Estelle’s POV

I didn’t need further confirmation. Immediately, I whipped out my phone and dialed Caleb’s number.

“Bring them to the pack house lounge,” I said. “I’ll meet you guys there.”

“Yes, Luna.”

I ended the call and stared at the monitor for another moment. Edmund. After all this time, he was standing at my borders looking desperate and worn down. The others with him must be pack members I knew too.

What could have driven them away from Moonveil?

I turned off the security monitors and headed straight for the lounge. My mind raced with possibilities as I walked through the corridors.

Edmund had always been reliable, one of the hardest-working members of Moonveil’s farming division. He rose in position and became the supervisor just last year. For him to leave everything behind meant something serious had happened.

The lounge was on the second floor of the pack house. I climbed the stairs quickly, my footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. As I approached the heavy wooden doors, I could hear voices coming from inside.

“The Blackmoon Pack’s Luna will be meeting you guys soon,” Caleb was saying.

A female voice responded, surprise evident in her tone. “The Luna wants to meet us personally? We were still trying to figure out how to approach the pack properly.”

That sounded like Velma. I recognized her voice even though it carried more exhaustion than I remembered.

“We never thought the Luna would want to see us herself,” another voice added. Male this time, probably Bosco.

I paused outside the door for a moment, steadying myself. Whatever had happened at Moonveil, these people needed help. And frankly, their timing might be perfect for what I needed too.

I pushed open the doors and stepped inside.

Five familiar faces turned toward me, and every single one of them stood up in shock. Their mouths fell open as recognition dawned across their features.

“Estelle?” Edmund stepped forward, his eyes wide. “What are you doing here?”

Juliet’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my god, Estelle! Is this where you disappeared to?”

“We’ve been wondering where you went,” River said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Don’t tell me you’re here seeking asylum too?”

Velma frowned, looking between Caleb and me. “Wait, but that doesn’t make sense. Why would they bring us to meet with you if—”

“Luna,” Caleb interrupted smoothly, “would you like me to bring refreshments?”

The entire group went silent. Their eyes darted between Caleb and me, confusion written all over their faces.

“Luna?” Bosco repeated slowly.

“You’re the Luna of Blackmoon Pack?” Edmund asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded, keeping my expression calm. “Please, everyone, sit down. Caleb, yes, please arrange for tea and coffee.”

“Right away,” he said, moving toward the door.

The five of them remained standing, still staring at me like I’d grown a second head. I gestured to the comfortable chairs and sofas arranged around the room.

“Seriously, sit. You all look exhausted.”

They finally moved, settling into the furniture with obvious reluctance. Edmund chose the armchair closest to me, while the others spread out on the sofa. Juliet kept her hands protectively over her stomach, and I noticed the small bump there.

“Congratulations,” I said, nodding toward her belly.

She smiled weakly. “Thank you. It’s still early, but Edmund and I are excited.”

“How far along?”

“Three months.”

I nodded, filing that information away. Pregnant wolves couldn’t travel long distances without risking complications. Whatever had driven them from Moonveil must have been urgent.

A staff member entered with a tray of tea, coffee, and small pastries. Everyone murmured their thanks as drinks were distributed. I waited until the staff member left before speaking again.

“So,” I said, settling back in my chair. “What brought you to Blackmoon?”

The five of them exchanged glances. Edmund cleared his throat and spoke first. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

“Estelle— I mean, Luna—”

“Estelle is fine,” I interrupted. “We’ve known each other too long for formalities.”

He nodded gratefully. “Things at Moonveil have gotten bad. Really bad.”

“How bad?” I asked, though I suspected I already knew the answer.

Bosco leaned forward, his expression grim. “The pack is in complete chaos. Alpha Asher is drowning in external alliance duties. He’s never around anymore.”

“Which means Beta Hazel has been handling Luna duties on top of her own responsibilities,” Velma added with obvious frustration.

“And she’s terrible at it,” River said bluntly. “Every single day is a disaster waiting to happen.”

Juliet nodded vigorously. “She doesn’t care about internal affairs at all. When we try to bring problems to her attention, she either refuses to see us or tells us to talk to Gamma Nigel instead.”

“But Nigel is completely overwhelmed,” Edmund continued. “He’s a good guy, but he’s trying to do three people’s jobs. Our issues get pushed aside for days, sometimes weeks.”

I sipped my tea, processing this information. It was exactly what I’d expected would happen.

Asher and Hazel were both too self-centered and inexperienced to run a pack effectively. Everything in Moonveil was basically handled by me while I was still there. Asher only needed to sign the documents and made occasional appearances.

Once I was gone, things would no doubt crumble. They lacked a proper structure, and Hazel had burned all possible bridges for Moonveil. Asher had no choice but to beg the neighboring packs one by one all over again.

“What about pack meetings?” I asked. “Council sessions?”

River let out a bitter laugh. “What meetings? We’ve tried bringing up our concerns multiple times, but meetings keep getting canceled because the Alpha is too busy.”

“His Alpha title is just for show at this point,” Bosco said with a sigh. “He doesn’t listen to his people. Those meetings used to be the only official channel we could use to reach him. Now, he locks himself in his office and refuses to meet anyone other than the Beta and Gamma!”