Free Web NovelChapter 70: What Was He Thinking
Nina stood at the front of the line, her back stiff as she tried to keep her shoulders straight.
It was her eighth try.
The muscles in her arms burned from holding the same position over and over again, and she could already hear the whispers beginning behind her. The girls were trying to keep their voices low, but the courtyard was too quiet for gossip to stay hidden.
"She keeps dropping her shoulders."
"At this rate, the Hunt will be a disaster."
Nina ignored them.
Lady Emory stepped in front of her with her hands clasped neatly behind her back. The older woman studied her posture carefully before narrowing her eyes in disappointment.
"Your posture is poor," Lady Emory said firmly as she circled around Nina. "Your shoulders are uneven, and your stance lacks confidence. What are we going to do about this?"
Nina exhaled slowly through her nose.
Her shoulders ached badly now. She lifted both hands and pressed against them, trying to ease some of the stiffness gathered there.
"And the Hunt is barely a month away," Lady Emory added with a deeper frown. "You cannot afford to struggle with something this simple."
"And if the Luna cannot perform her duties properly..."
Joane’s voice cut cleanly across the courtyard.
The murmuring stopped at once.
Every girl turned toward her.
Nina did not move immediately. Her hands remained on her shoulders while her eyes stayed fixed ahead.
Joane folded her arms loosely across her chest before continuing, her tone smooth and polite in a way that only made the insult sharper.
"Then perhaps someone else should take her place during the Hunt," she suggested calmly. "We cannot risk embarrassing the entire Vermont Pack in front of the other packs."
A few girls shifted nervously.
Joane tilted her head slightly and added, "I’m sure the Luna understands that this is bigger than her pride."
Nina’s hands slowly fell away from her shoulders.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she turned.
Her movements were slow enough to make the silence heavier.
Joane met her gaze directly. There was no fear on her face yet. Only confidence and the faint curve of a smirk resting on her lips.
Lady Emory cleared her throat awkwardly, sensing the tension immediately.
"You have a good suggestion," she said carefully, glancing between both girls, "but the duties of the Luna cannot simply be handed to another person. You know that, Joane."
Joane shrugged lightly. "I was only speaking for the good of the Pack."
Nina smiled faintly at that.
The smile did not reach her eyes.
Her gaze swept over Joane slowly from head to toe before she blinked lazily and asked, "And who exactly would make a better replacement?"
She arched a brow.
"You?" she said with a scoff.
The entire courtyard froze.
No one moved.
Even the wind seemed to die.
Several girls looked between them nervously, clearly unsure whether to keep watching or lower their heads.
Joane’s smile faltered for the first time.
Then Nina stepped forward.
Once.
Twice.
She stopped only when barely a breath separated them.
"Do you want to perform the duties of the Luna..."
She leaned in slightly.
"Or do you want to be Luna?"
Gasps broke out instantly around the courtyard.
Joane’s expression collapsed. freёwebnovel.com
"What?" she breathed out.
Her mouth opened again, but no words came.
She looked around desperately, expecting support, but the other girls were staring at her differently now.
"That’s not what I meant," Joane said quickly, shaking her head. "I wasn’t trying to—"
"You weren’t?" Nina interrupted softly.
Joane swallowed.
"I was only thinking about the Pack."
Nina held her gaze for one long second.
Then suddenly, she smiled.
"Of course," Nina said warmly. "I know that."
Her voice turned almost sweet.
"You were only looking out for Vermont Pack."
Joane forced herself to nod.
Nina continued smiling.
"Don’t worry," She said smoothly. "I’ll continue trying my best as Luna."
She tilted her head slightly before adding,
"And you’ll continue doing your best to support me too, won’t you?"
As she spoke, she stepped even closer into Joane’s space, forcing the other girl to look directly at her.
Joane broke eye contact first.
"I..." She cleared her throat quietly. "I will do my best."
Nina straightened slowly,
"Good."
Then Nina turned toward Lady Emory.
"I’ll retire for the day," she said calmly. "You may release the girls."
She paused briefly before adding,
"Except Joane."
Nina looked back at her with another calm smile. Joane’s face looked like she’d fallen into a pile of dung.
"She’ll need more practice if she intends to be useful during the Hunt."
"Yes, Luna," Lady Emory cleared her throat. "I will do just that."
Nina gave a small nod and turned away.
