As we turned off the path that had led us through the Minnesota wilderness, and onto a long pebbled driveway that would take us to Grayson’s home, it felt like there was a bundle of nerves sitting at the bottom of my stomach like a rock.
It was the middle of the night, so I knew that I probably wouldn’t have to meet many people tonight, but I was still nervous. I was about to start my new life in my new home with a man I had only met a few weeks ago but somehow loved. If that wasn’t enough, I was supposed to help him lead with no experience of leadership.
I mean, I barely knew anything about werewolves, and now I was about to become ‘luna‘ of an entire pack. How did that make sense?
We were sitting in the back of a car that
he had left at the airport. Grayson, always knowing when I was feeling uneasy, wrapped a comforting arm around me and gently pulled me to him.
He rubbed his nose against the side of my
head.
“What’s bothering you, baby?”
I shrugged and snuggled closer to him, not really wanting to get into it at that moment. I could barely speak through the lump in my throat.
As if he knew what I was thinking, Grayson said, “Everyb*dy is going to love you. You have nothing to worry about. You are going to do great.”
Still in his arms, I turned my head to look up at him. His eyes were gentle and soft as he gazed down at me.
“Are they going to be okay with a human being your mate? Being their luna? And what is everyone going to expect of me?
I don’t know anything about leading a pack. How am I going to be any help to you?”
Grayson pulled me closer to him. “My pack will automatically love you as their luna. They felt the connection between us the moment that I met you, just like I did. They know I’ve found my mate and their luna, and they can feel your strength.
They trust me as their alpha and trust the Moon Goddess’s choice for my mate.
“You may not know it, but you have all the qualities needed to be the perfect luna. We will ease you into your new job and you’ll learn over time. And I have complete confidence that you will find being a luna more enjoyable than you thought. You were born to lead by my side.”
I swallowed. Jeez, I’m not feeling any of the pressure now.
I nodded. “Okay,” I said. “I can do this.”
Grayson k*ssed the top of my head.
“Yes, you can. And if it makes you feel any better, the only person that you’re going to have to meet today is my beta, Adalee.”
“And my mate, Elijah!” Kyle yelled from the front. “He’s up waiting for me to get home.”
Hearing the excitement in his voice, I
smiled.
“Do you think you will be able to handle that? You won’t be too overwhelmed?”
Grayson asked me in a worried tone.
I knew that he was desperate for me to be happy with his pack. It was almost cute how worried he was. My heart melted a bit. I took a deep breath and turned my b*dy fully so that I was facing him.
“I’m going to be fine. Just stay with me, okay? I don’t think that I’ll be able to get
through this without you by my side.”
Grayson smiled and then leaned down and k*ssed me gently on the l*ps.
“Always. I’ll never leave you.”
I felt the love that I had for the man sitting beside me grow. I smashed my l*ps into his and wrapped my arms around his n*ck. Grayson moaned against my mouth.
“Okay, so while you guys make out, I’m going to go see my mate,” Kyle said.
Before I could even look at him, I heard
the front car door slam and the faint sound of Kyle’s footsteps running away. Out the window beside us I saw a giant house with multiple stories. It looked more like a hotel than a house, really. I couldn’t help but gape at it.
I felt Grayson’s hand on my leg, running up and down it.
“How ya doing, baby?” His voice
sounded hesitant as he watched me react
to his vast estate.
“I just…,” I started. “Wow.”
Grayson nodded as he looked at the
house.
“That’s as good a reaction as any. This is the pack house and your new home.
It houses over five hundred werewolves. Many of the other pack members live in houses on pack lands as well, but this is the largest.”
I swallowed and let out a shaky breath of air. “And you live here as well?”
“Yes,” Grayson said. “We both do.”
I nodded. “Well…,” I said slowly. I looked at him, grabbing his hand and squeezing. “I guess it’s time for us to start our new life together, huh?”
He squeezed my hand right back and smiled widely.
“After you,” he said, gesturing to the car door beside me.
Once inside the house, the first thing I noticed was that the inside was just as magnificent as the outside. I walked into the grand foyer with my chin to the floor, barely able to contain how beautiful it was. A large, winding staircase greeted me, seemingly going up for at least six floors.
Pillars surrounded us in a circle, and my cheap, not–so–white–anymore sneakers met what seemed to be expensive wood floors that turned into marble as you went through more of the house. All walls were painted pristine white when they weren’t covered by giant windows. Wooden beams were on the ceiling, giving the entire house a very cabin–like vibe. It was absolutely breathtaking.
I hadn’t even noticed that Grayson was watching me, gauging my reaction, until he tightened the arm that was already
tightly wrapped around my waist.
