The Hidden Luna Queen 2

MAEVE POV "Friends?"

The word tumbled out of his mouth in a confused daze. A flurry of emotions washed over his face, worn and weary from a lifetime of neglect, of pain. It was almost as if the word was foreign to him, a word he might have read or heard but never thought was possible

for him.

"Of course," I answered. "Is that so difficult to believe?"

"It's just... not something that happens," he said with an air of such nonchalance that it hurt. "People do not want to befriend me, let alone be in the same room as me. Most don't even know who I am, and it's a truth that I have come to accept as my own." The way he seemed so resigned as he said that...

It was exactly how I felt about myself. A terrible, loathsome mindset that I was only barely beginning to curb, thanks to the constant rush of love and support I now had at hand.

Maybe, I thought, just maybe this could be the first step for him.

And then one day he can become the confident alpha prince that lives in there somewhere.

"Then, I'm happy to be the first. Listen," I said, suddenly overcome with an urge to reassure, because I needed him to believe me. "I... I'm still very new to all of this, but I don't take any of it lightly. If I ask you to be my friend, it-it's because I connect with you... or I feel like I can trust you."

Eric was silent, clinging to my every word.

I reached out for his hand. "So, if you ever need someone to talk to, just know you can come to me. I won't turn you away, okay ...?"

But he didn't answer. Instead, his attention was honed in on my hand atop his.

Oh. Maybe he doesn't like to be touched.

I pulled away, resting my hands back against the table. "I'm sorry if I overstepped-" "That ring..." he murmured. "I don't believe I've ever seen you wear it before."

And for what was probably the five-millionth time that morning alone, I glanced down at the lovely, sizable rock that now decorated my fourth finger. "Xaden gave it to me last night," I answered, my lips twitching into a grin despite myself. "I guess this makes things a little more official."

"An engagement ring," he said, like it had just dawned on him.

A brief silence then filled the room.

"Maeve." There was an unusual tinge to his voice that caught my attention.

My gaze lifted back up to meet his. "Yes?"

"C

"My family is..." he trailed off, the words dissipating in his throat as he reconsidered how to best articulate his thoughts. Living at the palace... being part of the royal family-it's not quite the glitz and glamor that the media makes it out to be." His eyes searched mine "You must know that by now... right?"

What a question that was.

"I know it's not easy," I answered carefully, "and I'm not so naive to believe it will be any easier than the sort of life I'm already used to."

Isabelle, your father, and the entire capital have already given me their warm welcomes, I thought to say but didn't. His throat bobbed with a swallow. "Then... if we truly are friends-"

His eyes again searched mine, waiting for any sign that I might take it back, and when I didn't, he continued. "I feel like I should implore you," he said, almost sounding like he was pleading with me. "Take the time to consider the freedom you have right now. Make sure you know exactly what you want before you commit yourself to a lifetime of... this." He gestured to the grand, marble palace walls surrounding us and everything unseen beyond that.

Eric was looking out for me, and I understood the unfortunate reason why.

Still, I couldn't resist the smile that tugged at my lips at his thoughtfulness. "Please don't mistake my acceptance to mean that I am eager for this new lifestyle. I'm-I'm beyond terrified. But... it's going to be okay."

He didn't look convinced. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because... I'm not alone anymore. It might sound ridiculous, but it's true. If I have the love and support from everyone I care about, I feel like... like I'm capable of anything. After a lifetime of no's, even just one 'yes' is enough to set me free." Instantly, I was reminded of the way Xaden stood up for me at Sarah's party. How he had handed all control of the situation over to me, putting the reins in my hands...

And how liberating it felt.

Too much of that sensation was probably dangerous, but I could live off it-the illusion of being invincible, however fleeting it might be.

Eric's eyes were on me, although veiled behind a faint glaze as if he were lost in thought, distracted by something. Eventually, he nodded.

"Then..." he said before smiling softly, though I couldn't help but feel he put it up only for my benefit, “congratulations-to the both of you. I truly, sincerely hope you have a happy life together, and may you conquer all obstacles that come your way." I pat his hand, grateful for his kindness.

