Becoming Luna

Chapter Two: A Backwards Loincloth

After I finish trimming his hair, he stands and shakes his head over the sink. I watch, unable to stop myself from admiring how effortlessly handsome he is. From my memories of him as a child, I did not expect him to look like this. He's almost too perfect, too chiseled. I didn't think it was possible for him to get more attractive with shorter hair. But here we are.

His green eyes meet mine in the mirror and for the first time, I think we both register each other as a mate. He pauses, half bent over the sink, hand suspended in mid air. He holds my gaze, his eyes searching my face. For what I don't know. I try to offer him comfort here, in my eyes. My mother always says the eyes are the gateway to our souls.

I wish I knew what he were thinking, his face is blank. Stoney. His eyes offer me nothing. I look away first, glancing down at the scissors in my hands.

"Will you cut my hair?" I ask, aloud without thinking. Would that offend him? I almost don't want to look up at him. Although we are mates, it still feels like he's miles away.

"You don't have to." He responds, his voice soft. He straightens up, dusting his hands off. When I don't offer anything else in return, he faces me.

I stare past him, my eyes trained out the window across from me. The glass I know is treated with something as it reflects from the outside. From in here, I can see the market, with people bustling around like ants. They don't even know yet. They don't know the Alpha is dead and that within the next thirty minutes they will be gathering at the base of the steps here at the pack house. They don't know that Mathias has returned and that Im going to be their new Luna.

"He was close to me," I inhale deeply, careful to pick my words right. The Alpha and I coexisted. He made sure I was well taken care of when doing my job for the Luna. I think he respected me more for how dedicated I was. "But it's fine if you don't want to, I know it can be hard to think positively right now."

Mathias watches me for another moment, then his hands wrap around mine. They're warm, slightly calloused and much larger than mine. "Thank you, for taking care of my mother the way you have." He says, working the scissors out of my hands.

I turn my back to him, and grit my teeth. I curl and uncurl my fists nervously, the last time my hair was cut was when my father passed. It brings those memories rushing to the surface as I feel the scissors start snipping my hair. My braid is thicker than his was, and it seems to take ages for him to get through it. I can tell that he hasn't cut it at the base of the braid, but I don't want to question it. My throat is too tight anyway, I don't want to let him know I'm choking back tears.

I feel the last bit of hair give way and a heavy weight is lifted off my shoulders. He holds it in front of me, before laying it down next to his on the counter. He sets the scissors there too, and gently begins to pull the rest of my braid out. His fingertips brush my back every once and a while, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

I'm left with hair to the top of my shoulder blades after he trims it to straighten out the hair. Then he just stands behind me, looking at our reflections in the mirror and somehow, we look as if we're meant to be together. We fit like a glove together this way.

He reaches from behind and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear with the gentlest touch. "You have a call to make." He reminds, dropping his hand to his side.

"Right." I straighten my shirt out and quickly exit the bathroom. I press myself to the wall outside and silently scream.

I allow everything I'm feeling to rush forward. The grief I feel over losing the Alpha, the confusion I feel over Mathias and the dread I feel knowing my life is going to be different from now on. If thought being the Luna's assistant was hard, it's ten times worse being the Luna. It all comes back to being mated to the Alpha. I have spent the last three, almost four years of my life watching my friends find their mates.