I take a breath and cautiously step out of the bathroom. Waiting for me is the same looking Axel, but when he sees me, his face lights up and his eyes shine with adoration. I look down and curl my toes into the carpet.
"Do I look ok?" I nervously ask, not that I'll be on show.
He walks toward me and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. "You look perfect, but here," he says as he walks to a drawer and pulls out a hair brush. I smile slightly when he hands it to me.
I walk back into the bathroom, with Axel following me, and proceed to brushing my hair. Five minutes later, knots are still going through it. I groan in frustration and roughly put the hairbrush down. Stupid thing doesn't work.
Axel chuckles from behind me. "Here, let me," he says as he takes the hairbrush and leads me back to the room. He directs me toward the bed and I sit down on the edge. He copies my action, but sits behind me with legs either side of me. He's careful not to touch me entirely though, only letting our thighs brush together.
I close my eyes and focus on the feeling of him brushing my hair. It feels nice... Just like my mum used to do it. I quickly shake that thought from my mind, not really wanting to feel depressed.
What annoys me is that in less than two minutes, my whole hair is untangled and flowing down my back in its usual pin straight way. All because of Axel.
I take the brush back to the bathroom and set it down. Now I just have to come up with an excuse to not leave this room...
5
CELINA
"You ready to go now that you've brushed your hair?" Axel asks me with slight amusement in his voice. I start to panic as I walk back into the bedroom. I don't want to meet the pack who literally hunted me down to kill me! It just doesn't seem right.
"Um, do we have to do it now? I mean, we have plenty of time you know," I say as my lame excuse for not wanting to leave the room. I chew my lip nervously and twist a lock of my hair between my fingers. Please don't let me go!
"Celina, you don't have to go if you don't want to. I'll just tell the pack you're not ready," he says lovingly. I smile at him softly and nod my head.
"That would be great. I'm sorry about this, I don't mean to hurt their feelings," I mumble. I really don't. I'm just not ready to meet a new pack that seems really caring and loving and then might suddenly have them turn on me.
"Ok, well, I'll be back in a few minutes. Let me break the news to the pack. We can organize a date later, I guess," he tells me before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.
I sigh and walk over to the glass wall, looking out over the forest. I really want to go for a run right now. I really want to be free. 'Why don't you?' My wolf asks.
'That will mean asking Axel for a favor and probably having a run in with some of the pack. I don't think I can handle that,' I admit to her. She growls a bit at my decision, wanting to be let out, but she accepts it anyway.
A soft knock diverts my attention away from the beautiful scenery and toward the door.
"Who is it?" I ask softly, knowing the person will hear me because of their wolf hearing.
"It's Callum," the voice calls back and my eyes widen. I sprint to the door and yank it open, enveloping him in a hug. I must admit, I think Callum, Comrade and Axel are the only people I've touched for a long time. I guess they just have that caring nature about them.
"Wow, hi to you, too," Callum chuckles, hugging me back. "How are you feeling?" His voice suddenly fills with worry and concern. I pull back from him and stare at him for a moment.
"I feel fine, honestly. A little tired and hungry, but fine," I mutter, looking down.
Callum leads me into the room and sets me down on the bed. He hands me a plate full of pancakes covered in maple syrup, whipped cream, and a strawberry on top. I stare at it in disbelief.
"Lucky I brought this for you then, hey? Oh yeah! Axel also asked me to tell you that something unexpected turned up and he had to attend to his alpha duties. So, Comrade and I will be spending the day with you." He beams at me, but I'm still stuck on the fact he brought me pancakes. He actually brought them to me. I didn't have to cook them, help with cooking them or even give them away!
"Is this really for me?" I whisper and Callum nods. I cautiously poke my finger into the whipped cream and lick it off my finger. I close my eyes at the scrumptious taste.
"This is amazing!" I exclaim in pure ecstasy. Pancakes... I haven't had pancakes for so long, I've almost forgotten how they taste.
