Chapter 69

Arsen and I said our last goodbyes and alongside, Darya, we watched our mates leave the city. Once we lost them in the thick forests of the North, we turned to face each other. We embraced each other. Everything will be fine.

*

The first thing on my mind was to become truly a member of this community. I wanted to aid with everything that I could. I wanted to bbe appreciated as a member, to then be loved as a Luna. The second thing was to get strong- very strong. I wanted to some day go with Arsen to visit the Faljketijn camp, meet the warriors, thank them for their sacrifice, allow them to share as many stories with me as they pleased. Hopefully, make Arsen comfortable enough to share with me some stories himself of Faljketijn. Six years leave a lot of room. However, I knew that to be allowed to go there I needed to be strong, as safe as I'm sure it is. Being so close to the mountains, leave room for a risk that I want to be prepared for. Not only that, but I wanted the warriors to respect me and to know that I had been training precisely just to meet them there.

I asked Darya if she could help me schedule a meeting with the city's Delta. Deltas were appointed one per city in the North due to how big it was. They had little power over the city yet they had to know everything that was going on within the pack. Therefore, if I wanted to start cooking in the kitchen, I would have to tell him.

I went to his house right after showering from training. I was slowly getting better, which ultimately was making my wolf heal faster. The mixture of marking my mate, finally listening to my wolf just like Arsen had advised me and encouraging her healing through becoming a better and stronger fighter every day.

I knocked on the door. It quickly opened, showing an older werewolf with a smile on his face.

"You must be the Luna Aelin," he spoke happily. "I'm so happy you're staying here, how are you liking it so far?"

"Hi," I went to hug him. While it surprised him, he didn't reject it. "I'm happy to be here. It's a lovely city, filled with great warriors and even better people."

"Oh, it makes me happy to hear that. Please, come on in. Darya told me, there were some things you wanted to talk to me about it," he invited me inside, showing me to the living room. A rustic room with two couches and fireplace. It was a cozy yet big house and from the display of the house, I could tell there had been children leaving here before.

I sat down on one couch and him on the other.

"So, tell me."

"I wanted to help out in the community in whichever way I can. I have to admit, I'm not a great warrior. Yet." I didn't forget to add, " I had some troubles with my wolf and it has slowed down my ability to train and fight. But, I can be of use in many other ways. I'm not a horrible cook, I can work in any farms or gardens that you have. I am happy to babysit someone's pup if they get sick while they're at work. Just a bit of everything. I have all the time in my hands, apart from when I'm training and when I'm learning *Akim* with Darya. The rest of the time, I want to serve this city."

His eyes opened with surprise. "Wow," he studied my proposal. "Wow." He repeated. "Are you sure about that, Luna?"

"Aelin," I corrected him.

"You already learning Akim is more than enough," he began, but I cut him off.

"No, it's not. The North owes a lot to this city, and so do I. I'm being welcomed here with open arms, it is my duty as Luna to learn the language, but also my duty as Aelin, to show my gratitude to everyone and not to sit around as I wait to return to the capital. I want to help, I want to meet the people. Arsen finds this place more his home than any other place in the North and I want to show my gratitude for that too," I explain.

He nodded his head.

"For the time being you can work in the fields. There are mostly Faljketijn veterans there and I know they will be the most grateful to see you there. However, please don't strain yourself with the labor. Some may be good for you to continue gaining strength but too much will have the opposite strength," he offered.

"What days?" I asked excited to start.

"Tomorrow is Wednesday, so how about Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Monday," he offered.

"That would be great, if you could write down the time and place for me to go on a paper, and I'll be there always on time," I smiled.

He chuckled, content with my excitement and eagerness.

After grabbing the pen and paper, he wrote down all the information and then handed it to me.

"Any other work that I can do too?" I wondered.

"I think for the time being, stick with that. I'll ask around if anyone else could use a hand," he winked at me.

"That would be lovely," I smiled.

He nodded his head and we both got up simultaneously.

"It's been a true pleasure meeting you Luna Aelin," he told me sincerely.

"There's truly no need for the title," I remind him with a warm smile.

"I know, your mate is the same as you. But you deserve your title as Luna," he spoke with a serenity and a confidence in his voice. I believed every word he said, "you deserve it and so does Alpha Arsen. Don't let anyone take that away from you. Many bad Alphas and bad Lunas are called Alpha and Luna, for those who fullfil their role far and beyond to not be called that way."

"You are a wise man, Delta." I replied, understanding his point. He had outdone his job as a Delta, so why not tip my hat to him and tell him.

He nodded his head. "*Heippa ja onnea*," he said in Akim.

"*Heippa,*" I replied with a smile, knowing that that meant goodbye.