Orion's Luna (slow updates)

Chapter 8

I've near seen Edrik this way before. He was all fired up, doing and saying things that were damn near close to being cringy.

The second-hand embarrassment was real.

We were all sitting inside Asla and Enson's house- Keyan and Kaelon parents say I found out, eating what they had cooked.

Edrik was the entertainment, although I wasn't sure if everyone was enjoying his performance as much as the older couple.

Ru-Xi sat next to her mate, eyes a little wide and lips pressed together in a smile that lingered between embarrassment and discomfort.

Of course, she'd be uncomfortable with his behaviour. This was not the real him at all.

Edrik, on the other hand, seemed oblivious. He enjoyed making the older couple laugh with his looney behaviour.

But, you have to give it to him for trying to impress her, even if he's doing a terrible job of it.

"So, Ru-Xi, how long have you been First Commander?" I asked trying to save the poor woman from having to listen to another round of Edrik's overly dramatic ad comedic recounts.

She turned to me, wide-eyed with a tint of red on her cheeks. She cleared her throat and gathered herself before replying. "Since Keyan's been Alpha, so around 2, almost 3 years now."

"You know Ru-Xi, Edrei's been the Third Commander of Orion for some time now too," Asla chimed in.

I smiled awkwardly, not expecting her to bring any of that up. Ignoring the heat on my cheeks, I forced myself to speak up. "Umm.. not anymore," I said, "I've stepped down."

Asla's face morphed into slight confusion before she lit up. "Is it because you're pregnant again?"

I felt my smile wavering as I looked around the table, awkwardly trying to think of a way to explain everything. "No..." I started.

"Edrei and Edrik are going to be staying with us until things get sorted out in Orion. You know how people get after a war," Keyan chimed in, giving his mother a look of disapproval.

Asla looked at her son, head slightly tilted to the side. "Without Kaelon?" She turned to me before her gaze flickered to Edrik suspiciously.

"That's because Kaelon needed to stay. He is the Alpha of Orion after all," Keyan replied causing Asla's eyes to narrow down at me.

"And so he leaves his mate with another male?" she huffed. "Or was that your idea, dear?"

In the corner of my eye, I saw Keyan rolling his eyes. "I think we should end this lunch," he said, standing up from his seat and grabbing his plate. "Edrei's probably exhausted and Edrik probably wants to spend some one-on-one time with Ru-Xi."

Ru-Xi stood up, following her Alpha in suit. "I'll show your rooms then," she said.

Edrik and I stood up, quickly thanking the older couple for the food before following Ru-Xi downstairs with our rucksacks.

The First Commander guided us through a small hallway before stopping at two adjacent rooms at the end.

"You can decide which rooms you want, but they're both pretty much the same," she said before opening the doors.

I peeked inside the one closest to me before walking inside. "I'll take this one," I told Ru-Xi who nodded in return.

"Okay, get some rest," she said before I closed the door behind me. I threw my rucksack onto the floor and flop onto the bed, feeling slightly lethargic from the food I just ate.