“What do you think?”
I couldn’t stop looking around me. “I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere as nice as this,” I said in awe. I looked up at Grayson. “You didn’t tell me you were
this rich!”
Grayson chuckled. “I’m not. This is all the pack’s money at work. I’m just in charge of it.”
“But you’re the one who gets to decide how to spend it, right?” I said.
Grayson thought about it for a moment. “I suppose.”
“Then you’re rich,” I said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had more than a thousand dollars in my bank account, except for when I saved enough to go to Paris. I’ve always been living paycheck to paycheck.”
Grayson growled next to me and wrapped both arms around me, pulling me to him
so that my back was pressed against his chest. He then leaned down so that his chin was resting on the top of my head.
“That will never happen again. Not as long as I’m alive.” He pressed a hard k*ss into my hair.
The determination in his voice made me
shiver.
Suddenly a woman stepped up next to
us and cleared her throat. She was tall
and fit, with beautiful red hair. She was
absolutely stunning.
“Alpha, Luna,” she said, acknowledging
both of us with her head bowed. Then she
got down on her knees and tilted her n*ck to the side, showing us the porcelain skin of her throat.
I pressed further into Grayson, not really sure what was happening or how to
respond.
Grayson leaned down so that his mouth was right next to my ear, his hot, minty breath fanning the side of my cheek.
“She’s baring her n*ck to us just like you did to me a while ago. It’s a sign of respect. Be prepared to be greeted like this for the rest of your life,” he whispered. He stood straight again.
“Hello, Adalee. It’s great to see you again. I hope my absence didn’t make your life too hard.”
The minute that she was addressed, she stood quickly and smiled, losing all formality in her stance. She rolled her eyes and laughed a bit.
“You know perfectly well that this was probably the worst couple of weeks of my life. You are never allowed to leave for so long again. Your job is way harder than it looks.”
Grayson chuckled. “It’s nice to finally get some recognition. Thank you for all of your updates. They definitely helped keep me up to date. You did an amazing job while I was gone.
Adalee smiled brightly and then let her eyes drift to me. She approached me slowly, never letting her smile drop.
“It is so nice to meet you, Luna,” she said in a kind, genuine tone. “I was unbelievably excited when I felt the alpha’s connection to you.”
I nodded hesitantly, taken aback by her up–front kindness. Although, it made me feel better that my first interaction with someone here seemed to be going okay
so far.
“Um, thank you,” I said.
Adalee came closer to me and then reached out her hand to shake. “My name is Adalee, the beta of this pack. I hope
that we can be good friends.”
I smiled back. “I’m Belle.”
Grayson squeezed my side.
“But you will not call her that,” he said to Adalee.
Adalee rolled her eyes. “I know that. I’m not some idiot who wants to have an angry alpha hunting me down for disrespecting his mate.”
Grayson growled lowly while I just laughed. “I really hope we can be friends too,” I said genuinely. She seemed to be really nice. Maybe I’ll actually be able to fit in around here.
Adalee beamed at me.
“Oh, Luna! I have someone for you to meet!” Kyle came running into the room, pulling someone along with him.
He wrapped his arm around the other
man’s waist and smiled. The man was. blond and well built, with stunning
gray eyes and a ready smile. He looked at all of us nervously as he entered the room, and immediately bared his n*ck to Grayson, Adalee, and me.
“This is my mate, Elijah,” Kyle said as he looked at Elijah lovingly, wearing an enormous smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Elijah,” I said. “I’m Belle.”
Grayson growled. He leaned down so he could talk to me.
“Stop telling people your name. Only I am allowed to call you that.”
I just rolled my eyes. “I can tell people to call me whatever I want,” I said.
Grayson ignored me, but I could tell that he wasn’t happy with my response. He looked back at Elijah. “This is your luna.
You are lucky to be one of the first in the pack to meet her.”
Elijah nodded but didn’t look up.
Kyle laughed. “You can look up now. They’re not as scary as they seem.”
Elijah slowly raised his eyes and scanned the room, looking at everyb*dy but Grayson. “Sorry,” he said as he smiled at me. “I’m not used to being in the same room as the four most powerful members of the pack.”
“Me? Powerful?” I scoffed. “I don’t think SO.”
Elijah laughed. “You may not feel like it, but you have the power to make anyone in this pack do whatever you want.” He glanced at Grayson nervously.
“Even the alpha. Some would say that you are the most powerful member of this pack.”
I looked up at Grayson questioningly to see if that was true. He met my gaze and did not deny it.
“Come,” Grayson said as he pulled me away and toward the large staircase. “We’re going to bed.”
The others bowed their heads in respect as they watched us go.