I couldn't take the goofy grin off my face as I cleaned the dining table that night. After the ride through the forest, Adolphus had brought me home and Eric had promised to see me the next day before sprinting off. I had come home exhausted and satisfied. Having no care in the world.
Lady Freya however wasn't having it, she had to hear all about what happened between the Alpha's mother and I. well I told her what transpired - the bullying and the fact that she didn't see me as a good enough fit for Luna, but left my not being a werewolf part out of it. even though I was happy and at peace that Eric had accepted me, I didn't know how others would react especially an emotional person like lady Freya.
She was the one who had mind-linked Eric the moment I left the house with his mother and I was more than grateful that she did. Luna Misheal would probably have dragged me out of the pack land if he didn't come in time.
I, also left out the kissing part. It was way too embarrassing. There is no way I could tell anyone that part without blushing.
"Why do I have a feeling there is something you're not telling me?" Lady Freya asked giving me a questioning look that immediately yanked me out of my thoughts.
"Well obviously, She has been blushing and smiling to herself all day. She's even doing it now." Maria said as she put her bag in order, ready to leave for the day.
I touched my two cheeks trying to hide the blush, as lady Freya stared at me intensely.
"He kissed you didn't he." she blurted out and my eyes widened in surprise as I looked from her and to Maria who had stopped what she doing and was now staring at me, I felt my face heat up uncontrollably.
"He did, didn't he?"
The two women screamed in excitement as Maria immediately pulls out a chair and sat on it.
"Tell us how it happened."
"Maria? Weren't you about to leave?" I asked embarrassed at her question.
"My husband can wait. This gist can't."
"That's true and by the way, we are having a meeting with the future Luna of this pack. Of course, everything else can wait."
Lady Freya said, as she too pulled out another chair and sat on it. The two of them looked at me expectantly and I had no choice but to sit down and recount the whole kissing event and they screamed in excitement like school girls as I tried to explain, putting words into my mouth as they could obviously see that I was shy talking about it.
"So tell me. How was it?" Lady Freya asked wide-eyed.
"Lady Freya! You don't get to ask that about the Alpha!" Maria scolded, while I took the moment to pity my constantly heating up face as it was happening all over again.
"What! There's no secret amidst friends." Lady Freya said before batting her eye at Maria, who shook her head as she stifled a laugh.
"So how was it? Was it good?" she asked and I nodded shyly, she screamed with excitement, then stood up and began to waltz around the room with herself as she sang a song I didn't know.
"I can feel love, love, love in the air. Love, love, love in the air."
Maria and I began to laugh at her dancing, she then begins to spin around continuously and soon falls into the arms of someone.
Maria and I immediately stopped laughing and stood up to see who it was, but before we could leave the dining room, Gamma Dilan walked in carrying lady Freya in his arms, bridal style, a smile plastered across his face. She kissed his cheek lovingly and I couldn't help but wonder how long it would take before Eric and I begin to live together.
Gamma Dilan smiled at Maria, who immediately greeted him, then looked to me and bowed a little, before I could even greet him, shocking all three of us.
Did he know?
"Luna."
Oh God he knows. But how?
"The Alpha wants me to bring you to the pack house tomorrow. You would live there until the Luna crowning ceremony."
My jaw slacked as did Maria's in shock, while Lady Freya came down from her husband's arms.
"You mean she is going to start living at the pack house starting tomorrow?" lady Freya said in surprise.
"Why, yes. That is where she should be. If the Alpha finds out that you let his mate, clean our tables. Despite knowing who she is, he is going to have my head." Gamma Dilan said giving his wife a disapproving look, which she of course didn't notice as she had begun to pace.
"We can't just let her go, like that D. I have to take her shopping for some really nice clothes. She has to have her whole wardrobe changed or she would be looked down upon by the maids there." Lady Freya ranted.
"No one would dare look down on our Luna."
"I know. It's a woman's thing, you won't understand. She has to look her best, dazzling. When is the Luna crowning ceremony?"
Gamma Dilan held her hand and pulled her into a hug and she immediately seemed to relax. Keeping her mouth shut.
