7. Luna
Luna
“L una, is that honestly what you’re wearing?” my mother asks. I sigh and turn around to face her. She’s wearing a tight pantsuit that accents her height. Her makeup looks like she’s ready for the runway, and her hair is in a tight bun at the nape of her neck.
I look down at my blue sundress and shrug. “What’s wrong with it?”
“You know Ian will be wearing a suit, while you’re dressed like this.” Her hand motions up and down my body like I’m offending her. I guess my presence does that. Stewart opens his mouth but promptly shuts it.
I roll my eyes, and Stewart nudges my shoulder as my mom walks into the kitchen to make sure the chef has everything prepared for dinner.
“She just wants everything to be perfect,” he says, and I bite my tongue.
The way he always defends her pisses me off.
It’s not like she treats Stewart like gold, even though she should.
He pays for everything we have. My mom loves talking about Alpha work ethic and how superior they are, but she doesn’t seem to hold it herself.
She just wants to be a part of her society clubs, even if it means being with a Beta.
She won’t even bond him, for Christ’s sake. How pathetic is that?
When Stewart first married my mom, I had hopes that things would get better, that maybe I’d have someone who would be a barrier, someone to be my protector.
That’s not what happened. Ian didn’t even live with us, but he was the only person in this family who ever gave a shit about me.
He came to my events, bought me gifts, and asked me if I was okay.
Do you know how nice it is for someone to just ask how you’re doing sometimes? It’s never like that in this house. It’s always what I’m doing wrong or what I could be doing better. My mom and Stewart don’t really give a fuck about me.
I push the sadness away. I can get through this dinner, go to work, and make more money. Even though it’s not ideal, I’m going to do this for myself. I don’t need a pack to get me out of this situation, I will free myself from this house.
There’s a knock at the door, and my mother answers it with a beaming fake smile, acting the perfect host to the stepson that meets her standards.
“Boys, so lovely to see you. Ian, what a beautiful suit.”
“Thank you, Margo,” my stepbrother says while looking at me.
I can’t help but feel like he pities me sometimes with the wayward glances he gives me.
It’s annoying, especially when I’ve started to look at him with anything but pity.
It’s a little concerning how much I think about my stepbrother, possibly borderline pathetic.
Now I wish I had changed my clothes. He looks so good in his suit. Meanwhile, I look like a twenty-one-year-old that doesn’t have much going on for her. No pack, didn’t finish college, working a job that some would find unsavory.
I stop myself from that train of thought. I’m realizing that most of the negative thoughts that go through my head are with my mother’s voice, not mine.
Ezra and James follow as we all walk into the dinning room. God, they all smell so fucking good. Our parents sit at the heads of the table, with Ezra and James at the opposite side of me and Ian. I give them both a small smile. It feels like I have a secret with both of them, and I like it.
They haven’t even come to a family dinner for weeks, and I’m still pining over men who will never be mine. It just feels like we would be so perfect together, like no other pack will ever compare—how could I ever settle for less. I shouldn’t be this pining, overlooked Omega.
It should be the other way around. Alphas should be at my feet, begging to be with me. That’s what my job at Lavender Moon has given me. It’s time to stop fantasizing about something I shouldn’t want in order to find something that is actually obtainable.
Sitting at the table, I spiral my blonde hair between my fingers and glance down at my phone. I have a few hours before I need to get to work.
“Luna,” Ian says as he takes the strand into his own fingers and tugs slightly.
“Ouch, asshole.” He grins, even though I’m being rude. Something about Ian still wanting to be around me even when I’m being unreasonable excites me.
“I see your classes aren’t helping your manners.”
“I see you’re still a dick.” I don’t know why, but I love arguing with Ian. It’s like any attention I get from him is good attention.
“Hello, Luna, looking beautiful today,” Ezra tells me. Ian gives him a glare.
“Oh, Ezra, don’t lie to her. She should have been dressed more appropriately,” my mother responds. I glare at her, and Ezra ignores her comment.
“Thank you, not so bad yourself. How was your week?” I say, smiling at Ezra.
“Oh, same shite, different day. The lemur, Kenzie, is pregnant, so we have been keeping a watchful eye on her.” Yeah, the hot red-headed Alpha is an exotic animal veterinarian.
Stewart chimes in with a beaming smile. “Oh, that’s wonderful. I’ll have to plan a time to come to the zoo soon. It’s been too long, hasn’t it, Margo?” he asks my mother, who sticks her nose in the air and shakes her head in disagreement. “What about you, Son, how are all of your businesses doing?”
“They’re great, Dad,” Ian says, sipping his whiskey. “Luna, have you been going to your classes?”
Gulp. Nope. Does he know I’ve been skipping? “You know, about that, it just hasn’t been working out.”
He does that thing where he adjusts his suit jacket. Why is that so hot? “And why the fuck not?”
My stepfather looks a little embarrassed as he clears his throat.
“Well, first of all, all they do is try to teach you what you can do for Alphas. Nothing about how to take care of myself or any educational material about being an Omega. Last week, she told the class we all needed to shave down there, ” I point to my crotch, “if we’re ever going to entice an Alpha to be generous enough to do anything besides grace us with their knot. ”
Ezra nearly spits out his whiskey and laughs. “Sounds like ‘er information is a tad bit out of date.” James smiles and shakes his head, hiding a laugh.
“Luna, do not discuss such vulgar things at the table,” my mother scolds me.
Ian glances between my mother and me, taking a drink before he responds. Is that distaste I see in his eyes when he looks at my mother?
“It’s supposed to be the best program in the tri-state area. I’ve only heard good things,” Ian says, straightening his cufflinks.
“From whom? Your douchebag Alpha friends and their perfectly subservient Omegas?”