Callum laughs. I look at him in question. What's he laughing about? What's so funny?
"It's like you don't get these sorts of things often. I imagine a beautiful and special lady like you would be treated like a queen!" he exclaims.
My smile fades as memories of how my old pack used to treat me appear in my mind. The beatings, the hateful comments, not being allowed out of the house. A single tear slips out of my eye and I quickly wipe it away before Callum sees it. I softly put the plate of pancakes on the bedside table, suddenly not having an appetite anymore.
"Hey, you ok?" He asks as another tear slips out my eye. Damn it! Why do people always see me cry? Why do people always see how weak I am? Why?
"What did I do? Did I say something to offend you? Shit! I didn't mean to, I'm sorry!" He quickly apologizes. I sniff as he engulfs me in a hug. "You want to talk about it?" he asks quietly. I shake my head and try to find comfort in Callum's arms.
"Can you please not swear around me? I don't really like it that much; it brings back memories," I mutter quietly. In all truth, my old pack used to yell profanities at me when I did something wrong or something they didn't like. I always hated swearing, but now I loathe it with a vengeance.
"Yeah, sorry. I just thought I upset you, that's all," Callum says in an equally quiet voice. I pull out of his grip and look at him with a small smile on my face. "What?" He asks with a glint in his eye and a small grin. He's so... cheeky.
"I just find it funny that I've known you for three days and I already find comfort in you. I feel safe around you and I really like you as a friend. I haven't felt this way for a long time." I look into his brown eyes the whole time, so he knows I'm not messing around.
He smiles a breathtaking smile at me and jumps off the bed, doing a little bow. The smirk on his face is as clear as the sky.
"I'm honored, m'lady," he says in a horrible British accent, causing me to giggle a bit.
"What's that noise I hear?" A bogie calls from the door. Both our heads snap toward the door and standing there with slightly damp hair is Comrade. "I believe it is my job to make the lady laugh," he also says in a horrid accent while puffing his chest out at Callum jokingly. Callum's eyebrows raise and he too puffs out his chest. I giggle at the two boys and they both grin.
"I believe a competition is in order!" Callum exclaims. "The first one to make the lady laugh wins!"
"I accept!" Comrade also exclaims. I giggle again because they are still doing horrible British accents and this whole situation is quite funny.
First up is Comrade.
"M'lady," he says, doing a little bow to me. I nod my head and bite my lip to keep myself from giggling again. "I shall be juggling these oranges!" he tells me in an excited voice, revealing three oranges. I have no clue where he got the oranges from, but I really don't want to know. He grins at me and I cautiously watch him. Can he juggle?
To my surprise, he can actually juggle. He's going really well, he’s even singing his own circus music in the background! This is until an unexpected hair brush comes flying at him. Comrade drops the oranges and glares at an innocent-looking Callum.
"You ruined my performance!" Comrade whines like a little kid. I roll my eyes at him when Callum comes and takes his place in front of me.
"Today, I shall be doing a magic trick! One of pure amazement!" Callum says, trying to sound mysterious, but it just comes off as weird. I stare at him with raised eyebrows which causes him to wink at me. "I am going to make this handkerchief," he says, pul
ling out a handkerchief, "disappear!"
I snort very unladylike and wait for Callum to do his 'amazing' magic trick.
"Right, on three," he tells me and I nod, waiting to be utterly amazed. "One... Two... Three!" he yells. Just like that, he turns around and tucks the handkerchief into his sleeve. I purse my lips to keep in my laugh and shake my head. This man, who is supposed to be a feared beta throughout all packs, is standing here in front of me doing a magic trick.
"No, nothing?" He questions my red face. I shake my head and he sighs. "Next time, m'lady, next time."
That's how the day continues to go on, Comrade and Callum taking turns in trying to make me laugh. All they get are giggles and very unladylike snorts. They laugh at me a few times when I snort or when I get red in the face, but they failed. Poor little boys.
