His Moon

XVIII | Miracles

"How are you feeling?" Rosy was a worrier, Kaia had realized. She was the sweetest woman, though, and Kaia knew that it was all in good spirit. 

"I'm honestly fine," Kaia said, smiling to reassure her, "I get enough worrying from Kaleb, already. So, instead of talking about me, why don't we talk about this." 

Rosy smiled widely, "It's beautiful, isn't it?" 

Rosy had brought the most glamorous dress Kaia had ever seen. It was a lovely iridescent silver, shifting and swirling as Kaia moved as if it had a life of its own. It looked almost magic, with pearls studded on the bodice and a blood red sash hugging Kaia's waist. "The colors are tradition, you know. But I don't know that we've ever had a Luna who has suited them so well." 

Kaia flushed, "Tradition?"

Rosy nodded, arranging Kaia's hair to rest in delicate curls around her shoulders, "The silver is the moon. There are lycanthrope legends that hint that the moon was our creator, that we were born from it." 

"And the red?" Kaia asked, touching the satin sash. 

Rosy's smile faltered, "It represents blood, of course." 

Kaia felt a sinking in her stomach. "Blood?"

"But I think there are two ways to look at it. One," Rosy said, taking Kaia's hand, "Is that it represents death." Kaia felt her eyes sting when she remembered what Kaleb had said. I selfishly brought you here, into my dark world. 

She wouldn't lie to herself; she'd been scared. She'd lived through so much since she'd been here, and she wasn't naive. She knew she was in danger even if Kaleb watched over her. But it was that very same thought that had let her conquer that fear. As long as she was with him, she could do anything. Be anything. Bear anything. 

"The other," Rosy said, taking Kaia's other hand and meeting Kaia's eyes. Rosy's expression changed to a soft yet brilliant pride, like early morning sunshine. "Is that it represents the family." 

Kaia smiled, "I like the latter much more." 

Rosy laughed, a warm, round sound. "Me, too." 

Family. Was that what she had now? What did that even mean? Was this sort of like marriage? It felt like it at that moment, like the silver she wore was a wedding dress, shining and falling fluid against her body. 

A wedding. Kaia wasn't sure she was ready for this. But, at the same time, she knew that it wasn't the same as a human wedding. It was a commitment, yes, but it didn't hold the same meaning. Still, it was a big deal, and Kaia's limbs felt weirdly weightless. Her bones had hollowed out like a bird's. 

A gasp jerked Kaia from her thoughts. "You look beautiful!" 

Kaia turned to the door. The girl she'd met in the entrance hall, Jaeda, was standing agape in the doorway. "Are you a goddess?" she asked, approaching Kaia. 

Kaia laughed, feeling a bit awkward, "Not last I checked." 

"Well, you could have fooled me," Jaeda said, smiling widely. She had a beautiful smile that lit up her brown eyes, but seconds later her smile vanished. "Listen, Luna," she started, clasping her hands together, "I wanted to apologize." 

Kaia turned to face her, "What for?" 

"For not taking you to see our Alpha when you needed to see him," she said, her face collapsing. Her beautiful curls fell to the side when she tilted her head. "I'm sorry." 

Kaia didn't know what to say, so just stepped forward and took Jaeda into her arms. At first, the girl tensed noticeably, like she didn't know what to do in the situation. Her Luna was hugging her. That didn't usually happen, did it? She should show respect, right? But her Luna-to-be was gentle, was kind and warm. Jaeda melted.