13. NEPHELINE

13

NEPHELINE

I wake up tangled in a warm cocoon of limbs, my head resting on Maverick’s chest while Darius’s arm drapes heavily across my waist. The first rays of sunlight filter through the curtains, painting the room in a soft glow. It’s peaceful, quiet—the kind of moment I wish I could freeze forever.

Through the bonds, I feel the gentle hum of my other mates, their emotions warm and steady. Mateo is calm, probably already up and thinking through whatever strategy or plan he’s got in mind for the day. River is his usual stoic self, though there’s a faint undercurrent of contentment trickling through the bond. Remi and Asani feel playful, their energies buzzing with a kind of lightness that makes me smile.

But here, in the nest, it’s just us. Maverick’s steady breathing fills the space, his hand resting lightly on my hip. Darius shifts beside me, his body pressing closer as he lets out a soft, sleepy grunt.

I could stay like this forever. And then there’s a knock. A loud, jarring bang bang bang that shatters the tranquility like glass hitting the floor. I groan, burying my face in Maverick’s chest as he stiffens beneath me. “Nope. Not happening,” I mumble, my voice muffled against his skin.

Maverick chuckles softly, though there’s an edge of irritation to it. “Someone didn’t get the memo about personal space.”

The knocking comes again, harsher this time and I let out a frustrated sigh as I untangle myself from my mates. Maverick is already moving, his sharp eyes narrowing as he pulls on a pair of sweats and moves to block me from rushing out of the bedroom.

“Stay here,” he says, his voice low but firm.

I roll my eyes, grabbing a shirt and slipping it over my head as I follow him. “I’m not staying anywhere,” I mutter, my bare feet padding against the floor as I trail him down the stairs.

Before I can protest further, Darius is behind me, his arms circling my waist as he pulls me close. “It’s not about how strong you are,” he murmurs, his lips brushing against my ear. “It’s about protecting you.”

My annoyance softens, but only slightly. “You guys are ridiculous,” I grumble, though I let him guide me down the last few steps.

Maverick reaches the door first, his shoulders tense as he pulls it open. Standing there, with all the grace of a hurricane, is Victoria.

Her expression is a storm of barely contained anger, her piercing eyes zeroing in on me the moment the door swings open. Behind her, Ilara and Lawrence stand silently, their presence subdued as they remain outside the threshold. It’s custom, after all—no one enters a pack house without being invited in by the Luna or Alpha.

Victoria, apparently, doesn’t give a damn about custom. She storms inside without so much as a glance at Maverick, her shoes clicking sharply against the floor as she points directly at me.

“We need to talk,” she snaps, her face contorted in a mixture of anger and disgust.

I stare at her, completely unimpressed, before letting out a long, exaggerated sigh. “Can I at least have my coffee first? Damn.”

Darius snickers softly behind me and even Maverick’s lips twitch like he’s fighting back a smile. Victoria, however, looks far from amused.

Her sharp eyes narrow as she crosses her arms over her chest, her stance rigid. “This isn’t a joke, Nepheline.”

“No, but you’re making it feel like one,” I say, brushing past her toward the kitchen. If she’s going to storm into my home uninvited, she can damn well wait while I caffeinate. Calista tried to be rude too and I never felt comfortable enough truly telling her off. Now, though? I feel very comfortable because this isn’t just a home, it’s my home, my nest, my safe place I can escape to outside of the chaos.

And Victoria is ruining it.

“Coffee or no coffee, this is happening now,” Victoria snaps, her voice following me as I head toward the kitchen.

I let out an annoyed sigh, Darius slipping around me to start the coffee pot. Maverick draws me into a quick hug, mumbling ‘be nice’ before plopping me onto one of the stools and standing behind me so I can lean back against his chest.

The coffee only takes a few minutes, Darius placing a mug in my hands before staying close to my other side. Victoria glares at him but he doesn’t so much as move which is odd. He might be my Beta but in some part, Victoria is also the Luna of his pack. His nonreaction is confusing but I decide to focus on the coffee in my hands, bitter and black, the kind I usually wouldn’t drink unless I was desperate. Today, though, it feels necessary. It’s not just the taste—it’s the weight of the cup, the heat against my palms, the grounding familiarity of the act.

Victoria sits across from me, her sharp eyes scanning the room like she owns it. But she doesn’t. Not here. Not in my pack house. The tension radiating from her is suffocating and I sip the coffee to distract myself from the unease gnawing at my insides. The bitterness coats my tongue, sharp and unforgiving, much like the woman sitting before me.

“I want to speak alone,” Victoria says, her tone clipped and direct.

“No,” I reply without hesitation. I already did that and she made me feel like a fool, not to mention small. This is my pack and it feels like her presence is overshadowing mine. I don’t care how selfish it is but I already gave her my packlands as a place to stay.

Her lips press into a thin line as she exhales sharply through her nose. “Fine. Then may I speak freely?”

I twist around to glance up at Maverick, whose jaw tightens slightly, then back to Victoria. “Go ahead.”

