Page 29 of Violet Moon (Pitch Mountain Pack #1)

twenty-one

Sera shut her door and leaned against it, feeling a giddy sort of dizzy and hoping to catch her breath. Her gaze fell to her unmade bed where last night’s pajamas were crumpled in a small pile — an old t-shirt she’d gotten as a souvenir when Billie traveled some years ago and some warm socks.

That wasn’t going to be good enough.

Rifling through her drawers, she tried to pick the least threadbare shirt, but so many of them were neon souvenir shirts.

Was this a thing with the pack? Did everyone else get them or did they just think their Beta needed twenty different shirts with beaches and weird sayings on them?

To be fair, she did wear them every night, but this wasn’t just another night.

Too much time had already passed, so she took out the newest one — a light blue oversized shirt from a brewery downtown — and threw it on the bed so she could hunt for some socks without holes and shorts.

Those would no doubt be buried somewhere in the back because she never wore anything besides underwear to bed, but that seemed much too forward, so shorts it would be.

Taking one more steadying breath, she pointed at herself in the mirror and whispered, “You got this. Just be so normal.” Her pointing morphed into two thumbs up.

She burst into the hallway, riding the high of her nerves and anticipation, before remembering it was just past dawn and most of her packmates were still asleep.

“Beta Seraphine? You’re up early.”

Except Carina. School started early in the morning, even if the teacher was a werewolf, and Carina was awake to take on another day at elementary school.

“Can’t be ‘up’ if I never went ‘down,’” Sera replied with an awkward chuckle. She tugged on the end of her shirt and ran the hem between her fingers. “Just getting some water.”

“Oh!” Carina’s eyes widened. “Then don’t let me keep you.” There was a teasing lilt to Carina’s voice that made Sera suspicious of Carina being one of the ones who’d been secretly pushing them together.

“Have a good day with the kids.”

Sera slid past her in the hallway and scurried across the house until she was back in front of Parisa’s door. Hand on the doorknob, she thought about just going in so no one else would see her, but what if she walked in on something she shouldn’t see yet?

“Parisa,” she whispered. “Can I come in?”

There was no reply.

“Pari,” she said louder.

The door whipped open. Parisa’s long hair was in a messy bun on top of her head and she was wearing a soft sweatshirt. She grabbed Sera’s arm, pulled her inside, shut the door, and started giggling.

“I feel so sneaky.” She said through her laughter. “It’s fun.” She spun on her heels and shuffled on bare feet towards her bed.

Sera couldn’t hold back giggles of her own.

Seeing Parisa like this made that lightheadedness return in the best way.

Then her eyes traveled downwards and her world shifted.

Just below the hem of Parisa’s sweatshirt were the cutest underwear dotted with cartoon lemons with smiling faces.

Before this moment, Sera hadn’t understood how something could be so cute and hot at the same time.

Her thoughts dripped out of her head like warm honey and she knew she was staring but she couldn’t blink.

Parisa turned before she got into bed, facing Sera, and covered her face. “Oh my god, my face is so red, isn’t it?”

“About the same as mine.”

Parisa peeked from between her fingers. “I’m going to get into bed and you can get into the other side.

Or not yet. It’s up to you.” She dropped her hands to her sides and straightened her back, squaring her shoulders as though she was summoning her Alpha presence.

“We are going to talk like normal and then we are going to be calm enough to sleep.”

Without another glance at Sera, she hurried under her covers and slid down until the comforter was at her chin.

“Calm, I can do calm,” Sera lied as she rounded the bed to the other side.

Parisa’s room was tidy and filled with paintings and knick-knacks collected over the years.

Everything in there smelled like Parisa.

Sera’s senses were in overdrive taking it all in.

Of course she’d seen her room before, but it had been quite some time since she’d actually stood in it, let alone plan to sleep there.

With a trembling grip, she pulled back the covers and slipped inside on her side, aligning her back with the far edge of the bed.

Parisa smiled at her and Sera melted. Loose strands of her hair were in front of her face, her bun was a mess on top of her pillow, and she was smiling because Sera was there. She was perfect.

“Talk like normal, right?” Sera’s voice cracked.

Parisa nodded, lips in a tight line curving up at the corners.

The silence between them crackled in the air as it stretched on for minutes.

Parisa shifted closer and wrapped her hands around Sera’s. “This okay?”

“Of course.” Sera felt the heat from Parisa’s palms against her skin and the reality of the moment struck her. Parisa was warm and real right in front of her. She was in Parisa’s room, in her bed. She was more than likely going to kiss her Alpha again before she pretended to sleep.

