Abandoned Luna: Now Untouchable-Chapter 382 Family Tensions

Author’s pov

Though it was all water under the bridge now, Mabel couldn’t help but harbor lingering regrets about Luna Regina’s marriage.

Sure, Alpha Yardley’s Silver Peak Pack was top-tier among werewolf society, but Denver was a world away from Colorado Springs.

Elder Luna Black had been intimidatingly powerful, and Alpha Yardley himself was the type who didn’t take no for an answer.

Had Regina married into the Locke family instead, Mabel and Martha’s friendship would have guaranteed her daughter an easier ride, one where she could pop home frequently.

But life had other plans.

Within a few years, Zane’s affair with Maggie had blown up the Locke household completely, eventually ending in disaster.

After Rebecca’s death, Zane kept backing Maggie, which made the Cole family so furious they severed all ties with the Lockes.

For over twenty years, Maggie had abused her position to commit countless misdeeds.

The once-respectable Locke family had gone to hell under her influence, with even Martha unable to stop the bleeding.

Whenever Mabel looked back on these events, she kicked herself for being so blind and mourned poor Rebecca.

Above all, she thanked her lucky stars that Regina hadn’t married Zane. Who knew he’d turn out to be such a bastard ?

And Alpha Yardley had proven to be utterly devoted to Regina, cherishing her for decades.

Mabel had seen Maggie’s mean streak firsthand. She’d kept her distance all these years, believing in live and let live.

Yet somehow...

"She still couldn’t leave the Lawson family alone,"Mabel whispered, her voice tight.

Philip slammed his fist on the table, face flushed with rage. "This is outrageous ! Getting her claws into our family ! Call Yardley right now and tell him to bring Zane here !"

Alpha Sebastian placed a calming hand on his grandfather’s arm. "Grandfather, please. Try to keep it together."

"With Uncle Zane’s temperament, dragging him here would accomplish nothing,"Alpha Sebastian continued, his voice measured. "He couldn’t even protect his own family. What could we possibly expect from him now ?"

"Useless bastard !"Philip spat.

Scarlett burst into tears, her voice breaking. "Sebastian, are you saying Daisy is trapped with Maggie ? We have to rescue her somehow—Riley needs her mother !"

Sebastian’s expression remained carefully neutral. "Aunt Scarlett, I never said exactly who’s holding her or where she might be. I’m simply putting two and two together based on what we’ve uncovered."

He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "It’s possible her disappearance was voluntary, and even if she returns... I’m afraid she likely won’t be able to care for Riley anymore."

Scarlett went quiet.

Philip and Mabel shared a look, saying nothing.

The unspoken truth hung in the air : at this moment, not searching for Daisy might be better than finding her.

--

That evening, Charles and Julian returned to the Lawson estate. Julian was Daisy’s husband and Sebastian’s cousin, while Charles was Scarlett’s husband and Sebastian’s uncle.

The three men shut themselves away in the study with Philip for nearly two hours. Afterward, Julian pulled Sebastian aside for another hour. What they talked about remained a mystery to everyone else.

For the next two days, a dark cloud hung over the Lawson household.

Worried about loose lips among the staff, Scarlett cooked up a cover story about the butler and Daisy’s situation, sternly warning everyone against gossiping or letting word slip beyond the estate walls.

By all rights, the Cole family should have been brought into the loop about Daisy’s situation, but the Lawsons chose not to spill. They kept up the act that Daisy had simply taken off for a few days on personal business.

By the third day, the Lawson household ran like clockwork as though nothing unusual had occurred. Those with day jobs went to their offices, those with social circles attended their afternoon teas, and the help chattered about the Black family rolling in soon.

During these days, Alpha Sebastian had stuck to his original work schedule, making his rounds around Colorado Springs with Beta Sawyer as though his early arrival had indeed been for business purposes. He hadn’t brought Cecilia along, instead making sure Harper and Tang remained with her at the Lawson estate.

Despite his initial threats to hit the road the day after arriving, Alpha Sebastian had remained, essentially laying low at the Lawson estate.

Cecilia had spent three full days holed up on the third floor, with meals brought straight to her room.

Lucky for her, the Lawson mansion was huge, and the family had been too caught up in Daisy’s situation to pay much attention to their surprise guest.

This arrangement worked perfectly for Cecilia.

She had no desire to meet and greet Sebastian’s extended family, and considering her part in Daisy’s predicament, staying out of sight seemed wise.

However, she couldn’t stay hidden much longer. Alpha Yardley and Luna Regina were coming soon.

She had already hashed this out with Sebastian, who had agreed she should make herself scarce before his parents arrived.

--

Once Mabel and Scarlett got over their initial shock, they remembered the mysterious secretary still crashing in their home. Their attention snapped back to her.

When Scarlett returned from her afternoon tea gathering, Mabel immediately called her in.

After a quick powwow, they decided to invite Cecilia to join them for dinner.

"The staff said Daisy left that day specifically looking for Secretary Moore,"Mabel said, eyebrows knitted. "I just spoke with Daisy’s personal maid, who told me the butler handed off a phone to this secretary the night before he vanished. Something’s not right. If Daisy was Maggie’s puppet, why go after Sebastian’s secretary rather than stirring up trouble for the Lawsons or Blacks directly ?"

"Exactly, Mom,"Scarlett agreed, leaning forward. "And when Sebastian laid everything out for us, he didn’t mention this connection at all."

"He claimed he came early for business purposes, but what executive travels on business without their secretary ?"Mabel’s eyes went narrow with suspicion.

"She can’t possibly be just some secretary. That must be a fake identity."

"Regina and the others arrive tomorrow. She’ll certainly know the truth."

"Why wait ? Let’s call her right now and get some answers. I need to understand what’s actually going on."

They figured Cecilia’s identity must be something big to have gotten Maggie’s attention and earned Alpha Sebastian’s protection.

Their thoughts ran to political alliances and pack power dynamics. The idea of something as simple as romantic feelings never crossed their minds. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Their guess wasn’t totally off. Cecilia had indeed caught Maggie’s attention.What they couldn’t wrap their heads around was how personal drama was all tangled up with politics.

The most shocking part was that Daisy’s desperate, impulsive actions stemmed partly from her secret crush on Sebastian.

They never would have guessed that.

--

Meanwhile, in Denver, Luna Regina had finished getting ready for her visit home and for Martha’s birthday celebration.

Tomorrow at noon, the Black family would fly out to Colorado Springs.

Right now, Zaria was keeping her company during a facial treatment.

When Mabel’s call came through, Luna Regina had just finished talking to Alpha Sebastian. She’d called to nail down their arrival time for tomorrow. She’d also wanted to carefully probe about Cecilia’s situation.

She answered cheerfully, "Hello, Mom."

Mabel first asked about their travel plans. When would they arrive ? Would York and Zaria be tagging along ? Stuff like that.

As the conversation rolled on, she casually mentioned, "Sebastian has been here for several days now. He brought a woman with him."

Luna Regina froze, her heart doing a flip.

A... a woman ? !