Chapter 13 #2
I’d had dozens of pack members approach me over the past few days to introduce themselves, to tell me how happy they were for their Alpha, to offer their help if I needed anything.
It made the transition easier, knowing that most of the pack wanted me here.
When we reached the dining hall, Tina and I grabbed a table while the guys went to get food. The dining hall was packed, as usual during lunch hour, filled with the sounds of conversation and laughter and the clatter of dishes.
Ryder returned a few minutes later with two plates piled high with food—one for him and one for me. He set mine down in front of me with a kiss to my temple before settling into the chair beside me.
Lunch was filled with lots of chatting, mostly dominated by Tina’s nonstop excitement about the upcoming ceremonies. She was already making lists, talking about flowers and decorations and guest lists and a thousand other details that made my head spin.
“We’ll need to get you fitted for a dress,” she was saying, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. “Oh, and we should talk about the ceremony itself—there are traditional elements, but we can also personalize it however you want. And the reception! We’ll need to—”
“Tina,” Greg interrupted gently, holding up a forkful of food. “Eat.”
She paused mid-sentence, blinked, and then obediently took the bite he offered. But the moment she’d swallowed, she was off again, talking about color schemes and music and seating arrangements.
Greg had to stop her three more times to force food into her mouth, and each time, I found myself smiling. It was adorable how much they loved each other, how Greg knew exactly when to rein Tina in and how she let him take care of her even in the middle of her excitement.
I hoped that Ryder and I would be like that someday, when we’d been mates as long as they had. That comfortable, easy love that came from years of knowing each other inside and out.
Ryder was eating with his left hand so he could hold my hand with his right, his fingers laced through mine on top of the table. He did this every single day during lunch, as if he couldn’t stand to not be touching me.
I found it incredibly cute.
There had been one day last week when he’d been really stressed and upset about some pack business—a territorial dispute with a neighboring pack that had required delicate negotiations.
The only thing that would soothe him was having me sit on his lap throughout lunch, his arms wrapped around my waist, his face buried in my neck.
I hadn’t been opposed to it at all. I loved that he always wanted to be touching me, that he couldn’t get enough of me. Because I felt exactly the same way about him.
Everyone joked that we were a typical newly mated pair, unable to keep our hands off each other, constantly seeking physical contact. And they were right. But I didn’t care. After five years of being apart, of aching for him, I was going to take every moment of closeness I could get.
We were almost done with lunch when Ryder suddenly pushed back his chair and stood up. The movement was so abrupt that conversations around us started to die down, pack members turning to look at their Alpha with curious expressions.
Ryder cleared his throat, and the entire dining hall went quiet. Every eye in the room turned toward us, and I felt my heart start to race.
He reached down and pulled me to my feet beside him, his hand warm and steady in mine.
“As you all know,” Ryder said, his voice carrying easily through the silent room, “I’ve found my mate and Luna.”
There were smiles and nods throughout the crowd. Everyone did know—it had been the talk of the pack for days.
“And she has finally accepted me,” Ryder continued, and I could hear the smile in his voice, “after lots of groveling on my part.”
Laughter rippled through the dining hall, and I felt my cheeks heat with a blush.
“So we’re having the mating and Luna ceremony as soon as possible,” Ryder announced, “before she can change her mind.”
More laughter, louder this time, and I couldn’t help but smile even as my heart pounded in my chest.
“Everyone is invited to the mating and Luna ceremony in two weeks.”
The dining hall erupted in cheers and applause, but I barely heard it. I was staring at Ryder in shock.
Two weeks? That was barely any time at all!
I looked over at Tina and Greg, expecting to see surprise on their faces, but they were both smiling and nodding in agreement. They’d known. Ryder had already talked to them about this.
I turned back to the crowd, forcing a smile onto my face even as my mind raced. Two weeks. I had two weeks to prepare to become Luna of this pack.
And then Ryder was kissing me.
Or maybe claiming me was a better word for it.
His hand came up to cup the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my hair as he pulled me against him. His other arm wrapped around my waist, holding me tight as his mouth moved over mine with unmistakable possession.
The dining hall erupted in cheers and howls, the sound almost deafening, but I barely registered it. All I could focus on was Ryder—his taste, his scent, the way his body felt pressed against mine, the way his wolf was right there at the surface, claiming me in front of his entire pack.
Okay, he was totally staking his claim on me in front of everyone.
And while maybe I should have been annoyed at him for doing that, for making such a public display without warning me first, all I felt was a rush of heat that had nothing to do with embarrassment.
It turned me on.
God help me, having him claim me like this, in front of all these people, with such obvious possession and desire—it was incredibly hot.
Ryder finally pulled back after what felt like forever, his eyes glowing with his wolf as he looked down at me. I was breathing hard, my face flushed, my body tingling with awareness.
The cheering and howling continued, and then it felt like the entire pack was coming by to congratulate us. People were clapping Ryder on the back, hugging me, offering their well-wishes and excitement for the upcoming ceremonies.
I smiled and thanked them, trying to focus on their faces and names even as my mind was still spinning from Ryder’s kiss and the reality of what we’d just announced.
Two weeks.
In two weeks, I would officially become Luna of this pack.
And somehow, despite the nervousness fluttering in my stomach, despite the overwhelming nature of everything that was happening, I found myself looking forward to it.
Because in two weeks, I would finally, officially, be Ryder’s.
And he would be mine.