There’s a knock at the door and it startles me awake. I sit up and look around, confused. It takes me a moment to realize that I’m in my new room in the packhouse, but I’m not sure how I got there..
*knock knock* “Luna Celeste?! May I come in?”
I move to stand up but quickly realize that I’m completely naked and yank the covers back on top of me.
“Umm.. Come in,” I call, hoping she doesn’t notice my lack of clothing. How did I even get here?
“Good morning, Dearie!” she says with a chipper tone and a smile a mile wide on her face. “The Alpha asked me to bring you breakfast. He said you were tired after your shift last night.”
Oh gosh. He must have had to bring me back last night. “Rita, right?”
“Yes, ma’am! The Alpha has asked me to be your attendant until you can select your own. It’s a real honor.”
“Oh, thank you. I’m so glad to have met you! I felt the link to you last night, but it was overwhelming and I shut everyone out. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no apology needed. I can’t imagine how that must feel. I saw him carry you in last night. How are you feeling this morning?”
My face immediately turns so red that it burns. “I shouldn’t have tried to shift so soon. I can’t believe he had to carry me up here, and naked.”
“Oh, honey, we’re wolves. He’s an Alpha. It’s certainly nothing he hasn’t seen before.”
I’m not exactly sure what she means by that, but I’m too embarrassed to ask her. “Now dearie, if I’m going to be your attendant, I need you to tell me how you got here. You’re so young. I’m going to take care of you, but I need to know how.”
I look at her kind green eyes, with slight wrinkles in the corners and feel so comfortable with her. “Can you toss me a shirt or something and then I’ll tell you everything?”
“Of course,” she says with a smile and grabs a night shirt for me and sits on the end of the bed.
I begin to tell her the quick version of my story, but she’s so warm and comforting and before I know it, I’m telling her every small detail as I sob through it. She listens with empathy, moving to sit next to me and pulls me into a warm, comforting hug.
She squeezes me tight and rubs my arm. “You’ve been through too much in your little life. You’re just a kid.”
“Can I ask you something?” I ask as I sniffle and she just nods. “How did you know about my father?”
“The Omegas talk, dearie,” she says softly. “It gave us all so much hope that an Alpha was willing to do that. It’s a shame that it turned out like it did. Alpha David can’t do that here. I’ve no doubt that he’d like to, but since he took over at his young age, it would be too dangerous.”
I nod in understanding and sit up so that I can look at her. “Someday. Someday, I’ll make sure that it happens.”
“I’m sure you will, sweet girl,” she tells me and smiles, but not in a condescending way. She truly believes that she thinks that I somehow will. “There’s an aura about you. You’re going to do great things. I’m sure of it.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, surprised by her faith in me. “I really hope I can live up to your expectations of me.”
“Dearie,” she says, turning to me and taking my hands in hers. “You shifted at the age of 15, all alone when it wasn’t even a full moon and running for your life. It’s overwhelming because it’s new, but never forget just how strong and brave you are. You've done what you must to survive. You need to appreciate that.”
I nod and smile and she releases me, I guess accepting that I’ve decided I can do this. She turns away and walks to my closet, coming back with a nice charcoal gray dress. It looks like it flairs at the waist and should end just below my knees. The capped sleeves look really smart and give it a nice shape.
“The Alpha has requested that you come to his office after breakfast,” she begins, causing my eyes to bulge out of my face as I abruptly jump out of bed and scramble to the bathroom. “Calm down, dearie. He said there’s no rush and that your rest is the priority.”
Of course he did. He’s truly taking his vow to care for me to heart. “Eat first and then shower. I’ll help you get ready after.”
“Oh, umm…” I begin, not wanting to offend her, but I don’t need help. “I didn’t have an attendant at home. I’m alright to get ready on my own. Thank you, though.”
“Of course,” she says and bows her head a bit. “Just mind link me should you need anything. Anything at all.”
“Thank you, Rita,” I say, walking over to the tray she had brought.
I lift the golden cloche and find a bowl of oatmeal waiting for me next to a steaming mug of tea, with cream and sugar. I can’t help but smile, knowing that he not only told them to bring me breakfast, but he told them what to bring me. I feel a flutter in my tummy but I tamp it down quickly. I’m too young and he’s not my mate. He’s just fulfilling his agreed-upon role as Alpha.
I finish eating and quickly shower, drying my hair and putting on the dress Rita had chosen for me. I look at myself in the mirror and smile a little. It truly was a nice choice. I grab a pair of black kitten heels and check again. Perfect.
As I make my way upstairs to David's office, everyone I pass greets me and it warms my heart that they’re being so kind to me. I reach his office and lift my hand to knock, but stop and smooth my dress out first. Before I can knock, though, he opens the door and smiles at me.
“Hey, Luna,” he says, his voice raspy. He tilts his head and his golden blond hair tousles, giving him a boyish charm.
“Hi,” I say, suddenly feeling nervous under his gaze.
He steps back and holds his arm out. “Come in. I want to talk to you.”
“OK,” I say shyly, walking towards the couch that he’s motioning to. I take a seat and look up at him as he follows me over. Audrey was right. He really IS attractive. He’s tall and strong, with broad shoulders. He’s wearing a black suit that perfectly stretches across those broad shoulders.
He takes a seat next to me and smiles at me nervously. “Are you feeling alright now? I was worried when you passed out, but the doctor assured me it’s normal since you just recently shifted.”
“I’m alright,” I reassure him. “I'm a bit tired, but nothing hurts.”
“Good,” he says and releases a sigh clearly full of relief. “I carried you back and put you in bed. I’ve got your clothes and shoes upstairs.”
I look down at my clasped hands sitting neatly in my lap, trying not to turn red from embarrassment. “Thank you,” I whisper, not willing to look up at him.
“Of course,” he says confidently, making me feel even more embarrassed about the situation. “So, how are the bonds with the pack? I’m sure it must have felt overwhelming to be connected to everyone at once.”
“I didn’t realize that my pack bond had even been severed until this replaced it,” I tell him and when I look up at him, I can see so much sympathy in his eyes. “I thought it felt so bad because of the pain of losing my family, but realized last night that it was from losing my whole pack. It’s nice to have that again.”
“I’m glad,” he says, and the smile he flashes is so genuine and contagious that I can't help but smile back at him. “Celeste, I’m not going to drag it out any longer. I think when we did the ceremony to name you Luna we may have, accidentally, created a mate bond between us.”
Aksara