Chapter 211: Frustration
"I would give anything to get what you have," Dennis said quietly. He stared out the tall window of Lucas’s office, his arms folded over his chest.
Lucas leaned against the edge of the desk, arms crossed, watching his younger brother’s shoulders tense with frustration. "It will be fine," he said. "Give it some time."
Dennis gave a hollow laugh and finally turned away from the window. "Time? It’s been months, Lucas. They’re coming around, the people of the north but it’s like waiting for winter to turn into spring in the middle of the damn tundra. One day I think I see a thaw, the next day it snows again."
Lucas tilted his head, the corner of his mouth twitching in sympathy. "Patience, brother. I know you’ve got more of it than I ever have. But when it comes to your mate, logic goes out the window, doesn’t it? You stop thinking. Everything just... spirals."
Dennis slumped into the armchair opposite Lucas, rubbing his eyes wearily. "I don’t even know what I’m doing half the time."
"I get it. But you’ve got to remember, this was Zoe’s choice."
"Yeah," Dennis muttered. "It’s just... hard waiting for a whole empire to forgive you."
*****
Meanwhile, Ava stood in front of a mirror in the Luna’s dressing chamber, snapping shut the ancient amulet on her wrist. The second it clicked into place, she felt a surge of power course through her. The stone in the center pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat, syncing with the quiet storm within her.
With a final glance at her reflection, she grabbed a shawl, pulled it over her head to blend into the dusk, and slipped out through the back exit of the Luna’s quarters. Two of her guards were posted by the front gate, dutifully unaware that she’d outmaneuvered them yet again. Her swelling belly made the sneak-out missions harder.
She made her way through the side streets of the fortress, hood pulled low, heart thudding from exhilaration. Reaching Lanaya’s home, she knocked once, sharply. The door flew open within seconds.