The Luna's Journey

Chapter 2

As I made my way back into the Pavilion I was met first by my parents, they both had worried looks on their faces.
"Are you okay?" My mom asked as she reached out for me.
"I wish people would quit asking me that." I mumbled.
"Okay, did you have any cake yet? The red velvet is to die for!" My dad put his hand over his heart like the cake made his heart stop, he could be a little dramatic but it definitely made me smile.
"There's that smile." He returned my smile.
"Sweetie, we just want to tell you that whatever you decide to do." My mom paused and looked at my dad before she continued. "Whatever you want to do we support you fully and will have your back."
"Thank you." I told them both as I hugged them. Most of the pack was not aware of Sam's indiscretion against Annie and that he had been punished. It was normal for teens to take off during the summer after their senior year so when he disappeared after school no one asked any questions. But since my parents are best friends with Annie's parents, they are kept in the loop on certain developments. We don't have caste system in our pack like a lot of others do, Uncle Alph likes to keep things equal. If we did though my parents would be the Beta's of the pack, as well as the pack doctors which is what they currently do now.
"Enjoy yourself and don't forget to get some of that cake." My dad winked at my and steered my mom into the crowd. Jay and Dawn Lawrence were two amazing people and I was beyond lucky to have them as my parents. They were the rare ones that were involved in my life but not overly involved and I loved them for it. They let me make my own decisions but would step in if I was way off course, thankfully they had raised me right and they have never had to step in. Okay, a few times when Annie and I were younger and used to get into mischief together, but not that much.
I turned my attention to my guests and made sure to greet them one by one, and trying to call everyone by name. I couldn't remember a few of their names but with a pack our size I was proud of myself for remembering most of them. Everyone was super friendly and no one questioned why I wasn't off in a corner with my mate, I hoped they thought it was because I was being a good future Luna and greeting my guests. As I looked around the room out of the corner of my eye I saw Sam sitting in a corner talking to his dad, his shoulders were slumped and it looked like he was getting a tongue lashing from his dad. I couldn't help but feel sad for him, getting chewed out by your parents was never fun.
All of a sudden his eyes lifted to meet mine, like he knew I was watching. I blinked quickly and looked away, of course he knew I was watching we were mates and had a bond. No it wasn't complete yet and very new but the bond is still very strong between werewolves, even in the very beginning. I walked to the opposite side of the room that to my luck had the cake table. I grabbed a piece of the red velvet cake and started shoving it into my mouth. I had to control myself to not moan out loud as the first bit of cake hit my tongue, I don't think I had ever tasted anything this good. I was licking the last of the cream cheese frosting off my finger when I heard a quiet growl from behind me, I didn't even have to turn to know who it was.
"Enjoying the view?" I mentally cringed as I heard myself flirting with him.
"I am actually, very much so." Sam said in such a sincere voice I turned around to make sure it was actually him. "You look very beautiful tonight."
"Uh, thank you." I couldn't help the little blush that tinted my cheeks or the butterflies in my stomach, my mate thought I was beautiful. We share a small awkward silence before we both started speaking at once.
"I'm-"
"So-"
I laughed and gestured for him to go first.
"I-I'm sorry. About earlier, I handled that poorly." He put his head down like he was ashamed. I stood there silently for a minute, stunned at the face that Sam Baker had just apologized, and too a girl for that matter.
"Thank you, I appreciate the apology." I knew it had been hard for him to apologize so I appreciated the effort. We stood there again in silence, I looked around hoping to catch one of my friend's eyes and have them come rescue me. It's not that I wasn't enjoying being with Sam, the exact opposite actually. I was loving being close to him and I didn't want to get used to it, I still didn't know how I was going to handle the situation and I didn't want the bond clouding my judgement.
"Would you like to go on a date with me? Tomorrow maybe?" His question jerked me out of my searching.
"I'm sorry, what?" I knew I hadn't heard him correctly, a date? Sam didn't do dates.
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Uh a date. You know with like food and stuff?"
"Uh." I stopped not knowing how to respond. He was asking me out on a date? I had been asked out on plenty of dates, went on a few but they had never been more than that. This request somehow felt more serious than the other times I had gone out and it had caught me off guard.
"Never mind, I guess it was a stupid idea." His shoulders sagged and he turned to walk away, I could feel the defeat in him.
"No, wait." I said stopping him, he turned and looked at me curiously. "Okay."
"Okay?" He repeated me.
"Okay, yes I will go on a date with you." I said and I couldn't believe the words as they came out of my mouth. I just agreed to a date with Sam Baker, the known man whore and arrogant prick. The before named was also my mate which is the only reason I agreed.
A smile that made my knees weak spread across his face, "Great! I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow night, is that okay?" I nodded yes.
"Thank you, you won't regret it I promise." He said as he backed away from me, he smiled one last time and turned to walk away.
"Did I just hear you agree to a date with him?" Scarlet asked as she came up beside me to grab a piece of cake.
