Little Red

Chapter 30

The next day at training, Theo and Shauna bombard me with questions.

"What the hell!"  A usually collected Shauna yells, grabbing me by the shoulders.

She stares at my now visible mark wide-eyed, openly gawking.

"Hey don't hog her!"  Theo shouts, shoving her off of me and taking up her previous position.  

He too gawks at my neck.

"Guys, calm down,"  I laugh.  "You act as though you've never seen a mate's mark."

They stare at me incredulously, making feel extremely self-conscious.

"Why didn't you tell us?"  Shauna asks, hurt covering her features.

"Yeah, you're like the Luna!"  Theo says with a frown.

I sigh, feeling bad.

"I'm sorry guys.  It's just that...our relationship...or whatever it is, it's been really complicated.  I'm still processing it all to be honest."  I admit tiredly.

"Hey, it's okay."  Theo says, lifting my chin with a soft smile.  "We're not really angry at you, just surprised is all.  You don't owe us an explanation or anything, but we are here for you.  Do you want to talk about it?"  He asks, concern swimming in his kind blue eyes.

Shauna nods beside him.

"Not really,"  I say with a sigh.  "I'd rather kick some butt." 

"There's the badass Blood Moon girl we know and love!"  Theo shouts happily, bringing a smile to my face.

It's then that I realize I'm not so alone anymore.  I have Samuel, who's taken on the role of my big brother almost, Theo and Shauna, who remind me a lot of Myles, and now Demitri, my mate.

..........

I thought we were done with Victoria, but it seems like all she needed was a full 24 hours to make a comeback.

I'm seated in my chair, Demitri in his, and Samuel across from me.  Everyone is in their seats, all eating comfortably and casually conversing around the dinner table, when she begins her assault.

"How can she even claim to be the Luna?  There hasn't been a ceremony."  She asks loudly, to no one in particular. 

I glance down the table from the corner of my eye, seeing some pack members shift uncomfortably at her remark.  Others, such as Theo and Shauna and few of the pack elders, glare at her obstinance. 

"She wears the Alpha's mark.  A ceremony isn't going to do anything." Shauna snaps.

Victoria shoots her a glare, but otherwise ignores her.

Demitri puts his hand on my leg, causing pleasurable sparks.

"Ignore her."  He whispers tightly.  "She just wants attention."

I look up and shoot him a small smile as I nod, but it's all forced.  He observes me intently for a moment, making sure I'm okay, before removing his hand and continuing to eat.

As soon as his hand is gone, the rage comes back full force.  

I know what she's doing, hell we all know what she's doing.  She's undermining me in front of the entire pack in a pathetic attempt to make me seem weak in their eyes.  She's challenging me without outright doing it.  I would like to say her words aren't affecting me, but that would be a lie.

In a pack, respect is everything.  It keeps everyone in line, and alive.  If we were in the wild, she would challenge me openly, and we would fight until she either submitted or I killed her.