The girls parted immediately to make room for her.
Her footsteps were steady as she crossed the courtyard, but after only a few steps, she suddenly stopped.
Someone stood directly in front of her.
Rodrigo.
Nina froze instantly.
Her heartbeat dropped hard into the pit of her stomach. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
For a moment, she could not move.
He stood still, watching her silently.
Then, without breaking eye contact, he began walking toward her.
Nina’s heartbeat had picked up so fast it almost hurt, and she found herself looking everywhere except at him.
He stopped directly in front of her, and against her will, her eyes found his. Her breath caught immediately. His face gave little away, calm and unreadable as always, yet his eyes stayed on her long enough to make warmth rise beneath her skin.
Her lips parted slightly.
"Alpha..." she called softly, the word quieter than she intended.
Rodrigo looked at her for another second before a faint smile touched the corner of his mouth.
"Come with me."
His voice was calm and low, leaving no room for argument. Without waiting for a response, he turned and began walking away.
Nina remained frozen for a brief second before quickly following after him.
She stayed a step behind him as they walked through the halls. The silence between them should have felt uncomfortable, but instead it only made her more aware of him. Her eyes kept drifting to the broad line of his shoulders and the steady confidence in his movements while her thoughts spun endlessly inside her head.
Was he going to talk about last night?
That it was a mistake?
That he didn’t mean any of it?
Nina didn’t know which outcome was worse, the fact that it was a mistake or the fact that he meant every bit of it?
Every possibility only made her more nervous.
She barely realized where they were heading until the scent of warm food reached her. Nina blinked and looked up, surprised to find them standing in front of the dining hall.
Rodrigo entered first.
The room was empty except for them. A long table stretched through the center of the hall, already covered with dishes prepared for lunch. Candlelight flickered softly against the walls, casting warm light across the quiet room.
Rodrigo walked toward the head of the table naturally, Nina slowed her steps.
Her gaze flicked briefly toward the chair beside his and she hesitated, glancing towards the other end of the table, she quietly turned towards it.
"Sit."
Rodrigo’s voice stopped her immediately.
Nina turned around.
He had already pulled out the chair beside him.
Heat climbed instantly into her cheeks.
For one embarrassing moment, she could only stare at him while he stood there waiting patiently, one hand resting against the back of the chair.
"Do I need to ask twice?" he said, and there was the faintest hint of amusement in his voice now.
Nina swallowed and forced herself to move toward him. The closer she got, the more aware she became of the tension surrounding them. It was in the silence, in the way his eyes followed her movements, in the way her pulse refused to calm down no matter how hard she tried.
She stopped beside him and carefully lowered herself into the chair. Rodrigo pushed it in slowly once she sat down, his hand brushing lightly against the back of the seat as he did.
The simple gesture made her shoulders stiffen.
Rodrigo walked to the head of the table and sat down, and Nina tried very hard to focus on anything except the warmth of him sitting barely inches away from her.
She drew a breath, her eyes falling on the table for the first time.
The table was filled with food, yet suddenly she had no appetite at all. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind.
Should she talk about it first, or wait for him to bring it up?
Rodrigo reached for one of the serving bowls and calmly began placing food onto a plate. Nina watched from the corner of her eye without meaning to. The movement of his hands was steady and unhurried, completely at odds with the chaos inside her chest.
Then he placed the plate in front of her.
"Eat," he said simply.
He still wasn’t looking at her.
Nina stared at the plate for a moment before glancing toward him again. His expression remained unreadable as he served himself afterward, but something inside her loosened slightly anyway.
Quietly, she picked up her cutlery.
They ate in silence.
The longer the silence stretched, the more nervous Nina became. She kept waiting for him to say something, anything, but Rodrigo seemed entirely unconcerned. He ate calmly while she sat beside him drowning in her own thoughts.
Was he pretending nothing had happened?
Did he regret it?
Was he waiting for her to bring it up first?
Her mind refused to settle.
By the time they were nearly finished eating, Nina could feel tension building beneath her skin again. Her throat had gone dry from thinking too much, and she reached toward the water jug sitting near the middle of the table.
At the same moment, Rodrigo reached for it too.
Their hands brushed lightly against each other.
Nina pulled her hand back instantly, startled by the sudden contact.
Her eyes widened as she looked up at him.
Rodrigo turned toward her slowly, his hand still resting against the jug.
