Chasing His Kickass Luna Back

Abby The masquerade continues around me as | slip away from Karl to catch my breath. Normally, | would enjoy the music, the food, the laughter, and the drinks. But right now, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. Everything is reminding me of the arrangement I've gotten myself involved in, and it doesn't help any that people keep staring at me and asking questions about my relationship with Karl. “Is it true, Abby? You're our Luna again?" “When are you getting married?” “Are you really having a family together?” | keep trying to answer the questions as vaguely and as cordially as | can, but it's all too much. | need a moment to collect my thoughts, to escape the prying eyes and probing questions. As discreetly as | can, | slip away from the crowd, making my way through the mansion until | find myself in a quiet hallway. Leaning against the wall, | take a deep breath and shut my eyes to give myself a chance to relax just a little bit before returning to the party. But all the while, my mind races with doubts and uncertainties about what I've just agreed to with Karl. The bet we've just made hangs over me like a dark cloud, and | can’t help but wonder if I've made a grave mistake. What if | do catch feelings for him again? What if I'm the one who says “I love you” first? Will | have to move back here, away from the city, away from the life I've built for myself? Oh, hell, what am | even thinking? How do | even know I'll catch feelings for him? This wasn't part of the plan; the plan was to fake a relationship, help Karl win the election, save the restaurant and maybe—just maybe—get pregnant. Falling for him was never in the cards, and yet here | am, lamenting over it. Lost in my thoughts, | reach out for my wolf, seeking solace in her presence. “What have | done?” | ask mentally, taking care not to accidentally speak out loud. “What did I just get myself into?” My wolf's presence is warm and reassuring in my mind, her voice gentle and comforting. “Abby, everything will work out for the best,” she says. “Trust in your instincts, and trust in Karl. This bet is just a playful challenge, nothing more.” | let out a soft sigh, trying to find the strength to believe in my wolf's words. But deep down, | can't help but worry about the what- ifs, about the possibility of rekindling a love that caused me so much pain all those years ago. But then, as | wrestle with my thoughts, | suddenly become aware of hushed voices coming from around the corner of the hallway. “What a joke,” a woman's voice says. “They'll never get out of this.” With my curiosity piqued, | lean a little closer to listen. The voices are unfamiliar, and their conversation seems anything but ordinary. “No one will believe Karl's announcement about the food poisoning,” a male voice says in response, his tone filled with certainty. “It's a distraction for now, but it won't matter.” “You're right,” the female voice responds. “Abby will end up in prison one way or another. This little plan of theirs won't save her from that.” My heart clenches at the mention of my name, and a cold shiver runs down my spine. Suddenly, | think | have a pretty good idea as to what they're referring to: the Alpha gathering. The food poisoning disaster. Are they working for the Alpha who might be behind all of this? 1 quickly take out my phone and discreetly hit the record button on the camera. Even if | can’t get their faces, at least | can record their voices. This could be useful in this case. | just hope that whatever they're saying is serious, and it's not all just an elaborate hoax. The man continues speaking, oblivious to my presence. “Alpha won't let himself be caught. He's already lawyered up; now we just need to move forward with the plan, and then everything will happen the way it's supposed to.” “And the Luna's children,” the woman continues, “they'll be dead by the end of the week, just as we discussed?” The man chuckles. “Of course,” he says. My heart nearly stops at those chilling words. Luna's children? Whose children are they talking about, and why are they in danger? Panic courses through me, and | press my phone closer to the corner, desperate to capture every detail of this sinister conversation. But then, the voices stop. “Wait,” the woman says, her voice sounding concerned. “I don’t think we're alone.” My breath catches in my throat as | hear footsteps headed my way. | need to hide, and | need to hide quickly. Thinking on my feet, | quickly duck into a nearby alcove behind a large potted plant, my breath held as the voices draw closer. | can't let them see me eavesdropping, not when | have the potential key to unraveling this dangerous scheme. | see two figures come into view then; a man and a woman, just as | suspected. | don’t recognize either of them behind their masks, but | make sure to keep my phone angled to face them from where I'm hidden just in case. “You're imagining things again, my love,” the man says with a chuckle as he loops his arm around the woman's slender shoulders, not noticing me in the slightest. “There’s no one here.”

But the woman isn't so easily convinced. Her discerning gaze sweeps over the hallway, ang-it als t ghay hdl he eyes stop on the potted plant, and she lets out a small hmph as she shrugs away from the man’s grip and begins to walk over to where I'm hidden. Please read the original content at . “Come on out,” the woman says, her eyes searching within the dark alcove. “Come out, come out, wherever you are...” | swallow, shrinking a little further into the shadowy alcove. Just a few more steps and she'll find me. Just a few more steps, and there's no telling what's about to happen. And then, just as she’s about to reach me, voices come our way; two women, headed for the restrooms. It's Karen and Susan, come to the rescue. “Oh, it's absolutely splendid,” Karen says, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor as she walks. “I'm so thrilled for them. And a little baby, too!” “I wonder which of their features the little thing will get,” Susan chimes in. “Hopefully Abby's nose...”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

The woman who was headed for me stops as Karen and Susan come closer. She seems t Pause. oral mentiganding her teeth, before e turns on her heel and walks away. The man trails behind, hands in his pockets, whistling softly. Please read the original content at .

As the two figures pass by, | exhale a shaky breath, El washing over Once I'm sure Bye@fe, ean elijs Sfp pa Hom he alcove and lean against the wall, my chest heaving, my phone still clutched in my hand. Please read the original content at . My mind races with the urgency of the situation. | need to get this information to Officer Martinez. And | need to do it fast; because children’s lives may be at stake.