“Thank you for coming on such short notice. I know we didn’t give you much time to prepare, but unfortunately time is of the essence right now,” I responded. “Has Mr. Steel informed you why you’re here?”
Maria shook her head, then glanced at Bash and back to me. She kept fiddling with the edges of her sleeves. I could tell she was nervous.
I nodded. “Would you like something to drink? Some coffee, tea, water?”
She graciously declined and continued to fiddle with her sleeves. When she realized what she was doing, she forced her hands to lay still in her lap.
“Okay, I’ll get straight to the point. Since becoming Queen, I’ve been doing my homework on the lunas around the world, and with the help of Mr. Steel, I came across your name. I heard about what you did during the Freedom War.”
Her eyes widened slightly, and she leaned forward. “I can explain—”
I held up a hand to stop her. “No need for explanation. What you did was extremely brave. It’s because of lunas such as yourself that we succeeded at all.” Her mouth fell open and then she snapped it shut as if unsure about the situation. “I get a lot of credit for what happened during the Freedom War, but the truth of the matter is I couldn’t have done a single thing without you and other like-minded lunas. I think it’s time you get the credit you deserve.”
“What?” she choked out, waving her hands at me in a dismissing manner. “You don’t have to do anything, Your Majesty. Please—”
I leaned forward and placed my elbows on my desk. “Are you worried about your pack? Your family? The repercussions?”
She bit her lip but didn’t answer. She didn’t need to. I knew she was worried about it. If I was in her position, I would be, too.
“Don’t concern yourself with any of it, because you’ll no longer belong to the Barcelona Pack.” I leaned back in my chair and watched her. “I want you to join Sheunta Village. More specifically, I want you to join my Council.”
“What?” she gasped. “You want me to join the King’s—I mean the Queen’s Council?” she choked out. “I’m not qualified.”
That was exactly what I wanted to hear. A power-hungry person would have jumped at the chance without hesitation, but this luna was more than capable of what I was asking her to do. She just needed to believe.
“And why do you think you’re not qualified?” I raised a brow. “From what I read in your file, you work in surveillance for your pack.”
Maria exhaled quietly. “I got that position because a friend of mine is the supervisor of operations. If it wasn’t for him, I would be stuck doing laundry,” she mumbled, studiously avoiding my gaze.
“It doesn’t matter how you got it, Maria. The point is that you got it, and it gives you experience in a valuable field.”
She peered up at me disbelievingly. “Nothing happens in Barcelona,” she admitted guiltily. “I don’t have experience in war or politics.”
I grinned. “That’s where you’re wrong. You have experience in war. You took down half your pack. That’s no easy feat. Don’t sell yourself short. But honestly, let’s say you don’t have any experience. What you do have is a voice for the lunas, and that’s what I’m looking for the most. I want someone who will look out for their best interests. Can you do that?” I raised a questioning brow.
Her mouth fell open in surprise and we stared at each other for a long moment while she processed my proposal. I was asking for a big commitment – basically asking her to give up her life in Spain and move to Scotland. She would be turning her back on her family and pack, who admittedly weren’t the most supportive, but they were all she’d ever known. It couldn’t be an easy decision.
She swallowed loudly. “My alpha will not be happy about this.”
I gave a soft smile. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll handle it.”
“I would have to return to pack my things … they might—”
I shook my head. “If you decide to join my Council, you won’t be returning. I’ll send someone to Barcelona to gather your things for you.” I wouldn’t risk her pack retaliating by hurting her or coercing her to change her mind. She was safer here.
A small smile crept onto her face and I could imagine what she was thinking. Freedom was just a few words of acceptance away. All she had to do was agree.
Maria scooted forward in her seat and clasped her hands together excitedly, her golden eyes shining brilliantly. “Okay, Your Majesty. I’ll join your Council.”
“Excellent!” I beamed. “I’ll have Mr. Steel escort you to our HR department to start your paperwork and get you situated. You will remain in the castle until we find you a permanent residence in the village.”
She nodded quickly and stood, bowing deeply, and thanked me profusely before following Bash out of the office.
Once we were alone, Ranulf walked over to my desk with a pensive look, scratching at his five o’clock shadow. “Well, that wasn’t so bad,” he muttered. “She seems genuine enough. I’m concerned about her pack, though. We don want any trouble with the Barcelona Pack.”
I waved off his concern. “They can bill me.”
Ranulf shook his head. “It’s nae about what she’s worth, Yer Majesty. To be honest, she’s probably nae worth much to them. But yer getting rid of their punching bag.”
I growled, “They shouldn’t have one to begin with, and if their alpha has a problem with that, he can come see me directly.”
Ranulf pursed his lips. “I’ll make sure to pass that message along.”
“You do that.”
I jotted some notes about the interview on her file and tucked it at the bottom of the stack, then retrieved the next folder while I waited for Bash to return with the next interviewee. Since he had to take Maria to the HR department – and yes,