"Uh, maybe?" I hadn't wanted to admit it to anyone yet which thankfully Scarlet picked up on.
"You told him absolutely not and then kicked him in the shin? Good job, I'm proud of you." She nodded her head in approval and walked away with her cake in hand. I was thankful it was Scarlet who had overheard and not Lily or Ellie, I love them both but they can't keep a secret. I just wanted this date to stay between me and Sam for now, I wasn't even ready to tell Annie yet.
I looked around the room, taking in everyone that was there. A sense of pride and love filled me as I saw what would soon be my pack. We strong, courageous, and a loving pack, I couldn't wait to be their Luna and I hoped that I would be able to fill the shoes of Aunt Lu someday. Speaking of her, I saw that she was walking towards me.
"The Luna side of me says well done, you handled yourself with dignity. But the Aunt side of me says you should have kneed him square between the legs." Her lips pressed into a firm line as she tried not to show how upset she was. I was also taken aback by what she had said, Luna Sue Rogers had never spoken ill about anyone, it's just not who she was. She definitely had never said to inflict harm on anyone, hearing her do so now, all I could do was laugh.
"If you tell anyone I said that I will deny it." She laughed and hugged me. "Honestly, you handled that very well, just like a Luna."
"Thank you, but I can't take all the credit. I've had a great teacher and a best friend to help me." I told her. Aunt Lu has been drilling me in Luna lessons but she's also been very helpful and answers all my questions and is patient with me when I don't understand something, explaining it out in detail until I understand. Annie had also been amazing in helping me with the lessons and any questions I have, even though she's been in her own lessons.  She says Queen lessons are just like the Luna ones except she is having to learn a whole new history, the history of the Mer people. At least for me I already know most of the werewolf legends and history, we are told the stories as soon as we are old enough to understand them. Annie is having to learn it all with in a year. I can see that she is stressed out but she is handling it well.
"I know it is none of my business, well a little bit my business but I notice you are here alone and not with your mate. Has he done something to you?" Aunt Lu asked and I could tell she was trying to keep calm as she asked. I'm sure she thought he had hurt me already, although she never showed it I knew that she had never forgiven Sam for the way he had treated Annie.
"No, not at all. He's just uh, giving me space I think?" To be honest I wasn't sure why Sam was leaving me alone, it was very unlike him to leave a girl alone that he liked. Then a thought hit me, what if he didn't like me? Maybe he was disappointed that I was his mate?
"How could he be disappointed? We are his mate, he is destined to love us." Clair insisted. I know she was trying to boost my confidence but the way she said it made it sound like he has no choice but to love us. It works that way for most couples, the bond grows stronger and stronger until you are madly in love. It's very rare that two wolves wouldn't want to be with their mate, but not everyone is mated to Sam Baker either.
"I see. Well if he does try anything I'm giving you my permission to put him in his place, if he is to be the next Alpha he will need to learn how to respect his Luna. Hopefully his time away this summer has taught him something." Aunt Lu murmured the last part but I still heard her.
"Where was he this summer?" I asked her and saw her hesitate.
"It's okay, she can know. She is his mate and his future Luna." Uncle Alph joined us and nodded for his wife to continue.
"We sent him up North to the Moon Riders pack." I gasped at what Aunt Lu had just told me. The Moon Riders pack was known to be the toughest pack in the world, mainly because they were a sort of military for the werewolf nation. The Moon Riders pack was ran by General Hartsock, not Alpha, but General. He was the Alpha of the pack but he preferred to be called General for whatever reason, I think he thought it sounded more intimidating or something. Anyways, the Moon Riders were known for stepping in to situations that were extremely dangerous or serious. Even rogues didn't want to mess with them. The Moon Riders are also known for their less than civilized forms of torture and ways to get information out of people. Another service they offer is for Alpha's to send their wayward pack members to them for a 'training session' as they call it. What it really is they work that person hard and teach them some respect. I shuddered to think what they put people thru but it their methods usually helped a person get their life straightened out. There were a few occasions when it had the opposite effect but for the most part it ended well.
"No wonder he acted different." I whispered. It explained why he asked me on a date and almost seemed like a gentleman.
"Hopefully way different. I have no problem kicking him out of this pack if he messes up again." Uncle Alph said and I believed him. I also felt myself get a little sad at the thought of Sam being kicked out of the pack.
"But hopefully it will not come to that, right William?" Aunt Lou arched her eyebrow at her husband over my head.
"Yes of course not." He gave me a pleasant smile and I could see that he too had not forgiven him yet.  "Well, I'm going to go talk to your father for a little bit, would you care to join me Sue?"
"Yes, I haven't hardly talked to Dawn all night. Try to enjoy your time tonight." Aunt Lou said to me as she looped her arm thru Uncle Alphs, who was rolling his eyes. He knew as well as I did that Aunt Lou and my mom had talked all night, they were best friends just like Annie and I. As I watched them as they walked away I couldn't help but feel a little bit of longing. You would think they were newly mated the way that they whispered and giggled to each other, their eyes sparkling. As gross as it sounds I want that, I want to be the whole world to someone and have them be that to me.
