The Alpha's Stolen Luna - Chapter 146: Chapter 146

: Sutton
I thought I was going to throw up. Maybe I was wrong. It couldn’t be her. She was home with Dad and Helene. That’s what Lucas told me. This wasn’t really happening.
Anders moved further into the room, giving me a better look at the woman walking arm-in-arm with his Beta. No… it… it was her. It was my sister.
I started to hyperventilate. Fear and panic suddenly overwhelmed me as I struggled to breathe. My face felt hot. My hands felt cold. I knew my whole body had to be shaking. I barely registered myself moving as I was being swept away, tucked back into a shadowy corner. Hands went to my face but I could barely feel them. I was almost completely numb to outside touch.
The tingling sensation was the only thing that broke through my terror.
“Baby, look at me,” Lucas’ voice echoed in my ears as he pulled at my face. “Look at me, Sutton.” I locked eyes with him, letting out a painful gasp. “That’s it, princess. Breathe.”
I gripped his arms. My nails digging into the fabric of his suit. For the first time since my first shift, I couldn’t hear Nova. I couldn’t see her in my mind’s eye. All I felt was panic. All I saw was memories. Memories that had warped. As if I was experiencing them from outside my body. But it wasn’t my body. It was my sister’s.
“Sutton,” Lucas tried to reach me. “Sutton, baby, breathe. Don’t give in. Focus on me.”
He had me pressed against his body, making as much contact as possible. His hands moved along my face, my neck, through my hair, slowly starting to produce a calming effect. I kept my eyes on his. Gritting my teeth as I forced the horrible images from my mind.
“That’s it, baby,” he murmured. “Look at me. It’s just you and me.”
I started taking ragged breaths. Then they became smoother. Gradually, I started to regain control of my body. Then my emotions. I felt Nova creep back into my consciousness, concern rushing from her.
‘Where did you go?’ I begged.
‘You pushed me out,’ she whimpered. ‘Your fear pushed me away. I… I couldn’t get back to you.’
I felt tears start to form at the implication of what that meant. How much more danger I could end up in if my own mind could suppress Nova — could keep me from shifting.
“No,” Lucas said firmly but quietly. “No tears, princess. Not here. You’re stronger than that.”
I inhaled roughly, trying to shake my head in protest. But he held firm, keeping me looking at him.
“Don’t give them the satisfaction, Sutton,” he pressed. “You came here to end him. To end both of them. I’m still with you. I’ll always be with you. Hannah being here only makes that plan more urgent. Right?”
I sniffed, blinking back the tears before they fell.
“Right,” I said more strongly than I had expected.
“You’ve got this, princess,” Lucas insisted, pressing his forehead to mine. “We’ll get her away from them, Sutton.”
With a few more deep breaths, I was feeling more like myself. More like the woman I had become with Lucas. He was right. I wouldn’t let Mason take who I was away from me again. Not that easily.
The thought of him almost succeeding just then had anger spiking inside me. I looked past Lucas toward the rest of the banquet hall. That’s when I realized our security team had formed a wall to shield us from view, keeping everyone from witnessing what I had just gone through. I was grateful for them, but still determined to not let it happen again.
I managed to see beyond Max and Tarvyn, catching sight of Mason across the room. That anger spiked again. This time pushing my feet to move. Lucas grabbed my waist before I could push our guards aside.
“Not here,” he hissed.
A growl escaped my lips just as feedback from a microphone echoed through the air, stealing everyone’s attention. I looked to the far end of the hall to see a group of men and women filing onto a platform. All wearing uniform suits with sashes draped across their chests. I noticed Soloman among them as they took their places.
It was the Royal Council.
An old man stood behind a podium, waiting for his fellow council members to settle. I recognized him as Councilman Erhardt, the Council Speaker. Once they were all present on the dais, he turned to the audience.
“Welcome, esteemed pack leaders,” Councilman Erhardt stated. “We thank you all for being here on such short notice. We do have a full agenda for the next few days. Tonight — converse, prepare. We want you all to be at your best during this year’s summit.”
The room broke out into a muted applause as the councilman stepped down. The rest of his comrades followed suit and came to mingle among the rest of us. However, I didn’t really notice much as my attention had gone back to my sister, still standing next to my abusive ex-mate.
“Luna Sutton, is everything alright?” Luna Darcy asked.
I managed to pull my eyes away from the nightmare across the room and look at her. I was trying to decide how to respond when Soloman came up to us.
“Luna Darcy, Luna Sutton, I hope you’re finding your accommodations accep…” Soloman trailed off as I stared daggers at him.
He should have known about this. He should have told me. He’s the one who has men watching over my family. This shouldn’t be happening. He started to speak again but I cut him off without a word. I simply turned my head to look at the scene playing out across the room.