Chapter 27

Elroy’s POV

Olivia's shoulders were set, her jaw clenched as she strode past me into the council chamber. She didn’t even give me the chance to reassure her, and that made me uneasy. She just must not have seen me open my mouth, I reasoned.

I tried to ignore that nagging feeling that said otherwise. I could still hear her accusing me of tucking my tail before the council, and I clenched my fist. Time to show her she could count on me.

Then the pseudo-trial began, and my heart raced with a mixture of concern and growing admiration.

With each word Olivia spoke, my pride swelled. Her voice rang clear and confident, her arguments precise and passionate. I found myself leaning forward, hanging on her every syllable—she was made for this.

Her words kept repeating in my head. I am Eclipse.

I had brought this Luna to our pack, and I could already tell it was one of the best decisions I could have made.

A sharp slapping sound broke my reverie. Councilman Thorne had slammed a glossy magazine onto the floor, his face contorted with rage.

"And that’s why you accepted this interview?" he snarled, jabbing a finger at the fallen publication. "How does this... this public spectacle help our pack?"

My eyes widened in surprise. I didn’t even know Olivia had spoken to the press. Was this what she meant when she said she’d give the council a show?

A cold sweat broke out on my forehead as I bent to retrieve the magazine, my mind racing. What had she said? How would this affect our position?

As I flipped through the pages, Olivia's calm voice cut through the tension. "I spoke with nothing but respect and honesty during that interview, Councilman. My words were chosen carefully to represent our pack's values and aspirations."

I scanned the article quickly, relief washing over me as my eyes caught on certain lines. Looking up, I met the council's accusatory stares with newfound confidence.

"She's right," I declared, my voice steady. "Listen to this: 'My goal is to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all members of Eclipse, regardless of rank or status.' How can anyone take issue with that?"

“Those words are just hiding the desire to turn us into a second Moonshadow!”

I raised an eyebrow, lifting the magazine between us. “Did you not read the interview before you made accusations? Right here, it says, ‘I'm not here to turn Eclipse into a carbon copy of Moonshadow.’

“In fact, I’ve only had a moment with the text, but it looks like she’s spoken quite favorably about our pack. Our strong structure, our organization, our communication… Right here, she even says she wants to move Eclipse forward, quote, ‘without sacrificing its proud history and culture.’”

“A history and culture she does not understand,” a councilwoman said.

“Yet,” Olivia interjected. “I can’t pretend the few weeks I’ve been here are enough to fully understand the depth and richness of Eclipse, but I can see that it’s there and it deserves to shine through.”

“Shine through what?” Elder Thorn asked. God, this old man annoyed the fuck out of me! I resisted the urge to bare my teeth at him. “This ‘bigotry’ you claim we have?”

“The bigotry we do have,” Olivia said with certainty. “You said yourself that these rules are centuries old, of course our understanding of human rights has evolved since then. All we need to do is update the laws we already have in place.”

She had a knack for making the impossible sound easy, I decided. We would work our whole lives and probably not see a quarter of the total change we wanted, but she put it so simply that even I felt like it was possible. Better yet, she made it seem like the changes would be so minor that the council would barely notice the change—which was exactly what we needed them to believe.

I couldn't help but marvel at Olivia's foresight. She had masterfully used the media to put pressure on the council, forcing them to confront their own biases. My admiration for her grew even deeper, tinged with a hint of something else – a warmth I wasn't quite ready to name.

I continued, quoting another passage: "'By nurturing the potential in every pack member, we strengthen ourselves as a whole.' Tell me, honorable council, what part of Olivia's interview could possibly upset you if you truly have the pack's best interests at heart?"

As I spoke, the council members exchanged anxious glances. Public scrutiny was the most surefire way to get the council to cave, and with what I’d just said they had no way to refute it without making their neglicence clear. Elder Thorn, the most senior among them, cleared his throat.

He was not going to make this easy. We may have forced his hand, but he was going to do everything he could to stop us short of doing it again.

"Very well," he said, his voice strained with aggravation. "If you're so invested in the welfare of our... lower-ranking members, perhaps you can prove your worth by addressing a pressing issue."

I held my breath, sensing a shift in the air. Olivia stood tall, her chin raised in defiance.

Elder Thorn continued, "We've had reports of Omega wolves going missing. Since you claim to care so much about their well-being, your trial task will be to uncover their fates."

"I accept," Olivia replied without hesitation, her voice firm.

“Then we hereby place you in charge of the investigation,” Elder Thorn announced, clanging his gavel. “This will be serve as your trial period to Luna duties. You are dismissed.”

I managed to hold my excitement in until the doors closed solidly behind us, but once we were safely out of earshot I turned to Olivia, unable to contain my excitement.

"That was brilliant!" I exclaimed, grinning widely. "Using that interview to apply social pressure – I couldn't have planned it better myself. And now we can finally investigate those disappearances. I've been pushing for weeks to look into it."

I expected to see a triumphant smile on Olivia's face, a shared moment of victory. Instead, her smile was odd and lukewarm. She was clearly relieved and happy, but there was something else there, a little like caution.

"I just did what I thought was right."

“You did fantastically,” I reiterated, hoping quietly that she was just concerned about this investigation. Her expression still looked…off.

“Well, thank you, Elroy,” she said politely. “I’m going to head to the library, I’ll see you tonight.”

She turned and walked away before I could respond, leaving me standing there, confused and concerned. What had I said wrong? Why was she suddenly so distant?

I watched Olivia's retreating form with sinking worry. Her shoulders were tense, her stride purposeful, as if she couldn't get away from me fast enough. This wasn’t at all the reaction I’d expect, not after such a massive victory.

Something was wrong. I told myself it was just her way to release the stress of that meeting, or that she was already thinking about her investigation.

I knew we were only contract spouses, but as I watched her go I couldn't help but be worried by her behavior towards me. My stomach knotted. There was a chasm, a distance between us that she was trying to build, and I didn't know how to bring her back.