"Thanks, Frank," I said, managing a weak smile. "We really appreciate your help."


    "Yup."


    Enzo reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, then rifled through it for some cash and held the wad out to Frank. "Here," he said. "For the gas and the food."


    Frank chuckled again, like more iron pokers raking over more iron coals. "Keep yer money." he said, shaking his head. "Just..." He paused then, and for the first time I saw the old man''s yellow eyes fade. They weren''t yellow after all; they were hazel. And, for the first time, his face looked tired and sad. "Just... Get it done," he said quietly. His hands were still on the steering wheel, and his knuckles were white from gripping it so hard.


    I didn''t need to ask what Frank meant. He wanted us to stop Selena and whoever this "Luna" was. It was clear that people like Frank were suffering because of the things that those two did.


    I nodded, and reached out to squeeze the old man''s knotted hand. As I did, his hazel eyes met mine, and I swore I saw a ghost of a smile shing across his thin lips.


    "We''ll try our best," I said.


    After that, Enzo and I got out of the truck. I still had my backpack from my first excursion into the werewolf realm, so we shoved our water and our snacks into it and waved our goodbyes to the old man before we started heading down the road.


    As we walked, Enzo and I didn''t let go of each other''s hands once. It almost felt as though we both seemed to be of the belief that if we let go of each other for even a second, we would lose each other again. And neither of us wanted that to happen.


    I just hoped that Frank was right. I didn''t want to leave Enzo behind... and if I could find a way to keep that from happening, while still stopping Selena, I would figure something out.


    But I still didn''t know who this "Luna" was.


    "So... What did he say to you earlier, in the diner?" Enzo suddenly asked as we walked. "I know he said something telepathically."


    I bit my lip and stared at the paved road beneath my feet while I walked. I didn''t want to tell Enzo the truth about what Frank said, because it would only reveal that my original ns whening here were to die with Selena. I was worried that if Enzo found out, he would force us to leave. And I needed to stop Selena, one way or another.


    "Well?" Enzo asked.


    "He just said that he knows I''m the missing princess," I lied. "And he wished us luck."


    "Oh." I couldn''t tell if Enzo believed me or not, but he didn''t pry any further.


    "By the way," I asked, "who is Luna? I''ve never heard of her before."? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Enzo let out a bit of a chuckle. "That''s not her name," he replied. "It''s an honorary title. It''s the same as a queen."


    I raised my eyebrows, mulling over this information for a bit, before speaking again. "So, this Luna... Do you think that she and Selena are working together?"


    Enzo shrugged. "Maybe. I honestly never heard anything bad about the Luna, but, if I''m being honest... I guess I was raised in a pretty privileged way. I never had to worry about things like Frank described."


    I nodded. It sounded as though this Luna - who was essentially my stepmother as well, I supposed - wasn''t treating the lower sses very well. But why not? What would her purpose be behind that? And why would the Alpha King allow it?


    And then, it finally dawned on me: the Luna must have been manipting the Alpha King. Chances were, she was working with Selena after all.


    If that was the case, then this only became that much more sinister.