Lorraine.

Fear is like a mass of hungry waters, pulling you in - while you are trying to break free - and enjoying it at the same time. Or I thought it was.

Except, what I was feeling wasn't fear. I couldn't manage to describe it, I knew it came very close to fear...but not quite.

The Chief Inquisitor, a greying old man in his late seventies, could barely pronounce a word without grimacing, but he was good at his job, and that was why he still maintained his position as the judge of the council.

"Can the council start its readings?" He asked, his spectacles placed delicately over his brown eyes,

He exuded warmth. Those are the ones I was scared of the most.

The council granted him his answer.

"Okay, let's proceed. We are gathered here in the name of the moon goddess and with her help, we should be able to preside correctly over this situation at hand."

I waited, my breath flowing steadily. I was still calm, and I had no intention of giving in to my erratic heart.

"As it had been brought to light, Lorraine Jameson, the hidden Luna of our great pack has now been exposed."

Silence, everywhere. I could see their judging stares penetrating through my head, but I refused to grant them my attention. It was the least I could do for my dignity.

"And as it stands, she can't be our Luna." He continued, affirmation filled their faces,

I wasn't worth it. At all.

"The evidence presented proves that she isn't worthy to be a leader of this pack. We want our progress and not our downfall. I fail to understand how a lowly omega could do justice to the high name we've managed to make for ourselves all these years. We won't simply let an omega ruin it!" His voice sounded aggravated, the tips of his ears turning pink,

"We need a strong leader, someone who would be able to carry our burden and distress. And not a low-ranking wolf who cannot take care of herself talk less of a whole pack of strong werewolves who have a legacy to maintain. It simply cannot happen!" He paused momentarily,

"We fully agree, your lordship. An omega isn't fit to rule over us, never." A council member said to him, gaining the positive response of others who were present,

"Good and fine. Anything to say for yourself, Lorraine?" The judge asked,

I waited a beat or two before replying, "No, sir."

"We move on to the second piece of evidence. A Luna is expected to be able to procreate. To produce strong Alphas who would eventually take over and keep the generation of this lineage going. We, the council members, have decided that we do not want a Luna who cannot produce a suitable offspring for the continuation of the pack and its growth." The judge said, his voice filled with malice.

At what he said, tears sprung to my eyes. The feeling of losing a child isn't something I would wish on another person. I could still remember the beautiful silver eyes which my son, Payton , had possessed. He was impossible not to stare at, and most importantly...he gave me love. The one which I so very much wanted. His death affected me greatly, so much that I went into a state of depression for so many months after his death.

My eyes hurt from the great amount of moisture pooling up in its once-dry area.

Don't cry, Lorraine. You will not cry. You will not let them see you as weak.

I tried to talk myself out of crying, but I couldn't control the few traitorous drops that escaped of their own accord.

The judge cleared his throat, "Let us continue-"

Suddenly, everyone seemed to stop what they were doing. An aura of power filled the whole room, and the silence echoed in our ears. I tried to use the coarse material of the shirt I was wearing to wipe my eyes, but it seemed to sting more, so I just stopped.

I watched as different werewolves with their respective ranks drop to their knees, with their right hands on their chests. My eyes followed them slowly until they finally landed on the judge, he dropped down on his knees and fixed his hand on his chest.

"Alpha." They all echoed,

I stood stiffly, not knowing what else to do. Being his Luna meant I was his equal, but I wasn't sure on what grounds. Piercing grey eyes traveled around my body until they finally rested on my hazel ones, I immediately dropped down to my knees,

"Alpha," I said, my eyes downcast.

"Rise." He said sternly, there was a collection of shuffling as everybody rose,

"Erm- Alpha Killian, you see...a proceeding is going on in here." The judge told Killian,

Killian remained silent, "And we..." He gestured around, "Are wondering why our great alpha is interrupting..." He chuckled nervously,

A few snickers came from the audience. But Killian remained silent. Everyone started expectantly at him, I included... waiting for him to say something. Anything.

But he said nothing.

Murmurs started going around from the end of the hall, snide remarks moving around.

My cheeks reddened in embarrassment, I couldn't fathom why he would suddenly walk in with no agenda or plan on what to do next.

"Lorraine Jameson gets to remain as Luna of the Redvers Pack." His deep but slightly hoarse voice coursed through the room, his declaration ringing in the minds of everyone present,

What?

"My Alpha, with all due respect, I'm afraid I can't do that. As the evidence presents-"

"What evidence?" Killian cut in, his voice sounding weirdly calm,

"Evid- evidence that she's not worth it. She can't be the Luna of this pack!" A chorus of "yes" was heard,

I watched them quietly as they decided over my life. It wasn't like I could do much, anyway.

"Lorraine, although an omega, has not given us a reason to doubt her strength as a leader. I am certain she would do well if given the chance," Killian argued,

Tension flowed in the space unoccupied by werewolves, Killian was defending me. A sudden burst of emotion made my heart swell.

"But, Alpha Killian, she is still an omega. And she is bound to fail anytime soon." The judge responded,

"But she hasn't, yet. And I don't think she will. And I know you would attack her over the childbearing issue, but I don't know if it had been brought to your notice about the unfortunate incident that took her child, our child, away from us so quickly."

At the mention of my Payton , my heart started to tear up again. After years of trying and failing to move on, I can't get the pain out of my head.

A brief moment of silence, "Very well, Alpha. If you insist that your claims are true-"

"I do insist."

"Then all charges against Lorraine Jameson are hereby dropped. Council dismissed." The judge concluded.

A mixture of death stares and angry glares were sent in my direction, they really wanted me to leave,

Huh.

I felt a large, warm but calloused palm press against my back and guide me outside. Shock overtook my body, and I paused to see that it was Killian who was guiding me outside.

I followed his lead, mentally taking note to thank him for everything he had done for me today.

He led us to his black BMW, which stood gracefully on the side. As soon as I got in, I opened my mouth immediately,

No words of appreciation could cover what he had done, the least I could do was thank him, really.

"Killian, I really appreciate-" I began saying, but I was cut off by the feeling of something hitting my thighs,

I looked up to be met with Killian's harsh gaze, frown lines etching themselves deep in his forehead.

"I-" I looked down and gathered the bundle of papers in my hand, "What is this?" I asked him softly,

"That is a contract." His voice sounded harsh, mean, indifferent,

"Okay. For what?" I tried to keep the tremble out of my voice, but I seemed to be failing badly,

His laser-like gaze didn't shift from my face.

"I defended you out there, and that is not for nothing. I'll rush through the contract. My first love and fated mate has returned. And I want to be with her, but since you're currently occupying the position of my wife, it isn't possible. This contract states that we would have an open relationship. I would be able to live with you, and at the same time...my fated mate, Elliana."