Loving The Beast

Chapter 26. Introduction To The Pack

Kinsley

After I got out of the bath, I started working on my hair. I blow-dried it, parted it in the middle, and then straightened it. I glanced at the clock—seven-thirty. Shoot, I'm gonna be late! I quickly slipped into the white, floor-length mermaid lace dress that hugged my curves in all the right places. I added my diamond bracelet and necklace, then slipped into my three-inch heels. A quick swipe of mascara and eyeliner, followed by brushing my teeth and a spritz of perfume, and I was finally ready. Just as I finished, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Bradley walked in, his eyes immediately finding mine.

"Hey."

I didn't say anything, still feeling the sting of our argument earlier.

"Look, I know you're still mad at me, but if you just le—"

"I don't want to hear it." I held up my hand, cutting him off.

I walked over to the mirror for a final check, my eyes scanning over the dress one last time. Bradley moved closer and, before I could react, kissed my cheek softly.

"You look beautiful tonight."

I glanced at him through the mirror, and his huge smile made me crack a small one of my own. He stood there for a moment, watching me, before walking toward the door and opening it.

"Shall we?"

I smiled again, partly because of how hard he tried to do his southern accent. I walked out the door, and he immediately entwined our hands. I tried to pull away, but he held on tighter.

"Just for tonight," he said.

I sighed, wishing I could just curl up in my bed, binge on sad movies, and eat ice cream or chocolate frosting until I felt better.

He gently held my hips as we walked down the stairs. At the bottom, there was a woman with long brown hair and warm brown eyes, smiling at me. She stood next to a tall man with sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes, also smiling at me. They must be his parents. As we reached the bottom, the woman stepped forward and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I'm so happy he found you! I'm gonna have grandbabies soon, ahh!" she exclaimed, practically squeezing the life out of me.

"Okay, Elena, let go. You're choking the poor girl," the guy said, chuckling as he pulled her away.

She let me go, still beaming with excitement, and I couldn't help but laugh. Yeah, these were definitely his parents. His father held out his arms, and I smiled, walking into his embrace.

"I'm Elena, and this is my mate Derek."

"Hello, I'm Kinsley very nice to meet you."

"She's polite and beautiful. What a keeper," Derek said to Bradley, giving me a nod of approval.

"Oh, I know that, Father," Bradley replied with a grin.

He kissed my forehead, and I closed my eyes, pretending to enjoy the gesture. But deep down, all I could think about was how badly I wanted to punch the crap out of him.

"Let's go, it's about to start," he said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

We walked out the side door and made our way behind the stage. That's when the nerves hit me. I could hear voices on the other side, and suddenly all the doubts flooded in. Am I ready for this? What if I'm a terrible Luna? How could I protect them if there was an attack? My mind raced, and I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice Bradley had started his speech. He stopped and looked at me, no doubt checking on me. I shook my head, signaling that I was panicking, unsure how to shake off the fear. He looked at me with concern in his eyes.