Claiming His Luna

Cercei’s POV

“Why are we here, Auntie?” I inquired for what felt like the millionth time. Following my unexpected intrusion downstairs during what appeared to be a secret meeting, I was overwhelmed with panic. Auntie had to escort me to my room to help me regain composure.

Yet, calming down seemed impossible. My mind was swirling with questions about why those strangers chose to help us if they were the same pack that had abandoned them. Was this assistance genuine, or were we being dragged into some kind of kidnapping scheme?

“Listen to me,” Auntie said firmly, grasping my shoulders to capture my attention. I met her gaze, hoping for some clarity.

“Five years ago, I reconciled with our pack, and they were the ones who supported me in rebuilding my life there on Dinan,” she revealed.

“But I thought they abandoned you,” I inquired with confusion.

“While your mother and I lost our way for a while, abandonment is not the way of our pack. It was never the case,” she shook her head, dispelling my misconceptions.

Did Mamà lie to me?Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

“What is Vincent doing here?”

“You know Vincent?” Auntie’s eyebrows furrowed in surprise.

“He’s a customer at the café. He also mentioned that he used to do business with you,” I replied.

“That little rascal,” she muttered under her breath.

“He’s our alpha,” she declared. My eyes widened in astonishment. Vincent was an alpha? I always thought of him as a model, even though he did mention that his real job consumed most of his time, and modelling was merely a sideline. But an alpha of a pack? That revelation caught me entirely off guard.

“He’s an alpha?” I stammered, struggling to wrap my head around this unexpected revelation.

True, Vincent had a strong presence, but I must admit I had quite a different mental image of him.

“So what now?” I inquired, and Auntie let out a heavy sigh. She held my hand, and her serious expression gave me the sense that this situation was far from ordinary.

“Cercei,” she began, using my name with gravity, something she rarely did.

“Your mother has been taken, and we must rescue her,” she said. I nodded, though uncertainty still gnawed at me.

“They have offered to help us,” she continued, and I clung to that glimmer of hope.

“However…” she trailed off, her eyes fixed on me as if she were grappling with a decision about whether to reveal further information.

“Helping us means getting entangled in a battle that isn’t theirs, a fight beyond the scope of our existing ties,” Auntie spoke with measured words. I breathed more deeply, sensing the gravity of her impending revelation.

“Get to the point, Auntie?” My impatience arose as I urged her to be direct.

“You have to marry Vincent,” she declared matter-of-factly.

I stopped to breathe. My eyes remained locked on her face, anticipating a punchline or jest that never came. She held my gaze, trying to gauge my emotions.

“I have to do what?” I scoffed, releasing myself from her clasp as I stood up in disbelief.

“Is this some sort of sick joke?” The words tumbled from my mouth, now laced with frustration.

“Cercei, please,” she implored, attempting to guide me back to my seat.

“My mother is captured, and Vienna is hunting us down, and you’re talking about a bloody wedding?!” My response bordered on the absurd.

I laughed, but there was no spirit in it. I always knew my Auntie was eccentric, but I never unravelled she would suggest something this extreme.

“Listen to me first!” Her voice rose, demanding my attention.

“The connection we have with the Malroux pack is tenuous. We may be related, but we forged alliances with another pack. Assisting us means endangering the lives of their people, Cercei. This is a war between the mightiest packs in the North and West,” she explained, and I tried to absorb her words while still catching my breath.

“I need you to understand that no help comes without a price. If they’re going to stake their pack’s future on helping us, then we must offer them a future worth fighting for,” she added, her words prompting furrowed brows from me.

“A union between you and Vincent is all the assurance they need. You provide them with an heir, and they, in turn, will provide you with an army.” Now my aunt laid bare all the conditions.

It couldn’t be serious, could it?

“I understand that it’s overwhelming, Cercei, and it’s difficult to believe. Sometimes life throws unimaginable challenges at us,” she stood up, preparing to leave.

“Take your time to think it over; the decision rests with you. But know this, Vincent is a good man. And the longer you take to decide, the greater the risk to your mother’s life,” she said and exited the room.

Alone in my room, I was overwhelmed by a torrent of thoughts and emotions.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I fought the urge to scream and shatter every glass object in sight. I yearned to vanish, to escape from this impossible situation.

Marriage? They wanted me to enter wedlock amid this raging war? The idea of marriage had never even crossed my mind before. I didn’t know if I could ever marry anyone. Just a week ago, I was convinced my heart still belonged to someone else, but after witnessing the ruthless act of sending his men to take my mother, doubts consumed me.

Lucian, the man I thought I understood, had revealed a side I never knew existed. I couldn’t comprehend his true intentions – was it to intimidate Monsieur, to use my mother as bait, or to take revenge on me? Perhaps it was all of the above.

What I did know was that I refused to be forced into a marriage I didn’t want. If they wouldn’t help us, then we’d feign our path alone, just as we always had. I might lack an army, but I harboured an unyielding thirst for vengeance. I was weary of feeling powerless and insignificant.

I contemplated offering myself in place of my mother to the Crescents; I knew Vienna was eager to torment me. Lucian also seemed to have grievances with me, and I was ready to bear whatever he had in store. I no longer cared about my own well-being; my mother had suffered enough for my sake, and I couldn’t bear to see her in pain any longer.

Such an exchange seemed more reasonable to me than the notion of marriage, producing an heir, and gaining an army. At the tender age of 18, I had never even met the man they expected me to marry. Did he agree to this arrangement? I had perceived him as kind and amiable, a mere local customer with a refined taste in fashion. Now, I discovered he was an alpha who only extended help if there was something to gain, seeking to secure his own interests.

Well, that’s not gonna be me, Mr. Model. I refused to become your submissive pawn. I don’t need your assistance; I would find my mother alone, and we would escape once more. This time, we would evade capture, no matter what challenges lay ahead.