And, for a moment, a comfortable sort of silence blanketed the room.

"You know," Eric suddenly supplied, perking up a little, "the tradition of exchanging rings as a symbol of one's love and commitment-"

My heart skipped a beat, remembering the half-confessions Xaden and I had made.

"-is a timeless custom, enjoyed by thousands of years and thousands of cultures from all over the world."

I gazed down at my left hand, still getting used to the new weight I suddenly carried. I was not sure how to feel about receiving gifts out of the blue, especially ones of such extravagance that Xaden tended to spoil me with, but I could not seem to stop looking at the ring, or touching it, or rolling it between my fingers.

I wanted to memorize everything about it-how it looked from every angle, how it shone and glimmered in the sunlight of every hour of the day and in the moonlight of every hour of the night.

I'd never worn rings before... but I never wanted to take this one off.

"It's a beautiful tradition," I murmured. "I wonder what inspired the idea."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Humans."

I glanced back up at Eric. "What?"

"... It's not because of us, or our neighbors: the vixen-shifters, or even the bear-shifters. It began because of humans." He turned his attention to the surface of the table, running his thumb along the edge of the polished wood. "Apparently, they believed circles symbolized eternity... hence, giving one's lover a ring represented one's eternal love."

Oh... what a sweet sentiment.

I didn't know much about the history of our world, let alone that of other cultures. Another subject that Father and Victoria believed I could do without. It was always something I took pleasure in learning about if I was ever given the chance... which was seldom. But there was something else that caught my particular attention. A singular word that I'd only heard once before, many weeks ago.

Humans.

"I remember that name," I pointed out, adjusting myself in my chair so I could face him straight on. "You had a book about those the day I first met you."

His posture seemed to straighten ever so slightly the moment I said that, as if he were surprised I remembered that detail. " That's right, I suppose I did." "What else did it say? Was it a book of folklore?"

Eric sighed. "It... was an old book, and very outdated-to the point that I'm not entirely sure how much of it was true or not. I wish I could sate that curiosity, but..." he hesitated, "I would do you a great disservice to spread something that might be wrong." He thrummed his fingers against the table. "If it's history you want, perhaps I could interest you in the legend of the Moon Goddess, or... or maybe the alpha king who was cursed by an eclipse, or—"

As he continued to list different topics, I found myself wanting to hear more about every single one. Being starved of the education so freely gifted to my sister had caught up with me, leaving me feeling bereft and just... wanting to have things to think about. Fairytales were wonderful, but I needed more. I wanted to know more about my world, too.

"That sounds like fun," I said, perking up. "I'd love to hear about everything."

He blinked, not having expected that. "You... want to do that?"

"Why not?" I answered, feeling more bubbly with excitement by the second. "We could meet here every week, or wherever you think we'd be more productive, and just read together. I could use a tutor anyway, and you're probably the most book- smart wolf I know." Admittedly, that was not saying much... seeing as I'd never been allowed to really speak freely with others before.

But he was the only one I knew who seemed to enjoy books almost as much as I did.

Heck... maybe he liked them more.

Eric crossed his arms over the table, wearing a thoughtful expression. "Well..."

-CRASH!

The loud, sudden sound of something colliding with the ground outside took us both by surprise. I jumped in my chair with a sharp jolt of my body, whirling around to face the open window across the room. What on earth?

Quickly, I leaped out of my chair and rushed to the window in the hopes of catching wind of what might have caused the sudden commotion.

"What do you see?" Eric asked, still seated at the table behind me.

"It... looks like something's going on in the courtyard," I commented, scanning the scene below me as best as I could. "An omega dropped a large, expensive-looking banner, or a flag of sorts. Actually... there are quite a few of them scattered around. They're... decorating the space for something."

"Oh." He did not sound particularly excited or apprehensive about it.

I glanced back at him for a fleeting moment, colored curious by the strange reaction.

He ran a hand through his hair, offering what looked like a small wry smile. "They're busy preparing the palace for the upcoming lunar banquet."