After what they had told me about sending Sam to the Moon Riders I felt a little bit more hopefully that maybe I could have that with my mate. Maybe, just maybe they had whipped him into shape and taught him how to be a gentleman. I mean, he was a little bit of a chauvinistic pig when he realized we were mates, but he had apologized for it. It could have just been a little bit of slip, maybe I could ignore it. Now that I knew where he had been all this time I was beginning to think that there may be a small ray of hope for the two of us. I could feel myself starting to get excited but I have to remain in control. This date would be the deciding factor of whether I give him a shot or if I reject him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At six thirty the next night I still was not dressed, I couldn't decide what to wear! I wanted to look cute but not over the top, I also wanted to make him eat his heart out but didn't want to come across desperate. Not to mention I didn't even know what we were doing, even though werewolves are warm blooded we can still get cold. Were we going to be outside? Would I need a coat? Were we going to be shifting and letting our wolves run? Ugh! This whole dating thing was ridiculous. The few dates I had been on I hadn't cared so much about my appearance, don't get me wrong I still looked good, but I hadn't cared what the guys thought about me. But tonight was different, tonight I was going out with my mate.
"Renee?" I heard my mom yell at me from downstairs.
"Yeah?" I yelled back distractedly, my head was now buried deep into my closet hoping there was something magical in the back that I had forgotten about.
"Sam is here."
"What?" I yelled as I stood up quickly smacking my head on the shelf in my closet. He was here already? I looked over at the clock on my desk, he was fifteen minutes early!
"I'll be down in a minute!" I hollered while rubbing my sore head. I had to find something to wear and quick as I scanned my closet and the floor of my room where half of my closet had ended up. My eyes landed on my favorite purple chunky knit sweater, perfect! I paired it with a pair of skinny jeans and then black knee high boots, I picked the ones with the small heel though in case we were going to be outdoors. I checked my reflection in the mirror before I walked out the door, I looked cute but not to over the top. Like the girl next door but with a little bit of an edge. Satisfied with my look I walked slowly out my door and down the steps, I didn't want to rush and let him think I was too excited even though I was secretly bursting at the seams. I was also still on edge and nervous because I didn't know if Sam had really changed or not, I prayed to the moon goddess that he had.
As I reached the bottom of the stairs I could hear him in the living room talking to my parents, if they hadn't been werewolves with amazing hearing I would have tried to sneak closer and hear what they were talking about, but I knew they had heard me come down the steps. As I turned into the living room my breath left me as I took in the sight of my mate. He too was wearing a sweater but where mine was a cute baggy fit, his was a sexy molded to his muscles fit. The black color of it made his brown eyes look almost black, or maybe they were black because I noticed he was staring me down as well. Werewolves' eyes don't turn black just when we are angry, they also turn black when we see our mate and feel the desire to mate with them. By the look Sam was giving me I knew he wasn't angry.
My dad cleared his throat interrupting out staring contest. "I trust you will have her back by midnight?" He directed the question to Sam and I looked at my dad confused. I had never had a curfew before, I was always home at a decent hour and if I was going to be out later I always called them and updated them. Why was I now getting a curfew?
"Yes sir, I will have her back on time." Sam nodded and agreed to my dad's wishes before looking at me. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." I smiled shyly.
"Oh, Renee sweetie, could I talk to you for a minute before you leave? Alone? Girl stuff." My mom asked sweetly confusing me even more. My parents were acting odd tonight.
"Yes of course, I will wait for you at the car." Sam did a little head bowing thing before exiting the room. My parents and I didn't say anything until they heard him walk out the front door.
"A curfew? Since when do I have a curfew, and when do we talk about girl stuff privately?" I asked them in a hushed whisper. With my parents being the pack doctors there was no such thing as private talks, periods, sex, cramps, babies, bloating, you name it, all of it was open for discussion in this house.
"We know, we know." Mom put her hands up to stop me from asking more questions. "We just wanted to give you an out if you wanted the date to be over, if it's going bad you only have to stick it out till midnight then it can be over." She smiled at me like it was a brilliant plan, it was. I smiled at both my parents, they had my best interest in mind.
"If you want to stay out later just call us or send us a message, if you don't and you aren't back by midnight I'll be hunting that boy down. I got a good whiff of his scent so I'll be able to find him no problem." My dad gave me a fake growl making me laugh.
"We trust you completely, it's just him who doesn't have our full confidence." Mom nodded towards the outside where Sam was probably waiting and wondering where I was.
"I'm sure everything will be okay, but I promise to call you if I run into any problems." I crossed my heart as I spoke. I was really crossing my fingers hoping everything went well tonight.
"Alright, enough of keeping your mate waiting. Go, and have fun." My mom gave a quick hug before shoving me out of the living towards the front door.
"Not too much fun!" I heard my dad holler before I shut the front door behind me.