I didn’t sleep at all last night. It has everything to do with the fact that I had to sleep on the floor with nothing but a blanket and pillow. Adrian wasn’t even kind enough to give me a blow-up mattress.
It was a very miserable night, which will only make today worse, as I have to now meet Adrian’s pack as his new wife–the Luna.
I pull the blanket up to my chin, wishing I was in my own bed, when I hear Adrian shift in the bed above me. I watch silently as he swings his legs over the edge of the mattress and quietly moves around the room, getting dressed for the day.
I don’t think he notices me watching him because he has a soft look in his eyes and his lips aren’t set into a tight line as they normally are when I’m around. My stomach twists in knots knowing he can be calm and less angry whenever I’m not in sight.
“I know you’re awake.” Adrian’s deep voice vibrates my bones.
A cold shiver runs up my spine as I clear my throat and push myself up into a sitting position.
I don’t know what to say as I silently watch him pull a black t-shirt over his head, covering up his toned torso and ripped muscles. I chew on my bottom lip, blinking rapidly.
“Get dressed. We’re having breakfast with my Beta, uncle, and grandmother,” Adrian demands as he turns around to face me with a blank look across his face.
I nod, but don’t say anything.
I’m nervous to be in his presence because I don’t know how he’s going to act. Sometimes he looks as though he wants to say more to me and other times he looks like he wants me dead.
I push myself to my feet, my bones aching in the process from being subjected to sleeping on the hardwood floor.
I stretch my hands above my head, my white shirt rising up a little to expose the smooth skin on my hips. When I look back at Adrian, his eyes are focused on my bare stomach. Feeling the heat of his eyes burning into my skin, I quickly tug my shirt down and stand in awkward silence.
Adrian huffs and shakes his head, turning back to the dresser in the corner of the room to finish getting ready for the day. My heart is pounding in my chest as I quietly move to stand beside him at the dresser.
“Where are my clothes?”
He swallows hard and points to the drawer in front of me. “There should be some clothes in there that will fit you.”
We spend the next ten minutes getting dressed in silence before Adrian tells me we’re late and need to get downstairs.
I stay silent as I follow him down the staircase wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white camisole. It’s nothing like an outfit I would normally wear, but I don’t have much of a choice until I can get my clothes from the compound.
When we walk into the dining room, there are four people sitting at the long wooden table that can easily seat twenty people or more. Two men and a woman stare directly at me.
I notice that one woman is of an older age—she must be Adrian’s grandmother. She doesn’t look up as she continues to knit quietly, although there is a plate of food sitting in front of her.
I feel uncomfortable under their tense gazes and want nothing more than to run back to Adrian’s room and never come out. Meeting the people closest to him in his pack is even more intimidating after the information Adrian shared with me last night. I’m sure these people feel the same way he does about the Midnight pack.
“Good morning,” the younger woman sing-songs as Adrian and I take a seat at the table, where breakfast is already prepared for us. “I didn’t think you two would show.”
Adrian huffs and digs into the bacon and eggs on the plate in front of him, not even bothering to say anything or introduce me to these strangers.
I sigh and give the woman a warm smile. “My name is Alicia. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”
“We know who you are.” The woman winks at me with a smile on her face. “I’m Michelle, the wife of Jean here, who is the beta of the pack.” She points to the man sitting beside her, who doesn’t look much older than I am.
“And this is my father, Zane, who is also Adrian’s uncle,” Michelle continues, gesturing to the eldest of the men. “And this is Adrian’s grandmother.”
I try to wave hello, but the old woman is too busy with her knitting, so I have to let it be. I give the two men a small smile instead, although they don’t make much of an effort to greet me back with the same enthusiasm.
“Again, it’s a pleasure to meet you all,” I say.
“I don’t know if I can say the same for you,” Zane chides with a sour look on his face. He has short hair that is turning grey and an already grey beard framing his face. “You’re from the Midnight pack—your people ruined our lives with your vicious attack on us.”
“I, uh…” I stutter, not knowing what to say to that. I only found out the cause of the cold war less than twelve hours ago, and somehow, I’m the one being blamed for what happened when it had nothing to do with me.
“You’re lucky you’re even here right now,” Zane continues, with an unpleasant air of backhandedly complimenting me. “If I were Adrian, I wouldn’t have agreed to marry you after everything your pack did to us.”
I turn to Adrian in the hopes he’ll defend me from his uncle, but he has his eyes turned down to the table as he continues to quietly eat breakfast as his uncle slanders me for something that wasn’t my fault.
“Come now, Dad, be nice to her,” Michelle scolds Zane with a slight furrow to her brows. “Give her a break. She has a lot going on right now, so she doesn’t need you coming at her like that.”
Zane huffs and leans back in his seat. “I was only speaking the truth, darling. She’s the enemy here, and I don’t fraternize with the enemy. There’s nothing special about this one.”
I turn to look at Jean, but he is just as uninterested as Adrian as he eats his breakfast in silence.
It’s nice to know I have one person in this house who doesn’t completely hate me. Michelle seems kind-hearted and friendly, and I’ve only known her for less than ten minutes.
Adrian continues to eat his breakfast without a care in the world as he allows his uncle to be unkind and cold toward me. I suppose the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
“So, Alicia,” Jean interjects through the awkwardness, “As our Luna, what can you bring to the pack? Do you have particular training or interests? I’m sure there must be something.”
I think for a moment. I’ve been so overwhelmed by the sudden marriage that I haven’t thought about my Luna duties much the past few days. Still, as the daughter of the Alpha, it’s something I’ve always been preparing for.
“Well, I have healing powers and training,” I say. My eyes sliding to Zane, I add in a voice dripping with sarcasm, “I hope that’s special enough for you.”