She was trying to test my authority, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to challenge her to a duel considering that we were both pregnant—that is, if what she said was true. Needing to set things straight, I got in her face and asked if she was pregnant and who the father was. As if gaining more confidence, Aurora stood taller and grinned menacingly.
Her smirk was like a knife cutting through my soul as she casually asked what I would do if Wyatt was indeed the father. It became apparent that she didn’t view me as her Luna, so I knew that we were going to have a problem.
As if that wasn’t enough, Aurora went on to disrespect me further by proudly walking around me while making fun of me. She told me that there was no doubt that Wyatt was still in love with her, and if it weren’t for the stupid rules werewolves had to follow, Wyatt wouldn’t even choose me. Her words stung like a thousand bees, and I felt my face flush with anger and humiliation. I wanted to lash out, to defend myself, but I knew that it would only make things worse.
Instead, I repeatedly told myself to calm down and tried to maintain my composure. I refused to give Aurora the satisfaction of seeing me crumble. At that moment, I realized that Aurora’s actions said more about her than they did about me, and knowing that I had to remind her who she was speaking to, I blocked her path and kept my gaze locked on her to assert my place as Luna and put Aurora in place.
“Aurora,” I began, my voice steady and firm, “I understand that you have your ambitions, but you must remember that I am the Luna of this pack. It’s best for everyone if we respect hierarchy.”
Aurora’s eyes flashed with defiance. Suddenly, without warning, she raised her hand to slap me. My instincts immediately took over, and I swiftly grabbed her wrist, stopping the slap before it even reached an inch of my face. Time seemed to stand still as we locked eyes; everything went silent except for our quickened breaths.
For a second, I debated throwing her to the ground, but just as I was about to decide, Wyatt angrily called out my name and demanded that I release Aurora’s hand. Seeing that I wasn’t following his order, he approached us with his beta, Talon, and gamma, Apollo, following his wake.
“Raven, let go, now!” he ordered.