Parisa slid closer until her head was resting at the bottom of Sera’s pillow, her face tucked near Sera’s collarbone, her soft hair tickling her chin. “This okay?”

“Very okay.” Lifting her arm, she hovered above Parisa before letting it curve around the shape of her body. She stroked her fingertips along her back as the nerves and tension gave way to a happy comfort.

“I ran into Carina in the hallway. She definitely knew I wasn’t headed to the kitchen.” Sera laughed. “Do you get nervous when you think about telling everyone?”

“Absolutely. It makes my stomach flop around inside me,” Parisa replied and snuggled closer to Sera’s chest. “But, on the other hand, I’m the fucking Alpha so who cares what anyone else thinks?”

Sera blinked. “Well that was a sexy thing to say.”

Parisa propped herself up on one arm and peered down at Sera, feigning innocence, but her grin said everything. “Was it? I’m just stating facts.”

Heat flooded Sera’s body. “Can you say it again?”

Parisa leaned in. “I’m the fucking Alpha,” she whispered and leaned in for a kiss before she reclaimed her space on Sera’s shoulder and cuddled closer. “I worry more about Clyde,” she admitted, “but if I need to fight him again to win his respect, then I guess I will.”

“Surely it wouldn't come to that.”

“He’s made of tradition through and through and if you want to challenge any of that, you have to prove he needs to listen.”

“He will.”

“One way or another, he will.” Parisa sighed. “I’m so tired of fighting to prove what I am. I shouldn’t have to. I don’t want to.”

Sera held Parisa tighter.

“I thought I’d reached a point where I no longer had to and then all this happens with the duel,” Parisa continued. “I was naive to think so.”

“Times had changed. No one saw this coming.”

“I should have. Progress marches on, but some things never change. I can have all the pride and confidence I’ve earned, but to some I’m still an easy target because of who I am.”

Sera remembered Jason and the way he’d looked at Parisa and felt a growl rumbling up from her chest.

Parisa puffed out a laugh, patting Sera’s side. “There’s my Beta,” she whispered. “I don’t need you to defend me, but there’s something good about knowing you would.”

“Always.”

“I’m sorry I brought the mood down.”

“Don’t be. I’m glad you’re sharing this with me.”

Parisa curled an arm around Sera’s middle. “I haven’t had anyone else I trusted enough. And I’ve kept things from you, too, over the years. It’s all so tightly coiled up inside of me and I’m worried that the moment I share too much, it’ll all come pouring out and I’ll send you running.”

“You know I wouldn't leave.”

Parisa pressed her face closer to Sera’s chest. “I know,” she whispered. She tightened her grip around Sera. “Thank you for everything. I’m able to be who I am because I know you’re right there beside me.”

Sera felt a sting at the back of her eyes and blinked it away. “There’s nowhere else I could be — nowhere else I’d want to be.” She nuzzled her face in Parisa’s soft hair.

The silence that stretched on was filled with quiet comfort. Still, Sera searched her mind for other topics, things that would take Parisa’s mind off the duel. A jolt of excitement ran through her when she landed on one. “We should go somewhere together — properly.”

“You mean a date?”

Sera nodded, smile stretching wide.

Parisa sat up and took both of Sera’s hands in hers. Their gazes locked as she smiled. “Seraphine, would you like to go on a date with me?”

“Definitely yes.” Sera’s heart fluttered in her chest.

Parisa paused, a contemplative look on her face. “Do you wonder now about how many of our other outings were dates?”

“Not until you just said it.”

“I think we’ve been dating for some time, eshgham .”

Sera groaned, burying her face into the pillow. “How did I never notice?”

“I didn’t either. I never dared to hope for anything like this. Now that you’re here, I can’t believe how lucky I am.”

Sera lifted her face enough to see Parisa. “I’m going to melt if you keep talking like that.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to.”

“Pari,” Sera whined, feeling her cheeks get hotter.

“I am lucky, though. I have a Beta who’s a great leader in our pack, strong enough to take me on, gorgeous enough to take my breath away.”

“Pari! Stop.” Sera covered her face.

Parisa laughed. She gently pulled Sera’s hands away, wrapping them inside her own. “I’ll stop tormenting you with compliments.”

“Good.” Sera pushed her face deeper into her pillow. “I want to — I think those things about you, too. They’re just hard to say right now.”

“You don’t have to say them. I know.”

“But I want to.”

“Do you want to try?”