“Luna, if you can’t behave, you can leave the table,” my mother says.
Ian glares at me, and Stewart clears his throat and interjects himself into the conversation. “And James, how is the garden coming along?”
James gives Stewart a polite smile and answers, “I will have to bring you some tomatoes once they’re ripe.”
“Oh, that would be lovely. I can make some fresh pasta sauce. Wouldn’t that be lovely, Margo?” My mother rolls her eyes.
I take a deep breath, trying to make sure I don’t piss off my mom any more than I already have tonight.
“I’ll go grab the bread,” I say, getting up from the table and patting down my skirt.
With quick steps, I head to my secret spot.
I’m not even sure my mom knows where the pantry is as I shut the door behind me and lean against the shelves, breathing slowly in and out of my nose.
Ian’s rich scent of orange peels and cedar wood is heavy, and I just take a moment to collect myself.
In and out. In and out.
Why can’t someone else affect me this way? Why can’t I be fucking normal for once?
The door knob turns, and I sigh as Ian walks through the pantry that looks tiny compared to his huge size. His brows furrow as he looks at me.
“Don’t listen to your mom. She’s a fucking asshole.”
I sigh and nod. “I know.”
“I could buy you a place, you know. You don’t have to stay here.”
Of course, he would just buy me a place, he buys me everything. He wouldn’t want me in his house or with his pack.
I shrug and shake my head. “I couldn’t ask that of you, Ian.”
“You didn’t. I was offering.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
Ian swallows and nods. “Are…are you seeing a pack?” he asks, and his Adam’s apple bobs. Why does he seem so nervous?
“I went on a date the other week, but it was horrible.”
“But you’re looking for a pack?”
I look into his dark eyes and wish I could just scream, grab his face, and kiss him so hard that he would understand that he’s what I want. That I want him and his pack.
“No,” I tell him honestly. I’ve already found my perfect pack, I just can’t have them.
He swallows and shakes his head, his large hand going behind his neck. “Listen, Luna—”
The pantry door swings open as Stewart laughs. “Bread isn’t in here, kids. Dinner’s ready.”
I wish I knew what Ian was going to say next, but I guess I won’t as we walk back to the table.
My mom is tapping her manicured nails against the table with a look of irritation written on her face.
I sigh but take my place next to Ian at the table, wishing that my mom and Stewart weren’t here. That it was just the four of us.
I shake my head. I’ve got to stop thinking like this.
Everyone is eating the pork and potatoes that the chef, Linda, made as my mom cuts into the conversation with gossip.
“Oh, did you hear about Janice’s nephew?” my mom asks.
“No,” Ian replies with a bored expression on his face.
“He bonded with his brother’s ex-girlfriend. Can you believe that? No decorum in this generation, I swear.”
“If they love each other, why does it matter?” I ask, wishing I could explain that I’m in love with my stepbrother, and it doesn’t feel wrong. Complicated, sure. But not wrong. My mother glares at me, and I look back down at my plate.
“It’s uncouth. I can’t imagine being Janice, having the whole town talking about her like that.”
I roll my eyes, and Ian catches the moment, nudging me with his foot under the table and giving me a small smile. I can’t help but blush as I smile back.
“Luna, would you like to come over and swim at our pool this afternoon?” Ezra asks from across the table.
I smile at him, excitement flooding me. The idea of finally going over their house would be enough. It would probably be a painful reminder of what I don’t have, but I’ll take it.
“I would love to,” I exclaim, but Stewart shakes his head, and my brows furrow.
“Luna, don’t you have to work?”
Oh, fuck.
I clear my throat and shake my head. “It’s not a big deal. It’s just stocking shelves at night,” I reply, the lie sweeping off my tongue. I should call off, go to his house, and pretend like I belong with them.
“Why are you stocking shelves? We have plenty of money,” Ian asks, looking at me with those deep brown eyes. He stresses the word ‘we’ like it has a deeper meaning to him. His presence is menacing, and I trip over my words as I reply.
“Just want to get some life experience, you know, have my own money and all of that.” He looks irritated at my response, like something he did is causing me to find a job. It annoys me, and in that moment, I decide I can’t call off. I need to prove that I’m independent.
“Oh, what is it called again?” Stewart says, snapping his fingers, and I don’t reply. He taps his chin and smacks the table. “Lavender Moon, right? What a cute name for a candle shop.”
All three sets of eyes immediately stare at me. “A. Candle. Shop?” Ian asks, enunciating each word.
“Yes, she stocks the shelves at night and helps make candles each shift. She always comes home smelling like an unfamiliar scent each night.” I’m going to kill Stewart, dig a hole in the backyard, and bury his body.
“Is that right?” Ezra says, smirking behind his glass.
“Uh, yeah. Lots of candle making,” I say and look down at the table.
“And all the scents don’t bother you?” Ezra asks, and he has to know. They all have to know what Lavender Moon really is. I really fucked up wearing the logoed shirt home that one night. I had to concoct this whole candle story to make the unfamiliar scents layered over my own make sense.
“No, I love candles.”
“Maybe next Sunday you could bring us some of your favorites,” Ezra asks.
“Sure, of course.” I look down at my phone. I’ve barely touched my meal, but I need to get the hell out of here. “I’m actually running late for my shift. I’ll see you all next week?”
“Great, now we can enjoy our meal,” my mother adds.
Ian glares at my mom before his eyes bore into mine, and a frown sits on his face while he rubs his lip. “Do you need a ride to work, Luna?”
“Thank you, but no, I’ll drive myself.”
“Stay safe,” he says, his brows furrowing over. Glancing at James before I leave, I see a worried expression on his face as he stares at his Alpha.