"Everything is going to work out well my love," he said to her, but the word seemed to work its magic more on me than it did her. I took a deep breath trying to calm my heart which was racing in excitement. Just a second ago I was imagining what it would feel like to live with Eric and now.... did he have the same thought in the course of the day? When exactly did he have a word with Gamma Dilan about me, we had come back rather late.
My heart didn't seem to listen to me as it went on racing, I didn't know how to react. If I should jump for joy or dance when he said I was moving into the pack house, so unlike Lady Freya I stood transfixed at a spot and made a mental note to close my opened mouth just before my mind started spiraling down the dark stairs of worries.
I mean, I did expect that he would make me known but not this fast. How was I supposed to cope? How do I take on the duty of the Luna so soon? Lady Freya was right, I didn't even have clothes befitting for a Luna, and the Luna crowning ceremony..... Wait….
When was the Luna crowning ceremony?
" Gamma Dilan?"
" please call me Dilan Luna." the Gamma said to me, and I swallowed uncomfortably.
"When is the Luna crowning ceremony?"
"Oh, I think the Alpha set it for next week."
"What! Next week!" Lady Freya exclaimed again, while I sat down to calm my shaky legs.
By God, I was excited and nervous at the same time. Was I ready to take on these new responsibilities? Weren't things happening too fast? I mean I loved Eric and wanted to be by his side as his mate for the rest of my life but being a Luna just knocks the air out of me and... Wait! I loved him? Did I just say I loved him? When..... When did I fall in love with him?
Like that I was freaking out in my head, while Lady Freya was mirroring my mental actions physically howbeit for an entirely different reason.
"We have to start preparing for a gown fast! There is hardly enough time!" Lady Freya lamented again.
"I think we have to take the Luna shopping bright and early tomorrow morning." Maria who had been silent finally spoke up. I glanced at her, grimacing silently as I noticed she had started addressing me as Luna.
I hadn't even undergone the ceremony yet. I was just beginning to befriend her, and now I was being yanked up to become her superior.
Like that my whole feelings went into overdrive as my joy turned to sadness and the sadness to excitement and the excitement to confusion and uncertainty as I sat there barely nodding as Maria said her goodbyes stressing the fact that she had to leave immediately so as to come early enough to help me with the shopping and packing. Gamma Dilan immediately pulled Lady Freya upstairs and soon I was all alone seated in the empty dining room not sure if to smile or cry.
I was undergoing another change. And change is something I didn't like very much.
.....................................................................................
I woke up the next morning with a clearer head. Resolving not to focus on the sudden change, but on the fact that I would be with Eric, and like that, I allowed the two ladies to drag me to a small boutique in the village.
The attendant and owner was a beautiful lady with bright blue hair that was obviously dyed, she joined the women to fawn over me the moment I entered as they picked all my outfits for me, pants, leggings, shirt, blouse, shoes, gowns, even down to my underwear, talking about my choices of the outfit like I wasn't even there, according to lady Freya I had no sense of fashion and thus should follow quietly. I didn't argue, the outfits were nice, nicer than anything I had ever had.
When it was time to try them on, I found myself falling for each one of them and was reluctant to take it off.
"You can't wear them all at once. Let's see what the others look like on you." Lady Freya said laughing. I pouted and walked back into the dressing room slightly bowing my head.
When we were done buying the outfits, they dragged me to the next shop and we went about picking a material for the dress I was to wear to the Luna crowning ceremony and yet again I was a spectator in my own life.
But I loved the material they choose for me, It was a pure white material, with tiny pearls sewn into it, they also chose a black lace and net to go with it for decorations. I could have sworn that Lady Freya could see the style she wanted it sewn into in her head as she described the style effortlessly to the dressmaker.
I was more than grateful that I had friends who could come to pick out my clothes with me, even though it was literarily for me, I was still grateful. I had always feared that I would have to do all this by myself someday due to my lack of friends and companions.
After choosing the material, which was the only thing lady Freya asked my opinion about, they had me fitted for the dress.
"It has to be mind-blowing." lady Freya said to the seamstress with an intense look in her eyes.
"Mind-blowing enough to sweep the Alpha off his feet," Maria said and I rolled my eyes at their antics.
When we were done getting my measurements and negotiating the best day for the arrival of the dress, as we were not sure, when exactly the ceremony would hold, Lady Freya dragged me to another shop to get my hair done, despite Maria's protest that Gamma Dilan would already be feeling impatient from waiting.
