Forced To Love You

Christmas Eve

Hours had passed and I still wasn't over the moment Christian and I had in the closet. Thankfully, he had some last-minute work to sign off on that kept him busy for the day. I wanted to spend time with him but I knew it was probably best that he wasn't around. If he was anything like me, he wouldn't have been able to get anything done.

I replayed his words over and over in my head the entire day. Just because I thought I wasn't ready didn't mean that I wasn't. My body knew what it wanted. It was all just a matter of giving in.

I wasn't sure that I was ready. Sex was a big commitment, especially the first time. Most people didn't take it seriously but I knew that I wanted to. I wanted it to mean something. To be something special.

At least I knew that I had the right person to fulfill that need. My decision would have been far more difficult if Christian was just some guy.

I walked into the closet and looked in the direction of my secret stash of lingerie. I knew my nerves were more than just my discomfort toward sex. Just the thought of getting the bag out made my heart pound. But not with nervousness but excitement.

I wanted to test one of the outfits out. I wanted to see how Christian would feel when he saw me in one of them. I wanted to hear his heart hammering in his chest the same way he always heard my heart do it. I knew shifting would help with that but I knew I wasn't ready for that just yet.

So sex was the route I was going to have to take.

I didn't have any time to think about the subject further. The main door opened after a knock sounded in the room.

I quickly left the closet and tried my best to look like I wasn't hiding anything. I knew that would have squandered any romantic mood quite fast.

"Luna?"

I recognized the voice of the morning guard as he called for me. I wasn't used to people calling me Luna so it took me a second to realize he was looking for me.

I walked out into the living room and saw the guard standing just inside the door. He looked a bit shy. "Yeah?"

"Alpha Dawson asked me to deliver you a message. He'd like you to meet him in the dining hall this evening at 4:30."

"Why so early?" I asked myself out loud.

"Staff leave early on Christmas Eve, ma'am."

I nodded, a bit surprised by the sudden dinner plans. "Um, thank you for letting me know."

He nodded his head once and began to turn towards the door.

I called out for him. "Wait, what's your name?"

He cleared his throat before he answered. "Lucas, ma'am."

"It's nice to meet you, Lucas. You can call me Blair, by the way. You don't need to call me Luna all the time."

He nodded but he didn't seem too confident. I was sure it would be hard for him to call me by my name when he was a guard for the Alpha. It was probably something he'd been doing for a long time so he would have made it a habit. But until I felt like a true Luna, I didn't want to be called one.

He turned and walked out the door.

I walked back into the bedroom and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost 3:30. I knew if I wanted to look nice for this dinner, I'd have to start getting ready.

I walked back into the closet and glanced, once again, in the direction of the lingerie. I didn't have time to question myself any further.

I grabbed one of the outfits and draped it over my arm before I went to look for something to wear over it for dinner.

---

There were fewer people in the mansion that afternoon than usual. I assumed people left early for holiday plans and made sure their work was done ahead of time.

As I approached the large dining hall, Zeke was exiting through the double doors ahead. He was staring down at his phone and only looked up to see me when he heard my footsteps.

His lips spread into a grin. "It's good to see you again, Blair."

I nodded slowly. Cautiously. "Uh-huh."

"Dinner plans with Christian. Is there a special occasion?"

"Not having to see you tomorrow would be a start."

He rolled his eyes. "I would have thought that would have made you sad. My presence is one-of-a-kind."

"You're certainly right about that."

He stopped as he got within arms' length of me. "You know, the mansion will be pretty empty for the next few days. If you and Christian want to... you know... you'd have plenty of places to explore."

I scrunched my nose in disgust. Even if we were to have sex, I certainly didn't want to talk about it with Zeke. "That's none of your business."

"Christian tells me everything. We've been friends for a long time."

"What if you don't like what you hear?"

Zeke raised his eyebrows before he laughed nonchalantly. "You've got a lot of balls for a Luna. Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"You're doing it right now."

He laughed and started walking once more. "Have a good night, Blair."

I rolled my eyes and approached the doors, ready to forget about my encounter with Zeke. I had more important things to focus on.

I took a deep breath before I opened the door and stepped inside the large room.