Chapter 40 A Royal Welcome pt 1
Seren
Once Doc Theo examined me and gave me the all clear, it was almost time for breakfast. Duncan had clothes brought over for me while I was being examined, so I changed quickly in the attached bathroom while Duncan and Gideon waited for me in the room with Elaine. The clothes were simple—a soft pair of leggings and a squishy sweater that felt like clouds paired with flat boots that came to my knee. They felt amazing and were probably the most expensive clothes that I’ve ever worn.
We left the hospital, and the sun on my face for the first time in what felt like months was like coming home. I stood for a moment, my face to the sky as I simply breathed in the fresh air. Duncan was on one side of me, Gideon on the other. Between the two of them, I felt safer than I had ever felt. Elaine was following.
We walked along the cutest cobblestone path to the pack house, which looked like a mansion to me. It was gorgeous. Duncan started talking. “I’ve called everyone into the conference room. Elaine, I’m allowing this because of what you did for Seren, and because Kara has vouched for you. Please don’t make us regret this. We need to know everything that you do. Lies and omissions of the truth won’t be tolerated.” He sounded gruff, but I knew it was because he was worried about me.
“Don’t worry, Alpha Duncan. I truly am here to help,” she said. “War is on the horizon, and we need to start gathering allies to fight.”
Her words reminded me of what the Goddess said before she woke me up. ‘Kara, what should we do? I feel like we need to tell someone about what Selene said to us, but I don’t know who we should trust with that information. I don’t think it’s something we should share with everyone right away, do you?’
‘We should tell mate and brother. They’ll know what to do with it and who else to share with for now,’ Kara replied. I don’t know what I’d do without her. My world has changed so much in such a brief space of time, and I still need to figure out how to handle that. I want to get a handle on my power and strength. Kara’s wisdom and friendship have been a guide to me for so long, and I know I’ll be leaning on her heavily in this next chapter, too. ‘Sweet girl. We are one. I’ll always be here to help you,’ she said, picking up on my thoughts.
We had arrived at the pack house doors at this point. I stopped on the steps, then looked up at Duncan. And when I say up, I mean, up. The man was at least six-four, and I barely topped five feet. Our height difference was almost comical. I tugged on his hand to get his attention, not that it was necessary. He had already turned to me when he’d felt me halt.
“I need to speak with you and Gideon alone, before we talk to anyone else,” I said. Gideon looked over at us, a question in his eyes.
“All right, little wolf. We’ll take a few minutes before we join everyone else. Let me just get Elaine settled.” His eyes clouded over, clearly mindlinking someone else. A moment later, the door opened and another tall man stood there. He was just slightly shorter than Duncan, with blond hair and blue eyes, short-cropped hair and a day’s growth of stubble. He looked serious, yet kind, and felt familiar to me somehow. A calming presence emanated from him. He nodded at Duncan and Gideon, then gave me a small smile.
“Luna. It’s very nice to see you up and awake,” he said. I startled at the title. Of all the revelations that I’ve had since I woke up, the fact that I was going to be Luna to this pack was one that hadn’t hit me yet.
“Seren, I’d like to introduce you to the pack’s Gamma, Lucian Whitlock.” Duncan ushered us inside.
“It’s nice to meet you, Lucian,” I said.. Now I understood why I felt that calming presence. As the pack’s Gamma, his job was to protect and calm the Luna when in times of stress or upset. If I am fated to be this pack’s Luna, then Lucian will be my Gamma.
“Lucian, this is Elaine, High Priestess of the Sacred Oak Coven. She arrived this morning to assist Seren with her healing and to share information. Please take her to the large conference room and get her settled. Seren, Gideon, and I need to have a small meeting before we join you,” Duncan said.
Lucian nodded, then held his arm out, showing the way to the conference room. “It’s nice to meet you as well, High Priestess. If you would come with me?” He led her away, down a long corridor to the left.
Duncan looked at Gideon and me. “Let’s head to my office. It’s just here, to the right,” he said, then led us into a large room a few doors down from the foyer. It was big enough to house a desk, conference table, several chairs, and a sofa along one wall. The rest of the walls were built-in bookshelves filled with books. My fingers itched to grab one. Reading was one of my guilty pleasures. It was decorated in grays and blues, a strong masculine theme to the room, though surprisingly minimal. While there were books filling every shelf, there was only one photo frame on the desk. It seemed it was not a place that Duncan kept personal items.
Duncan sat on the sofa and pulled me down beside him. Gideon took one of the cushy chairs opposite us. “What is it, little wolf?” Duncan asked.
“I don’t know where to start, really, and you’re probably going to think that I’m crazy,” I said, twisting my hands together. “But Kara and I both agree that you need to know before we go into that room with everyone else, and you’ll know better than us who to share this with. So, I’m just going to go right into it. When I was unconscious, I spoke with the Goddess.”