She pushed me into the chair and looked at the hair stylist with all seriousness as if the fate of the world depended on it.
"Revive those curls of hers and give her a good make-over. We have plans to sweep some man off his feet," she said narrowing her eyes at the hairstylist whose ears perked up with interest obviously loving the idea of a gossip.
"Oh? Did she just meet her mate?" she asked, as she put a cloth around my neck and started applying hair products to my hair.
"Not really, she's moving in with him today." lady Freya said not looking up from the magazine she had picked up and was now reading.
"Oh! So it is their mating ceremony today then." the lady said in excitement before turning to me.
"I hope you got some really sexy lingerie girl."
I frown at her in confusion. "What is that?"
The three women shared amusing glances before bursting into laughter, making me feel more embarrassed.
"Trust me. I got that all covered." lady Freya said as she wiped tears from her eyes. I only frowned but kept my mouth shut to save myself more embarrassment.
An hour and thirty minutes later. I was turned around to look in the mirror. I gasped at who I saw.
Was this me? ...I was.... beautiful.
"You like it?" The stylist asked as she bent a little to look at me in the mirror. I only nodded, fighting back stubborn tears, I couldn't let it ruin the total makeover she had done on my face. I glanced at lady Freya and Maria to see the satisfactory smile on their faces, before turning back to look at myself again
My red hair had become so shiny, the curls bounced just as I have always wanted it to be. The shade of makeup on my face added color to my large brown eyes and they looked like giant honey jars. She hadn't applied any color to my lips, but had left it to its plain natural pink adding just a little gloss to make it shiny. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror before standing up to receive a tiny make-up kit. I furrowed my brow in confusion at the stylist but she smiled.
"A little gift from me." She said then lean into me and whispered in my ears, "a woman must always look good for her man hmmm." she patted my shoulders and I smiled murmuring my appreciation before we left.
The moment we walked out of the shop, Maria made it her duty to hurry us up as she felt Gamma Dilan would probably be angry because we had kept him from his usual border patrols. I had never seen the Gamma angry and I couldn't help but wonder what it was like. Certainly, it was nothing compared to Eric's anger.
When he had looked at his mother angrily I swear I had prayed in my heart that he wouldn't hurt her. He scared me crazy and I hope I am never a recipient of his anger.
When we got home we found Gamma Dilan seated in the living room, waiting patiently to my disappointment, he had made himself some coffee and had found some cookies somewhere in the house which I didn't know we had. He looked up and smiled when we walked into the house, as his wife reached forward to kiss his lip.
"How does she look?" Lady Freya asked. While Maria immediately took all we had brought back to my room.
"stunning," he replied smiling at her before he turned to me.
"You look beautiful Luna." I blushed at the name as I was beginning to feel more worthy of it. It had taken a makeover to convince me.
Lady Freya picked up a cookie and bit into it, smiling at me as Maria came out with my bags, I had come to their house with only a backpack and now I was leaving with two bags. Talk about an increase.
"I put all your essentials and valuables in this bag," she said pointing to the darker one and I smiled at her, she must have noticed the little valuable things I own packed in my backpack and had transferred them to the bag, she was keen to details like that.
"Thank you, Maria," I said gratefully and she smiled before coming to hug me.
"I am going to miss you Silveen." I smiled when she said my name.
"You be a good girl and be good to the Alpha." Lady Freya said jokingly from on top of her husband's lap on which she had perched and I rolled my eyes.
"Yes, mom."
we all laughed as she too came close to give me a hug, Gamma Dilan took it as a cue to stand up.
"I'm going to miss your presence in this house." lady Freya pouted.
"She would always come visiting. Won't you Luna." Maria said and I rolled my eyes again.
"Please, Maria just keep on calling me Silveen. And it's not like I'm going to the next town. The Alpha's home is just a few walks away."
"But still." lady Freya said as she held unto her mate's arm. He kissed her forehead, before walking up to me, picking up my bags, and begins to walk out of the house. I waved to my friends once again feeling a little sad to be leaving, was this how it felt to leave family behind? I wondered sadly before following him out of the house. Ready for my new home, for the second time in one month.