Page 10 of His Fated Luna

As soon as Auntie Hilda and I stepped into the alpha’s mansion, a woman with short brown hair and eyes the same color as Alpha Aidan’s rushed over and pulled me into a big hug.

“You can call me Josie, Rose!” she exclaimed, her voice full of warmth. “My, you’ve grown! You are going to be a spectacular luna!”

She pulled back to give me a once-over, her eyes misting over.

“Mom, she doesn’t know the first thing about the pack, let alone being a luna!” Aiden scoffed from where he was leaning against the foyer’s entryway.

I shot him a glare, noting the double doors behind him that led into the huge conference room where my welcome party was taking place. Ever since my return had been announced, everyone assumed I was going to be the next luna. That fact clearly grated on Aiden’s nerves, and his anger had latched onto the one person who was just as helpless as he was—me. Was it fair? No. But I didn’t want to create unnecessary drama so I chose to ignore him.

“Aiden!” Josie admonished, turning on him. “That’s not very nice! Rose is beautiful and a smart young woman! Do not underestimate her!”

“It’s okay,” I said, keeping my voice nonchalant.

I shrugged as if his words didn’t bother me, then made a beeline for the refreshments. But inside, it did bother me. I was short and plump, constantly wondering when the awkward lumps on my body would give way to the hourglass figure Auntie Hilda always promised would show up one day. I hated my chipmunk cheeks—the very ones that made everyone think I was still a child. But no one would ever know how much Aiden’s words had actually stung.

Josie, however, wasn’t letting him off the hook.

“Aiden Austin Sinclair!” she scolded, rounding on him with a voice so shrill that almost everyone in the room turned to see their powerful alpha being reprimanded by his petite mother, who usually doted on him.

To his credit, Aiden didn’t get angry—not even a little—despite the very public scolding.

“She’s a lovely young lady, Aiden!”

“She is not my mate!” Aiden retorted coolly, his hand going around the beautiful blonde next to him. She was tall and skinny, holding a designer handbag in one hand and wearing a leopard print dress.

She was exactly the type of woman men like Aiden ended up with.

“No one’s asking you to take her as your mate right now!” Josie stated. “We’ll revisit this topic once things settle down. You be nice to her and make her feel welcome. That’s all anyone is asking from you. No need to be so rude. She’s part of the pack and your responsibility, just like everyone else in this pack.”

Aiden didn’t say another word, though he looked like he wanted to. Instead, he merely snaked an arm around his girlfriend's waist.

“I am so sorry about this,” Josie whispered to me as she led me to the drinks table. “Aiden is usually a nice, cheerful boy. But ever since his father passed away, his entire demeanor changed.He’s become more serious…more solemn. And very rude too,” Josie added angrily, shooting her son a glare.

I could understand being overwhelmed. But it didn’t make his comments hurt any less.

“Let’s get out of here, baby,” I heard his girlfriend, Lexia, coo.

I turned to spot her running her perfectly manicured fingers through his dark locks. He didn’t hesitate, and with a mischievous grin, he pulled her out of the pack house.

Meanwhile, I clenched my plastic cup a little too tightly.

You are not supposed to expect anything from him, I scolded myself.

But that didn’t stop the sting of rejection.

Ever since I’d met him, I couldn’t get his achingly handsome face out of my mind. He had those dark blue eyes—eyes that reminded me of comfort, of home.

No. Stop.

I shook myself out of it just as people started gathering around for introductions. I forced a smile, letting them welcome me. And in all honesty, it felt good to finally be part of something.

I owed it to these people to be what they needed me to be.

Weeks turned into months and I slowly assimilated into the pack. I made friends with a warrior-in-training, Layla. She took me under her wing and showed me the ropes of pack life. I even made friends with Aiden’s younger brother Anthony–Tony, as everyone called him. He took over as Beta a few months after my arrival.

Dad joined the Council of Elders that had the power to veto decisions made by the pack alpha. It was interesting watching Dad butt heads with Aiden constantly. Amidst all of this, I finally got to know my father.

He took me around the pack territory, explaining the significance of each area. Some parts were more fertile than others, ideal for farming. A creek ran through the land, home to unique aquatic life and special plants. I knew he was teaching me the lay of the land in hopes that I would one day become luna.