Claiming His Luna

Cercei’s POV

The flight was long, stretching across continents to reach our possible destination.

“It’s fucking cold,” my Aunt exclaimed in a half-whispered sing-song voice about the frigid weather as we disembarked at Tokyo Airport. The chilly air greeted us with an icy embrace.

“Do tell me if you happen to know anyone here, Melanie,” Mamà requested.

“Leave that to me, sister,” Aunt Melanie winked. I shook my head and smiled, pondering whether she knew people from every corner of the world.

As we strolled, we came to a standstill when we noticed unfamiliar men at the exit, conducting checks. They certainly didn’t resemble the typical airport security personnel.

“That’s not Remus’ men,” Mamà observed, gazing at them.

“Whose bunch of rascals do they serve?” Aunt Melanie inquired.

Seriously? Do they never run out of guards? If they aren’t associated with Monsieur, then who could they be?

We turned around and sought an alternative exit. My heart skipped a beat when I spotted a familiar face.

Lucian’s butler, Frank, was it? He stood motionless at the other exit, resembling a statue.

“Cercei, what’s the matter?” Mamà asked as I stopped in my tracks. The blood seemed to drain from my face when Frank noticed me.

“That’s Lucian’s men,” I said, swiftly turning in another direction.

“Who?” Aunt asked, trailing behind, bewildered. I quickened my pace, ignoring her. An emergency exit must be nearby; we couldn’t risk leaving through the main door.

“Who’s Lucian?” Aunt inquired once again.

“Lucian Red? Vienna’s fiancé?” Mamà replied instantly.

I continued walking, desperately aiming for an emergency exit. When I spotted one of their men approaching, I hurriedly ushered Aunt Melanie and Mamà into the women’s restroom.

“Cercei, who on earth is Lucian?” My Aunt demanded impatiently as we entered the restroom. Thank goodness there was no one else present; we could speak freely.

“Is he collaborating with Remus?” Mamà interjected suddenly.

“I don’t know! Yes,” I faltered in my response. I had no idea why his men were here. Were they searching for us? Was he searching for me? Was he angry after I left? Did he plan to hand us over to Monsieur?

“Cercei,” My mother called me, demanding an explanation.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“I don’t know, Mamà. He was present in Dinan, and it was his men who surrounded the city,” I confessed. She appeared utterly shocked by my revelation.

“Wait, what?” Aunt interrupted, and Mamà looked at me, perplexed, while I struggled under the pressure not to lose composure.

“Why would he… Is he… Are you two…” She stumbled over her words, unable to articulate her thoughts.

I remained silent, unsure if I could find the right words to explain. Nevertheless, I knew I couldn’t keep secrets from my mother. It was inevitable that I’d eventually tell her about Lucian, even though I wasn’t sure where to begin or how to make her understand.

“You had a boyfriend, and you didn’t tell us?” My Aunt questioned, disappointment etched across her face. My aunt continued to interject, making it even more challenging to have a coherent conversation.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I clarified, avoiding eye contact.

“Is he an enemy or a friend?” She probed further, her curiosity pushing me to engage, but I hesitated to offer a definitive response.

“I don’t know,” I admitted honestly. The truth was, since leaving Dinan, I hadn’t heard a word from Lucian. A part of me secretly hoped he would come looking for me, showing up at the restaurant where I worked, just like he used to do at the café. But deep down, I knew it was for the best that he remained distant. That was precisely why I pushed him away in the first place. My life was too complicated, and involving him in it would only bring trouble.

“We need to go,” I urged them, and they both nodded in agreement.

Silently, we searched for an emergency exit, ensuring not to be spotted by any guards. Having been seen by Frank, we decided to change our outfits, a precaution we had planned for situations like this, where our safety was at risk.

After changing, we left our suitcases in the restroom, only carrying the essential items for convenience.

“I liked that suitcase,” Aunt Melanie commented as we stealthily walked out. Fortunately, no one was around, not even the airport security guards, which seemed strange.

The emergency exit led us to a parking lot, eerily empty with only the echo of our footsteps.

“All the parked cars look the same,” I noted, realizing they were all black Raptors.

“Stop,” Mamà suddenly pulled me back, her senses on high alert. She scanned the surroundings cautiously.

Then, all the cars’ headlights simultaneously lit up, revealing hundreds of men emerging from the vehicles. My jaw clenched as Mamà and Aunt quickly positioned themselves to shield me.

“Long time no see, Emilia,” a chillingly familiar voice echoed through the air. My eyes widened as I recognized one of Monsieur’s trusted men.

“Russo,” Mamà growled angrily, recognizing the man. I surveyed our situation; we were severely outnumbered.

“Monsieur missed you,” he said with a devilish smile.

“Oh, hello there, Cercei,” he waved at me, and I shot him a seething glare, which only seemed to amuse him.

“You’re feisty now, huh,” he chuckled, provoking my anger even further.

“Emilia, your sister is as beautiful as you,” he leered, his demeanor disgustingly perverse.

“You’re not my type, sorry,” Aunt dared to be sarcastic. I gently pulled her, fearing that her remark might offend Russo and he would retaliate.

“Now, I’m hurt,” he dramatically held his chest.

“Russo, please, let us go,” my mother pleaded earnestly. Russo’s gaze shifted back to her. He stared momentarily before bursting into laughter as if the devil tickled him.

The other men joined in, their laughter echoing coldly. Indeed, mercy had no place in their hearts.

“You’ve become quite funny, Emilia,” Russo remarked, still chuckling.

“I think you’ve had enough of your vacation; it’s time to come home,” he declared, motioning to his men, “Get them, and don’t let them escape!”

“I want you to run,” Mamà whispered from her alert stance. I looked at her in disbelief.

“Are you serious?” How could she expect me to run while they faced this battalion of men? Even if I managed to flee, there was no guarantee of safety. I am not as clever as Aunt Melanie, nor inherit my mother’s creativity and patience. I had no idea where to go.

“No, I’ll fight with you,” I insisted stubbornly. I couldn’t leave them; we had to face this together. Even if I escaped, the thought of them sacrificing their lives for me would haunt me endlessly.

“Cercei, listen to me,” Mamà took hold of my arms, her eyes filled with intensity and distress, imploring me to understand.

“You have to leave, do you understand?” She spoke slowly and thoughtfully, briefly lacking her eyes to mine. I shook my head, but she pushed me away forcefully.

“You will leave, okay? Promise me you’ll leave,” tears welled up in her eyes, and I couldn’t find the words to respond as my heart was wailing too under the immense pressure.

My mother and aunt suddenly shifted into their wolf forms while I stood behind them. I knew they wouldn’t stand a chance against such overwhelming numbers of captors. The situation was dire, and leaving them behind tore my heart apart.

But with tears streaming down my face, I knew that staying would be senseless heroism, leading us to meet our terrible fate. So, with a heavy heart, I gave my promise to Mamà. When they charged into the battle, I reluctantly made my escape.

The pain of leaving them behind gnawed at my soul, but my promise to Mamà became my lifeline. I ran through the darkness, praying that fate would be kind to me. My heart pounded in my chest, knowing that the outcome of this night would change our life course forever.