Sherry’s POV:
“What?” I asked, my tone serious.
“The welcome party. It’s usually held for all the male warriors who join our pack. In the past, even the she-wolves had their own parties, but the Alpha banned them after things got out of hand. One she-wolf even stripped naked in front of him just to get his attention. He was so upset that he decided to ban the welcome parties for females,” Maggie explained, and I glared at her.
I was extremely displeased with what I was hearing. If it were up to me, I would have banned both male and female welcome parties.
“Luna, are you upset?” she asked softly.
“No,” I replied, forcing a smile on my face.
I felt a surge of anger knowing that some she-wolves would go to such lengths just to seduce my man. Yes, it happened in the past, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen again.
“So when is this so-called party starting?” I asked, my tone serious.
“In an hour,” she answered.
“In an hour!” I exclaimed.
“Yes, Luna. The Alpha is busy in his office going through some files, and I was busy talking to the she-wolves who will be serving the men. I’m really sorry for informing you late,” she said, bowing her head.
“It’s okay,” I replied, then walked out of the bedroom.
“Break the wrist of any she-wolf who dares to touch or look at him,” my wolf growled.
She, too, was displeased with the party that was about to happen, but sadly, I couldn’t do anything to stop it.
I went to Damon’s office and stood at the entrance. Before I could knock, he spoke.
“Come in,” he said loudly.
I opened the door and walked in. Once my eyes landed on him, I smiled.
He was sitting behind his desk, looking at the papers in front of him.
I closed the door behind me and moved closer, standing by his side.
After a few minutes passed without him looking up, I cleared my throat.
“I’m sorry, dear. Just give me a second, please,” he whispered without looking at me.
I pouted and went to sit down on the couch opposite his desk.
“He is really handsome, with or without a mask,” I silently said to my wolf while checking him out.
“He is sexy,” she replied with a purr
His sense of style was different from a lot of warriors I had seen; it was very different from how Alphas dressed. While most preferred formal wear, and some went for casual cool wear like jeans and shirts that showed off their ripped muscles, Damon usually went for loose T-shirts or baggy vests and shorts. The only time I saw him put on trousers and a shirt was when he was going into town to get a few important things for his office, and he looked like a sexy god.
I wanted so badly to jump him that day, but sadly I had to stop myself.
“Is something on your mind?” he asked softly, his gaze still fixed on the papers.
“Yes,” I answered honestly.
He immediately looked up and met my eyes.
“What is it?” he asked with concern.
“First of all, when did trousers become your enemy and baggy clothes your allies?” I asked. He laughed softly, then stood up and moved to sit next to me.
“Let me think,” he answered as he took my hands in his.
“The day my pack went down in flames, I lost my will to be happy. At least, that’s what I thought. Dressing up nicely became a pain, so I began to wear clothes without a care,” he said, then frowned deeply.
“Honestly, I hated what that bitch liked, and that included my first sense of style. Whenever I wore jeans and a shirt, she would blush and compliment me. But whenever I wore any baggy shirt and shorts, she would point out how awful it looked. So when she left, I burned down everything that reminded me of her, and that included my previous wardrobe. While trying my best to wear the clothes she despised, I became comfortable, and my style changed,” he said, and I felt my heart ache at his confession.
So that was the actual truth behind his different sense of style. It was all because of her.
I had no idea if he really was in love with me or not because I felt insecure whenever he talked about her. Was I supposed to ask him to mark me so that I could feel his true feelings for me through our mark? I felt jealous of his first mate, even if she wasn’t a part of his life.
“Now that I have you, everything is different. I love you a lot, and I want us to always be together,” he said, then dropped my hand.
I watched sadly as he moved his hand to my face, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“I know that it might be hard to believe right now, but I will prove it to you until one day you do. That’s why, if it’s not too much to ask, I want us to do most things together. If you don’t mind, can you go into town with me whenever you are ready for shopping? I think it’s time to burn my wardrobe and buy new clothes. Clothes that you would like to see me in,” he said as I moved and wrapped my arms around his shoulders with a wide smile.
“You really hated my dress code, didn’t you?” he asked softly.
I pulled back and nodded happily.
“Well then, I’m happy to see you happy,” he said with a smile, then wrapped his arms around me as I hugged him back.
“Sherry, whenever you feel doubtful about something or you are not sure about anything, always come to me and be open about it because I won’t ever lie to you,” he said.
“I know, it’s just that I felt like you loved your first mate more than you love me now,” I answered sadly.
He pulled back and moved his hand to my cheek.
“No, that’s not true. I did love her, but not as much as I love you now. You are more than what I want and the only woman I see in my eyes. You and I will forever be together because our love is something so pure, despite the both of us going through hell,” he said.
I moved and sat on his lap, leaning my head against his chest.
His heart was beating rapidly, and his breath was becoming labored.
“Honey, would you do anything for me?” I asked seriously.
He wrapped his arms around me and rested his head against mine.
“Of course, if it’s in my power,” he answered.
“Then can we stop having welcome parties and replace them with ceremonies?” I asked.
“Are you uncomfortable with them?” he asked in a low tone.
“Yes, because I don’t want to see any females lusting after you or eye-fucking you. I would rip her apart in anger,” I answered as he laughed.
“That wouldn’t happen, they know how I react when approached,” he said as I sat upright and faced him coldly.
“I can see everything now, so I won’t sit still if someone looks at you in a sexual way,” I whined.
“Fine, I will ban it, just after Bevin’s welcome party takes place,” he answered as I happily rested my head back on his chest.
“Why doesn’t your pack hold initiation ceremonies for new pack members like other packs?” I asked seriously.
“Because we are different and unique. Instead of holding a ceremony for them so they could have access to the pack’s mind link, they are always given a rare drink at their welcome party. That drink is made from a very rare flower called Sungtru. That flower is also known as the witch’s breath because it has abilities unheard of by most supernatural beings. Those who know it well can use it in various ways, and that includes curing supernatural beings poisoned by red Otis, which is very deadly because it kills in seconds. It can also cure deadly diseases and viruses that werewolves suffer from that humans can’t cure. Besides that, it also allows any being who is accepted by a pack to access their mind-link when consumed,” he answered.
I was so amazed by his words because no one in Ian’s pack had the knowledge of the flower. That’s why he suffered so much and almost died when I drugged his whiskey.
“You know, our pack has it all. It’s like a huge library that holds a lot of knowledge about things that many don’t know. A pack that would form an alliance with us would have it easy because they would get any answer they want to any situation,” he said.
I let out a gasp when he stood up with me in his arms, walking to the door.
“You know, we have exactly thirty minutes to take a bath and dress up,” he said after I had opened the door.
“Should we take a bath together?” I asked while he walked into the corridor.
“Is that an invitation to hold you?” he asked back as I chuckled softly.
“How about you do just that after the party because if we do it in the shower, we will need more than thirty minutes to both feel good,” I answered.
He glanced at me, then smirked.
“Fine, so after the party it is,” he said.
“Also, before I forget, are you going to wear shorts and a baggy shirt to the party?” I asked.
He looked ahead, then shook his head.
“I think I have a few pairs of trousers and shirts that Maggie tried to force on me, but I refused. How about you pick out what you like from those, and I’ll try them on?” he asked.
“Yes!” I exclaimed happily, then wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
It was a step forward to change, and that was the only thing that mattered to me. That’s why I felt so happy.