Mia
I groaned as I stood up from the bed. It was another meeting time. It was hell going through the lecture yesterday and listening to all the elders talk. I could barely concentrate after four hours had already passed and they seemed to have yet a lot to talk about.
It seemed as if they had all been told that their time was ticking and wanted to pop me full of information before that so I could be the one to pass it on to the next generation.
I snorted at that ridiculous notion. As if wolves died easily as that. They didn’t. They weren’t humans who were going to pop off and die because they were already at a certain age and looked old as well. I snorted. As if humans didn’t die before old age as well.
Wolves also did die early but that would be in terms of war. If there were no unforeseen circumstances that would lead to the early death of the wolves, they could live for far longer years than a human.
I knew that they could die a natural death as well when they had lived long enough but that wasn’t the case for these people. The oldest among them could still live for more than thirty years.
I assumed that they were excited to have another Luna in the pack after years of not having any after the former one had died decades ago and they were excited to pour all that they knew into me but I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t deal with the overflow of information.
I hoped that the meeting today wouldn’t be like that as it wasn’t going to be with elders who wanted to pour knowledge into me and teach me but with ladies and younger females of the pack who hopefully wanted to get to know me as I wanted to get to know them as well.
I got to the house and was told that the women were waiting for me and walked in. I was barely at the door when I met Saidah coming outside. Her eyes widened as she saw me and she exhaled. I arched my eyebrows at that action and glanced at her in worry. I hoped that she wasn’t here looking for me. I wasn’t late. I didn’t think I was. I had been told that the meeting was by eleven and this was fifteen minutes to that.
I had even been intentionally early so I wouldn’t have to keep them waiting and make it seem like I was being proud. I didn’t think I was late but I felt like I had to confirm if I was the one she was looking for so it wouldn’t seem like I didn’t bother. That exhale when she saw me was too much of a reveal that I didn’t have a doubt that I was involved.
“Were you looking for me?” I asked.
She shook her head and waved her hand. “Oh no, your highness. I wasn’t expecting you yet. You still have some more minutes before your arrival which was why I was surprised when I saw you.” She gasped and her eyes widened as her hands flew to her mouth. “Where are my manners? Forgive my insolence, your highness.” She bowed. “You are welcome, your highness.”
I blinked at her attitude, surprised by it. I hadn’t even thought of it that she was being rude for not bowing in greeting me when she saw me. Her head was still bowed, waiting for me to tell her to raise it up. She probably thought that I was going to have her punished with the way she had suddenly gasped when she realized that she hadn’t greeted me. Why would she think that I would do that? That would be so petty of me. That was one of the downfalls of my newly acquired position. People were going to assume that you were what you weren’t. I guessed that was one of the things I would love to endure as the Luna of the pack.
Evelyn hadn’t been lying yesterday when she said that I was going to have to endure a lot as the Luna of the pack though I doubted that this was what she was referring to.
“Please raise up your head.” I said to her.
“Thank you, your highness.” She smiled as she curtsied to me.
“It’s okay.” I was meant to add daughter to that but I didn’t think that I could do that. Evelyn had told me that I was the mother of the pack and it wouldn’t be out of place for me to address the female wolves as daughter but I didn’t think I could do that.
I didn’t think that I could start addressing the females in the pack as daughters. Come on, some of them were older than I was and the rest were my age mates. How could I start calling them my daughters? That would creep me out as much as it would make them uncomfortable.
I doubted that would make them uncomfortable though as that was their rules and they already knew it. The wolves believed after all that traditions were traditions. I was the one who was going to feel freaked out and I didn’t want that.
We both stood there in silence and it was getting awkward to me and I had to break it.
“Where were you going then? You seem to be in a rush when I met you.”
She smiled. “The females seem to be excited about meeting you and they all have been here for over an hour, talking and waiting for your arrival. I noticed that the snacks had finished and as the hostess, I was going to get more for them before your arrival and we would have to start the meeting. That was why I was surprised to see that you were already here.”
