Zazriel woke the next morning to cheering outside her window. She groaned and sat up, bright sunshine filtering through the window of her large room Mourgent had given her in his house. He said because she was his mate, she was to live with him. Zazriel had tried to get out of it, but when she had looked around, everyone avoided their eyes and wouldn't speak to her. Not even Jasmine spoke up for her.
Now, she tried not to praise the alpha for his generosity as she went into the bathroom and filled the large tub with hot water, then prepared to get in. Before she could even begin struugling out of her clothes though, there was a knock on her bedroom door. Sighing, she wheeled over and opened it, seeing the alpha. He was dressed in jeans and socks and shoes, but no shirt. His chest and abdomen were well muscled and she wanted see how they would feel. "Are you hungry?" he asked, making her blink up at his face.
"No," she said flatly then began to shut the door.
But Mourgent stopped it and took a step towards her, his eyes narrowing. "Zazriel, I was hoping your anamocity towards me and what I did would lessen with sleep. I can see I was wrong."
"Yes. Now go away," she hissed.
Mourgent stared at her, unmoving for a long minute. "When you are finished preparing for the day, meet me outside in the backyard. Wear comfortable clothes."
Zazriel glared at him. "Why?"
"Because I am going to see just how strong you really are," he said and walked away.
A bit surprised by his words, Zazriel slammed the door closed and went back to her bath, undressing and carefully transferring herself from the chair to the tub. It was strenuous work, but the hot water was pleasure enough to take the aches away.
Mourgent waited for two hours after he left Zazriel's room to meet her before she finally came out. She looked ready to kill someone as she wheeled towards him. He wondered what caused this mood as she stopped and crossed her arms.. "Out." he ordered.
She rolled her eyes and backed the chair up before lowering herself onto the grass, legs seeming to be useless. On the ground, she seemed even smaller to him than usual, and he almost called off the skirmish, afraid to hurt her. But that defiant light entered her eyes and he knew she wouldn't take to being pitied.
"Show me how you fight."
A half hour later, Mourgent was shocked at her ability to use her legs and her height to her opponents to her advantage. He knew that although she wouldn't be able to retreat fast enough, she was able to fight well enough.
He waited for her to grab a drink and get into her chair before leading her back inside to cool air. He sat down on the couch and faced her. "How did you learn to fight so well?"
"My father knew when I was born that I would have trouble getting people to trust me to keep them safe, so he made me train since I was very young." She glanced away. "Not that it matters. I failed my pack."
"An alpha isn't just about physical strength, Zazriel. It's about the mind too." Mourgent gestured all around to his pack that was outside doing their own thing. "An alpha not only protects, but also gives advice, provides, and is the glue to keep everyone under his or her care together."
"I'm not sure my pack would have agreed with you," she said softly, no harshness left, just acceptance.
"Then your pack wasn't well taught. Your pack didn't understand anything about what all is on your shoulders." She looked at him then, brows furrowed. Mourgent saw she was considering his words and took one of her hands. "Be by my side for one month, as my mate as this pack's Luna, and see how we are united as one. Let me show you the differences between how my pack shows loyalty to me and how your pack showed loyalty to you. Talk with some of my pack. Get their opinion. Do some of the things they do. See how it should have been for you."
"And when that month is up?" she asked.
"If you do not like what you see, I will send you and whoever wants to join you to a new territory where you can restart all over again." He paused, seeing her eyes light up. "But, if you do like it here and are willing to compromise, I will ensure that you and your pack are well provided and protected and you will be my mate forever."
Zazriel thought long and hard for a moment, finding his offer enticing. But she asked, "What does being your mate entail?"
"You and I would be mated officially. We would have a ceremony where you are offically recognized as this pack's Luna, and everyone would respect you as they do me." Mourgent hesitated then said, "It also means you and I would have to work on understanding each other's wishes and be willing to do whatever to keep the other happy."
"I'm not good at keeping people happy," Zazriel said honestly.
"Not even if it meant seeing their pleasure?"
"It doesn't seem to work for me," she said.
Mourgent shrugged. "We'll work on it when we get there then. I'm willing to work with you if you do the same."
For the first time, Zazriel gave him a smile, a shy smile, but one that was real and without sarcasm. "Okay. I will see what you have to offer and try to play along."
Mourgent frowned. "Zazriel, this does not mean you have to agree to everything. You can let me know your opinion at any time and I will be willing to think about your argument."
"You are?"
"Yes."
She smiled. "Then I'm ready."