The sun shining through the window stirs me from my sleep. As I open my eyes I glance at the clock to see it's now nine o'clock. I don't know when I fell asleep after Mason left, but it was much needed. Rolling over so that my back is against the mattress, I just look up at the ceiling lost in thought. I know I need to get up, but I really don't want to. If I could, I would just lie in bed all day without doing anything… but I don't get that luxury. I sit up and sigh as I stretch my arms over my head. Mason is letting Brandon take me and Mary to the mall today – with extra guards that he slipped into the conversation – so staying in bed isn't an option today. I listen for any noises inside the house to let me know if Brandon is already there and am rewarded with soft laughter downstairs.
'Hey, are you guys in the house?' I ask Brandon through the pack link. I'm pretty sure that's them I'm hearing, but one can never be too sure.
'Yeah, we got here not long after the Alpha left. He said we could just hang out down here while you slept. He said you had a rough morning, and we should disturb you,' he replies back almost instantly. I let him know that I'll be down there soon, I just have to get ready for the day.
Climbing out of bed, I make my way toward the bathroom. I turn the shower on as I start peeling my clothes off as the water begins to heat up. Walking back to the mirror, I smile at the reflection I see. I was never really the type of girl who didn't like her appearance, but even I can't deny that I look different… better even. I look stronger now, less afraid of what's going to happen to me. I look happy. My gaze travels down the side of my neck to where my mark resides. It's still red, but it will eventually fade away to black where it will permanently remain. I like seeing Mason's mark on me. It shows that I'm his, and he is mine. It will be nice to have when I have to go back into town, in case I run into anyone.
When the steam from the shower starts to fog the mirror over, I turn and climb inside. I let the liquid wash away all the stress that has built up over the past few days. The tension in my muscles is going to be the death of me if I don't find some relief. Dealing with Nikki, meeting Mason's parents unexpectedly, finding out my former pack isn't going to just let me go, and nightmares are really taking a toll on me. I haven't even officially started taking on the role of Luna yet… hell, the pack hasn't even been formally introduced to me and I'm feeling this way. I need to go for a run, but I know Mason would not like me doing that alone. I'll have to talk to him about that later.
Clearing my head of everything going on, I finish my routine in the shower before turning the water off and climbing out. I wrap the towel around my body and walk over to the mirror. Reaching up, I swipe my hand across the glass so I can see my reflection and finish up everything else that needs to be done. With the towel still wrapped around my body, I brush my teeth and then run a comb through my hair. After drying off my body, I pull on a pair of blue silk panties and a matching bra. I walk back into the bedroom and grab my clothes for the day. I stand staring at the clothes arranged in the closet and decide to go simple with a pair of jean shorts and a black tank top with my black converse. It's hot outside and I don't know how much walking we're going to be doing while shopping, so I'd rather be prepared and comfortable than be miserable.
I walk back into the bathroom and plug in the blow dryer Mason got me the night I came here. I don't know where he got it from, but it was greatly appreciated. My hair is naturally straight, but without something to dry it, my hair takes on a mind of its own and can become troublesome. I close my eyes and enjoy the feeling of the warm air as it moves through my hair, running my fingers through it at the same time to feel where it's still wet. When I'm done, I run a brush through the red strands and watch it lie flat against my head as usual. I push the front strands behind my ears and nod at my reflection.
I grab my phone off the bedside table and head downstairs. I don't want to rudely leave Brandon and Mary down there by themselves for a long time, plus I'm hungry. In the living room, cuddled up on the couch, is Brandon and a girl with curly red hair. She's leaning against his shoulder, and I can hear the two of them laughing more clearly now. The sight alone is enough to bring a smile to my face. I always liked seeing mates interact with each other this way, even when I didn't see it often growing up. Knowing what it's like to have a mate, I like it even more now.
"Hey, guys," I call out to let them know that they are no longer alone in the room. Brandon turns in his seat and sends me a soft smile before standing up and grabbing his mate's hand to pull her from her seated position. She turns and smiles shyly at me as she ducks her head against Brandon's arm. She has gorgeous light brown skin that looks amazing with her hair color and very intriguing light brown eyes. Their sizes aren't quite that different actually. Brandon is taller than Mary, but not by much. If I would have to guess, I'd say she was about five feet nine inches compared to Brandon's six feet. She glances up at me through her eyelashes but doesn't fully lift her head to look at me. I'm not sure if it's from nerves or out of respect.
"Luna," she whispers before quickly looking back down at the ground. Never have I thought of myself as intimidating, but the way she's acting makes me feel like I am. If I'm being honest, I don't particularly like it. I know it comes with the gig and there are times when I'll definitely need it, but not with Brandon and Mary. I don't want her to be uncomfortable around me, especially since her mate is required to be around me so much. I don't want anyone in the pack to be uncomfortable around me… well, except maybe Nikki.
