approached Ravyn and clasped her shoulders, feeling the stiffness there. After their lovemaking, she was loose and relaxed. Now, her muscles had more knots than a sailor's rope.

"Ravyn, being a pack Luna means making hard choices," he said gently. "It's not the same as being a witch, although that comes with challenges of its own."

Reluctantly, Lilia hummed in agreement, a tiny sound. Ravyn either didn't hear or chose to ignore it. "I'm sure it's not," she said quietly.

Taking that as a good sign, he spoke from his heart. "Emer always got up in the morning and asked the Moon Goddess to guide her in leading the pack that day. And then, she'd check with the goddess before making even the smallest decision."

Bram, covering his face and looking embarrassed, stopped him right away, but too late.

Face as purple as her eyes, Ravyn stormed out of the room.