Luna Audrey

Epilogue

-6 months later-

I felt a bit jittery and out of place as Dean and I entered the large dining hall of the Moon Wave pack. I'd never worn such a long, fancy dress before, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it. It was a deep green, satin, v-neck gown that was cinched at the waist by several rows of dazzling rhinestones, while the bottom half trailed all the way down to my feet in an a-line fashion. My hair fell in long, loose curls and my makeup was done beautifully, thanks to the help of Hana and Farah.

I wore Owen proudly on my hip and had my free arm linked in Dean's as I took in the large room around me. It'd been converted beautifully for the event, but I had no doubt that it was stunning even as a normal, everyday dining hall.

A couple of weeks earlier, Dean and I had received a letter in the mail from Alpha Ryder that turned out to be an invitation. His birthday was coming up, and he insisted that all the Alphas, Lunas, and Beta families travel to his pack to celebrate the occasion with a formal party. We were a bit shocked, seeing as none of the Alphas had all gathered together at once in years, but Ryder insisted that this was the best time for us to all come together seeing as none of the packs had any specific quarrels with one another for the time being.

Not only that, but he guilted us all into it. Ryder was the only Alpha that was loved by everyone, so no one could say no to him – especially on his birthday.

I was excited to finally be going such a prestigious gathering, but also extremely nervous for all the unknowns. I took comfort in knowing there would be some friendly, familiar faces, but there were still several Alphas and Lunas who I'd never met...and some of them, I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to.

Hana and Farah assured me that they'd be with me the entire night, as the men would probably congregate together for most of the night, chatting and drinking with one another. I took comfort in knowing I'd have two friends with me, and then felt even better knowing that Brenna would be there as well.

Once we found our table, I was introduced to a sweet middle-aged woman named Barbara who took Owen from me so I could 'let loose,' as they put it, for the night. I didn't like having a stranger watch over my son, but I trusted that Ryder would only pick someone he trusted for such a job, and I took comfort knowing that Hana and Luna Lena had little ones as well who would likely be taken care of by the same ladies.

Hana soon approached with a bright smile, clearly excited for the night's gathering. She was much more outgoing than I was, but she always assured me that she hadn't always been that way – it was something that came with time.

Farah was at her side, also seeming quite excited, and quickly began to shoo Dean off, "Go on now, I know you want to spend time with 'the boys,' so let me spend time with my girls! Rhett and Stefan are getting drinks."

Dean rolled his eyes at her before leaning down to give me a quick kiss, "I won't be far if you need me," he assured.

I smiled and nodded at him, not wanting him to worry about me tonight. This was supposed to be a fun night for both of us, and like he said, we wouldn't be far from one another. If we wanted to spend time together or needed something, the farthest we'd have to go was across the room.

After Dean left us to go meet up with Rhett and Stefan, I realized I hadn't seen Brenna yet and began to scan the room for her.

"What's wrong?" Hana asked, sounding a bit concerned. She knew I was nervous about some of the people who'd be here tonight like Luna Zahra and Luna Lena. I'd never met them, and from what I'd heard, I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to.