Thelma’s POV
It felt really good to be back to the Blood moon pack. In fact, I slept throughout the night smiling in my sleep. Yesterday, the Alpha had promised me that he was going to introduce me to all the pack members who I was yet to meet on a remarkable day. He also promised me that he was going to do anything to make sure he stays loyal to me and never fancy any modest desire to fuck any godamm bitch in the pack again. In the pack? What about outside the pack? I didn’t even ask him that. Such a fool, Thelma. Though this was yet to be confirmed but I just felt like believing his words.
There was one thing the Alpha had failed to understand. Even though I had initially wanted to go home; to my father’s packhouse, I knew I wouldn’t be welcomed back. It was a decision I reached out of anger. My father had initially warned me not to ever return no matter the situation I’d encounter in the Blood moon pack. Drake was a douchebag, that was for sure but he was a hell of lot better than the old bandwagon called Rudolph. I had been worried about how I would deal with him. It had bothered me so much but thanks to the Alpha, he asked for my forgiveness which was the last thing I had expected him to do.
“Are you in there, Luna?” a smooth girlish voice asked. “The Alpha asked me to get you to the dining room. It is time for you to be welcomed to the pack.”
Luna? I smiled at myself. I fought so hard to make sure whoever was outside my door didn’t hear me doing so. “Yes, someone’s in here. Give me a minute.” I looked down at my white nightie gown, It was rumpled like hell. There was no way I could change into another cloth without wasting a considerable amount of time.
“Come on in, please,” I said. “The door isn’t closed.”
I watched as the door gently swayed open. A lady of beautiful character, tall as me, slim body like a lawn tennis athlete, emerged. She had long black hair that spread carelessly on her shoulder. Her face seemed like a no-smile kind of girl; a beauty and a serious Queen combined. “Good morning, Luna.”
Jeez. I looked at her. Even though I heard what she had said, I didn’t bother to reply to her message. I studied her external features again. The lines on her round neck looked smooth rich. And the necklace on her neck was made of pure gold. Could it be. . . could it be that the Alpha was fucking this one too? Because if I were to be the Alpha, this girl would have been a perfect Bridget for me. But again, another thought flew in. If a girl this beautiful could be in this packhouse, why would the Alpha choose me? I could smell her; she’s a werewolf.
“Good morning, Pretty,” I said. I borrowed the word ‘Pretty’ from the Alpha. “Did you just call me, a Luna?” I asked her.
She bowed, her dark brows elaborate. “Yes, Luna. That was the Alpha’s instruction.”
I smiled, even though I tried to hide it. I smiled because it was the first time someone had ever bowed to me. And secondly, the name Luna. It felt like it was more like a mere name. It felt more like a title as she mentioned it. I felt like the name came with power.
“May I know your name, please?” I asked.
“My name is Cynthia.” She bowed.
“Oh, nice name.”
She smiled and bowed again.
“Okay, Cynthia. Please, you may need to have a seat. I will be with you in a jiffy. I need to take my bath and prepare myself.”
She placed her palm on the black trouser she wore and scratched at them. She glared at me for a second and smiled. “I was sent here by the Alpha not just to take you to the dining hall but to assist you in whatever way I can,” she said. “So feel free to ask me to do anything for you.”
I wanted to smile, but I didn’t know how to. “And does that include taking me to the bathroom?”
She let out low laughter. “If that would please you,” she bowed, showing me her hands. “Then I am at your service.”
Damn. Damn. I think I had just started to realize how important and serious the position of the Luna is. Like hell, was this how a Luna is respected? This was all unprecedented. I mean the pride was just too much and it could easily drown you in an absolute travesty if you allow it to get into your head. I knew myself. I am not a master of self-control and things could get really addictive if I didn’t fight to stop it at an early stage.
“You don’t need to bother yourself, girl. I can take care of myself.” I began to straddle away but stopped halfway to the bathroom. “Just relax, I am coming.” I smiled at her. She nodded before I scampered away.
I went to the bathroom and did my thing. But there, a lot came to my mind. I was going to have to dine with the pack and that means that I was finally going to meet them. Possibly, I am going to meet all of them. I was anxious. I was curious to know how they would see me. On the other hand, I was scared because I didn’t know what I would say. The only glimpse of happiness I felt was that I was going to do something I had never done before. I had never done any public speaking before and all I could think of when I remember that I was going to talk to more than a dozen persons was that ‘I was going to fuck up’. A big fuck up. It sent shivers down my marrows. But again, this was inevitable and there was no way this was going slide. I would have to take the bull by the horn, I thought.
I finished, so I slid into a jeans trouser and matched it with a cropped white top. I applied light makeup on my face with no intention to make it strident. I didn’t waste time in the bathroom like I would if it had been the normal Thelma vs Ordinary days. But since it was Thelma vs Responsible days, I took things a little bit seriously because I had no idea the type of caliber of people I would meet- yet.