"That's it! I give up! It's impossible to make you laugh! What are you? Laugh proof?" Comrade questions while lying on the floor, exhausted. Just before, they both did a horrible folk dance together and they are now lying on the floor.
"Yeah, do you laugh at anything? When was the last time you laughed, woman?" Callum jokingly yells at me. I close my eyes and envision the last time I laughed. The last time I saw my parents, the day in the park.
"Nine years ago," I whisper, my eyes still closed, but I have a faint smile on my face. "It's been nine years since I laughed. Not even a giggle, so trust me, that's an improvement."
I open my eyes and I'm greeted with shocked faces. I shrug it off and look away. They probably think I'm a freak. Haven't laughed in nine years, who'd believe that?
"I can believe that," Comrade mutters like he read my mind. My head snaps up and I stare at him. Callum does too, and sighs.
"I guess I can too. When we found you, you weren't the happiest munchkin out there," he teases and everyone smiles slightly. I’m happy the tense atmosphere is gone.
Then I realize he just insulted my height. "I'm not short," I mumble and he gets up to ruffle my hair.
"Oh yes you are," he speaks like he's talking to a dog. I squeal and duck away from him, bolting to the other side of the room.
He holds his hands up in surrender and looks at me like I've grown two heads. "What did I do?"
I stare at him with wide eyes and a straight face. He gulps slightly and backs away next to a now standing Comrade, who looks just as equally scared.
"No one, and I mean no one, touches my hair," I let out calmly, my voice like stone. They flinch slightly and nod their heads. I smile again. "Don't look so scared." My voice back to normal. "All you have to do is avoid my hair at all costs or... Well, you don't want to find out."
Their eyes widen and as if on cue, Axel walks in the door that very moment. Comrade and Callum look scared and out of their minds while staring at my innocent face. This should be interesting...
Axel looks from me to the guys and then smirks. "Well, I see you've managed to scare your babysitters for the day. You're dismissed," Axel tells Callum and Comrade, and without needing to be told twice, they both sprint out of the room. I chuckle at their retreating backs.
Axel closes the door and sits by the foot of the bed. I join him, but I sit on the other end against the headboard. A look of hurt washes over his face before he smirks again. "What did you do?" he asks mischievously.
I shrug. "They got a warning not to touch my hair again or else."
Axel raises an eyebrow, but I don't elaborate. I'm sure Callum or Comrade will tell him.
"So how was the pack? Were they upset I didn't meet them?" I question nervously. I really hope I didn't.
Axel sighs and runs a hand through his beautiful and already messed up white hair. I follow the movement and can't help but see how his arm muscles flex or how hot he looks when he does that.
I look away before he can see me blush. Did I just perv on my mate? Oh god, I don't know how long I can hold out.
"I tell ya what, a lot of people wanted to meet the future Luna. Pretty much the whole pack turned up," he says and I feel my face fall. Did I upset them? "No, it's okay, sweetheart, you didn't upset them," Axel explains quickly, pulling me into his arms and I let him. I feel the need to be comforted right now and who else is better than your mate? "I explained to them that you weren't ready to meet them and they were fine with that. I'm giving it about a week, two weeks tops, until they want to meet you though. They really feel guilty about almost killing their future Luna, and they want to apologize," he says, sounding sincere. I smile; well at least they don't hate me.
"Did you ask them to apologize?" I suddenly wonder out loud because if he did, I'm not sure what I'll say or feel.
He chuckles. "No, I didn't ask them. In fact, they asked if I could give you this. It's from the children of the pack, saying sorry about what their mummies and daddies did," he says with amusement in his voice.
I take the messily made card from his hands. The actual card is light blue and the decorations on the cover definitely look like a bunch of kids did it. It's covered in glitter and ribbons and a big messy word saying 'Luna'. I slowly open it, and in it is a bunch of little messages from all the children in the pack. I read every single one, even though I can't read some very well because of their handwriting. On the back of the card is in big letters, 'Sorry!’ I feel my eyes fill with tears. They made this... for me?
