Page 39 of Sun's Roar
Deina’s eyes, filled with something like disappointment, met Helena’s. “Are you really leaving my lady?” Deina’s soft question cut through the silence.
Helena stared at Deina for a moment. “I won’t be gone that long.” Helena felt bad lying. She smoothed her hands over the soft fabric of her dress. “I’m needed at the restaurant to get it back on its feet. When it’s up and running, then I can spend more time here,” she said, hoping to ease Deina’s concern.
The sunlight filtering through the windows caught the copper highlights in her hair as she stood and paced toward the window. Outside, she could see members of Sol’s pack moving about the grounds, their easy confidence and grace marking them as something other than human. Were they here because they wanted to be or were they forced?
“Deina, do you have friends outside the pack?” Helena asked, pressing her fingertips against the cool glass.
“No,” Deina replied. “There’s no need for me to go out into the world. It’s a cruel place. I’m glad to stay here where it’s safe under the prince’s control.”
She turned to face Deina and nodded. “Of course, you would say that.”
Deina’s shoulders sagged slightly as she placed the silver tray on the side table with exquisite care. When she finally looked up, her eyes held a profound sadness that made Helena’s stomach twist.
“Many packs don’t ever find their Luna, my lady,” Deina said, her voice soft but steady. “But all packs always desire to find her. The Luna brings peace, stability, and power to all of them, including their alpha.”
Helena’s throat tightened as Deina continued.
“The Luna is a sign of future prosperity and good fortune.” Deina’s fingers trembled slightly as she adjusted the delicate china. “Alternately, a Luna leaving signals the opposite.”
Helena wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the weight of Deina’s words sinking into her chest. The woman’s devotion to Sol and the pack was palpable.
“I fear your leaving will be like a curse to all of us,” Deina whispered, meeting Helena’s eyes, “and to our alpha especially.”
The woman had figured out that she was lying about coming back to the castle. A flicker of guilt ignited in Helena’s chest, growing like one of her flames. She never wanted to cause harm to anyone—not Sol, not his people. The responsibility of being this mythical Luna figure felt crushing, pressing in on her from all sides.
“Don’t think that way,” Helena said, though her voice lacked conviction. “Things will work out for your pack, and for Sol, somehow.”
Deina bowed her head slightly and turned to leave the suite. At the doorway, she paused, her hand resting on the ornate handle.
“Thank you for everything, Deina,” Helena called after her, meaning it despite the awkwardness between them.
The door closed with a soft click, leaving Helena alone with her conflicted thoughts and the unsettling feeling that she might be making a terrible mistake.
FIFTEEN
SOL
Sol’s pen scratched across the royal decree with precise, measured strokes. Centuries of leadership had honed his penmanship to perfection. The afternoon sun streamed through the study’s stained glass windows, casting patterns of amber and ruby across the oak desk that had belonged to generations of Sunflare alphas.
The door suddenly burst open with such force that the ancient hinges protested. Joshua stood in the doorway with his chest heaving, his normally composed demeanor fractured.
“She’s leaving.” Joshua’s voice cracked with urgency. “Helena is leaving. Deina just told me she called someone to come get her.”
Something primal and possessive surged through Sol’s veins. The pen snapped between his fingers, spilling ink across the document like spilled blood. “What?”
“She’s in her suite now, waiting by the window. Some human is coming for her.”
Sol was on his feet in an instant, his chair toppling backward. The wolf inside him howled, demanding action. “She can’t leave. She belongs here.”
“Sol, maybe you should?—“
But Sol was already rushing past his beta, his shoulders rigid with tension. The rational part of his mind—the part that had governed a pack for centuries—was submerged beneath the tide of instinctive panic. His Luna was attempting to flee, and every fiber of his being rejected the very notion.
He took the grand staircase three steps at a time, servants scattering from his path like autumn leaves in a gale. Within seconds, he was standing outside the door to her suite.
Without knocking, Sol threw open the door to find Helena standing by the window, her red hair aflame in the afternoon light. The sight of her momentarily stole his breath—even angry, he couldn’t deny her effect on him.
“Going somewhere?” The question rumbled from deep in his chest.
