The Alpha's Unexpected Luna

SOMA When Lilith and the Rybak brothers disappear into the house, my shoulders collapse in relief. There's no time for rejoicing as I rush to Mason, pulling his head onto my lap. He twitches and trembles, and I wipe his face with the hem of my dress.   Someone drops a towel and a bowl of water at my feet. I look up to see it's one of the decorators, but she walks away before I can offer her my gratitude.   "That was so stupid of you, Mason," I mutter. Nausea rises in my throat, and I push it down. "You shouldn't have done that. Everyone knows better than to argue with the princes."   Tears well up in my eyes, falling onto his cheeks. The others resume the work, cleaning up the mess the princes made. I dip the towel in the water, wring it, and wipe the blood on Mason's face. His eyes are nearly swollen shut, and claw marks stretch across his cheeks.   But they look to be slowly healing. Thankfully, he's not an omega like me.   Mason groans, his lips move, but I hear nothing until I bring my ear closer to his mouth. He heaves between each word. "Of what use am I if I can't protect my Pup-Pup?"   "I don't need your protection," I protest. Cleaning up more blood, I point at his face. "Look what it got you."   The brothers ended up victorious, leaving me with a best friend, who I don't know how long it will take for him to heal. Their warning was clear. No one talks back to them. If Lilith hadn't shown up, it might have escalated.   How can Maeve and Sheila gush over those nasty, proud, condescending assholes? What am I saying? The princes will never treat my cousins this way because they don't consider them vermin.   "Can you get up?" I ask.   Mason winces, and I take that as a no.   "Excuse me," Edna says. Anger shadows her face as she walks up to us. The moment her mouth opens, I know it's bad news. "You need to leave. Both of you. Your services are no longer required here."   "And his payment?" I ask, gesturing to Mason, who's still struggling to breathe. "We'll leave, but you have to pay him for the work he's done up till this moment."   Edna scoffs, staring at us with a look of disbelief. "You're kidding me, right? You think I'll pay you after picking a fight with the Alpha Prince? My goodness, you're more delusional than I thought. You're the reason he was beaten, and now you're looking for another fight?"   "Yes," I growl. The word surprises even me, but I don't relent. I've been humiliated already. What's the worst that can happen? We need that money. Mason needs it. I lower Mason's head to the grass and rise. "His pay."   "Excuse me?"   "Give me his pay now or I'll report you to the high priestess," I yell. My voice breaks. Tears gather in my eyes, and my hand shakes as I stretch it out to her. "We worked all afternoon before the princes came. You owe us."   Her mouth opens and closes. When she realizes I won't back down, she reaches into her waist purse and flings some cash at me. After picking it up, I don't bother counting it. At least we got something.   "Now, leave. Both of you."   "Mason," I whisper. "We have to go."   He sighs, clearly still in pain. Since I've collected money from her, we can't delay, or she'll report us. I help him to his feet, my arm curling around his waist.   "Can't your wolf heal you faster?" I ask.   Mason laughs, but it ends up in a coughing fit. I stare longingly at the cars we walk past on our way out. If I had a car, this would have been easier.   Some guards stare at us, but others barely glance at us as we walk out the palace gates. Walking with someone as heavy as Mason makes the journey down harder.   I apologize each time he groans, and when he almost stumbles, I whisper, "Sorry." He dismisses it, trying to stand on his own without my help. "It's my fault. If I weren't so weak and clumsy, I never would've fallen."   "Stop," Mason hisses out. He coughs, but raises a hand to stop me from helping him. I force myself to stay put, keeping my fists clenched at my sides. Right now, arguing with him about this is pointless. "You don't get to say that. You don't get to blame yourself for something out of your control. They were rude. They were wrong. They hurt you."   "What do you want me to say then?"   "Say you'll run away with me," he whispers.   As he straightens up, his chest heaves from the effort. I can tell he's in pain, but he takes my face between his palms, and I forget how to breathe.   All I see is Mason. The sadness in his eyes. The determined curve of his lips.   "Run away with me, Pup-Pup. Let's leave Shadowspire."