“I am done,” I said when I came out from the bathroom. “We are good to go.”
Cynthia studied me for a while, her eyeballs darting around my outfit. I grew weary, my cheek ached, and my mouth made jingling movement that wasn’t under my control. I glowered down at my outfit. I wanted to know if I was wearing my clothes the wrong way. But I saw NOTHING. I looked back at her.
“What?” I squealed.
“Today shouldn’t be for this type of outfit. It is not the tradition.” Her gaze now fell back correctly to where it should be- my eyes. “The Alpha didn’t tell you?”
“The Alpha didn’t tell me what?” I asked her.
“There’s a code. A dress code a Luna. That is what is required of you to wear on your first introduction to the pack. The members you will be meeting aren’t ordinary members of the pack.”
Aren’t ordinary members? This would imply that the pack members I would meet were high members of the pack. This made me more anxious. I decided to counter her instead of taking her statement as a mere suggestion. “But I am not a Luna yet.”
“But you will soon be,” she argued. “And that is why you need to start dressing like one. I didn’t make them up myself. This had been the tradition for ages.”
I knew none of these which made me wonder how many dozens of these kinds of information out there I needed to know. It’s a shame that I was an Alpha’s daughter yet I had no idea non of this information ever existed. “So what am I going to do?”
“Wait. I will be back soon.” She turned to walk away.
“Where are you going exactly?” I asked wearily.
She turned, cheeks blitheful. “To get the code,” she answered and left.
I waited for her. To be more grammatically correct, I waited for the CODE. While waiting, I crept back and forth, consciously thinking of what the code was and unconsciously thinking how it looked like. I went as far as thinking about why the code was important too. All these concepts were new and it wasn’t my fault that they all sounded alien to my hearing. I wasn’t acquainted with these things right from childhood.
Cynthia walked in with a short beautiful box in her right hand. The box-like suitcase she held looked like it was used for putting important office documents that should be kept out of children’s reach. She carried it with some added grace and care. She brought it close to me and kept it on the sofa behind me. I watched as she opened it. She brought out a golden gown, wrapped carefully so it could fit into the box she carried. She brought it out, with nothing else left inside the box, she gently closed it.
“Take this off,” she said and motioned with her head toward the cloth I wore, “and wear this.” She offered me the gown she had brought.
I stared at the gown, astonished at what I saw. The beautiful cloth was encrusted with gold. Not just ordinary ornamental golds but pure golds attached at several places in the gown. It was so beautiful and looked costly too. I had never gotten anything like that for myself. In fact, I had never seen such a dress in any boutique and most importantly, I had never worn a dress as long as that. I breathed, took the gown from her, and stared at it for a few seconds. I didn’t bother to go inside the room again to wear it. I had to change my clothes right there in her presence. She helped me get that done.
“You look great,” she told me. Before I turned to meet her eyes, I allowed her to zip it up at the back.
“Really?” I said as I turned.
She nodded. “You look like a Queen,” She whispered. “A beautiful Queen.”
Amazed, I went close to the mirror to take a cursory look at myself. Truly, I dressed like a Queen. The gown was so long in such a way that it was mopping the floor as I walk. I had to remove the strapped white bra I wore and change to a strapless black one- since the gown was strapless too. It stopped somewhere around my shoulder, leaving a whole lot of my back bare. Yes, I was aware I dressed well. In fact, the feeling was hovering around my subconscious. I had an idea that the new dress was costly and it was designed to show some kind of status. But yet, I was not comfortable. I lacked the confidence to perform the task that awaited me. I held the beautiful dress with both hands at the hips and looked into the mirror again, I saw my face burning with nervousness.
“Are you okay. . . Luna?” Cynthia asked.
I staggered. “I-I am fine.”
“No, it doesn’t seem like you are,” she said, smiling. “Are you feeling worried?” she asked me.
I tried to hide the feeling. “Ka-kind of.”
She nodded, her eyes flickering smugly at me. “I understand how you feel, Luna. Everyone has their first day but that doesn’t mean it is going to be the worst.”
I shivered at her words. Since she already found out about my little secrets, I decided to open up to her. “I feel like I am not ready for any of these,” I confessed.
She smiled. “Believe me, no one is more ready than you. If the Alpha decided to choose you to be the Luna of his pack, then believe me that your readiness is beyond the physical realm. The goddess has destined you and the Alpha to be our leader and no one can change that except you allow it to happen.”
Except I allow it to happen? Why would I allow it to happen? There was a point in what she said. There can only be exceptions if I allow them. “Or would you allow that to happen?” she asked.
“No, no. of course, not.”
“Then follow me, let’s go.”