The Crystal Moon Curse: Book 5: TAKEN

Chapter 41. Dinner

QUILLA

Silence descends across the room, all for the quiet chattering of the pups who get promptly shushed.

"I thought you said there was no curse, that it was a medical condition," I say to my mother.

Astrid sighs, "This explanation could take a while which is why I said we should do this after dinner."

My Aunt Arabella walks over to us, she is the oldest of us all almost sixty years of age, but still a stunning female. Her perfectly coiffed hair is silver with age but she walks with grace and the perfect posture of a former Luna.

She squints at her daughter, "If you had wanted to talk about your discovery after dinner then you should not have brought it up now."

My other Aunts gather around us, their agreement evident as they nod their heads.

"I'm sorry, you're right, it's just, that I've known about this for almost two years."

"Two years? You've known about a cure for our male barrenness for that long and you didn't say a thing?" Esme strides forward with her teeth bared. "I was rejected last year because of this fucking curse and you knew about a cure?"

Astrid holds her hands up, "Esme, please it's not like that, I knew about the cure, but there was nothing I could do."

Voices rise as collective anger and rage heat up, and Astrid becomes the center of everyone's ire. I blink at how fast the tide changes in the room. Soon voices are rising on top of each other and the attempts of anyone to calm the growing storm are crushed.

I step back, my head starting to throb with the noise and overpowering emotions filling the room.

Putting two fingers in my mouth I blow a shrill whistle that has the room silent in seconds and everyone staring at me in surprise.

Well, at least its fucking quiet now.

"Quilla-" I raise a hand and stop my mother from speaking looking across the room at my aunts, cousins, and nieces who stare back at me.

"I spent about three hours this afternoon getting dressed for this dinner and my lycans spent probably more hunting for it. I don't know about you all, but I'm starving so we are going to eat and then Aunt Astrid can tell us about whatever the heck it is she wants to talk about. Now I've had a pretty fucking hard week so I would prefer dinner not to descend into a family feud, if it does, you can all go home."

I don't wait for their response but turn around on my heels only to find Viggo standing not far behind me with his hands in his pockets glaring over my head at my family.

When I reach him his glare turns into a pride-filled smile and he crooks his arm for me to take.

"My Queen, I hear you are hungry," he says as I slip my arm into his.

"Famished." I grit my teeth and he leads us towards a large pair of doors that open up to a massive banquet room.

The first thing I notice is the room full of gorgeous males of varying ages and ranks, all standing around one table each behind a large high-backed wooden chair.

They stare at me as Viggo leads us to the head of the table and as I pass they bow their heads. I catch the Alpha power in the scents of my uncles and weaker scents in the younger males. As we reach the top of the table, my eyes flick from my father who stands to our right, and to another male opposite him to our left. He smiles at me with my father's eyes and I gasp rushing out of Viggo's arm.

Crashing into his large chest that rumbles with a chuckle I draw on his oddly feminine wildflower scent I recall well.

"Uncle Mateo," I sniffle not attempting to stop my tears, my makeup is well and truly ruined. He is exactly as I remember him, big and handsome, a younger version of my dad.