Meant To Be Luna

Chapter 10

Grayson

Never before had someone looked like they belonged the way Kristin did with my family.

If I had any doubts before, the very moment I watched her smile - albeit timidly - as each person I loved welcomed her as if she were a missing puzzle piece, they were no longer there.

I watched from the den as she stood beside my mother, looking entirely too at ease for someone who nearly had a panic attack at the mere thought of the woman who gave birth to me. It had taken a few minutes of awkward conversation, but the moment my mother's shoulder had touched Kristin's as she leaned in to whisper something I couldn't hear, the tension faded away. Kristin had thrown her head back on a giggle, her smile illuminating the room, and I wasn't the only one who noticed. Everyone paused, only for a second, each of us sharing a knowing smile before they turned back to their task at hand.

God, she was absolutely breathtaking.

"Geez, and here I thought dad stared at mom like a love sick puppy."

I couldn't even find it in me to retort - so I settled for the middle finger.

"Classy," she sneered playfully, turning her attention to my father. "Hey, dad." She slipped her arms around his torso, and my father grinned widely as he pulled her close, kissing her hair. There were times I believed in my gut that she was his favorite kid - my mother and sister were the only two to get him to smile like that.

"Hey, pumpkin."

"Are you gonna come speak to Kris," Gabi asked, grabbing the tumblr from his hand and taking a sip.

I side eyed my father as I took a sip from my own tumblr - called out by his own daughter.  He hadn't said much since I greeted him nearly ten minutes ago. He had been watching Kristin, but not in a way that alarmed me.

"Oh, I'll let her deal with one parent for now."

If I didn't know any better, I'd say he looked almost as nervous as my mother earlier this morning. She had been a nervous wreck, more so than Kristin. It wasn't until I assured her that it was Kristin's idea that she finally relaxed.

Gabi nodded, kissing his cheek before turning on her heel, making her way towards my mother to take one of four pies and turning to shove it into the oven. Kristin mimicked their movement, nodding at something Gabi said before smiling. It made me wonder what they were saying, but I refused to listen in, no matter how easy it would be to do so.

"She seems to be handling this much better than I assumed she would," my father whispered behind the rim of his glass, and I raised a brow. I didn't know if I liked him doubting her. But ultimately, I couldn't say I hadn't thought the same thing. I just hoped the entire pack wouldn't become too much for her.

"She's doing much better than the first time you met her."

I still wasn't sure what had happened in those four days, but since then, all those retracted steps we took felt insignificant. Instead, something shifted. She had slept soundly next to me on the couch for hours, let me hold her hand, trusted me enough to let me stand nearly chest to chest with her when my desire for her was no doubt written across my face.

It was progress.

"Are you introducing her as the future Luna today?"

I tried to hide the tension in my muscles, but it was too late. My father's eyes had shifted, narrowing to meet mine and I downed the rest of my whiskey before turning to refill it, effectively giving him my back.

"No."

He hummed.

"How are you introducing her?"

The last thing I wanted to tell him was that I wouldn't even be introducing her as my mate. My doubts about Kristin may be slim to none, but my father's were loud enough for the both of us without even speaking a word. I loved him, but sometimes, his input was the last thing I wanted or needed, especially concerning my mate.