Chapter 44
The Pack
Lila would do better this time.
This time, she would be smarter and craftier, and no one would disrupt her plans.
Well, their plans.
For she was not working alone, of course.
Sitting across from her in a dimly-lit office was Irene. She had offered Lila another chance to be of use to her.
Lila was merely the hand of the operation, the foot solider in the field. She was taking orders and following instructions and hopefully keeping things discreet and untraceable.
But so far she was not being as useful as she promised to be, and her emotions were getting in the way.
Of course, Lila only knew part of the motive for the plan. Lila believed she was being aided in winning the heart of the man she’d love since she was young. Lila believed that Irene wanted to help her out of the goodness of her heart and for the benefit of the whole Pack.
For this is what Irene told her.
What reason did Lila have not to believe the word of the Luna? Lila had known her most of her life, the mother of one of her closest friends before she re-married and became a leader in the Pack.
Irene sat looking at the younger woman, feeling the slightest amount of pity for Lila in her hopeless quest to seduce Dominic.
Her vulnerability was easy to manipulate, and once Irene found out about the failed love potion at the banquet she knew she would have to quickly capitalize on that fact.
“I promise, Luna,” Lila was mewling, “I want this more than anything.”
“And what exactly is it you want?” Irene asked.
“Dominic,” Lila said. “I have always loved him, and I know we are meant to be Mates. We are fated to be together.”
“And you want to be Luna?”
“Well, I suppose so, since it comes with the territory,” Lila seemed unsure and bashful. “But, truly, I don’t love him for his social status— even if his power was stripped away, I would stand by his side.”
And that was Lila’s weakness: she did not keep her eye on the true prize.
A man, even one in line to be the Alpha, could never be the end goal. A woman should set her sights on obtaining the power that comes with being close to a man like that, not from the affection and companionship he might offer.
Irene knew that from when she was young. She knew she was fated to be a Luna, and she made it happen for herself.
She loved Davos, in a way. But if he were to lose his title she would be shacking up with the usurper before anyone could blink.
Irene had tried to raise her children to follow her philosophy. Tessa was always too self-involved to be a leader, and now she was knocked up by a Beta from another Pack.
Lucian gave her more hope, but he needed to keep his hands clean in order to ascend to Alpha.
Lila, on the other hand, was willing and expendable.
“Of course, dear,” Irene told her, “it is rare to find one’s true love in this world. And I am hopeful that Dominic will get over this dalliance with Mira and see what’s right in front of him.”
Lila’s face lit up as she heard this, and Irene kept a wide smile plastered to her face.
“And that is why I want to help you.”
“What can you do?” Lila asked.
“Well, I have some experience with love potions myself,” Irene said with a wink. “I thought perhaps I could share some of my secrets with you, woman-to-woman.”
“I would be honored to learn from you, Luna,” Lila said with solemnity.
“I am so glad to hear it,” Irene continued. “Tessa seemed to lose interest in it over the years, so it is nice to find a young woman who is committed to keeping these practices alive.”
Lila blushed, drawn in by this maternal approval and affection.
“I have a recipe here,” the Luna said, opening the drawer of her desk, “with ingredients you should be able to find easily.”
She handed Lila a small piece of paper, and Lila’s eyes devoured the list of words on the page.
“There is, of course, one additive that is not on the list, but must be added for the full effect.”
Irene took a small vial out of a pocket in her dress.
“This tincture is a family secret, not to be trifled with,” Irene said ominously. “The process to extract it has never been written down, only passed from generation to generation through oral tradition.”
Lila held up the small bottle to the light, admiring the slight purplish hue to the liquid inside.
“What’s in it?” she asked.
“Not yet, dear,” Irene responded with a sweet smile. “If it believe in it, and it works in helping you achieve your goals, then I will reveal it all to you.”
“That’s a bit cryptic,” Lila said lightly, scrunching up her face. “You’re sure it won’t harm him?”
“He might feel a bit woozy in love as it takes affect,” Irene said with a chuckle, “but otherwise he’ll feel perfectly fine.”
“And he won’t taste it or anything?”
“Not a thing,” Irene answered. “I do suggest pouring it into something darker, just in case some of the color comes through. Wine or tea or coffee, something like that.”
“I can do that,” Lila said, her eyes mesmerized by the tincture in her hand. “Thank you.”
Irene’s smile was curled up at the corners, but it never reached her eyes.
“Whatever I can do to help.”
There was a knock on the door, and then it immediately opened.
“Lila, what are you doing here?” Tessa asked her friend, surprised. “You weren’t answering my texts earlier.”
“Tessa,” Irene said, “what is the point of knocking if you aren’t going to wait for an answer?”
“Sorry,” Tessa said sheepishly.
“Lila was just asking for some advice from her Luna, but was about to be on her way.”
“Right, thank you Luna,” Lila said standing. “I’ll text you later Tessa.”
There was an awkward moment between mother and daughter after Lila left the room, shutting the door behind her.
Finally Tessa flopped onto the chair Lila had occupied.
“So what was that all about?”
“Oh nothing, you know Lila, always overly stressed about her future and what not,” Irene made a gesture to brush off the conversation. “I’m letting her help me with a project to keep her mind occupied.”
“What kind of project?”
“Don’t worry, Tessa,” the Luna said, almost looking through her daughter. “Everything I do is for the benefit of this family.”
Tessa loved her mother, but couldn’t deny the fact that she spent most of her life in fear of her. This was one of those moments.
