Zane led me down the stairs. He introduced me to a lot of people. I could tell some thought it was weird that Zane was showing me around and introducing me to everyone instead of Alpha Reid. But no one said anything. They all seemed excited to meet me, and I was just as excited to meet the other Pack members. After a few hours, I did start to worry that Reid wasn't going to make an appearance. Pack members whispered amongst themselves. I even heard someone call me an unwanted mate. I didn't let it bother me, choosing to ignore the whispers. Their opinion of me didn't matter, and I didn't care to hear it either.
Letting go of Zane's arm, I walked over to the bar area and grabbed another drink. The gentlemen behind the bar passed me a flute of champagne. He had red hair that jutted out everywhere, making him appear younger than he was. He had a strong build but wasn't as tall as most male werewolves. He wore black slacks and a t-shirt that had a picture of a tie on it.
"So, you're the Luna. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Damien." He bowed his head slightly.
"Nice to meet you, Damien. I'm Aria."
"Where is that Alpha of mine? Haven't seen him all night."
"He is somewhere, I'm not quite sure either." He nodded in understanding. I could tell by the look on his face that he had heard the whispers. Does everyone think I'm the unwanted mate? As the night went on, I started noticing the women kept glancing or smiling sadly at me. Like they felt sorry for me. I didn't want their sadness or pity. I wanted to feel like one of them. Everyone was polite but didn't go out of their way to talk to me. Wendy and Christine came over, finally finding me sitting on a stool at the bar. This time I was drinking red wine. Wendy took the glass from me, taking a sip before she passed it back to me.
"I'll have that one please, Damien," she told him. He quickly handed her a glass as well, and she motioned for me to follow her. We sat at one of the tables. Watching everyone, I saw Lily dancing with a group of kids on the dancefloor. Laughing amongst themselves. Zane came over with a huge tray of food. There were various types of meats and cheeses, and we tucked in eating, watching everyone. After we were done, Zane put his hand out for Christine. She happily took it, and they made their way to the dance floor. Wendy's mate also came and grabbed her. I watched them excitedly. But after a while, I found I was the only one still sitting at the table. I didn't mind, I was happy just watching. I knew it wasn't normal for the Alpha not to be at a ceremony he had organised. I tried to reach him through the bond, but he pushed me out.
When Wendy and Christine came back over, they both put their hands out. Gripping their hands, they pulled me up before dragging me to the dancefloor with them. Feeling a bit giddy from the wine, I joined them, dancing with them and laughing at Zane, who was trying to impersonate Mick Jagger's strut. The whole night seemed to be passing by, but I didn't care. I was having fun dancing with everyone, dancing with Lily whose face was red with exertion.
After a few hours of dancing, everyone was clearly intoxicated and there was still no sign of Reid. There was a commotion at the end of the dance floor. Zane walked off to go deal with it. When the voices got louder, though, I decided to walk over to see what was going on. Three Pack members were arguing, throwing punches. Zane was trying to separate them. They were too intoxicated and weren't listening to his commands, caught up in fighting each other. A crowd had started to grow around the idiots that were fighting. I saw Zane mind-link the Alpha presumably, but just as his eyes regained focus, he was punched making him stumble. There was a collective gasp from the crowd. Walking over, I put my hand out to help him up.
"You okay?"
"Yes, Luna, I'm fine. I will deal with this go back to enjoying your night." I went to walk away when one of the men threw a punch, forcing the other man to stumble into me, knocking me to the ground.
"You fucking twit, show some respect to your Luna. Apologise now," Zane ordered. Getting to my feet, I dusted some leaves and dirt off my dress.
"Luna? Reid doesn't want a Hybrid for a mate. He isn't even here; she is no Luna."
"Watch your mouth, Tom. She is your Luna. Now apologise." The man scoffed at me, rolling his eyes childishly. Lily came over wondering what was going on.
"That's enough, there are children present," I spoke up, looking towards Zane and the other man.
"See, that isn't a Luna. She is weak."
This bloke was really starting to piss me off. One of the other men threw another punch, and it started all over again. Zane was trying to separate them.
Reaching through the mind link, "Reid can you come down here, please. If not for me, do it for Zane. Things are getting out of control."
Reid never replied. I know he heard me; I felt the connection go through. I could even feel him listening. Zane managed to get them separated. People were talking in small groups, agreeing with the man about my authority or lack thereof.
The man from earlier, the one who knocked Zane down, stopped fighting. Walking towards me, he stopped directly in front of me. I could smell the bourbon on his breath. His white shirt had been torn from the fighting, he had a cut on his lip, and his blue jeans had blood on them from the other man. He had leaves in his blonde hair, which was all matted. Christine was right about one thing; having so many Pack warriors under one roof would be a disaster waiting to happen. The amount of testosterone in the air was ridiculous.
The man smiled cruelly. I could tell he was up to no good. I also knew if I backed down, he would see me as weak and no one in the Pack would respect me. The man started jabbing me in the chest with his index finger. Zane went to walk over, but I put my hand up waving him off.
"You're not fit to be Luna. Even the Alpha agrees because he isn't even here."