Keira
The first week of our marriage was a study in polite distance. I slept in the adjoining guest suite, citing tradition and purity until my cycle had passed. Gavin was a storm cloud of frustration, but he could not argue with customs older than our pack itself. He was an Alpha; appearance was everything.
On the eighth morning, I found him waiting for me in the sitting room connecting our chambers. He was dressed in his training leathers, a possessive smile on his face.
“Good morning, wife,” he said, his voice a low purr. “I trust your… inconvenience… has passed?”
“It has,” I replied, moving past him toward the main door. “I am glad. I have a great deal of work to attend to.”
He caught my arm. His grip was firm, expectant. “The only work that matters today is here. With your husband.”
I looked down at his hand on my arm, then back up at his face. My expression was perfectly neutral. “The consummation is a formality, Gavin. A necessary ritual. But it can wait. The pack’s finances cannot.”
I pulled my arm free with a smooth, undeniable motion. His jaw tightened.
“The finances? What are you talking about? That’s Elias’s job.”
“Elias is the pack treasurer. He manages the accounts. I am the Luna. I own the strategy,” I said. “I am on my way to the treasury office now. You may join me if you wish.”
I did not wait for his answer. I swept out of the room, leaving him standing there in a stunned silence. This was not the blushing, eager bride he had expected to finally claim. I was his business partner. And it was time for a hostile takeover.
The treasury was a small, dusty office in the west wing of the pack house. Elias, a graying wolf who had served my husband’s father, looked up in surprise as I entered.
“Luna Keira. This is an honor. Is there something you need?”
“Good morning, Elias,” I said, my voice pleasant but firm. “I need the primary ledgers for the last three fiscal years, all investment portfolios, and the records of the Alpha’s discretionary accounts.”
Elias blinked, his pen hovering over a column of figures. “My lady? The Alpha usually reviews those himself. Privately.”
“And he will continue to do so,” I assured him. “I am simply compiling a comprehensive overview to identify opportunities for growth. My father’s pack saw a fifteen percent increase in assets when I managed our trade agreements. I intend to bring the same prosperity here.”
Before he could protest further, the door swung open. Gavin stood there, his arms crossed over his chest. His initial anger had been replaced by a patronizing amusement.
“Keira, darling. You don’t need to trouble yourself with these boring numbers. This is no place for a Luna.”
“On the contrary,” I said without looking up from the first ledger Elias had handed me. “It is exactly the place for a Luna. A pack’s strength is not just in its warriors, but in its coffers. Or did you think my duties extended only to producing heirs and hosting teas?”
The barb hit its mark. A faint flush crept up his neck.
“Of course not,” he said stiffly. “I just want you to enjoy your new life. To settle in.”
“I am settling in,” I replied, turning a page. My finger traced a line. “This is how I contribute. This is how I ensure the Silver Moon pack is the strongest in the region.”
My words soothed his bruised ego. He liked the idea of his pack being the strongest. He liked the idea of me, his perfect wife, making it so. It reflected well on him.
“Very well,” he said, pulling up a chair. “Show me what you’ve found.” He was trying to reassert his dominance, to show that he was still in charge.
I let him. For now. An hour passed. I worked in silence, my focus absolute. Gavin grew bored, shifting in his seat and tapping his fingers on the table. Elias watched me with a growing sense of awe. In my first life, I had been too timid to ever step foot in this room. I had trusted Gavin completely.
Then I found it. Tucked away, disguised as agricultural investments. A series of large, regular payments to an account based in the Shadowclaw territory. A territory known for one thing: its high stakes gambling dens.
“Elias,” I said calmly. “Can you please bring me the charter for the Shadowclaw agricultural fund?”
“There is no such fund, Luna,” he said, confused.
I looked up at Gavin. My face was a mask of gentle inquiry. “Gavin, what are these payments? They’re draining nearly ten percent of our monthly surplus.”
He stiffened. “Those are strategic investments. A private venture.”
“I see,” I said, my voice still light. I made a note on a separate piece of parchment. “So they are personal, not pack business?”
“Yes,” he snapped. “It’s a personal matter. A bit of bad luck at the tables. I was going to pay it back.”
In my past life, I had cried when I found this. I had begged him to be more careful. I had used my own dowry to secretly pay it off, to protect his reputation. This time, I felt nothing but a cold, sharp satisfaction.
“Of course you were,” I said with a serene smile. “But we must keep the books clean. It would be a disaster if the Elders saw pack funds being used for personal debts. It suggests a weakness in leadership.”
His eyes narrowed. “What are you suggesting?”
“I’m suggesting a simple solution,” I said, my tone as helpful as if I were planning a dinner menu. “We will classify this as an internal loan from the pack to its Alpha. I will draft the paperwork. We will set a reasonable interest rate, say, five percent, and arrange a repayment schedule deducted directly from your personal stipend. It’s the only responsible way to handle it. For the good of the pack.”
Gavin stared at me. He was speechless. I was treating him not as my Alpha, my husband, but as a financially irresponsible subordinate. I was using the logic of pack law and fiscal responsibility against him, and he was trapped.
“I will handle it,” he finally managed to say, his voice tight with fury.
“Excellent,” I said, already writing. “I will have the documents ready for your signature by this evening. Now, if you’ll excuse us, Elias and I have two more years of ledgers to review. I want a full picture of our financial health.”
He stood up abruptly, his chair scraping against the stone floor. He was looking at me as if he’d never seen me before. He saw the efficiency, the competence. He was pleased by it, by the value I brought. But he was also seeing the ice, the utter lack of wifely deference or romantic softness. He was confused.
Good. Let him be confused.
He stormed out of the office without another word. Elias looked from the closed door back to me, his expression unreadable.
“My Luna,” he began slowly. “The Alpha has never allowed anyone to…”
“The Alpha is very busy,” I interrupted smoothly. “He has warriors to train and borders to patrol. He needs a Luna who can manage the internal affairs of this pack with strength and precision. That is what I am doing.”
I gave him a small, reassuring smile. “Now, about that lumber contract with the Red Creek pack. I believe their terms are no longer favorable. Let’s draft a new proposal, shall we?”
Elias stared at me for a moment longer, then a slow grin spread across his face. He pushed a fresh ledger across the desk.
“As you wish, Luna. As you wish.”