"Oh my gosh," I whisper as I lean back into Axel’s chest. He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me closer to him. "No one's ever done something so thoughtful for me before," I mumble as I trace my fingers over the messages and smile as a happy tear slips from my eye. "I love it."
"I thought you would. You seem like the person to love little kids," he mutters into my ear, burying his head in the crook of my neck, and breathing in my scent. It feels nice.
I sigh and read over the messages again until I've memorized every one. I gently set the card down and close my eyes. It must be at least eight by now and I'm super tired. A big yawn escapes my mouth, proving my point.
"Tired?" Axel questions quietly.
"Mm-hmm..." I hum back. I soon feel myself slowly being lifted by a set of strong arms. I'm set softly down on the bed and the covers are pulled over me. I feel someone lightly kiss my forehead.
"Goodnight, Celina. Sweet dreams," I hear Axel whisper before I fall into a blissful sleep.
6
AXEL
"Ok, well, I'll be back in a few minutes. Let me break the news to the pack. We can organize a date later, I guess," I shrug and walk out the door, closing it behind me.
I sigh when I'm out in the hallway. I know that Celina isn't ready, but what bugs me is that she doesn't just tell me; she has to come up with an excuse. Of course I caught on, but I thought she'd tell me if she wasn't ready. I guess not...
I must admit, I wasn't the most accepting person when I first met her. She just ran away from me and I was so mad! I just couldn't stand to be around her when I knew she didn't want me. Then I bloody forced myself on her! Not only that, but right after she told me not to! What's wrong with me? Her scent though, god! It's amazing and when I'm around her like that, it's so hard not to just... Ugh!
I know she isn't ready for that yet, let alone consider it. I can wait forever to be with her though. As long as she doesn't run away again or resist me, I'm good.
I step into the backyard and I'm instantly met with eager stares and whispers. Wow, they're going to take this really badly. At least Celina can't see the backyard from our room...
I step up onto the podium at the front and everyone quiets down almost immediately. I see the eagerness and hopefulness in their eyes for meeting their future Luna.
"I am aware that you have all been very eager and excited to meet your new Luna, but unfortunately she will not be meeting you today," I announce in my formal alpha voice. Objections start being yelled off and growls coming from the crowd.
I growl loudly and that seems to catch their attention. They will not disrespect her. "You will not disrespect your Luna in such a way! You do no
t know her position! You do not know where she came from! You do not understand what is going through her head! So if I hear a disrespectful word or even thought, you will be punished! Is that understood?" I boom as I watch all their heads bow and mumble words of agreement.
Callum comes walking up to me with a smirk on his face. "Well then, I'll take that you've forgiven your little mate?" He asks mischievously. I growl in response and he laughs.
"Oh yeah, a pack a few territories over called in when you were with Celina. They asked me if I could tell you to ring them. Apparently they're in a bit of strife and need some help," he says in full beta mode. That's the good thing about Callum, when in a serious situation, he'll go into beta mode and get the job done. That's why he's my beta.
I nod my head and begin to walk back through the doors to the house. "Oh, can you keep Celina company?" I question.
He nods, but adds into my statement. "Sure thing, I'll get Comrade to help too. She seems comfortable around him."
I resist the growl trying to erupt out of my chest, and nod stiffly. I know that Celina finds comfort in Comrade so I can't really complain, but seriously! He annoys me so much because I know he got closer to Celina in less than two days and I'm still trying to get her to hug me! It's bloody ridiculous!
I guess Comrade knows what she's going through. He's been through a lot, but it's not my story to tell. Comrade will confess when he feels it is appropriate. It's his secret and no one else's.
I should be able to connect with her though, I am her mate. I may not know what she's gone through, but I know the pain she's feeling if it's anything like that.
Let's just say, I have a very... special mother. She's one of a kind, literally. I only get to see her every once in a while though. No, not like once every year. It's more like... once every few years and that's if I'm lucky. I'll openly admit I miss my mother, but I can live without her. I've lived without her my whole life.