August shrugs as he watches Eira walk to where we just came from before turning back in the direction of the house and continuing walking. Basil and I share a look of disbelief and I could tell Basil was mind linking his mate, probably yelling at him by the glare Basil was giving August's back.

August turns back to us with a tired look on his face and shrugs helplessly.

"What would you like me to do about it?" He sighs with a pointed stare at Basil.

I can't help but scoff at his easy dismissal of us.

"Weren't you listening to Eira?" I berate him. "We should be there. She needs our support."

Basil nods his head in agreement with me and works his best wounded puppy look on August, but still, the man doesn't budge. If anything, he looks like he's losing his patience with us, like a parent trying to get their kids to stop playing and come eat dinner.

"Eira has back up. I'm fairly positive Willow was too stubborn to do as Alpha Maddox requested and leave- a trait, I'm starting to realize, runs in the family- and she's already called your mother and several other more experienced witches to help her. She'll be fine."

"This isn't right!" I cry in frustration.

"It's Alpha's orders. There's nothing I can do about it."

"But I'm your Luna. Doesn't my command mean anything?"

Realistically, I knew my mate still outranked me in the pack hierarchy. I definitely had some pull of my own and came in a close second to him, but his commands were still law. Normally that wouldn't bother me one bit- I didn't want to be a leader by any means- but I just hated that he was using it against me right now.

"Pulling rank on me already, eh?" He responded, finally cracking a smile.

The tension between the three of us eased a little, and even though I was still mad, I knew it wasn't August's fault and that he was just following orders.

"Fine," I finally concede. "I'll go back to the house with you just as the Alpha commanded, but I can't promise I won't break out when you're distracted."

I lift my chin at him, daring him to defy me. He laughs and lifts his hands in surrender.

"My job is to escort you two back to the pack house. What happens after that is beyond my control."

I grin at both of them and skip happily past them towards the pack house. It wasn't an ideal situation, but I could manage. I knew my way around the house and the grounds well enough now that I could escape and head back to the clearing with relative ease.

When we finally made it back, it was dead silent. There were no children playing out on the lawn, no pack guards standing around the kitchen, talking and snacking in between shifts.

Just silence.

As eery as it is, I had to commend the pack on how quickly they were able to lock things down and secure the property. Still, I don't like how stifling the air feels around me, and it's only intensified by the lack of usual commotion.

Even though I can't see anyone, I can feel their nerves and anxiety. They knew, and they were terrified. One look at Basil over my shoulder told me he could feel it, too.

"Right, well," I turn fully to face them both, clapping my hands together awkwardly. "I think I'll just head upstairs to my room and wait for my lovable but obstinate mate to return. You two have fun doing, uh, whatever it is you two plan on doing. Bye!"

I flash them an innocent smile and run towards the stairs, leaving them both laughing and shaking their heads at me. As soon as I get to my room, I throw on some warmer clothes. The sun was starting to set and the nights were getting colder and colder.

I pace the room several times as I try to figure out the best escape plan. I could go back out through the kitchen door, but the risk of running into August again is too great. I know he'd at least attempt to stop me, but I'm not about to mind link Basil to see if the coast is clear in case they were... indisposed.

The only other option seems to be the bedroom window. It would be a bitch, but it was possible. We were several stories up, but there were enough tree branches to grab on to or to use as steps if I needed, and if I fell- well, it wouldn't kill me. I open the window and take a deep breath, peering down at the ground below me.

Shit.

It definitely looks further down that I originally anticipated.

"Here goes nothing," I mumble to myself.

I turn around and step out with my right foot, placing it on a nearby branch as I brace myself against the window ledge with my arms. Once I'm stabilized with both feet, I pull away from the window and swing down to a lower branch.

This is easier than I expected, I tell myself. I look up as I'm about to grab onto the next branch to see a little boy staring out of another window at me, the expression on his face an equal mix of curiosity and confusion.

Great. My first official day as their Luna, and this is the impression I'm making on my pack. I smile brightly and wave at him in the hopes that he wouldn't go running to his mother to tell her what a weirdo their Alpha's new mate is.

There's a brief moment of hesitation, but he gives me a shy, toothy smile and waves back at me. It might have been a really cute moment, if me waving hadn't caused me to completely lose my balance.

I grasp for any branch I could find, to no avail. In seconds, my back came in contact with the cold, hard ground. It had knocked the wind out of me briefly, but thankfully it wasn't too far of a fall.

"What the fuck are you doing , Poppy?" I mutter to myself, slapping a hand over my eyes in embarrassment.

"Funny, I was just about to ask the same thing."

I peek through my fingers, slightly startled by the voice, to see Maddox standing over me, staring down at me as he tries to contain his laughter.