Victoria leans forward slightly, her hands resting on the table. “Your Alphas are making a mistake,” she says. “Allowing wolves from the pack of the Forbidden into your lands, making these reckless changes to the way the council operates—it’s dangerous. You’re gambling with your pack’s safety.”

I don’t respond immediately, letting her words settle in the air between us. Instead, I take another slow sip of my coffee, my gaze steady on hers. I make sure it’s extra obnoxious so that she feels just as agitated as I do. “Victoria, you came to help bring the magic back. That’s what you told us, to help me find my way as pack Luna.” I don’t want to rehash what happened at the heart because the last thing I want to do is attack another Omega. “If I’m going to lead, then I need to make the decisions with my Alphas. I need to trust that their choices are right for us. For better or worse.”

They mentioned in passing that they were going to let new wolves into the pack and I had no problem with that. Not just because Asani had been accepted or that they took in Darius but because they took me in when I was pretending to be something I wasn’t.

Victoria scoffs, dismissive of my words. “You think leadership is that simple? That you can just make decisions and hope they work out?”

My patience snaps.

I slam my hand down on the table, the sound echoing through the room like a gunshot. The force rattles the coffee cup in my other hand, Maverick’s sharp intake of breath beside me rattling down my spine.

A guttural growl rumbles from deep in my chest, animalistic and raw, and my vision blurs for a moment as something inside me shifts. My wolf pushes forward and when I meet Victoria’s gaze again, I see her flinch.

“Enough,” I snarl. Victoria’s composure falters, her shoulders stiffening as she leans back slightly, her lips parting in surprise. “This is my pack,” I say, each word carrying the weight of the magic that courses through me. “Not yours. You don’t get to dictate how we rebuild, who we welcome, or the decisions my Alphas make. My Alphas already reprimanded Kehlani for how he handled the situation. Going behind their backs to push whatever agenda you’ve decided is important only makes it worse. You’re here because we allowed it. Don’t forget that.”

For a moment, the room is deathly silent, the tension so thick it feels like it might suffocate us all.

When she opens her mouth to speak again, I realize I don’t want to hear it. If she wants to come and teach me how to use the magic coursing through my body, I’ll allow it. Anything else can stay buried in the abyss. “We’re not doing this,” I growl out. “You barged into my house to gain my sympathy and it’s not working. Why did you ever think that would work in the morning? I had my first heat recently, suffered through the entire slaughter of my family, my friend’s betrayal, and then finding my mates and you thought I would just… side with you? Get out.”

Victoria stands, trying to keep her composure and failing. She smooths down her shirt and heads for the door before turning around, “Nepheline—”

The energy shifts again, flowing through me until my claws start to extend. Her eyes widen as she fumbles with the doorknob and then stumbles out onto the front steps beside Ilsa and Lawrence. “If you can’t respect me, my Alphas, or my pack,” I snarl, my voice thick with the edge of my shift, “then you have no place here. The Sapphire wolves have to go.” My Omega and wolf are in perfect harmony, wanting to take another step forward and rip Victoria apart.

It wouldn’t be as satisfying as when I took Calista apart but it would be something.

Victoria, even through her fear, is still trying to say something. “Don’t,” I snap, cutting her off. My growl deepens and my body jerks as I wrestle my wolf back down. Darius gently wraps an arm around my waist, helping me rein my emotions in. “If you’re going to tell me how my actions reflect on my pack, don’t. Don’t you dare try to twist this on me. What are you hiding? Why is it so important to push us in your direction?”

Victoria hesitates, her lips pressing into a thin line. She glances back at Ilara, who nods slightly, almost imperceptibly. Finally, Victoria sighs, stepping closer, though she’s careful not to breach my space. “Ilara had a vision,” she says quietly. “More evil will come from the pack of the Forbidden,” she says. “They have a weapon. Something that should not even exist.”

“What kind of weapon?”

Ilara’s eyes narrow slightly as she steps forward, bowing slightly—more respect from her than Victoria has given me. “I saw a war. Wolves, both alive and dead, fighting side by side. The undead rose to fight among the enemies of the pack, their souls bound to something unnatural. Something that can tear the veil apart.”

My breath catches, my chest tightening as her words sink in. My wolf stirs again, pacing restlessly beneath my skin and I have to grip Darius’ arms around my waist to steady myself. “A war with the undead,” I murmur, my voice trembling slightly.

Ilara nods, her gaze unflinching. “And it starts with the pack of the Forbidden.”

“I’ll talk to my Alphas,” I push out once I find my voice. The three of them bow as I close the door, my mates turning me around to address what just happened. Tears fill the corners of my eyes as I crumple to the ground, Darius dragging me into his lap. “I think I know where Locke is. If Ilara’s vision is right, if the pack of the Forbidden has this… weapon, then Locke might be tied to it. Undead wolves? What else could it be? And if that’s true, we have to find him.”

Neither of them say anything. They just hold me as the emotions brew and twist, the sorrow from losing Locke and the anger from finding out who was behind it—that it was just all part of fate. And now finding out someone is using him for their gain, I’m pissed.

No, I’m raging.

The last thing I hear is someone calling my name before my emotions take over.

Locke is not a fucking weapon. He’s my brother. He’s mine and no one is going to fucking use him for their gain.