Chapter 82: Pot, Meet Peacock

Nova moved faster than she had any right to, powered by the particular kind of adrenaline and strength that comes when a child is in danger.

She snatched the pup off the ground just in time for the cart to slam past them, leaving a thank-you bruise across her back.

The mother’s scream cut off mid-syllable, her heart stopping and starting in the same second.

Nova made eye contact with her, then gently set the pup down. The little boy looked up, completely unaware. Good.

He shoved a glowing flower at her.

"Is this for me?" Nova asked, smiling down at him.

He gave a single nod.

"How lovely. What’s your name?"

"Tobias."

"Thank you, Tobias. This is exactly what my cloak needed." Nova stuck the flower in the clasp of her cloak.

Tobias’s chest puffed out like he had been knighted. He hugged her legs then ran back to his mother, grinning.

The mother was trembling, looking at Nova with eyes that said she would remember this moment for the rest of her life. Nova gave her a single warm nod. Accidents happen. The safeties were supposed to activate if they sensed a pedestrian or animal. It clearly had malfunctioned. That poor woman looked like she could use a Lightning Nectar.

Nova turned and cut back to Derek. Half an hour in this city and she’d already broken protocol. But the procession was still rolling. That meant no harm, no foul. In theory. Goddess, she hoped it was no foul.

When she saw Derek’s face, her stomach dropped. Definitely a foul. The man looked genuinely upset and upsetting Derek was the last thing she wanted.

He was already coming for her. Didn’t wait. Met her halfway, hauled her into his side, and walked her the rest of the way like the gap had offended him. As soon as they hit their spot, Nova looked up at him. She owed him an explanation or maybe just an ’I’m sorry.’ She opened her mouth. Celeste shut the window.

"7709. You left formation. You made physical contact with a child from another pack without authorization. That is a breach of slave conduct code and a breach of procession protocol, which is why I ordered you to the back to begin with."

"My apologies, Princess," Nova said, head dipping.

"Wolves have been standing in the cold for hours waiting for this," Celeste continued, speaking over her shoulder. "Pups. The elders. Omegas with newborns. And you held them up."

Derek cut in before Nova could say anything else. "A pup was about to get hit by a cargo pod. Your slave just prevented an accident."

Nova glanced up at him, surprised and relieved he understood. His upset face was gone, replaced with a proud ’of course I know’ smirk.

Celeste didn’t spare the child or his mother a glance. "I don’t care. She left formation. That child is unknown in rank or origin. That is how disease is spread. And this is a formal procession. She does not understand the most basic rules of public conduct and clearly does not belong in the front or in the spotlight at all. For this reason exactly. I keep pointing it out. Open your eyes."

"You’re right, Princess," Nova said, tearing her eyes away from Derek. "I don’t belong here. And I probably never will. If a child is about to get hurt in front of me, I don’t care about their rank or their pack. I will move every single time to get them out of the way."

Celeste spun fully around, glaring at Nova, all subtlety abandoned.

"’I don’t care about their rank or their pack,’" she parroted in a high-pitched, singsong voice as she walked backwards. "How devout. Spoken like someone who doesn’t respect her master and needs lashes."

"A Luna who threatens lashes on a slave after the slave just saved a pup," Derek said in disbelief. "I’m sorry. What? Are you on something? Thunderfang is the wrong pack for that shit. We don’t do lashes here."

"How I punish my slave is none of your business," Celeste snapped.

"Oh," Derek laughed darkly. "That’s where you’re wrong. She is my mate. It is my business."

"’Oh, that’s where you’re wrong,’" Celeste mimicked in a high-pitched voice. "Quit peacocking. The slave likes you. She’ll continue to touch your dick. Now stay out of it."

Nova’s face caught fire at that. Gods, that escalation should have come with a seatbelt. Lashes to dick in ten seconds.

"Peacocking. Interesting word coming from the Peacock Princess herself," Derek fired back. "But fine. You want me to stop being attractive? This is involuntary. It’s genetic. I couldn’t turn it off if I tried."

Celeste’s eyes narrowed on Nova. "If you are well enough to walk in this parade and screw your bastard boyfriend, you are well enough to work. You will report to me tonight."

"Don’t wait up for her," Derek replied.

Celeste held up her hand to cut him off.

"Six out of ten in execution. Doesn’t work on me, Sunshine."

Celeste didn’t lower her hand. "Do you understand, 7709?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Nova replied, voice calm.

"You will not walk behind me again in public. Ever. This is the one and only time," Celeste gritted as her eyes surged wolf gold.

Nova should have been afraid. But she wasn’t. She almost felt bad for the princess, which was a new and unwelcome hobby. She stared as Celeste’s eyes faded back to regular, like the devil had put the good china away.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO MY WOLF!?"

Nova’s mouth fell open. She hadn’t meant to do anything to Celeste’s wolf.

That was the final straw for Derek Thunderfang. He burst out laughing, harder than Nova had ever heard him laugh.

"I’m sorry, what? Tell me this is a joke. I’ve never met a more entitled person in my life," he wheezed. "And I’ve met Kai Starborne, Nova. I know they’re related. But what the actual fuck."

Behind them Beta Tavian also lost it, laughing loudly. Nova wasn’t sure if he was laughing with Derek or if it was something else.

Celeste looked at Alpha Thunderfang.

"The slave did something to my wolf, Landon. Do something. Please. She harmed me."