I nodded. I didn’t even know that she was the hostess but I was glad to know that she owned the house that we would be having the meeting in. I knew her and that definitely would make me more comfortable than I had expected to be.
I was already freaking out though at the thought of the females excited to see me and gathering for over an hour.
My heart was already thumping hard in my chest though I was trying not to show it. What was going to happen? What were they expecting or they were only glad to see me? I was scared that it would be as unexpected as the elders yesterday when I had had a full-blown lecture when I had been told that it was meant to be a brief introduction.
I released a sigh, hoping this was a hangout with the younger females of the pack as I had been told that it was.
“Oh! Okay. See you soon. I guessed I can go in.”
“Sure, your highness. The others are waiting for you and would be glad that you are here.” She said. “I will be right back, your highness.” She said and walked away, leaving me to myself.
I took a deep breath and walked in. Everyone went silent the moment I stepped inside and I felt awkward at the silence and the way they all stared at me. I expected the silence and stares though but that didn’t mean that it didn’t freak me out. I wasn’t shocked at their shock though. They hadn’t been expecting me. They weren’t expecting me to be here soon. Even though I had been outside talking with Saidah, I still had some minutes left before my arrival.
I guessed that they had been busy talking among themselves and were distracted or they would have known that I was already around. All wolves had superior hearing and I wasn’t too far from the door. They would have heard that I was outside talking to their host if they hadn’t been so distracted with their talks.
I swallowed and looked round all of them, staring at their faces. I had thought that the elders had been much but they were nothing compared to this. I could count close to a hundred faces before I finally gave up. I didn’t know that Saidah had a house big enough to accommodate this number. She was truly the strongest female in the pack if she could have a house big enough for this number. Even if she didn’t, I had no doubt that this number I was looking at wouldn’t mind squeezing themselves in a room so they could get to hang out with me.
I was nervous about how the day was going to be but I told myself that I got it. If it was getting too uncomfortable for me, I could simply excuse myself and go home. It wasn’t like the meeting with the elders where I couldn’t leave until they were done.
“Hello, girls.” I said, hoping that would help to make everyone comfortable.
I couldn’t call them daughters as my title demanded and I was afraid that calling them family might make them feel like I was being too forward.
I took a step back in fright as they all suddenly jumped on their feet and bowed, greeting in a loud voice.
“You are welcome, your highness.”
Oh! Not again. I rolled my eyes as I looked at them, trying to calm my racing heart down. They didn’t have to keep on doing that. They were going to be the death of me if they continued with that.
“Please be seated.” I said to them and exhaled when I saw them seated but I could still see them acting uncomfortable.
It was normal, being nervous in the presence of someone who was superior, especially if they were so someone that one didn’t know and wasn’t comfortable with.
I could remember that it was exactly the way I felt when I was in college, working with my project supervisor. She wasn’t someone who was friendly and I wasn’t comfortable with her all through my project. I didn’t think that I wanted to feel like that. That wasn’t the way I wanted these wolves to feel around me.
I shuddered at the thought of being seen as someone like my project supervisor in school.
“Please be comfortable.” I added, waving my hand at them.
They nodded, smiling at me. I smiled back, hoping that we would all be comfortable.
Saidah got back the minute I sat down and few minutes later, everyone loosened up and started to talk and interact with one another.
It wasn’t long that I got comfortable with them as well as they started, telling me about themselves and pulling me into the conversation. I made friends with some of them too, those I could hang out with on a closer level aside from this crowd.
Even though they had teased me about getting mated to the three boys in the pack that most of the female wolves would love to get mated to, I had had fun despite it all and was glad that the boring and long meeting with the elderly wolves didn’t discourage me from coming here.
By the time I left, I was thinking of how to hang out with them again and they were also comfortable with me, enough that they didn’t feel the need to bow all the time, which was what I wanted.
I didn’t need followers who feared and thought the worst of me. I would prefer those who loved and respected me instead.
I smiled as I walked out of Saidah’s house. I believed I was going to love being the Luna of the silver moon pack.