The Perfect Luna by Marissa Gilbert

Chapter 22. Surprise

Riannon walked into the kitchen to check if her assumption was correct. And it was. Roxy was giggling

and eating her cereal in the company of Dean, Maya’s brother. The young man was blushing and his

freckles were becoming more obvious on his face. This was bad. He was still young and one of the

guys who were easy to impress. And manipulate.

“You are not serious!” He chuckled, not even sensing his Luna’s arrival. He was too engrossed in the

conversation he had with the cure redhead omega.

“But I am!” Roxanne placed her hand on his, “I was working at the stables in my previous pack for

many years! There isn’t a single thing that I don’t know about horses. I loved taking

care of them.”

“And I thought that you were only treated as a slave in your old pack,” Riannon scoffed,“ Werewolves

don’t let omegas take care of the horses. They are afraid of us and if we keep one, we need to take

care of it ourselves to create a bond. For omega to take care of a horse would be a luxury.”

For the first time, Roxy did not burst into tears in her presence while being confronted. Neither did she

shake or tremble. Ria wondered if having s*x with her husband gave her

newfound confidence and she wanted to laugh at that.

“Our pack was different,” Roxanne smiled sweetly and took her hand off Dean’s, making the guy even

more flustered. “Not every pack has an Alpha as amazing as Alpha Brayden. My previous Alpha

thought that it was beneath him to take care of a horse. He kept them just for show and omegas had to

do the dirty work. But you are right, it was amazing and felt like a gift,

“I see,” Riannon went to the coffee station and started preparing herself a cup.

“Luna,” Roxy’s voice was overly sweet, “I can make you a cup. After all, I am the omega and you are

the Luna.”

Riannon rolled her eyes while she was facing the wall. She would take a cup of coffee from Roxanne’s

hands only if she was suicidal and wanted an easy way out.

“As you just said,” she remained calm as she loaded the coffee machine, “This pack is very different

from yours. I can make my own coffee, thanks.”

“Ria,” Dean stuttered slightly, “I will go. I have battle practice soon. It was nice to see you. And nice to

finally meet you, Roxy.”

“I’ll see you around, Dean,” Riannon turned just in time to see the omega brush her palm

over her friend’s arm and tilting her head, making him leave even faster..

As soon as Maya’s brother was gone, the two women left in the room locked their eyes.

The smile on Roxy’s face faded. Did she decide to stop pretending?

“What,” Ria couldn’t help herself, sipping her coffee and taking a seat at the head of the table, “No

tears today?”

“You don’t like them, do you? I don’t want to offend you with them,” a smile spread over the omega’s

face.

This was new. She didn’t behave like that before she had Brayden’s affections secured in

the past life. And right now they just had their first night together and she was already so

brazen. What was that about?

Riannon tensed inside but did her best not to show that, continuing with her drink.

“You are only having coffee?” Roxy almost sang the words with a smirk on her face, “A sleepless night,

perhaps?”

“Not really,” Ria mimicked her, “Actually, I slept like a baby. And I always start my day with a cup of

coffee. So do millions of people. Don’t read too much into it.”

“I have to give it to you,” Roxanne scoffed, “You are holding up just great.”

Yes. This was definitely new. They never talked like that in the past. It was refreshing but at the same

time, it worried Riannon. What was that woman up to?

. “Can’t say the same about you,” Ria said calmly, tempted to go on, “All that crying… It gets repetitive,

you know. And Brayden gets tired of repetitive things very fast.”

“That’s great advice actually,” Roxy grinned, “I guess it’s coming from your experience? Anyway, you

underestimate the power of mate’s tears. Probably because you don’t have one.”

That was a low blow. And if Onyx was there, she would tear her apart for that.

That was when it hit her. What if this was exactly the purpose of all that? Roxy was provoking her to be

able to play the victim again after the Luna lost her patience. There wouldn’t be a more perfect

opportunity than that.

Right now Riannon was supposed to be in deepest pain and depression. Back in her past life, the first

time she felt Brayden being intimate with his mate, her mark was hurting her like hell and Onyx was

going crazy inside of their shared mine from all the pain. It was incredibly hard to deal with it and the

first day, she simply stayed in her bed, stating that she was sick. She only left her bedroom when she

was feeling better and could control Onyx again. Hence…

they never met like that. understandable, considering the circumstances. Ria was hardly the only

witness to the audible love-making of her husband. But it would look bad. For her. And it sure as hell

would earn some points for the omega.

“Nice try,” Ria chuckled softly and took another sip, making Roxanne frown. She was not going to give

her enemy the satisfaction of humiliating herself like that.

“I think you misread what I was trying to say,” Roxanne looked at her again with some kind of new

determination, “What I really meant to let you know is that you can go to the lycans

and work as long as you want there. I will take care of Brayden. Just like I did the last night.”

“I am sure of that,” Ria snorted but just then her opponent’s face changes to the grimace

of horror.

I as

“I am sorry, Luna! This was so insolent of me! I should choose my words properly, you are absolutely

right, I am just a piece of lowly trash!” the omega had tears in her eyes again and had her head

lowered in submission, showing off her neck.

Ria stared at her in shock. What was she doing now? There were no witnesses… But it was right then

that she sensed the pack’s chef walking in. The woman looked at the two of them, taking the whole

scene in, and then mumbled an apology and left abruptly.

Did Roxy sense her before she did? Was that even possible? Did her not having Onyx presence make

her weaker now?

She concealed her worries again. This wasn’t the time.

“Seriously?” Riannon put her cup of coffee away. This was getting annoying. “It’s nothing personal,”

Roxanne stood up, “A girl has to do what a girl has to do.” She looked at her rival and then with all the

force that she could master, she hit her head

over the table, making Luna gasp.

“What are you…” Ria almost choked on her own breath when she saw Roxy smiling at her with a face

covered in blood. She broke one of the plates and there were a few pieces of glass poking out.

What was that woman? The devil?!

“You are crazy!” Riannon hissed. “On the contrary,” Roxy smirked, “I am the sanest person you would

meet.” And with that, she threw herself through the French windows, breaking them, and into the

garden.

running in the distance with a worried face and a few other people with him.

A loud growl emerged not too far from them and Ria recognised her husband. He was the first to reach

Roxanne, who was now properly injured and bleeding in several

1

places.

“It was my fault,” she whispered loudly so that every werewolf around could hear her, “All me. My fault.

I was too… too… disrespectful. The Luna did not want to…”

Brayden’s head snapped in Riannon’s direction at once and she knew that the omega

managed to set her up again…