From Rejected Mate to Luna Chapter 107

Eric's POV

The phone's shrill ring tore me from sleep, my body tensing before consciousness fully returned. Lisa shifted beside me, murmuring something unintelligible as I fumbled for my cell on the nightstand. The screen showed 2:17 AM, the caller ID displaying "Security Team."

"This is Eric," I answered, voice thick with sleep.

"Sir, you need to come to Reynolds Manor immediately." The guard's voice was tightly controlled, professional, but I caught the underlying tension. "It's urgent."

"What happened?" I swung my legs over the bed, already reaching for my jeans.

"I... can't say over the phone. All pack council members are being summoned."

A cold knot formed in my stomach. "I'll be there in fifteen."

Lisa sat up, her blonde hair falling across her shoulders, eyes alert despite the hour. Through our mate bond, she could feel my anxiety pulsing. "What's wrong?"

"Not sure." I pulled a sweater over my head. "Something at the Reynolds place. Probably Nathan causing trouble again." But even as I said it, an unsettling premonition crept through me. This felt different from Nathan's usual disruptions.

Lisa touched my arm. "Be careful. Your heart's racing."

I kissed her forehead. "I will. Go back to sleep. I'll call when I know something."

---

The Reynolds estate was ablaze with lights, security personnel stationed at intervals along the driveway. I parked behind several other vehicles I recognized as belonging to council members. The night air carried hushed voices and the unmistakable scent of grief.

Marcus, head of the security team, met me at the entrance. The veteran warrior's face was ashen. "It's Alpha Reynolds. He's gone."

I froze. "Gone? You mean—"

"Heart attack, according to the doctor. Found in his study about an hour ago."

The foyer was crowded with pack members, some openly weeping, others standing in shocked silence. I moved through them in a daze, following Marcus toward the main sitting room where Luna Reynolds sat crumpled on a sofa, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Beside her stood Nathan, one hand on his mother's shoulder, his expression appropriately somber.

Too somber. Too controlled.

I'd known Nathan since childhood, recognized every nuance of his expressions. The grief displayed on my friend's face seemed perfect—too perfect, like an actor who had rehearsed the correct amount of pain to display.

Dr. Moore, the pack's physician, was speaking quietly to the gathered council members. "...sudden cardiac arrest. Despite his excellent physical condition, these things can happen without warning. I'd examined him just last month and found nothing concerning."

My gaze drifted back to Nathan, who was now calmly issuing instructions to the security team, his posture straightening almost imperceptibly, authority settling around his shoulders like a cloak. For just a moment, when Nathan thought no one was watching, a flicker of something like satisfaction crossed his features.

I looked away, disturbed by the disconnect between what I'd seen and what I wanted to believe about my oldest friend.

---

Three days later, the pack gathered for Alpha Robert Reynolds' funeral. Black-clad figures stood beneath gray skies as Nathan delivered a moving eulogy about his father's legacy. I watched from the front row, noting how perfectly Nathan hit every emotional note, how his voice broke at precisely the right moments.

The burial had barely concluded when Nathan announced the succession ceremony would take place the following evening. "My father would want a smooth transition," he explained to the council members. "The pack needs stability now more than ever."

I caught the surprise on several elders' faces. Tradition dictated a mourning period of at least seven days before succession. Nathan's eagerness scraped against my growing unease.

At the ceremony, Nathan stood beneath the ancient oak tree at the center of pack lands, accepting the ceremonial medallion that marked him as Alpha. His eyes swept the gathered crowd, radiating confidence and purpose.

"As my first act as Alpha," Nathan announced, "I name Eric White as my Beta."

A ripple of approval moved through the crowd. It wasn't unexpected—I had been groomed for the position, just as Nathan had been groomed to succeed his father. But the timing felt wrong, manipulative somehow.

I stepped forward, aware of the expectant faces turned toward me. To refuse would cause division within the pack at a vulnerable time. It would also remove any chance I had of protecting my sister Julia or discovering what really happened to Alpha Reynolds.

"I accept the honor," I said, kneeling briefly before rising to stand at Nathan's right hand. The words felt like ashes in my mouth.

---

"Just like we always planned," Nathan said later that night, pouring two glasses of scotch in his father's—now his—study. "You and me, running this pack together."

I accepted the glass, studying the amber liquid. "It happened faster than we expected."

Nathan settled into the leather chair that had been his father's, looking momentarily vulnerable. "I still can't believe he's gone. After everything..." He trailed off, eyes distant.

"After everything what?"

Nathan sighed, swirling his drink. "You know how it was between us. He never thought I was ready. Always finding fault, holding me back." His voice dropped. "You were lucky, Eric. Your father respected you."

I remained silent, knowing this wasn't entirely true. Nathan and his father had clashed often in recent months, but Robert Reynolds had been a fair Alpha, if strict. The portrayal felt revisionist.

"We need each other now, brother." Nathan leaned forward, intensity in his gaze. "All the shit with Julia, my father's death—it's left a mess. I'm counting on you to have my back."

I set my glass down carefully. "About your father...the doctor said heart attack, but he was in perfect health at his last check-up. Doesn't that seem strange?"

Something flashed across Nathan's face—irritation? Fear? It vanished so quickly I couldn't be sure. Then Nathan's expression softened into sad understanding.

"Grief makes us look for reasons, for someone to blame." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "My father worked too hard, carried too much stress. The doctor said these things can be unpredictable."

His grip tightened almost imperceptibly. "Best not to spread unfounded suspicions. That kind of talk could undermine pack confidence when we need unity. Wouldn't want anything threatening your new position—or your family's safety."

The threat was so smoothly delivered it took me a moment to recognize it for what it was.

Over the next days, I divided my time between Beta duties and discrete inquiry. I reviewed the medical report, finding nothing conclusive. I spoke with staff who had been present that night, learning only that the Alpha had complained of feeling strange after dinner, before retiring to his study.

Most telling was the tea cup—Alpha Reynolds' evening ritual—which had been washed immediately after his collapse. When I asked why, a nervous housekeeper mentioned "Master Nathan" had instructed everything be cleaned while waiting for the doctor.

Nothing solid. Nothing provable. Just a mounting sense of wrongness.

I was reviewing security footage in my new office when my phone vibrated. Julia's name appeared on the screen.

"I heard the news," she said without preamble. "Nathan's now Alpha."

The concern in her voice twisted something in my chest. Despite our differences, I'd failed to protect my sister from Nathan's manipulations for years. I wouldn't fail her now.

"Yes," I confirmed. "And I've been named Beta."

A long silence. "Will you be okay? Working so closely with him?"

"I'll be fine," I assured her, choosing words carefully, uncertain who might be listening. "And I'll make sure you and the family are safe."

"You sound different," Julia observed. "Is something wrong?"

I stared at the security footage, frozen on Nathan's face as he directed staff the night of his father's death. "Nothing I can't handle. Trust me, Julia."