Page 123 of Crystal Luna
“Dad hasn’t been a fan of us lately,” Asher revealed.
“He never really liked the idea of us becoming alpha but it seems like he’s trying harder now to convince us it was a mistake.”
With a puzzled look, she took a seat on the armchair across from them. “Do you agree or disagree?”
“Disagree, of course.”
“You would say that, Asher. After all, Isaiah does all the work for you,” she teased.
He squared his jaw, clearly not in the mood for banter. “Only because that’s what we let people see.”
Velora schooled her features. “Fine. No teasing. Why wouldn’t he want you two to do it together? Isn’t that better for the pack?”
“He thinks it’s confusing and will only end in disaster. Because the whole point of an alpha is that there’s one person in charge—one person to make the decisions,” Isaiah explained.
“So, he thinks at some point you two will fall out.”
“Yes.”
“But that can happen to any alpha. Remember how Alpha Brock turned crazy and got his pack destroyed because of it?”
“He’s never going to change his mind and now with you…” Asher paused for a moment, before sighing. “Well, he thinks we’ll get jealous of each other and fall apart even faster.”
She hadn’t thought about that, especially after they’d admitted that they didn’t keep track of who got the most attention.
“That’s his opinion, Vel. Not ours,” Isaiah quickly clarified.
“I know. Ever since you said you didn’t have a secret competition on who gets the most attention, it hasn’t crossed my mind.”
“Jealousy is a natural part of any relationship. We’d be lying if we said we haven’t felt it, but it’s not hostile in any way. Ash and I don’t keep it a secret from each other, but I don’t think there could be a situation where we didn’t feel any jealousy.”
“But it’s nothing that would tear us apart. Just like Isaiah is more talented in keeping track of our financials, I have a better handle on schedules. Do I wish I could do it all? Yes, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t work it out together.”
She stared at them, shocked at their vulnerability.
“I think somehow we rendered her speechless,” Isaiah chuckled.
Velora flushed, though she wasn’t sure why that particular moment felt so intimate.
“And now we made her blush,” Asher joined his brother and stood up. “C’mon, moonlight. Mom and Dad will be showing up soon.” Asher helped her to her feet and led her down the stairs behind him.
In the kitchen, Isaiah uncorked a bottle of red and poured himself a glass of wine.
“Give me one too,” Asher told him. “I might not survive the night without it.”
Isaiah handed his brother a glass and then looked to her with a silent question in his eyes.
“I rarely drink.” The only times she’d felt safe enough had been with Heath.
“Ah, so many missed opportunities,” Asher teased, earning a grin from her as he took his first sip.
Not even a moment later, there was a quick knock at the door before it swung open. Theodore and Silvia stepped inside, dressed as if they were attending a formal dinner. When Silvia’s eyes fell on her new daughter-in-law, she plastered on the fakest smile Velora had ever seen.
“Velora, welcome back.”
“Hello, Silvia.” It was satisfying to only call her by her first name and judging by the tight lipped grin she got in response—it did exactly what Velora hoped.
“You look wonderful.” She drifted into the kitchen, her dress swishing around her legs as she pulled Velora into a hug. “Asher said the journey wasn’t as bad as expected. We were worried about rogues.”