"It's nice to meet you, Mary. You can call me Alaina if you would like." She smiles tightly at me and nods her head. I look up at Brandon in hope that he'll know how to make her more comfortable around me, but he looks just as confused as I feel. They had just been laughing on my couch and now she can't even hardly look at me. Brandon turns more towards her and leans down to try and catch her eye. She looks up at him with wide eyes but still doesn't say anything.
"Baby, what's wrong?" he whispers as he lifts her face with his hands. She looks frightened for some reason. "Mary, talk to me. What's wrong?" he asks anxiously.
She glances at me quickly before looking at him. She isn't comfortable talking to him in front of me, that much is easy to tell. I look away from the couple for a second before looking and coming up with an excuse to give them some time alone to talk. "Hey, I'm going to make some breakfast, do you guys want anything?" I ask as I start making my way toward the kitchen. Brandon smiles at me softly over his shoulder before nodding his head. I nod once before turning and leaving the two of them to talk.
"Brandon, she's the one that everyone's been talking about. The one that's going to cause a war to break out," I hear Mary whisper before I'm completely out of earshot. I stutter slightly in my steps at her words. I correct my step and fight the urge to turn around and ask her why she would say that. The pack sees me as someone who's going to bring war to this pack? "I'm just intimidated I guess. I'll try to be more social, but you know how shy I am…" I stop listening and quickly escape into the kitchen where I proceed to grab things for breakfast. I can't get my mind off the words that I overheard. They're not wrong, but I don't want everyone thinking of me like that. Who would want to have to protect the person causing the problem?
How are they going to behave at the introduction party Mason is setting up soon? How are they going to interact with me afterwards? If they think I'm bringing war to their pack how will they ever accept me not only as their Luna but as a member of this pack?
I open the fridge and grab the carton of eggs sitting on the shelf and sit them on the counter beside the stove. I can faintly hear Brandon and Mary's voices through the wall, but I do my best to not listen to what is being said. As I'm beating the eggs in a bowl, Brandon walks in with a smile on his face. I glance up hesitantly before turning my attention back to the task at hand. He's alone. "She okay?" I ask without looking at him.
"Yeah, she's just nervous around people. She's really shy when it comes to meeting new people. You should have seen her when we first met," he chuckles out. There is so much happiness in his eyes when he talks about Mary. "It was obvious that we were mates, but she was so shy that she couldn't even talk to me. It took me forever to get her name out of her, but once I got her talking it got easier for her. And now here we are, in love." I smile at his tale as I continue with breakfast. I glance up and notice him smiling towards the island.
"Where is she now?" I ask. I pour the eggs into the pan on the stove and turn around to grab the sausage from the fridge. I set it on the counter as I move the eggs around with a spatula I found in the drawer quickly before they start to burn. I start cutting the sausage into small patties so I can fry them up, glancing back at Brandon as I move between the sausage and the eggs.
"She had to use the bathroom, so I showed her the one downstairs. I hope you don't mind."
"No, it's fine. I just want her to be comfortable around me, you know? I don't want her to have to act all formal because I'm the Luna or anything. I know that I'm obviously not the one everyone likes from what I overheard Mary say as I was leaving the room, but I don't want people to be afraid of me. Hell, if that's the case, I might as well just give Mason what he wants and never leave the house."
"The more time you spend with her, the easier it will be. Just get her talking when we go out today. Just start with that. She just… doesn't trust people easily," he says as he makes his way towards me at the stove and steals a piece of the sausage that I finished frying. I slap his hand away and scowl at him as he pops a torn piece into his mouth. "This is really good," he moans out with his eyes closed. "I'm really hungry!" he speaks with a mouthful and a smile on his face as he sits back down on his stool.
"When aren't you hungry, Brandon?" Mary asks as she walks into the kitchen. I glance back at her over my shoulder, but she still won't look me in the eye. At least she's not hiding anymore. It's a start at least. My wolf stirs with unease as we both look at her.
'Why is she so scared of us?' my wolf ass curiously. She wants to know why Mary is so uncomfortable with us, even though Brandon had just explained why. 'We didn't do anything to make her afraid of us. why is she acting like this?' she asks when I don't answer her back immediately.
'She's just shy. Brandon said she was shy and that she has to get used to being around new people,' I explain as I finish up at the stove. I turn everything off and move them off the hot burners as I turn around. "Do you want a plate?" I ask the two of them. They both nod as I move to grab three plates. I set them down on the island and move to grab some silverware and glasses.
'There's something else to it. She's scared of us for more than just being shy. I don't trust her,' she growls cautiously. I don't know why she doesn't trust Mary, but if my wolf doesn't trust her then maybe I should be cautious of her as well. She may be Brandon's mate, but my wolf has grown accustomed to picking up on behaviors over the last year. If she thinks something is up then something is likely to be up. I smile at everyone as I hand them a plate and we each make a plate to eat before we leave for town.