Estelle’s POV

My stomach dropped. I hadn’t looked at the caller ID. If I had seen it was Asher, I never would have answered. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

“What do you want?” I kept my voice steady, but my heart was racing.

“I’ve been trying to reach you all day. Are you angry with me? Why are you ignoring my messages?”

His tone was softer than usual. It almost sounded like he was pleading. That caught me off guard.

“I’ve been busy,” I said curtly. “Some of us have actual work to do.”

“Estelle, please. I know things have been tense between us lately, but—”

“Tense?” I cut him off. “That’s one way to put it.”

There was silence on the other end. I could practically hear him choosing his words carefully.

“Where are you right now?” he asked suddenly.

I raised an eyebrow, surprised by his question. “What?”

“I mean, are you still handling the pack negotiations?” he asked. “The last you said you were talking to a few other packs about alliances and relations.”

He was fishing. But why?

“Yes,” I lied smoothly. “I’m currently in Silver Creek territory. Alpha Morrison and I have been in talks all day about the trade agreements.”

“Silver Creek? That’s quite far from here.”

“Distance means nothing when you’re trying to save our pack from complete ruin,” I snapped. “Though I suppose you wouldn’t know anything about that.”

Another pause. When he spoke again, his voice was strained.

“That’s not fair, Estelle. You know I care about the pack.”

“Do I?” The words came out sharper than intended. “Because from where I’m standing, it seems like you care more about keeping your mother and precious Ashley happy than actually addressing our problems.”

“That’s not true—”

“Isn’t it?” My grip tightened on the phone. “When was the last time you stood up to them when they disrespected me? When did you ever defend me when they treated me like garbage? I’m not lazing around, Asher. They might not have realized it, but I thought you, of all people, would know why I don’t have time to answer to your mother’s ridiculous demands.”

“Estelle—”

“I’m done pretending everything is fine, Asher. I’m tired of being everyone’s punching bag while you stand there and watch.”

The line went quiet for so long I thought he’d hung up.

“You’re right,” he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. “I should have done more. I should have said something to them.”

His admission surprised me. But it was too little, too late.

“Should have. Could have. Would have,” I said bitterly. “Those words don’t mean anything now.”

“What can I do to fix this?”

“You can’t.” The words hung between us like a death sentence.

“Remember what you said before?” Asher’s voice grew more urgent. “You said if my mother and Ashley apologized, you’d consider coming back to help with the pack business. Well, I made them do it. They both apologized.”

I almost laughed. “That wasn’t an apology, Asher, and you know it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your mother’s ‘apology’ sounded so blatantly insincere. And Ashley? She sounded like someone was forcing her to swallow poison the entire time.”

“But they did apologize—”

“Superficial apologies mean nothing.”

He was quiet again. I could hear him breathing heavily on the other end.

“What do you want me to do?”

“It’s too late for that conversation,” I said firmly. “The situation has escalated far beyond a simple apology.”

“What do you mean?”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what came next.

“As I said, I’m handling negotiations with the Silver Creek Pack right now. However, if you want me to handle the negotiations with Firemoon, Riverside, and Oakwood as well, then I will need more authority. In fact, it’s because of this that I had to travel all the way to the Silver Creek Pack’s grounds to talk. They’re questioning my authority.”

“Your authority?”

“They don’t want to deal with a stand-in Luna. They want to negotiate with someone who has actual power and can make binding decisions.”

“But you are making decisions—”

“No, I’m making recommendations that have to be approved by you or the council. There’s a difference.”

I could hear him shifting on the other end, probably pacing like he always did when he was stressed.

I continued, “The other Alphas see me as temporary. In their eyes, I am replaceable, nothing more than a woman playing pretend until the real Luna shows up.”

“That’s ridiculous! You’re my mate—”

I nearly scoffed at that, but thankfully held it in.

“Is it?” I challenged. “When Alpha Morrison asked me directly if I had the authority to finalize our trade agreement, what was I supposed to say? That I’d have to check with my future Alpha first?”

The silence stretched between us.

“These packs won’t take me seriously until I have official standing. Hell, even our pack won’t take me seriously until I’m officially their Luna. And frankly, I’m tired of being undermined at every turn.”

“What are you saying?”

I closed my eyes, knowing my next words would change everything.

“I want to be made the official Luna of the Moonveil Pack.”

The sharp intake of breath on his end was audible.

“Estelle, I... That’s not...”

“Not what? Not possible? Not fair? Not what you planned?”

“It’s complicated—”

“No, it’s not.” My voice was steel now. “It’s actually very simple. Without official power, I’m constantly disrespected and dismissed. With it, other packs will be forced to take me seriously.”

“But I’m not even Alpha yet—”

“Your coronation will be soon. The timing is perfect.”

“Estelle, this is... this is huge. I can’t just—”

“Can’t what? Make me your Luna? I thought that was always the plan.”

The lie rolled off my tongue effortlessly. We both knew it hadn’t been the plan, but I wasn’t going to make this easy for him.

“I need time to think about this.”

“Time?” I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Asher, I’ve been working myself to the bone trying to save this pack. I’ve sacrificed everything. My health, my happiness, my dignity. And now you need time to think about giving me the respect I deserve?”