“Enough!”

Everyone instantly turned rigid and silent at my command.

Harold’s hand was still extended from where he’d pushed Juliet. Nelson’s mouth hung open mid-sentence. Even the workers crowding the doorway stood like statues, their arguments dying on their lips.

Edmund’s reflexes had kicked in just in time. His arms were wrapped securely around Juliet, who had stumbled backward from Harold’s shove. Her face was pale, one hand instinctively moving to her stomach.

“Are you hurt?” I asked.

Juliet straightened slowly in Edmund’s arms. “I’m fine,” she said, though her voice shook slightly. “Edmund caught me.”

Relief flooded through me, but it was quickly replaced by fury. These idiots had just pushed a pregnant woman. The realization seemed to hit some of the workers as well, because I could see horror dawning on several faces.

“If pushing a pregnant woman is the only method you have to prove you deserve a leadership position,” I said, my voice low and dangerous, “then you might as well pack up and leave right now.”

Harold’s face went white. His eyes darted to Juliet’s barely visible bump, then back to me.

“I—” he started. His eyes were full of guilt as he scanned Juliet’s slight bump, but he quickly regained his composure. “You’re just lying to make us look bad. She’s probably not even pregnant, just bloated!”

Murmurs began to ripple through the crowd of workers. I caught fragments of their conversations.

“Pregnant? She’s pregnant?”

“That’s going too far...”

“Harold shouldn’t have done that.”

“Is he joking? How can she just be bloated? She’s obviously expecting...”

I could see the tide turning. Several of the workers who had been nodding along with Harold’s complaints now looked uncomfortable and ashamed.

“This is exactly the kind of behavior that will not be tolerated under my leadership,” I continued, my gaze sweeping across the room. “I want to make something crystal clear to all of you.”

Every eye was focused on me now.

“I have no intention of replacing competent workers,” I said firmly. “None whatsoever. I am now the Luna of the Blackmoon Pack, which means I will put Blackmoon’s success and prosperity above everything else.”

Harold shifted uncomfortably, his eyes full of resentment. However, now that he realized the workers weren’t blindly listening to him any longer, he smartly remained quiet.

“I want to see Blackmoon thrive,” I continued. “This pack has incredible potential, with resources that other packs can only dream of, and a workforce with decades of combined experience. But I will not tolerate discord being sown internally.”

I turned my attention directly to Harold and Nelson, who both flinched under my stare.

“Harold. Nelson.” Their names came out like ice. “I had every intention of reinstating your leadership positions if you could prove your worth. If you could show me that you were committed to Blackmoon’s success above your wounded pride.”

Nelson’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing.

“However, the productivity decline over the past month has been too drastic to ignore,” I continued. “Crop yields are down thirty percent. Equipment maintenance has been neglected. Three separate irrigation systems are running at half capacity.”

Several workers glanced at each other.

“Now, I’m not going to stand here and accuse anyone of deliberate sabotage,” I said, though my tone made it clear what I suspected. “But I will say this: if anyone thinks that showcasing their displeasure through poor performance is going to change my mind, they’re gravely mistaken. Such behavior will only bring about harsher consequences.”

The room was dead silent again.

“For now, Edmund and Juliet will oversee the agricultural operations,” I announced. “They are people I have worked with before, and have experience maximizing crop yields with limited resources. More importantly, they’re committed to success rather than politics.”

I looked around the room one more time.

“If anyone is genuinely unhappy with this arrangement, you can speak to me directly,” I said. “My office door is always open for constructive conversation. But I will not tolerate any more disruptions or sabotage, and I certainly will not tolerate anyone putting their hands on my people.”

The emphasis I put on ‘my people’ when referring to Edmund and Juliet sent a clear message. They were under my protection now.

Before anyone could respond, my phone rang.

The sharp sound cut through the tension like a knife. I pulled it from my pocket and glanced at the screen.

Zayne Silvius.

My eyes widened with surprise. We hadn’t properly spoken since the Lycan Summit. I had never called him back, and he had never sent a message to ask. Ever since then, we have remained in a state of limbo.

I stared at the screen, watching his name flash.

Edmund noticed my hesitation. “Luna,” he said quietly, “we can handle things here.”

I looked up at him questioningly.

“The equipment might be more advanced than what we had at Moonveil,” he continued, “but ultimately, it’s still the same principles. Soil, water, crops, harvest. Can’t be too hard.”

Juliet nodded in agreement. “And I’m sure there are plenty of helpful people in this crowd who would be willing to guide us if we need assistance with the specific systems here.”

Her warm smile and genuine tone seemed to work magic on some of the workers. I could see several of them nodding, their expressions softening. Her kindness was infectious, even in this tense situation.

My phone continued to ring.

“Go ahead, Luna,” Edmund said. “Take your call. We’ve got this handled.”

I looked around the room one more time. The situation seemed stable now. Harold and Nelson looked chastened, and the workers appeared to be warming up to Edmund and Juliet.

However, I would still need Caleb to send someone trustworthy to watch over Harold and Nelson. I doubted they would take this quietly.

“Very well,” I said. “Edmund, Juliet, you’re in charge. I want a full progress report by the end of the week.”

“Understood,” they replied in unison.

I walked toward the door, the crowd of workers parting to let me pass. Once I was in the corridor, I found a quiet alcove near a large window and swiped to answer the call.

“Hello?”