The Luna Queen's Rebirth (Ellie and Dominic) novel Chapter 425

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Chapter 426

Dominic’s POV

I couldn’t quite seem to place where I’d heard that voice before, and it was starting to gnaw at me as Monroe steered us toward a quieter corner of the room, away from the string quartet and the clink of champagne flutes.

The accent behind the veil wasn’t familiar to me, though. I hadn’t met the Beta’s family yet in Goldenveil, so I chalked it up to that. Perhaps their family came from overseas.

Still, my wolf was a little uneasy around her. He swore we’d met her before, but he couldn’t quite seem to figure it out, either. Whatever scent she may have had was currently blocked out by a rather strong perfume that smelled like myrrh and frankincense.

“Lady Everheart has been living in Goldenveil for some months now,” Monroe was saying. “A remarkable woman. Devout. Well-connected, of course, given her family placement.” He smiled suggestively. “And as I understand it, you were recently in Goldenveil yourself.”

“Briefly,” I said with a curt nod.

The veil shifted slightly when she breathed. I kept my eyes on Monroe, even though I could feel her staring at me.

“Then perhaps you already have something in common.” He left the implication hanging.

She hadn’t spoken again since her introduction. She stood at Monroe’s left with her hands folded into the trailing sleeves of her gown, and I got the strong sense that she was watching me very carefully through the fabric. The whole setup prickled at the back of my neck, and I didn’t like it.

“I’m sure Lady Everheart is a fine person,” I said. “But I’m not in the market for a match.”

Monroe’s smile didn’t waver. “Dominic.”

“I appreciate the introduction. I do.” I turned to face him more squarely. “But with respect, Sir, the question of a Luna is a personal one. I’m not going to make that decision based on who you think is best.”

He tilted his head. “Do you have someone else in mind, then?”

I didn’t answer right away. There was only one woman I wanted in that seat beside me, and she was six hundred miles away and might never forgive me enough to give us that second chance. And maybe I didn’t deserve it, whether I found Vivian or not.

“It’s Ellie,” I finally said. “My ex-wife.”

A small sound came from behind the veil. I couldn’t figure out if it was a laugh or something more bitter.

Monroe studied me for a moment, then turned to the woman. “Lady Everheart, would you excuse us?”

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She dipped her head gracefully and stepped back into the crowd. I watched her go, that same pull of misplaced familiarity trailing after her until I lost her between two men in matching tuxedos.

Monroe turned to me once she was gone. The pleasant campaign smile was gone.

“You understand the position you’re putting yourself in,” he said.

“I understand the policy,” I said. “But if I’m being honest, I’m questioning whether it needs to be taken as seriously as you’re suggesting.”

“The Council was clear.” He lowered his voice. “Two weeks to register a Luna. Any candidate without one

is off the ballot.”

“It’s an unusual requirement,” I said. “I’ve been campaigning for months. This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“The world changes.” He lifted one shoulder. “The packs want stability. A King needs a Queen. It’s always been-”

“Has it?”

I set the letter down and opened the handbook to the index, scanning for that section. I found the clause on the third-to-last page of the section, tucked between several others, and read it slowly.

It was there, alright. The same clause that the note had mentioned. But the thing was, the clause had been written over four-hundred years ago. Its language alone was archaic and referenced practices that hadn’t been in use since well before my great-great-grandfather’s time.

Of course, the marriage law was there for Alpha King candidates; this was during a time when pack succession was of the utmost importance for the survival of a pack, so having an heir was a priority.

But there was a footnote underneath that mentioned that the law was no longer in effect, and hadn’t

been for three hundred and fifty years.

Why bring it back now? Out of nowhere? After hundreds of years of agreement that it was an archaic law from the times of arranged marriages and no longer worth the trouble? There had been plenty of Alpha Kings who didn’t have a Luna at the time of electing. Some had never taken a Luna at all.

Before I could ponder on it for much longer, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I set the handbook aside and reached for it without thinking, expecting my Beta.

The name on the screen stopped me cold.

Ellie.

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